KnowledgeTalk

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

LulzSec hacker helps FBI stop over 300 cyber attacks

The former "leader" of hacking group LulzSec has helped the FBI stop more than 300 cyber attacks since his arrest on hacking charges in 2011.

The co-operation of Hector Xavier Monsegur has helped to prevent losses of millions of dollars, according to court documents filed by prosecutors.

Mr Monsegur will be sentenced on Tuesday for his role in major online hacking attacks.

Prosecutors have recommended that he receives a reduced sentence.

LulzSec was formed in approximately May 2011 when Mr Monsegur - also known as Sabu - and five other members of the Anonymous hacking movement joined forces.

According to the documents filed with the court the group was responsible for "major hacks" into and "thefts" from computer servers belonging to companies including Fox Television, Nintendo and Sony.

Mr Monsegur was arrested in June 2011 and pleaded guilty, as part of a co-operation agreement with the US government, to nine counts related to computer hacking, amongst others.

'Extraordinarily valuable'

The documents that were filed in a New York court last week state that Mr Monsegur's most substantial assistance came from his "co-operation against significant cybercriminals" affiliated with Anonymous, LulzSec and Internet Feds - another hacking group.

Because of his help the FBI say they were able to identify, prosecute and convict the "number one cybercriminal target in the world" at the time - Jeremy Hammond.

He also helped prevent major hacking attacks that were being planned by active cybercriminals.

Mr Monsegur was in contact with hackers and received information from them about attacks that were being planned. He shared this knowledge with the FBI.

Victims of the attacks were to include the US Armed Forces, the US Congress and Nasa as well as a "television network, a video game manufacturer and an electronics conglomerate".

Electrical grid hack

"The FBI used this information, wherever feasible, to prevent or mitigate harm that otherwise would have occurred," the prosecutors' filing said.

"The FBI estimates that it was able to disrupt or prevent at least 300 separate computer hacks in this fashion.

"Although difficult to quantify, it is likely that Monsegur's actions prevented at least millions of dollars in loss to these victims."

He is also credited with providing officials with information about vulnerabilities that could have led to attacks on a water utility for a US city and a foreign energy company.

"Law enforcement used the information Monsegur provided to secure the water utility, and the information about the energy company was shared with appropriate government personnel," prosecutors said.

A hack on the US electrical grid was also found to be a hoax after Mr Monsegur communicated with members of Anonymous. This saved the government "substantial time and resources".

Under US sentencing guidelines Mr Monsegur could be sentenced to between 21 and 26 years in prison.

Prosecutors have called Mr Monsegur's help "extraordinarily valuable and productive" and have recommended that his sentence is limited to "time served". He has already spent seven months in jail after breaking conditions of his bail in 2012.

China accuses US of internet surveillance on its leaders

China has accused the US of using internet surveillance to spy on its leaders and key institutions.

A report released by a government agency said that China had been a main target for US spies, who had focused on government officials, businesses and mobile phone users.

It called the behaviour "brazen" and a "gross violation of human rights".

Last week the US charged five Chinese army officers with cyber-espionage.

The report by the China Internet Media Research Centre looked at claims made by US whistleblower and former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and said that several government agencies had confirmed the existence of spying.

"As a superpower, the United States takes advantage of its political, economic, military and technological hegemony to unscrupulously monitor other countries, including its allies," said an extract of the report published in the Guardian.

Hacking conference ban

"The United States' spying operations have gone far beyond the legal rationale of 'anti-terrorism' and have exposed its ugly face of pursuing self-interest in complete disregard of moral integrity."

The report also said that the US was violating international law and breaching human rights.

Beijing had reacted angrily to the news that the US was charging five of its army officers with hacking. They were accused of illegally accessing several large US companies and trying to steal trade secrets.

China accused the US of hypocrisy and double standards and released a statement saying it "had never engaged in any cyber-espionage activities".

Reports surfaced over the weekend that a senior administration official in Washington had floated the idea of Chinese hackers having visa restrictions placed on them so they could not attend the Def Con and Black Hat hacking conference held annually in Las Vegas.

The official was reported to have said the restrictions were to keep the pressure on China after their army officials were charged.

Chris Wysopal, who is on the Black Hat review board, told Reuters that any ban would be ineffective as talks from the conference were posted online or sold as DVDs.

The founder of Black Hat and Def Con, Jeff Moss, tweeted to say that he had not heard about the visa restrictions but said: "I don't think it helps build positive community."

Forget Godzilla: Facebook rolls out its own dinosaur

It's been a big week for dinosaurs. With "Godzilla" still rampaging at the box office, Facebook also rolled out some privacy changes along with a friendly blue dino to help explain them all.
In addition to making settings for all new users default to "Friends Only," Facebook announced Thursday it will prompt existing users to review their privacy settings.
Your new guide to the intricacies of controlling your personal info on the world's biggest social platform? A blue cartoon dinosaur with a snaggletooth, tapping away at a laptop that looks like some kind of Macbook.
"Hi!" reads one of the new pop-up windows, presumably relaying the sentiments of the new Mesozoic spirit animal. "Sorry to interrupt. You haven't changed who can see your post lately, so we just wanted to make sure you're sharing this post with the right audience."
Fair enough. It's part of an effort that Facebook has been undertaking for months to clarify and tighten privacy settings, something critics have dinged the site for in the past.
But why a dinosaur?
"Our team looked at a few different characters, saw the dinosaur, and just thought he was the friendliest and best choice," said Raylene Yung, an engineering manager on Facebook's privacy team. "Once we tried him out, we saw some great results and welcomed him to the team."
Dubbed the "Zuckasaurus" by The New York Times in a nod to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the (thankfully) un-Barney-like creature joins an ever-growing pantheon of tech mascots.
From TiVo's smiley, leggy TV guy to Google Android's android, there has been no shortage of cutesy characters introduced by Web and tech companies to reinforce brand identity or help set themselves apart from the masses.
As a species, they've provoked a wide variety of reactions.
Some, like Reddit's beloved Snoo, the Twitter bird and the early Web's Ask Jeeves butler invoke warm feelings among users. Even Twitter's "Fail Whale," which showed up years ago whenever the platform was over capacity, had its fans.
Other mascots weren't so lucky.
Clippy, Microsoft's talking paper clip, became one of the computing age's most mocked, if not reviled, characters. Early Windows users were forced to click him out of existence over and over again as he popped up to give advice of sometimes questionable value. Plus, he's a talking paper clip. Kind of creepy.
Then-CEO Bill Gates retired Clippy in 2001, though he was brought back in 2011 for a Microsoft Office tutorial -- but only if users chose him.
Then there was the Pets.com sock puppet. Amusing enough at first, the puppet's schtick had already started getting old by 2001, when the site went belly up, its once-ballyhooed stock worth a whopping 22 cents a share.
Will Facebook's privacy dino catch on? Or will he (or she) be mocked into extinction? Only time will tell.
On Twitter, some users Friday were calling the creature a "safeasaur" or a "privasaurus."
The New York Times said the Zuckasaurus "could suffer the cruel fate of other tech industry cartoon characters if Facebook slips on its promise to be more mindful of users' privacy."

Apple's Readying a Smart Home Platform for WWDC Unveiling: Report

Could Apple's next big innovation come in the Internet of Things space - specifically the connected smart home? A recent report indicates Apple may just unveil such a platform at its upcoming WWDC event.

A report in the Financial Times (the article is behind a pay wall) suggests that the company is planning a platform that would let you use your iPhone or iPad to control every aspect of your house, from security systems to connected appliances.

Other electronics brands like LG and Samsung also demonstrated similar platforms at CES earlier this year, and TechCrunch points out that this will hurt startups like SmartThings, which already offer similar services, but by standardising all the components in the smarthome, manufacturers like Apple (and LG, and Samsung) will also speed up the adoption of these technologies.

Most of the work in the "smart" home space has still been fairly rudimentary. For example - Philips has the Hue LED bulbs, which can change colour and are controlled by an iPad or iPhone.

The problem is that since these are all standalone products, they can't be integrated to suit different contexts. If the smart home is built into your phone at the most basic level, then a much greater degree of automation becomes possible.

Think about using voice commands instead of having to search out an app, then find the right controls in it; think of using your phone's physical location to determine which lights should be on and which ones should be dimmed; think of taking cues from your meeting calendar so that the home knows when you're expected back, and turns on the air conditioner according to your schedule?

According to the FT, this system would work like Apple's "Made for iPhone" program, and would support official third party software, so existing smart home hardware makers would only have to make some software changes to find themselves in this ecosystem.

This, along with new developments in car integration with CarPlay, and rumours about wearables, show that Apple is now on the cusp of major changes, and the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference next week is going to be very interesting.

iPhone in the Car: Get Up Close With Apple CarPlay

If your iPhone was built into your car's dash, you wouldn't have to get caught texting and driving again. In March, Apple announced CarPlay, which renovates the clunky digital infotainment system interface with the familiarity of the iOS mobile operating system.
We finally got to touch, see, and experience Apple CarPlay for ourselves while testing Pioneer's CarPlay-compatible aftermarket infotainment systems. Pioneer users with select models—AVIC-8000NEX, AVIC7000NEX, AVIC-6000NEX, AVIC5000NEX, and AVH-4000NEX—will be able to download the CarPlay software onto a USB drive, then simply install it onto the dash using the in-car USB port. The systems can be installed into just about any car, but it's not an installation project for a novice.

The systems can be bought at Best Buy, and Pioneer suggests hiring Best Buy's Geek Squad to implement the new infotainment center into the car. Get Apple CarPlay without getting a whole new car via Pioneer starting early Summer. You'll need a Lightning-cable-connected device (iPhone 5, 5S, or 5C), a data plan to use Messages or Maps, and iOS 7.1 or later. Scroll down to get an up-close-and-personal look at Apple CarPlay!