hackers | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Tue, 03 May 2022 13:42:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png hackers | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Call of Duty anti-cheat now makes cheaters blind and deaf https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/call-of-duty-anti-cheat-now-makes-cheaters-blind-and-deaf/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/call-of-duty-anti-cheat-now-makes-cheaters-blind-and-deaf/#respond Mon, 02 May 2022 11:08:57 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=558985 With the launch of Call of Duty: Vanguard, the development team also revamped its anti-cheat efforts, with a new system called Ricochet. Using this new system, over 50,000 cheaters have already been banned from this year's Warzone update, as well as Vanguard multiplayer, and the developers are continuing to find new ways to mess with …

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With the launch of Call of Duty: Vanguard, the development team also revamped its anti-cheat efforts, with a new system called Ricochet. Using this new system, over 50,000 cheaters have already been banned from this year's Warzone update, as well as Vanguard multiplayer, and the developers are continuing to find new ways to mess with those caught cheating. 

Developers have come up with plenty of creative ways to punish cheaters in online games over the years. We've seen some titles group cheaters together in their own matchmaking pool. More recently, Call of Duty used its anti-cheat system to stop cheaters from dealing damage to legitimate players in any lobby. Now, the team is taking it a step further by making legitimate players completely invisible to cheaters.

As pointed out by the Ricochet anti-cheat team last week, there is now a new system in place to combat cheaters. Once the anti-cheat system catches out a cheater, they will find themselves unable to see or hear other players, or even weapon fire. Meanwhile, everyone else in the lobby can see and hear you, putting you at a major disadvantage and rendering the game unplayable.

At this point, the team has banned over 90,000 accounts for cheating since Vanguard launched through ban waves. Under the new rules, those players will also have their accounts banned for past, present and future Call of Duty titles.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The early days of Warzone were riddled with cheaters, but the anti-cheat team seems to have a much better handle on the situation right now. However, Call of Duty is facing issues in other areas instead, as fewer players made the move over to Vanguard, leading to a 50 million active user drop for the series. 

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New COD anti-cheat will ban cheaters from ‘past, present and future’ games in the series https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/new-cod-anti-cheat-will-ban-cheaters-from-past-present-and-future-games-in-the-series/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/new-cod-anti-cheat-will-ban-cheaters-from-past-present-and-future-games-in-the-series/#respond Tue, 16 Nov 2021 12:39:08 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=539788 With the release of Call of Duty: Vanguard, Activision is also introducing a new anti-cheat system, as well as harsher punishments for those caught cheating. As details in the updated security enforcement policy for Vanguard, those caught cheating will lead to permanent bans in all Call of Duty titles.  The team behind the Ricochet anti-cheat …

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With the release of Call of Duty: Vanguard, Activision is also introducing a new anti-cheat system, as well as harsher punishments for those caught cheating. As details in the updated security enforcement policy for Vanguard, those caught cheating will lead to permanent bans in all Call of Duty titles. 

The team behind the Ricochet anti-cheat system updated the security enforcement policy this week, noting that “extreme cases of cheating” will lead to permanent suspensions that apply across the entire Call of Duty series, including “past, present or future titles” in the franchise.

Such a measure will be taken in “extreme cases” of cheating, or for “repeated violations of the security policy, such as in-game cheating”. You will also now be found in violation of the security policy if you “attempt to hide, disguise, or obfuscate” your hardware ID, which is often used to ban specific PCs from accessing the game, and avoid repeated account creations.

Richochet Anti-Cheat is debuting with Call of Duty: Vanguard's Warzone refresh, which is due to roll out before the end of this year. The system is only present in the PC version of the game, which should help clear up the number of cheaters in the crossplay matchmaking pool for console users.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Riot has had success with its own kernel-level anti-cheat system in Valorant, so hopefully Call of Duty's new Ricochet anti-cheat will follow a similar path. 

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Gigabyte hit by ransomware attack https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/matthew-wilson/gigabyte-hit-by-ransomware-attack/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/matthew-wilson/gigabyte-hit-by-ransomware-attack/#respond Wed, 11 Aug 2021 16:45:17 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=527214 We've seen a rise in the number of ransomware attacks in recent years, with a number of large companies being caught out. This time, it appears that Gigabyte has been affected by a ransomware attack, which reportedly saw the hackers steal 112GB of confidential information.  The group behind the attack is believed to be RansomEXX, …

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We've seen a rise in the number of ransomware attacks in recent years, with a number of large companies being caught out. This time, it appears that Gigabyte has been affected by a ransomware attack, which reportedly saw the hackers steal 112GB of confidential information. 

The group behind the attack is believed to be RansomEXX, which managed to access some of Gigabyte's internal servers. According to TechPowerUp, 112GB of confidential data was stolen during the attack, which included confidential documents from Intel, AMD and other partners.

According to The Record, the hacker group has threatened to release the stolen data if its demands aren't met. A Gigabyte spokesperson confirm to Chinese site, Money UDN, that the ransomware has been removed from the affected systems and that law enforcement is investigating the attack.

So far, the reported stolen data has not been confirmed by Gigabyte and no leaks have come from the hackers.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It doesn't sound like any personal data was involved here, but confidential corporation documents may have been stolen. 

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Chinese police raid ‘world’s largest’ video game cheats operation https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/chinese-police-raid-worlds-largest-video-game-cheats-operation/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/chinese-police-raid-worlds-largest-video-game-cheats-operation/#respond Thu, 01 Apr 2021 16:09:24 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=510306 The video game cheats business is huge, with some companies raking in millions by selling subscriptions to consistently updated cheats for different games. Perhaps the largest video game cheating operation was recently shut down, after a crackdown by police in China.  According to The BBC, Chinese police in the city of Kunshan have shut down …

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The video game cheats business is huge, with some companies raking in millions by selling subscriptions to consistently updated cheats for different games. Perhaps the largest video game cheating operation was recently shut down, after a crackdown by police in China. 

According to The BBC, Chinese police in the city of Kunshan have shut down a gaming cheats provider known as “Operation Chicken Drumstick”. The cheat makers in question are said to have amassed $76 million USD in revenue by selling cheats for Overwatch and Call of Duty Mobile, with subscriptions costing $10 per day or a whopping $200 per month.

The police collaborated with Tencent to gather information and organise a raid on the operation. The police then seized $46 million in assets, including luxury sports cars.

This isn't the first time Chinese police have cracked down on a video game cheating operation, WoW gold farms for instance have faced similar raids in the past.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This may have been the world's biggest cheating operation in terms of revenue, but there are still plenty of smaller ones flying under the radar. 

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Infinity Ward details plan to combat Call of Duty: Modern Warfare cheaters https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/infinity-ward-details-plan-to-combat-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-cheaters/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/infinity-ward-details-plan-to-combat-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-cheaters/#respond Thu, 23 Apr 2020 14:08:26 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=463702 Recently, there has been a surge in complaints about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Warzone and the issue of cheaters. Many console owners playing via cross-play have spoken out about the number of cheaters entering the matchmaking pool. Since then, Infinity Ward has responded, detailing a few measures to help alleviate the problem. In a …

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Recently, there has been a surge in complaints about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Warzone and the issue of cheaters. Many console owners playing via cross-play have spoken out about the number of cheaters entering the matchmaking pool. Since then, Infinity Ward has responded, detailing a few measures to help alleviate the problem.

In a tweet earlier this week, the studio announced that players in Warzone and other Modern Warfare multiplayer modes will receive an in-game confirmation when a reported player is banned. The game has also had new security updates and additional resources dedicated to backend tech and enforcement teams.

Importantly, suspected cheaters will also be placed into their own matchmaking pool. Similarly to Apex Legends, reported cheaters should be matched against each other, keeping them out of the main matchmaking pool.

In the weeks to come, players will also be able to report players based on killcam and spectator mode footage.

KitGuru Says: With Warzone being so successful, Infinity Ward will want to contain any cheating issues as quickly as possible. Hopefully, the new updates rolled out this week will begin to fix the issue. Have many of you run into cheaters in Modern Warfare?

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Thousands of Fortnite cheaters get hit with malware https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/ryan-burgess/thousands-of-fortnite-cheaters-get-hit-with-malware/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/ryan-burgess/thousands-of-fortnite-cheaters-get-hit-with-malware/#respond Tue, 03 Jul 2018 12:17:45 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=378468 Fortnite is the most popular game in the world right now, there is no denying that. As with any popular game, there is a subset of people that just want to cheat on it. Fortnite is no different, but the number of hack tools available for the game all contain malware, according to web-based game …

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Fortnite is the most popular game in the world right now, there is no denying that. As with any popular game, there is a subset of people that just want to cheat on it. Fortnite is no different, but the number of hack tools available for the game all contain malware, according to web-based game streaming service Rainway.

Rainway detailed in a blog post that on the 26th of June, they received many error reports to their tracker. Each attempt to call was to various ad platforms, of which Rainway has none. They discovered that each infected user had something in common, they all played Fortnite.

Rainway started to research the world of Fortnite hack tools, and downloaded hundreds of programmes, each one was malicious, but they were looking for a specific one that was affecting their platform. They eventually found a hack tool that claimed to allow players to generate free V-Bucks, in addition to a classic aimbot.

They ran the programme in a virtual machine, where it instantly installed a root certificate and changed Windows settings to run all network traffic through the programme, a Man in the Middle attack. It then started to alter pages with web requests to different ad services.

Rainway then worked on getting each of these programmes taken down, as well as dealing with the ad platforms to get the ads removed. The malware had already been downloaded 78,000 times before it was taken down. Rainway says that Epic Games must educate their player base to not touch hack tools such as the one they found.

KitGuru Says: Good on Rainway for doing all that work, now it’s on Epic Games to make sure they educate their players. Do you think it’s up to Epic Games to warn their players of these sorts of programmes?

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Hackers are compromising Fortnite accounts and spending hundreds in fraudulent charges https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/hackers-are-compromising-fortnite-accounts-and-spending-hundreds-in-fraudulent-charges/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/hackers-are-compromising-fortnite-accounts-and-spending-hundreds-in-fraudulent-charges/#respond Tue, 13 Mar 2018 10:43:54 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=366893 As Fortnite grows in popularity, an increasing amount of players are finding themselves the targets of hackers who have managed to rack up fraudulent charges, sometimes worth hundreds at a time. Developer Epic Games has stated that it is aware of the problem and outlined what each player can do to make sure this doesn’t …

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As Fortnite grows in popularity, an increasing amount of players are finding themselves the targets of hackers who have managed to rack up fraudulent charges, sometimes worth hundreds at a time. Developer Epic Games has stated that it is aware of the problem and outlined what each player can do to make sure this doesn’t happen.

In an attempt to rule out any form of unique exploit in Fortnite’s code, Epic Games has stated that the accounts reported across Reddit have been “compromised using well-known hacking techniques” in an email to Polygon. Of course, it is working to solve the issues individually with each player, and is treating the matter as a priority over at its player support.

Given that the blame has been pegged on general phishing techniques, Epic has advised that players should start by making sure to download the official client directly from its own website, rather than clicking on the suspicious links that appear when searching for its download.

In its security bulletin detailing the measures which players can take, Epic tells of its own measures to protect its user base. The developer has been actively trying to hunt password dumps “in order to proactively reset passwords for player accounts when we believe they are leaked online.” In the meantime, players can strengthen their own passwords by choosing something unique that hasn’t been used on other accounts.

Alternatively, players can link their social media accounts, however this leaves the player’s Fortnite account as vulnerable as the social media account is. It does, however, make it easier to use third-party password managers, such as LastPass or 1Password.

If this isn’t to your taste, Epic has introduced two-factor sign in for the game directly, accessible from “Account Settings” and clicking on the “Password & Security” tab. Once the email verification has been completed, you’re good to go with the new protection. This is something that is advised any time two-factor authentication is an option.

Other than these steps to further protect passwords, all the player can do it pay attention to transactions and make sure to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. If anything does crop up, open a ticket up with Fortnite’s support staff who will immediately help.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It’s not just the popular games that are targeted, even if it seems like a more frequent occurrence. Unfortunately, it’s on the user to conduct themselves correctly and take every precaution possible in order to ensure their own protection. It’s not impossible for hackers to then penetrate those barriers put in place, but it is much, much harder.

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PUBG developers apologise for cheaters following increased complaints https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/pubg-developers-apologise-for-cheaters-following-increased-complaints/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/pubg-developers-apologise-for-cheaters-following-increased-complaints/#comments Fri, 03 Nov 2017 11:52:49 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=353075 Over the last few weeks, there has been an increasing number of complaints regarding cheaters in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Previously, the developers had prided themselves on the number of cheaters they catch on a daily/monthly basis but it seems that over time, cheat tools have become more resilient, which has been causing discontent amongst regular players. …

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Over the last few weeks, there has been an increasing number of complaints regarding cheaters in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Previously, the developers had prided themselves on the number of cheaters they catch on a daily/monthly basis but it seems that over time, cheat tools have become more resilient, which has been causing discontent amongst regular players. The developers are aware of this, so starting today, some new anti-cheat measures will be rolling out.

Over on PUBG’s Steam Community page, Bluehole posted an update on the studio’s plans for future anti-cheat measures. The post starts off with an apology to players, before promising changes as new anti-cheat tools enter the game.

“First of all, we would like to sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused by the cheaters and we are sorry that you have not been able to enjoy PUBG in a safe and fair environment. Our development team is doing their best to detect and ban those who use cheats in a more proactive manner. We are aware that we still have much to do.”

At the moment, Bluehole is “in the process of adopting new tools to detect and verify users with unusual gameplay patterns”. Starting from today, these new measures will be rolling out, with permanent bans in store for those caught cheating. If an ‘unusual gameplay pattern’ is detected, then an account will be temporarily suspended while a manual investigation is conducted.

These new measures should help but the studio is also keen to point out that “the battle against cheaters will not end overnight”. Still, stronger action will be taken, with another anti-cheat update set to begin rolling out next week.

KitGuru Says: I haven’t played PUBG for around six weeks, so I’ve not had much experience with the increased number of in-game cheaters. However, if our Facebook comments are anything to go by, things have certainly got worse. Hopefully these new updates will help combat this swiftly, particularly given that the game is set to leave early access in late December.

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Sledgehammer addresses Call of Duty: WWII hackers in beta https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/sledgehammer-addresses-call-of-duty-wwii-hackers-in-beta/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/sledgehammer-addresses-call-of-duty-wwii-hackers-in-beta/#comments Thu, 05 Oct 2017 19:01:52 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=349408 When the beta for Call of Duty: WWII landed last week, many were surprised at the sheer amount of hackers that plagued the 5-day period. In a post-beta update, developer Sledgehammer addressed the issue, promising to tackle the issue head on. Given that Call of Duty often houses the largest amount of cheaters in online …

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When the beta for Call of Duty: WWII landed last week, many were surprised at the sheer amount of hackers that plagued the 5-day period. In a post-beta update, developer Sledgehammer addressed the issue, promising to tackle the issue head on.

Given that Call of Duty often houses the largest amount of cheaters in online competitive gaming, it’s shocking to find out that no anti-cheat measure was in place during the beta. Of course, Sledgehammer does plan to implement the measures before the game’s November 3rd release, but you’d think that testing those measures would be a priority given that it is one of the main causes of gamers’ steadily lowering satisfaction for the series.

“Sadly, there are always those who aim to spoil the fun, even in a beta,” Sledgehammer states in an update. “We have yet to deploy the suite of anti-cheat/hacking technology we will use when the full PC game is live. We take a level playing field extremely serious and will monitor and react to this as a top priority on an ongoing basis.”

On top of cheating, the developers have released a list of additional changes that it plans to make before the full version of the game sees its way into players’ hands across the world. Many of them seem to be UI related, which was one of the main complaints during the beta period. You can find a list of them below:

  • Scroll bars on options that scroll.
  • Allow numerical entry to mouse and controller sensitivity options (in addition to slider).
  • Streamline the exit of the game.
  • Clearly indicate being in Party status in UI.
  • Making the resolution options more clear and consistent.
  • Video option video memory indicator.
  • Warnings about video memory over-commitment.
  • Option to bind lean left/right keys in multiplayer.
  • And a number of smaller issues that we’re tracking, which we’ll update in future patch notes.

KitGuru Says: Sledgehammer is keeping a close eye on its Reddit and Steam threads, so if you experience any issues, those seem like the best places to report to aside from any in-game bug reporting system. Did you take part in the CoD: WWII beta? Did you notice any hackers?

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Blizzard brings banhammer down on 22,000 Overwatch cheaters https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-brings-banhammer-down-on-22000-overwatch-cheaters/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-brings-banhammer-down-on-22000-overwatch-cheaters/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2017 22:04:13 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=320758 Blizzard has taken a stern stance against cheaters in Overwatch since the very beginning, a move that has often been praised by the community. There have been several large ban waves in the past but this weeks was one of the biggest, taking down 22,865 cheaters playing on the game's Korean servers. Blizzard announced the …

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Blizzard has taken a stern stance against cheaters in Overwatch since the very beginning, a move that has often been praised by the community. There have been several large ban waves in the past but this weeks was one of the biggest, taking down 22,865 cheaters playing on the game's Korean servers.

Blizzard announced the huge ban wave in a forum post, which says that the developer is “taking all the steps” it can to battle cheating and prepare countermeasures.

However, the issue here runs a bit deeper. A lot of players in Korea get their Overwatch time in at LAN centers, otherwise known as ‘PC Bangs', these are essentially gaming focussed cyber cafes. On top of that, a lot of these places have deals with publishers like Blizzard, allowing them to pay a flat rate and let visitors access games like Overwatch without needing an account with a purchased copy of the game.

Due to this, cheaters in South Korea don't necessarily need to buy the game again, they just have to worry about the hourly fee to use the PC. With that in mind, Blizzard's ban waves in South Korea may only go so far.

KitGuru Says: It is always good to see Blizzard being proactive when it comes to cheaters in its games, especially a competitive shooter like Overwatch. However, the cheating situation is a little more complicated in South Korea due to the popularity of these LAN centers, making it harder to shut cheaters down completely. 

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Government committee criticises watchdogs over UK data breaches https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/government-committee-criticises-watchdogs-over-uk-data-breaches/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/government-committee-criticises-watchdogs-over-uk-data-breaches/#respond Fri, 03 Feb 2017 11:48:24 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=320648 The British government and its watchdogs are doing a poor job of protecting citizens and companies from online attacks, according to the public accounts committee. It also criticised a confusing system for reporting breaches, which painted an inconsistent picture of the current state of Britain's digital security. Despite cyber attacks being ranked as one of …

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The British government and its watchdogs are doing a poor job of protecting citizens and companies from online attacks, according to the public accounts committee. It also criticised a confusing system for reporting breaches, which painted an inconsistent picture of the current state of Britain's digital security.

Despite cyber attacks being ranked as one of the biggest threats to national security for a number of years, the committee believes the UK's government has been lax in its combating of it. With little oversight on the effectiveness of government strategies, poor reporting of low-level breaches, the committee believes that the cabinet office – which is charged with protecting British assets – is inadequate to perform its main task.

There is one crack team that the government could hire… Source: United Artists

One of the major issues that the committee's report highlights, as per Ars, is that there are not enough trained professionals who can offer digital security expertise to the public sector. That, along with the current security issues it highlighted as part of its report, is something it wants to see addressed immediately. MPs that were a part of the committee called on the government to produce a progress report within six months to show what changes have been made to mitigate these issues.

“Government has a vital role to play in cyber security across society but it needs to raise its game. Its approach to handling personal data breaches has been chaotic and does not inspire confidence in its ability to take swift, coordinated, and effective action in the face of higher-threat attacks,” said leader of the committee, Meg Hillier.

The cabinet office hasn't admitted any fault though. Indeed it dismissed the concerns of the committee, instead claiming that the government was on track to combat all cyber attacks and highlighted that it was investing close to £2 billion on a new, national strategy to combat these sorts of assaults.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: That is one upside of the suggestion that Russia is looking to destabilise NATO countries through digital attacks: Western governments may finally start to take digital defences seriously.

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UK government to invest £2 billion in digital defences https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/uk-government-to-invest-2-billion-in-digital-defences/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/uk-government-to-invest-2-billion-in-digital-defences/#respond Tue, 01 Nov 2016 12:16:20 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=310495 The UK government has announced plans to invest £1.9 billion over the next five years in improving the defences of the country's digital infrastructure. It's hoped that with better education, more investment in newer systems and a more proactive approach to defence, the UK can prevent a greater number of the ever mounting attacks against …

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The UK government has announced plans to invest £1.9 billion over the next five years in improving the defences of the country's digital infrastructure. It's hoped that with better education, more investment in newer systems and a more proactive approach to defence, the UK can prevent a greater number of the ever mounting attacks against government and businesses across the country.

“Our new strategy […] will allow us to take even greater steps to defend ourselves in cyberspace and to strike back when we are attacked,” said chancellor of the exchequer, Phillip Hammond in a statement (via Ars).

While digital defences are unlikely to be taken in any negative light, the mention of attacking digitally may cause some concern. This announcement comes just as Theresa May is finishing the drive for her Investigatory Powers Bill, which would make mass hacking of hardware legal under new guidelines.

mrrobot

Did anyone think about hiring on Mr Robot?

The new anti-hacking initiative will see a taskforce created to tackle international cyber warfare against the UK and its businesses, as well as the development of new automated defences. Looking to the future, part of the funds will be invested in championing infosec courses and learning in universities, potentially bringing together several institutions as part of a new Cyber Security Research Institute.

This will involve collaboration with UK intelligence agencies like GCHQ, which after the past few years of revelations, is in need of improving its standing with many members of the public.

Working with industry may not be as easy as expected though, as while digital security companies are excited about the prospect of lucrative government contracts, many ISPs have resisted plans that could see the government interfering with their businesses. The Investigatory Powers Bill alone would force most service providers to store internet connection records of their customers' activities.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Do you trust the UK government to implement new digital defences, without inhibiting the rights of its citizens? At this point, I'm not sure I do. 

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UK banks may not be reporting all breaches to customers https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/uk-banks-may-not-be-reporting-all-breaches-to-customers/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/uk-banks-may-not-be-reporting-all-breaches-to-customers/#respond Fri, 14 Oct 2016 09:51:25 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=308654 If one thing has become apparent from breaches of corporate stores of customer information in recent years, it's that the fall out is usually lessened if you give people a heads up that they may have been compromised. An alternative for British banks though, is to just not tell anyone. One security firm believes most financial institutions …

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If one thing has become apparent from breaches of corporate stores of customer information in recent years, it's that the fall out is usually lessened if you give people a heads up that they may have been compromised. An alternative for British banks though, is to just not tell anyone. One security firm believes most financial institutions are covering up the extent of the hacks they deal with on a regular basis.

Banks have reported a total of 75 serious attacks on their digital infrastructure in 2016 (as per Reuters), but Israeli digital security company, Illusive Networks, claims that that number could be far higher. Citing numbers from just one financial firm it works with, it claims that these sorts of companies face 200 serious attempts at hacking their networks per month.

This sentiment is shared by other industry experts too. Ryan Rubin of Protiviti, another security consulting firm, said: “There is a gray area. Banks are in general fulfilling their legal obligations but there is also a moral requirement to warn customers of potential losses and to share information with the industry.”

crashoverride

“Mess with the best, die like the rest”

 

Although it doesn't necessarily seem needed to tell everyone about every attempted hack, the worry is that this lack of reporting is leading to an inaccurate view of the industry's security. There is now a general murmuring that there should be some measure of information sharing between financial institutions and IT security experts, even if they aren't reported to the public.

However it's not all about massed, ineffective attacks. Purportedly there are a number of more serious, successful hacks which are going unreported too, so that banks and other organisations can save face with their customers. Purportedly some of these hacks have been on the level of the Bangladeshi Bank's SWIFT hack, which saw tens of millions stolen in a short time frame.

But it's not like banks are ignoring security. Some major financial institutions are spending as much as $500 million a year on defending themselves, but all it takes is a weak link in the chain and hackers can break their way in.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: At the very least these companies should be reporting breaches to security firms assigned to protect them. Protecting a brand is important, but if your customers end up losing money and you don't report it, that word of mouth is going to be far more damaging than an official statement. 

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Man pleads guilty to ‘Fappening’ celebrity photo leak https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/man-pleads-guilty-to-fappening-celebrity-photo-leak/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/man-pleads-guilty-to-fappening-celebrity-photo-leak/#comments Wed, 28 Sep 2016 10:08:29 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=307324 The celebrity nude picture leaks of 2014, colloquially known as “The Fappening,” now have a patient zero, as 29 year old Edward Majerczyk from Iowa, U.S., has plead guilty to hacking email accounts to obtain the images. While his lawyer denies that Majerczyk disseminated the images. Although sentencing has yet to take place, it is rumoured to be …

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The celebrity nude picture leaks of 2014, colloquially known as “The Fappening,” now have a patient zero, as 29 year old Edward Majerczyk from Iowa, U.S., has plead guilty to hacking email accounts to obtain the images. While his lawyer denies that Majerczyk disseminated the images. Although sentencing has yet to take place, it is rumoured to be a nine month jail term.

2014's “The Fappening,” saw nude and revealing images of tens of celebrities – mostly female – leaked on to the internet. Rumours persist that such a network of pictures had existed for years among private ‘collectors,' who would share the content among themselves, but it now seems much of the leaks could have been the responsibility of one man. However another was charged back in March this year for similar crimes.

hackingfingers

Source: Wikimedia

Majerczyk admitted to one count of unauthorised access to protected systems in order to obtain the images. Although no particular victims have been named, the assumption from the likes of Reuters is that several of the most high profile celebrity leaks originated from Majerczyk's account infiltration. Prosecution states that he used a phishing scheme to gain access to as many as 300 iCloud and Gmail accounts to get hold of the pictures.

Official sentencing for Majerczyk will take place on 10th January 2017, so it will be some time before we confirm how long he will spend behind bars. It will likely be lighter than you might expect, since there is little evidence that Majerczyk was responsible for leaking the images online. The investigation into who was responsible for that is still ongoing we're told.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This time must have been terrible to be a part of the no-fap community. How many do you think remained after the leaks were over? 

 

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British athletes hit by latest hacked data dump https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/british-athletes-hit-by-latest-hacked-data-dump/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/british-athletes-hit-by-latest-hacked-data-dump/#respond Thu, 15 Sep 2016 08:29:50 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=306176 More athlete confidential files have been released by the hackers responsible for cracking into the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) servers and stealing away medical records. Although it appeared that the hack at first targeted U.S. athletes exclusively, now they've released files on several British Olympians too. It appears now that the hackers are looking to …

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More athlete confidential files have been released by the hackers responsible for cracking into the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) servers and stealing away medical records. Although it appeared that the hack at first targeted U.S. athletes exclusively, now they've released files on several British Olympians too.

It appears now that the hackers are looking to broadly discredit WADA and draw links between it and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), by highlighting some of the therapeutic usage exceptions, which allow athletes to use banned substances if they get permission first. The group claims that they are essentially a ‘license for doping.'

In its latest dump, the hacking group highlighted two British athletes who had these sorts of exemptions for mild steroids. In one case it was said to combat pollen during the Tour de France and in another, to help deal with asthma (thanks BBC). While we won't name them here, neither athletes has commented on these revelations.

rioolympics

Why Would Jesus Dope? Source: VectorStock

While there are no demands from the hackers, the fact that they are making headlines is enough to help their cause. The fact that they are so publicly naming athletes with therapeutic usage exceptions will certainly cause debate about the subject. Even if most athletes are using the system legitimately, are there any with too cosy a relationship with WADA officials? Is it all above board?

Regardless of the aims or results of the hackers though, WADA remains convinced that they are Russian in origin. Wada Director General Olivier Niggli, said in a statement that this was a deliberate “criminal attack,” against WADA and the Olympic athletes, calling it revenge for the scrutiny Russian sportsmen and women went under as part of an investigation into a state-level doping scandal.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It seems so hard to imagine that steroids and other performance enhancing drugs aren't at least partly to play any time a new world record is set. So many of the world's best have been caught over the years. 

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Russian hackers leak U.S. athlete doping test data https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/russian-hackers-leak-u-s-athlete-doping-test-data/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/russian-hackers-leak-u-s-athlete-doping-test-data/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2016 11:22:39 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=306028 WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, confirmed yesterday that its databases had been hacked and confidential medical data, some of it on U.S. olympic athletes, had been stolen. Worse still, this hack is actually being laid at the feet of the Russian government, with some claiming it's revenge for WADA's attempt to have Russia banned form …

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WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, confirmed yesterday that its databases had been hacked and confidential medical data, some of it on U.S. olympic athletes, had been stolen. Worse still, this hack is actually being laid at the feet of the Russian government, with some claiming it's revenge for WADA's attempt to have Russia banned form the 2016 games.

Russian athletes and their government were under investigation for a couple of years for what was suspected to be widespread doping – the use of various chemicals and compounds to improve athletic performance artificially. They were eventually found culpable in a wide scale doping scandal, though not all athletes were ultimately banned from the games. Some 167 were removed, while just over 200 were allowed to compete.

WADA believes that it was its involvement in that investigation which caused Russian hackers to attack its servers. While the identity of the hackers remain unconfirmed, the private medical data for a number of U.S. athletes has been leaked, suggesting that the hack is certainly legitimate.

olympics222

Source: Diema/Pixabay

“WADA has been informed by law enforcement authorities that these attacks are originating out of Russia,” agency Director General Olivier Niggli said in the statement (via Ars). “Let it be known that these criminal acts are greatly compromising the effort by the global anti-doping community to re-establish trust in Russia further to the outcomes of the Agency’s independent McLaren Investigation Report.”

However there may be more fall out than just Russian/U.S. relations because of this hack. The leaked confidential files detail certain athletes being given medical exceptions to take certain substances that would otherwise be banned during or out of competition.

Olympic officials have said that all exceptions were legitimate and that none of the cited athletes broke any rules. However the hackers claim that this is just an example of collusion between WADA, the U.S. and the International Olympic Committee.

The hackers claim that more information is coming in the near future, which will make further revelations about athletes from other countries too.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I always assume that with any professional athletic endeavour when lots of money is involved, everyone at the highest levels are likely taking something. Whether it's for recovery or increased performance, if it can help you with your job and you ‘probably' won't be caught, there's not much of a downside. 

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Guccifer hacker sentenced to 4+ years in jail https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/guccifer-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-jail/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/guccifer-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-jail/#comments Fri, 02 Sep 2016 08:49:09 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=304872 The Romanian hacker known as Guccifer, has been sentenced to a total of 52 months in jail by a U.S. court, after extradition to the country earlier this year. He plead guilty to several charges relating to hacking various high-profile members of the U.S. political system and has now been officially sentenced. Guccifer, real name …

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The Romanian hacker known as Guccifer, has been sentenced to a total of 52 months in jail by a U.S. court, after extradition to the country earlier this year. He plead guilty to several charges relating to hacking various high-profile members of the U.S. political system and has now been officially sentenced.

Guccifer, real name Macel Lazar, is credited with hacking former secretary of state, Colin Powell, as well as members of the Bush family. However his most notorious hack was related to Hilary Clinton, when he discovered her private email server after breaching the accounts of her former adviser, Sidney Blumenthal (thanks BBC).

mrrobot

No word on whether Christian Slater talked him into it. Source: NBC

It was his revelations that lead to the investigation into Clinton's use of her private server – which the FBI eventually decided not to prosecute her for. He went on to promise more details would be released, earlier this year, stating that he had actually hacked into her server. However the Clinton foundation denies this and no evidence to support such claims has yet come to light.

A hacker going by the name of Guccifer 2.0 also appeared earlier in 2016, giving information about the U.S. Democractic Party to Wikileaks. However there is thought to be no real correlation between Guccifer and the supposed sequel, with the FBI claiming that Guccifer 2.0 was linked with Russia, suggesting it was a state sponsored action.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is a difficult one, as while you cannot condone hacking people's private accounts in any sense, the difference in transparency between what politicians can do with their communications and average citizens is so stark, that it's hard not to feel the need for such people to even the playing field. 

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Hackers claim to have cracked NSA-tied white hat team https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/hackers-claim-to-have-cracked-nsa-tied-white-hat-team/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/hackers-claim-to-have-cracked-nsa-tied-white-hat-team/#comments Tue, 16 Aug 2016 10:42:38 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=303167 Hackers are some of the most security conscious in the world. When you're trying to break safeguards all day, you have a good knowledge of how to protect yourself. So you'd assume a group of white hats tied to the NSA would be doubly safe, but not from everyone. A second group of hackers is …

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Hackers are some of the most security conscious in the world. When you're trying to break safeguards all day, you have a good knowledge of how to protect yourself. So you'd assume a group of white hats tied to the NSA would be doubly safe, but not from everyone. A second group of hackers is claiming to have bust their servers wide open.

The group in question, going by the name of Shadow Brokers, claimed to have infiltrated the data storage for another hacking collective, Equation Group. Although this might not be big news on the surface, the latter organisation has been linked with the NSA and may well be responsible for some of the hacks it has participated in over the years.

There's even a suggestion that it was behind the Stuxnet worm that took down Iran's nuclear power plants.

hackerringleaders

Although we don't know much, we do have this shot of the ringleaders in action.

Lending credence to Shadow Brokers claims, is that it's not released emails or documents, but legitimate hacking tools. Ars reports that they are rather advanced too and date back to as early as 2010, suggesting quite a comprehensive breach.

“We follow Equation Group traffic. We find Equation Group source range. We hack Equation Group. We find many, many Equation Group cyber weapons […] You break many things. You find many intrusions […] we auction the best files,” the Shadow Brokers' post reads.

Currently Shadow Brokers are looking for a million Bitcoins in return, or around £430 million.

Although there has yet to be any word from the NSA or an official representative of any hacking group, some security analysts have confirmed that at least portions of the hacked files and tools appear to be genuine. However the general consensus so far is that Equation Group wasn't hacked, but one of its command-and-control servers was, which let the ‘brokers gain access to some data, but far from all.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I doubt we'll see any real response to this. If it can be proved that the NSA was compromised, even through a third party though, that would be monumental.

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SWIFT bank hackers may be linked to 2014 Sony hack https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/swift-bank-hackers-may-be-linked-to-2014-sony-hack/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/swift-bank-hackers-may-be-linked-to-2014-sony-hack/#respond Fri, 27 May 2016 08:35:48 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=294104 The hackers behind the recent attack on a Bangladeshi bank that saw over $81 million siphoned away, may have also been responsible for the 2014 attack on Sony's servers, which has previously been blamed on North Korea. The anti-malware company behind this latest claim, also believes the group was behind an attack on a Philippine …

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The hackers behind the recent attack on a Bangladeshi bank that saw over $81 million siphoned away, may have also been responsible for the 2014 attack on Sony's servers, which has previously been blamed on North Korea. The anti-malware company behind this latest claim, also believes the group was behind an attack on a Philippine bank too.

Symantetc is the firm pointing fingers after the recent SWIFT banking hack, claiming that the Sony hack may have been perpetrated by the same individuals. It's not the only source saying it though, with British digital security firm BAE, also claiming a link between the Bangaldeshi bank and Sony hackers (as per Reuters).

The links stem from certain malware used to gain access to the banking systems in the recent attacks. Of the three identified malicious programs, one of them was previously associated with the hacking group suspected of being responsible for the Sony hack two years ago.

“There is a pretty hard connection now to the Sony attacks and the actor behind them and the Bangladesh heist,” said Eric Chien, technical director at Symantec.

wargames

Maybe we could get them to just play a game of chess instead of robbing banks?

Although there are a still a lot of ifs and buts with this story, if it turns out that North Korea was behind the Sony hack and that those same hackers also attacked the Bangladeshi bank, it would be the first recorded instance of a nation state using digital attacks to steal money.

Of all the countries that could take part in such an attack, North Korea would be a prime suspect. It has regular financial difficulties and yet thanks to Chinese ties has had access to some high-level security training. For all of its problematic policies and lack of access to the outside world, North Korea's digital hacking teams are said to have a lot of skill.

It may well be that there are other financial hacks that it's responsible for too. Banks in Ecuador and Vietnam have also faced fraudulent SWIFT thefts in recent weeks and they could well be linked.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Part of me hopes North Korea was behind all of this, just so it adds to the strange narrative of that country. 

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Pirates now hacking shipping manifests to boost efficiency https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/pirates-now-hacking-shipping-manifestos-to-boost-efficiency/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/pirates-now-hacking-shipping-manifestos-to-boost-efficiency/#respond Fri, 04 Mar 2016 09:20:57 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=285975 Being a pirate in the modern world is much less fun than Johnny Depp ever made it look. There's a lot less rum for one, but it's also much harder to get away with stealing an entire ship – you can't just sail off into the sunset any more. So targeting particular, valuable parts of it makes …

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Being a pirate in the modern world is much less fun than Johnny Depp ever made it look. There's a lot less rum for one, but it's also much harder to get away with stealing an entire ship – you can't just sail off into the sunset any more. So targeting particular, valuable parts of it makes much more sense, and enterprising pirates are doing just that, by hacking shipping manifests to do it.

Noticed by security teams at telecom company Verizon (via the Telegraph), breaches at a particular shipping company were found to have made vulnerable a shipping management system, which detailed what items were in what containers, allowing pirates to head straight to the most valuable ones. Not only that, but it allowed pirates to go after vessels which carried those particularly valuable containers.

Verizon was initially tipped off by the shipping company, when it found pirates were ignoring everything else and not bothering with hostage negotiations.

hackers2

Hanks still isn't impressed. Source: Columbia

Their albeit successful, hacking attacks, were not particularly sophisticated however. No encryption was involved, so we're told that the breach in the shipping system has now been shored up. Presumably though, someone is getting chewed out for allowing the vulnerability to be exploited in the first place.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Another prime example of shockingly poor security at a major corporation. Pretty embarrassing stuff – probably why it isn't named in the report. 

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UK teen arrested on suspicion of hacking the FBI https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/uk-teen-arrested-on-suspicion-of-hacking-the-fbi/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/uk-teen-arrested-on-suspicion-of-hacking-the-fbi/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2016 11:06:56 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=284290 A 16 year old from the UK has been arrested by British police on suspicion of being behind the hack of confidential FBI files in late 2015. The young man was said to be the leader of a small collective of hackers who were responsible for the attack which stole information from the Department of Homeland …

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A 16 year old from the UK has been arrested by British police on suspicion of being behind the hack of confidential FBI files in late 2015. The young man was said to be the leader of a small collective of hackers who were responsible for the attack which stole information from the Department of Homeland Security too. Authorities are now on the look out for possible accomplices.

The original hack, which took place in November last year, saw the FBI and DHS compromised. As proof, some of the information was posted online, including the arrest record of some individuals. However these are thought to be far from the only hacks that the group was involved in, with many targeting high-profile U.S. government officials and their offices.

It's been suggested (via Inquistr) that the teen may have been responsible for the hack of CIA director John Brennan's personal email account back in October 2016, and the attack on director of national intelligence James Clapper.

livekevin

No wonder the kid didn't answer any questions… Source: 20th Century Fox

The teen was said to have been arrested as part of a joint investigation by British authorities and the FBI. He has been charged under section one of the Comptuer Misuse Act 1990, as well as on charges of conspiracy to commit unauthorized access with intent to commit further offences, and conspiracy to commit offences with intent to impair.

It may be that evidence on him is thin though, as he was eventually released on an “unconditional bail.” If he is eventually charged, extradition may prove difficult also due to him being under-18.

Those that claim to be colleagues of the arrested hacker have promised to continue their actions in the wake of his incarceration.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Although I know the police always like to make a big deal of arresting hackers, like they got one over on the hip-kids with their computers, it's really better if they keep it hush hush. Anyone who thinks a 16 year old hacker doesn't love a bit of attention, is sorely mistaken. 

 

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Ubisoft to crack down on cheats in The Division https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ubisoft-to-crack-down-on-cheats-in-the-division/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ubisoft-to-crack-down-on-cheats-in-the-division/#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2016 13:48:22 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=282737 The Division beta kicked off over the weekend and in that time, the development team managed to gain some pretty good feedback. However, quite a few cheats in the PC version were also uncovered during the weekend-long test and while it was frustrating for players to deal with at the time, Ubisoft has said that …

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The Division beta kicked off over the weekend and in that time, the development team managed to gain some pretty good feedback. However, quite a few cheats in the PC version were also uncovered during the weekend-long test and while it was frustrating for players to deal with at the time, Ubisoft has said that this will help the team handle the situation better going forward.

The Division is an online-only game with a PvP mode called ‘The Dark Zone', so having a decent anti-cheat system set up will be imperative for the game. In a post on the closed beta forum, Ubisoft said: “We are aware of the cheating issues in the Closed Beta on PC. The team is fully committed to providing solutions against this and a system will be in place to ensure a fair experience for players when the game is released on March 8.”

screen_4_100155-e1424722184402

We may see some of these improvements pop up in the rumoured open beta, which would take place in a few weeks time ahead of the game's official launch on the 8th of March.

KitGuru Says: Ubisoft needs to ensure that a decent anti-cheat system is in place for The Division, especially in a PvP mode like The Dark Zone. Cheaters could very easily cost honest players some decent loot. I actually got to spend some time in The Division beta over the weekend and ended up really enjoying it, though I didn't run in to any cheaters. Did any of you have issues with cheaters during The Division beta? Did you give the game a try? 

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Ukraine power outages confirmed as result of hacking https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/ukraine-power-outages-confirmed-as-result-of-hacking/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/ukraine-power-outages-confirmed-as-result-of-hacking/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2016 10:56:28 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=280264 The recent power outages in Ukraine which saw upwards of 80,000 people left without electricity, are now said to have been caused by hackers. The BlackEnergy malware is thought to have been used in the attack, with a coordinated effort made to shut down the power, hinder its repair and preventions put in place to …

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The recent power outages in Ukraine which saw upwards of 80,000 people left without electricity, are now said to have been caused by hackers. The BlackEnergy malware is thought to have been used in the attack, with a coordinated effort made to shut down the power, hinder its repair and preventions put in place to reduce the ability of customers to report the fault.

Although it has been suggested that infected Microsoft-office documents may have been used to infect relevant systems, there is no proof that such an avenue was used for the attack. However often with large scale hacks the simplest vectors can be used to gain an initial foothold. Phishing emails are a fairly common tactic for getting that digital foot in the door.

powergrids

Source: Geograph

Detailed by the SANS industrial control systems team, the attack was said to involve hacking into power-company system, before using that access to open circuit breakers and cutting the power. Wide-spread deletions were then used to hinder attempts at restoring power to those affected and (as per Ars) DDOS tactics were then used to make it hard for people to report the problem.

While there are still many details left to discover about the attack, it has now been confirmed as a nefarious action by outside actors. Whether it was caused by someone looking to gain financially or politically from the outage remains to be seen. No one has yet come forward to admit the attack.

However, the creators of the BlackEnergy malware are known to be a Russian hacking group, so they are the prime suspects at this time.

KitGuru Says: As with our policy of not naming hacking groups that disrupt major services, we won't be naming the suspected group in this instance. 

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Time Warner Cable admits 320,000 accounts may be leaked https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/time-warner-cable-admits-320000-accounts-may-be-leaked/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/time-warner-cable-admits-320000-accounts-may-be-leaked/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2016 09:11:33 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=279925 The second largest TV and broadband provider in the U.S., Time Warner Cable, has released a statement saying that around a third of a million of its customers may have had their email and passwords copied away by hackers. At this early stage in the investigation however, it was keen to push blame on to …

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The second largest TV and broadband provider in the U.S., Time Warner Cable, has released a statement saying that around a third of a million of its customers may have had their email and passwords copied away by hackers. At this early stage in the investigation however, it was keen to push blame on to others, stating that it was probably third parties being insecure with data that caused the leak.

Time Warner didn't discover the stolen data itself, but was contacted by the FBI to let it know that some of its customers' data had appeared online. In total it looks like as many as 320,000 customers have had their emails and Time Warner passwords copied.

southparknipples

Good luck contacting customer support…

As it stands though the telecoms company is not willing to admit any wrongdoing and has suggested that while it will investigate where the details came from, it suspects that malware and phishing of individual customers may account for a number of the account details being stolen. On top of that it thinks that breaches of other companies where people re-used their security data may be at fault.

To help protect its customers, Time Warner said that it was sending out emails to those it suspected of being affected, as well as snail mail letters to encourage them to update their email and other details just in-case (as per Reuters).

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This seems like a lax reaction from Time Warner. A mandatory password reset for all potentially affected accounts would be much more beneficial. 

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Social media firms increase extremist crackdowns https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/social-media-firms-increase-extremist-crackdowns/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/social-media-firms-increase-extremist-crackdowns/#comments Mon, 07 Dec 2015 09:03:44 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=277286 In the wake of several attacks linked to extremist terrorist groups, social networking firms like Twitter, Google and Facebook are being asked by many governments and intelligence agencies to step up their fight against those that would incite violence against others. They will now attempt to take down anything they perceive as encouraging of a …

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In the wake of several attacks linked to extremist terrorist groups, social networking firms like Twitter, Google and Facebook are being asked by many governments and intelligence agencies to step up their fight against those that would incite violence against others. They will now attempt to take down anything they perceive as encouraging of a terrorist agenda.

This is a difficult topic to deal with, as clamping down on online interactions in any sweeping manor would counteract the very freedom of speech that those in certain organisations wish to stamp out in Western society; but with continued calls from leaders like Barack Obama and French prime minister Manual Valls to act, the pressure is mounting.

The social networking firms may not get too deep into policing their own platforms though. Although they are legally bound to react in many instances, they don't want to be too overt about law enforcement cooperation, according to Reuters. In the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations, none want to seem as lackeys for intelligence agencies, lest they alienate their user base.

To that end, they have all clarified that most user data is only ever handed over to law enforcement if they are provided with a court order.

facebookblock

The other angle is that if the techniques used to combat extremism and root out propaganda are publicised too much, the nefarious individuals the schemes hope to stop spreading their message, will be able to exploit the sites even further to publicise their ideals.

However perhaps the hope for a middle ground between combating extremism online and restricting intelligence agency access is with a volunteer force. Some of the most effective anti-propaganda campaigns have come from commmunities and citizens themselves. In contacting social networks after manually parsing profiles and finding them to be in breach of the site's rules, they can be taken down without a court order.

But then again, this sort of plan does backfire too. In one cited incident from earlier this year, pro-Western Ukrainians found their accounts blocked after many pro-Russian Facebook users reported their accounts for hate speech.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: And that's the most dangerous part of this crack down shown as plain as day. Once you start blocking anything, you can block everything and that often means the good stuff too. 

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Security firm claims China still hacking U.S. after Obama deal https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/security-firm-claims-china-still-hacking-u-s-after-obama-deal/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/security-firm-claims-china-still-hacking-u-s-after-obama-deal/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2015 07:56:09 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=272192 Although the visit was a little tense at times, President Obama's meeting with the Chinese president Xi Jingping in September did achieve one thing: an agreement that neither the United States or China would use their digital assets to hack one another to steal corporate secrets and prop up domestic companies. Despite that hand-shake deal …

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Although the visit was a little tense at times, President Obama's meeting with the Chinese president Xi Jingping in September did achieve one thing: an agreement that neither the United States or China would use their digital assets to hack one another to steal corporate secrets and prop up domestic companies. Despite that hand-shake deal however, security firm CrowdStrike Inc. is reporting that seven different U.S. companies have been attacked by Chinese hackers since that date.

There was a seemingly deliberate omission in the U.S./China deal which still permitted both countries to use hacking for national or political purposes, but though CrowdStrike believes the hackers in this instance were state-sponsored, the attacks appeared to be far more commercial. Firms hit included five U.S. tech and two pharmaceutical companies, all of which CrowdStrike claims were protected due to its software being readily available to shield them.

hacking22
Source: Wikimedia

“[The] primary benefits of the intrusion seem clearly aligned to facilitate theft of intellectual property and trade secrets, rather than to conduct traditional, national-security-related intelligence collection,” a CrowdStrike spokesperson said (via Reuters).

While security firm FireEye agreed with CrowdStrike findings that several hacking attacks had taken place, it claimed it was too early to postulate on the aims of the espionage, suggesting that it may be that the attack was not purely economical in nature.

The White House is aware of the attacks, but has yet to announce and form of official response.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This ‘deal' between the two countries sounds unlikely to have much lasting effect. Do you see either China or the United States halting economic hacking any time soon?

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Adobe Flash Player needs updating again, new ‘critical’ bug found https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/matthew-wilson/adobe-flash-player-needs-updating-again-new-critical-bug-found/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/matthew-wilson/adobe-flash-player-needs-updating-again-new-critical-bug-found/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2015 22:00:02 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=272083 Adobe has issued another update for the Flash Player this week as another day zero exploit has been discovered. The new update addresses “critical” security vulnerabilities, which if exploited would have allowed malicious native-code to run without the user even being aware. The new patch was released on Tuesday and was actually supposed to fix …

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Adobe has issued another update for the Flash Player this week as another day zero exploit has been discovered. The new update addresses “critical” security vulnerabilities, which if exploited would have allowed malicious native-code to run without the user even being aware. The new patch was released on Tuesday and was actually supposed to fix an earlier issue.

Adobe issued a patch earlier this month to fix security holes, though it turned out the bug was still present, causing an additional patch to be issued this week.

how-u

Attackers abusing these Flash loopholes are currently only known to target government agencies as part of an on-going campaign known as Pawn Storm. Trend Micro published a blog post about the zero-day bug as well, which explains the security flaw a little better.

An Adobe spokeswoman did confirm to Ars Technica that researchers showed the company with proof of the exploit on Tuesday morning, resulting in the emergency patch update.

KitGuru Says: These problems are becoming pretty common with Flash and a lot of companies and even web browsers are dropping support for it entirely due to security issues like these. 

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Another exploit found in latest version of Flash https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/another-exploit-found-in-latest-version-of-flash/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/another-exploit-found-in-latest-version-of-flash/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2015 08:07:18 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=271678 Although clearly not the case, it sometimes feels like hackers hate Adobe Flash. Despite the fact that it represents a simple path to exploit user's systems, every time it gets found to be insecure, it dies a little more. That slip into obscurity looks likely to continue, as yet another flaw has been found in …

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Although clearly not the case, it sometimes feels like hackers hate Adobe Flash. Despite the fact that it represents a simple path to exploit user's systems, every time it gets found to be insecure, it dies a little more. That slip into obscurity looks likely to continue, as yet another flaw has been found in the fully patched version of Flash, leaving users vulnerable to malware infiltration and potentially other attacks too.

Fortunately as it stands, it appears that the exploit is only being used to go after international government systems, with Trend Micro reporting that a group has been using the bug to try to infect employees by sending them emails with eye-catching titles and links to faux news stories. Anyone who practices basic computer security will have no doubt guessed at this point, that those links lead on to malware installs, not news.

Some of the headlines quoted as being used by those hoping to infect new victims include:

“Israel launches airstrikes on targets in Gaza,” “Syrian troops make gains as Putin defends air strikes,” and “Russia warns of response to reported US nuke buildup in Turkey, Europe.”

flash
Oh Flash. We had our fun, but maybe it's time we parted ways. 

While the bug is said to affect both 19.0.0.185 and 19.0.0.207 versions of Flash, little else has been revealed at this time, presumably to prevent anyone else from utilising the exploit.

As you might expect, those who discovered the bug have been in touch with Adobe and are helping to have the hole shored up. They also took the opportunity in the Trend Micro blog entry to advertise the company's services, stating that its Deep Discovery software would protect against any such threats and could even contain any nefarious malware in a sandbox.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Flash really does seem to be in its death throes. As much as it has a strong history with the internet, especially when it comes to seeding the app marketplace with strong game and animation makers, perhaps it is time to say goodbye to Flash for good. 

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Chinese hackers may have stolen technology behind Samsung Pay https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/matthew-wilson/chinese-hackers-may-have-stolen-technology-behind-samsung-pay-2/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/matthew-wilson/chinese-hackers-may-have-stolen-technology-behind-samsung-pay-2/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2015 22:00:57 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=271043 Samsung recently launched its own mobile payments service, Samsung Pay, which does the same thing as Apple Pay and Android Pay, allowing users to use their smartphones to pay for items rather than pulling out their credit card. However, it now looks like some Chinese hackers may have stolen the technology behind Samsung Pay, according …

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Samsung recently launched its own mobile payments service, Samsung Pay, which does the same thing as Apple Pay and Android Pay, allowing users to use their smartphones to pay for items rather than pulling out their credit card. However, it now looks like some Chinese hackers may have stolen the technology behind Samsung Pay, according to new reports.

This happened before Samsung acquired LoopPay, the company that created the technology behind Samsung Pay, according to The New York Times. LoopPay's network was compromised by a Chinese hacking group as early as March, though the attack may not have breached the system that actually handles payments so user bank details should be safe.

samsungpay

Right now, it is believed that the hackers were after the technology behind the payment system, which transmits information with an encrypted magnetic signal. The compromise is actually linked to the same attack that affected Forbes at the start of this year, which put malware in to the site's ‘thought of the day' segment.

LoopPay did learn of the breach around 38 days before Samsung Pay began rolling out to customers and everything should be secure once again. However, it may be worrying that Chinese hackers have obtained trade secrets and could exploit the technology.

KitGuru Says: Chinese hackers have been going after plenty of US companies recently. Unfortunately, there isn't much Samsung or LoopPay can do about this now aside from bolster security. 

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£20 million a year ransomware group disrupted by Cisco https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/20-million-a-year-randsomware-group-disrupted-by-cisco/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/20-million-a-year-randsomware-group-disrupted-by-cisco/#respond Wed, 07 Oct 2015 07:53:46 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=270868 Researchers in Cisco Systems Talos security unit who were researching the Angler exploit kit, have taken steps to disrupt the activities of a hacking group that it believes was generating as much as $20 million a year by installing ransomware on people's systems before demanding payment. Now though, Cisco has had malicious servers related to …

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Researchers in Cisco Systems Talos security unit who were researching the Angler exploit kit, have taken steps to disrupt the activities of a hacking group that it believes was generating as much as $20 million a year by installing ransomware on people's systems before demanding payment. Now though, Cisco has had malicious servers related to the attacks shut down, blocked Angler proxy servers and released information to the security community to shore up holes in everyone's defences.

The Angler Exploit Kit is a simplistic way for nefarious individuals to attack PCs around the world, without the need to write their own programs. It's one of the more powerful ones too, with an estimated 40 per cent of consumer and enterprise systems currently vulnerable to its exploits. In researching this nasty piece of code though, Cisco discovered that many of its infected victims were being sent through servers operated by a particular provider, Limestone Networks. Since Limestone wasn't maliciously involved, it was able to help researchers follow the trail.

anglerfish
I think I'd rather find one of these in my files. Source: Wikimedia

From there, the researchers were able to inhibit the activities of the group, potentially shutting down an operation that was worth as much as $20 million a year. Cisco arrived at this figure by discovering attacks on as many as 90,000 systems a day. Using some basic maths based on the number of people that tend to pay randomsware and the average price of decryption, it's obvious that the Angler attacks were incredibly lucrative.

But no more. Or at least, not until someone adjusts the attack to counter Cisco's latest defensive line. However as Ars points out, this group was likely only responsible for around half of Angler activity and it can always be purchased on shady forums by someone else. Fortunately it's not too popular. As potent as it is, Cisco doesn't believe it's footprint is anything near the size of some exploit kits out there.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Randomsware really scares me. As much as I have my precious files and folders backed up safely, the idea that there might be some I could never access again because someone wants to make some quick cash is horrifying. 

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