Neuromancer
June 18, 2008
Physicists, mathematicians, futurists and sci-fi writers are the ne0-prophets of our time. Einstein, Max Plank, William Gibson, Georg Cantor are the new world prophets determining the probable future transfinite realities among absolute infinity.
Neuromancer is an example of probable futures. It is THE work of fiction by William Gibson that popularized the cyberpunk genre. In the book, Gibson actually coined the phrase cyberspace and the matrix, a multi-diminsional virtual reality that allows users to jack their brain directly into the cyberspace.
Case is a hacker is hired to do the biggest hack ever. The book is brilliant. Some of my favorite characters are Molly, the assassin, who looks like this:
and Wintermute, the corporation/Artificial intelligence and Maelcum A member of Zion, a Rastafarian space station community.
A year here and he still dreamed of cyberspace, hope fading nightly.
All the speed he took, all the turns he’d taken and the corners
he’d cut in Night City, and still he’d see the matrix in his
sleep, bright lattices of logic unfolding across that colorless void. . .
Its such a brilliant piece of work that I am surprised it hasn’t been made into a movie yet.
Popularity: 1% [?]
untraceable movie
May 28, 2008
untraceable movie
I just saw a movie called Untraceable. It is cyberterrorism meets Seven. Although it is very violent, it falls short of the pure “torture porn” genre (i.e. Hostel, Saw). They didn’t sensationalize the FBI computer crime team. They made the characters real people with real problems.
The best part of the movie is that it addresses hard societal questions that we are still struggling with. The killer’s greatest weapon was the Internet itself. He used the anonymity and distributed non-centralized power of the net to broadcast killings on the Internet. Once he captured a victim, he would put them in a contraption that would torture them to death based on how many people came to the site. The FBI is at a loss, because their equipment (while it can easily bait & hunt small time phishers, criminal hackers and adults soliciting sex from kids online) it is useless against this serial killers level of software, Internet, and electronics sophistication. They eventually call upon the NSA, who tell them that they are not allowed to use their resources for domestic issues. With the Patriot Act and NUMEROUS presidential NSA acts, I don’t believe this is entirely true. But the movie seems to suggest that it is.
Although, I disagree with the message of giving more power to the FBI & NSA to catch bad guys (as it would require the loss of more civil liberties of law abiding citizens), I definitely recommend this movie.
Movie fact:
The site used by the killer (www.killwithme.com) actually exists. It’s owned by the movie studio and it’s used to promote the movie. In it, users are taken to a replica of the FBI computer used by the character Jennifer Marsh. Her desktop gets hacked by the killer who provides the visitor with four test he/she must complete to deactivate his site.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Sysadmin tries, fails at being l337 hax0r, gets jail time
January 16, 2008
A 51-year-old sysadmin has gotten a record jail sentence after attempting (and failing) to write code that would have destroyed everything on one of his company’s servers.
Digger SalineMist:
You just know the other admin found it like this:
#
# SECRET CODE FOR REVENGE
# last change Andy Lin 4/20/2004
#
lol
Digger 89Vision:
Samir: I have a question.
Peter Gibbons: Yes?
Samir: In… in these conjugal visits, you can have sex with women?
Peter Gibbons: Yep, you sure can.
Samir: OK, I’ll do it.
read more | digg story
Popularity: 4% [?]
GMail Security Hole Allowed Malicious Hacker to Invade the Life of a Blogger
December 25, 2007
Mr. David Airey a blogger and designer from UK had his site Hacked by some useless bastard. This gmail hacker set up a malicious site that exploited a security flaw in gmail to set up an email filter that autoforwarded all David’s emails to another malicious email account. Although Google has appearently fixed the problem, if you have been affected by one of these malicious webpages the filter may still be in your gmail account. David Explains how to find it and get rid of it:
MPORTANT: If you use GMail, it’s absolutely vital that you check your account settings now.
Here’s what to do:
When logged into GMail, click on the ’settings’ tab in the upper right of the screen. Then check both the ‘Filters’ and the ‘Forwarding and POP’ sections.
Get more information from David Airey.
Right now David is fighting to get his domain back legally after refusing to be manipulated by the gmail hacker.
To David,
Good on you, man! And as bad as it is, I’ve been emailed a couple of people who have lost thousands from hackers. I’ve been on the receiving end of these desperate criminals too… and like you I choose to use my blog like a gun.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Technorati Tags: David Airey, site, gmail
Tranax ATM Default Passcode is 123456
July 16, 2007
It reminds me of Space Balls. The evil Space Balls kidnap Princess Vespa and force King Roland into giving up his password that will allow them to suck all the precious air off of planet Druidia. That password it ”12345″ (which just happens be the same password Space Ball President Skroob has on his luggage).
The Triton ATMs have two levels of password: an administrative passcode for routine daily operations, and a “master passcode” that also lets you change the cash machine’s basic configuration. Mastrorocco says he changed the administrative code when he got the machine three years ago, but Cardtronics never told him to change the master passcode, which he didn’t normally use.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/07/atm-reprogrammi.html - ATM Reprogramming Caper Hits Pennsylvania
Popularity: 3% [?]
Cell Network Hack - Athens
July 16, 2007
While this is the first major infiltration to involve cellphones, the scheme did not depend on the wireless nature of the network. Basically, the hackers broke into a telephone network and subverted its built-in wiretapping features for their own purposes. That could have been done with any phone account, not just cellular ones. Nevertheless, there are some elements of the Vodafone Greece system that were unique and crucial to the way the crime was pulled off.
Basically, the hackers broke into a telephone network and subverted its built-in wiretapping features for their own purposes.
Interactive Time Line: http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/jul07/5280/time
– More on this article from Spectrum - ieee.org
Popularity: 2% [?]
China Readying Cyberweapons
May 30, 2007
“The Defense Department reports China is building cyberwarfare units and developing viruses.”
Sounds like the stuff I read about in Tom Clancy’s NetForce. I guess the new arms race will be in cyberspace waged by superhackers and insane software engineer mercenaries. Sounds very “Shadow Run-esque”.
More links: cnn china cyber war
Popularity: 2% [?]
Track Down
October 27, 2006
Kevin Mitnick will probably totally disagree, but the movie Track Down was pretty entertaining.
Its a hollywoodized version of Tsutomu Shimomura’s book called Takedown detailing his attempts to capture computer (now reformed) cracker Kevin Mitnick. Russel Wong plays Shimomura and living legend Kevin Mitnick is played by none other than Skeet Ulrich. Skeet does a great job.
I found myself laughing out loud at some of the stuff Kevin pulled off in the movie. I have not read Shimomura’s book so I don’t know how much of the movie was acurate. But either way they made Kevin out to be one bad, bad MF.
Appearently, there is some controversy on how truthful Track Down and Takedown are to the the events that actually took place with Kevin’s conviction. A lot of this is talked about in Emmanuel Goldstein’s Freedom Downtime. I guess I’ll have to check that out next.
If you’re an overall security geek like my self you’ll get a kick out of the movie. Just keep in mind that it is a work of fiction… with actors like Master P, I suppose that is not hard to do. I also noticed that Shimomura appears in a scene in which he is laughing at his character getting heckled… ironic.
Popularity: 3% [?]
There is no such thing as Security
October 18, 2006
I’ve noticed that there are two types of security people: anal “type A personalities” who live every moment by the rules, and those that realize that there is no real security. Please understand that these two mindset don’t seem to have anything to do with talent. I’ve met talented people with both mindset. A talented security professional is mindful, aware, and always pays attention to detail. The very best seem almost psychic in their ability to spot wrong doing, security breaches and even malicious intent.
Type A security people seem to thrive on “catching bad guys”. Its like they are kids playing cops & robbers. These people thrive on structure, order and regulations. In information security they know how important it is to have lots of centralized control and a stardard configuration for all systems. In the Meyers-Brigg’s personality test, these people are ESTJ’s (Extraverted Sensing Thinking Judging). The thought of any getting away with breaking the law (ANY LAW) is unacceptable. These guys make great Directors of Security, CSO’s and other policy creators as long as they don’t micromanage their people. Their employees will either love them as a great mentor or hate them with every fiber of their being.
Those who realize that there is no such thing as security are hackers. They are many times INFP’s (Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceptive). Unlike the ESTJ’s they don’t care about structure and rules because the realize that rules are only suggestion to keep an acceptable level or order. For them the most important rules are in a persons heart. ESTJs will usually see these people as lazy and don’t really care but these people are just trying to find an easier way to do things. If they don’t enforce certain rules or cut corners, it because the sincerely believe that the rule or enforcement (in that particular situation) is not needed. Employees will usually love INFP’s unless they happen to be ESTJ’s.
I am a bit biased because I am in the second camp, INFP. I don’t believe there is a such thing as “security”. No one is ever completely safe. All a malicious intending person needs is the element of surprise, time, and pressure an they can get away with anything they want. Further, anyone at anytime can have malicious intent: employees, kids, bosses, friends, family not just random strangers.
Security is just an illusion. The one good thing security does is ensure you are faster than the slowest person, organization, network or whatever on the block. Those with malicious intent will typically go for the easiest target.
Since many crime happen from people that the victims know all we can really do is not worry about it. Life is too short to waste too much time fretting about every possible thing that can happen to you.
I guess that is what Ben Franklin meant when he said:
“Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither”
If you worry so much about security that you can’t enjoy the fruits of your labor, then what is the point of the living and if you can’t enjoy living whats the point of protecting ANYTHING. - elamb
Popularity: 4% [?]
theBroken part4?
October 2, 2006
Double D is rolling a *”burrito sized Mummy” with Kevin Rose trying to get him to do the next broken episode. This is the type of irreverance of all things holy that fans have come to expect from theBroken.
With complicated xbox 360 hacks and illegal cell phone jamming techniques it is no wonder it took the Broken 2 years to put out a new episode. Dub and K_rose filter about a score of 40s though their shriveled young livers to the background gansta of Ice Cube, NWA and Dr. Dre. Perhaps it is best that they don’t do regular episodes as the Broken could land them in jail or in the hospital.
It is an incredible concept. Jackass meets Defcon. One of my personal favorites is Ramzi. He is hilarious. Where did they meet this guy? The outakes were also very entertaining.
Hopefully, next years thebroken will be just as deficient of morals.
*burrito sized mummy - a giNORMOUS joint. Slanquage coined from the ambassador of the bay, e-40.
Popularity: 1% [?]
