Monday, October 31, 2005
Story of the First Internet Worm
Car handle fingers criminals
The biometric technique could provide drivers with a highly secure, keyless entry and ignition system.
A working version fitted to a vehicle is being displayed at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show. When a hand grips the car handle, the embedded unit emits light to capture a clear image of the dorsal vein patterns on the outside of the finger.
The results are compared to computerised records of vein patterns of registered vehicle users.
The Outing of Valerie Plame
Scooter Libby Indictment (PDF)
Sunday, October 30, 2005
2005 Information Security Summit Presentations
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Pumpkin PC
The Safe and Secure Future (ACLU Style)
Friday, October 28, 2005
Milworm.com - Open Source Exploits
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Spammers Peddle Drugs to Combat Bird Flu
Sophos's spamtraps are picking up an increasing number of junk messages which claim to sell Tamiflu, the drug believed most effective at protecting humans from the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus. The drug is in high demand because of fears that the virus could become a pandemic, and spread further around the world after deaths in Asia.
The spam emails urge recipients to protect themselves and their families from the avian flu virus by purchasing Tamiflu from an online website. The website linked to also supposedly sells Viagra, and a number of other medications.
Money Laundering - 101
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Microsoft Toughening IE7
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Chronicles of a Wardriver
The Story of Snort: Past, Present and Future
During his talk you'll get all the details on how Snort was initially conceived as well as how it is expected to develop further now after Check Point acquired Sourcefire. Among other things Martin talks about all the major Snort releases, the founding of Sourcefire, the enhancements added to the last versions of Snort, new technology that presents a self-tuning engine, and much more.
The article is located at:
http://www.net-security.org/article.php?id=860
Submitted by: Mirko Zorz
Monday, October 24, 2005
Personal Security - Web Spy and Cute Too!
Sniffer Wasps may Replace Dogs — Someday...
The trained hymenoptera are held in a cup-sized device, called a 'Wasp Hound', developed by the University of Georgia and US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Assessing Web App Security with Mozilla
The nature of web applications is very different from that of standard applications. Many times, these tools miss key vulnerabilities in the application. The best way to perform web application assessment is by using the unassailable combination of automated tools and human intellect. This article examines the LiveHTTPHeaders project, which fits seamlessly into Mozilla browser components to facilitate very effective web application assessment.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Google Hacking Tips
Friday, October 21, 2005
BAITCAR.com - Fridays Are For Fun!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Personal Security - Dangerous Bugs Found in Water on US Planes
Dangerous levels of bacteria have been found in drinking water aboard 15% of planes at US airports, an investigation carried out by the US Environmental Protection Agency has found.
Twenty-four US airlines have now agreed to routinely disinfect their water supplies and monitor water quality in response to the EPA study. "Passengers must feel confident of the water safety on an airplane," says Grant Nakayama of the EPA. "These new protocols will provide protection."
Ethereal 0.10.13 Released
Ethereal 0.10.13 has been released. Several security-related vulnerabilities have been fixed. Everyone is encouraged to upgrade.
For a complete list of changes, please refer to the 0.10.13 release notes.
Official releases can be found on the download page.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Metasploit Update - 2.5 Released
The Framework will run on any modern operating system that has a working Perl interpreter. The Windows installer includes a slimmed-down version of the Cygwin environment.
This is a maintenance release - all updates to 2.4 have been rolled into 2.5, along with some new exploits and minor features.
This release is available from the Metasploit.com web site:
- Unix: http://metasploit.com/tools/framework-2.5.tar.gz
- Win32: http://metasploit.com/tools/framework-2.5.exe
A demonstration of the msfweb interface is running live from:
- http://metasploit.com:55555/
Information about version 3.0 has been posted online:
- http://metasploit.com/projects/Framework/msf3/
iPod Video paves way for Porncast Explosion
Sure, research has shown that if you want to have a successful podcast, just throw in a moan or two, but audio only tickles us a little bit (though it may be a bit better for women). But now with the iPod Video on the market, the Podfather Adam Curry predicts that porn is "going to be huge" (pun intended) in a recent Daily Source Code podcast.
Expect to see a huge jump in Vidcasting now that the iPod Video is on the market. And expect to see the real trailblazing in RSS media delivery to be made by the Porn Industry. The porn industry will take RSS with Enclosures to the next level, simplifying, improving - and yes - making a profit along the way.
How long will it be, before the first big iPod exploit?
Changing Environment?
Then what has changed?
What has changed and/or is changing, is that because of external pressures (be it regulatory, customer, etc.) businesses are being forced to do what they should have been doing all along. Because in the past they weren’t force to do so (couldn’t find the magic ROI for security, etc.), folks are getting caught today with their pants down and paying the price.
Use encryption as an example: Many security pundits have promoted the encryption of “production data” for years because it was the right thing to do and until recently this idea was unwaveringly rejected by business management at many levels, including by some of the very same individuals that are promoting it today. Promoting it today why? Because it was the right thing to do or because of regulatory and industry pressure? Or is it due to some individuals practicing a little CYA?
Certainly there are always business implications, priorities, and risks to be considered and evaluated. However, today we need to be especially aware of doing things more securely from the start. To be forward thinking in evaluating the risks and ultimately the cost of doing so will be much less than trying to play catch-up later.
We don’t need to look at what is new as much as we need to get back to basics. We need to look at CIA first and a little less CYA after the fact. Often doing the right thing first isn’t always the easiest path, but it sure makes it easier to sleep at night in the long run.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Hacking Sleep - Or How to Get Thru the Weekly Maint. Window
Microsoft Consults Ethical Hackers at Blue Hat
Six ethical or "white hat" hackers attended, including noted security expert Dan Kaminsky, Brett Moore of Security-Assessment.com, and David Maynor, a researcher at ISS (Internet Security Systems) Inc., Toulouse said.
Maynor, who works for ISS' X-Force team in Atlanta, Ga., said he showed Microsoft developers and executives how an attacker could use a USB device to load attack code directly into the memory of Windows machine and force it to run by taking advantage of the DMA (Direct Memory Access) rights assigned by Windows.
"The DMA vector was the most devastating in my talk because it is hard for just Microsoft to address it. They need support from hardware vendors as well," he said.
Maynor said Microsoft is working on a more secure model for handling peripheral devices, and may add security checks as a component of the company's USB device driver signing program in the future.
Personal Security - Body Found After Crash
Mary Ellen Martini-Butler, 38, was found under the dashboard on the passenger side of her van more than 18 hours after the accident, deputies said. The van had been towed to Fred's Body Shop in Walton.
On Sunday, authorities, relatives and residents were unsuccessful in a search for Martini-Butler in the vicinity of the crash on state Route 10, and deputies said it was believed she had left the site.
Deputies said her body was discovered after Fred Babcock, owner of the body shop, sent someone to retrieve the registration from the van at about 8:45 a.m. Monday. When the person moved a pile of boxes, he found the body.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Interview With Fyodor Creator Of NMAP
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Open Source Digital Forensics
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Personal Security - Pillows: A Hot Bed Of Fungal Spores
Aspergillus fumigatus, the species most commonly found in the pillows, is most likely to cause disease; and the resulting condition Aspergillosis has become the leading infectious cause of death in leukaemia and bone marrow transplant patients. Fungi also exacerbate asthma in adults.
The researchers dissected both feather and synthetic samples and identified several thousand spores of fungus per gram of used pillow - more than a million spores per pillow.
Google Earth: The Black Helicopters Have Landed
TSA for Fun!
Friday, October 14, 2005
An Unusually Slick Phishing Attempt
The e-mail continues by advising that Halifax has updated their security system. They are proud of their new SSL servers "where there is no risk of fraud and your account details are kept encrypted at all times." Naturally, because of this update, you are....guess what?..... asked to log on to the system and "verify your account info at the following link"
Such link being of the usual format -- an IP address (211.35.64.201) hidden behind a reasonable-looking URL -- which points to a real page on Halifax's servers.
The e-mail is unusually slick, as well as being cheeky. It's almost devoid of spelling mistakes ("unauthorized" should be "unauthorised" since it purports to come from a British company) and likewise of grammar mistakes ("securer" instead of "more secure" and one missing "to"). It could easily have come from a real person at the bank.
The image at the top of the e-mail actually comes from the real Halifax servers; as mentioned, the phone number quoted will actually get you to Halifax customer service, and if the URL is typed in by hand to a browser it will get you to Halifax's own servers.
This phishing attempt is almost perfect, a great use of social engineering and professionally put together.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
A Different Look at Bagle
The boxes in the picture are functions of the worm. The one on the top is the 'main' where the execution starts. The first ring contains all the functions that 'main' calls. The second all the functions that the ones on the first ones call and so on. All connecting lines represent the calls from one function to the other. Red boxes belong to the virus code while the blue ones are API calls library code that do not belong to the malicious code.
For the curious minded, the animation was created using IDA Pro, IDAPython, Blender and some custom scripts.
The animations can be downloaded in the following formats:
Windows Media 9 (9.7 MiB)
Quicktime (9.3MiB)
How to Foil a Phish
The death of a phish doesn't need to be extraordinary. It's just in a day's work...
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Secure Air?
A jet with a 6-ton capacity on a 350-400 mile flight and the FAA and Homeland Security never noticed...
Big Brother Awards Later This Month
Switzerland Zurich 29 October 2005
Czech Republic Prague 28 October 2005
Germany Bielefeld 28 October 2005
Austria Vienna 25 October 2005
Australia Sydney ?? October 2005
EPIC Page Describes "Theme Parks and Privacy"
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Personal Security - Bear Farmer Eaten by Own Animals
A Chinese man who raised bears to tap them for their bile, prized as a traditional medicine in Asia, has been killed and eaten by his animals, Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday.
Six black bears attacked keeper Han Shigen as he was cleaning their pen in the northeastern province of Jilin on Monday, Xinhua said.
"The ill-fated man died on the spot and was eaten up by the ferocious bears," it said, citing a report in the Beijing News.
In practices decried by animal rights groups, bile is extracted through surgically implanted catheters in the bear's gall bladders, or by a "free-dripping" technique by which bile drips out through holes opened in the animals' abdomens.
More than 200 farms in China keep about 7,000 bears to tap their bile, which traditional Chinese medicine holds can cure fever, liver illness and sore eyes.
Monday, October 10, 2005
White Paper - SQL Injection Attack and Defense
Personal Security - Police Tazer Video
(Audio also could be used to emulate a night with The Jackhammer)
Sunday, October 09, 2005
The 5th Annual Texas Bigfoot Conference
Hey Kids... Maybe you should be looking in NJ...
Saturday, October 08, 2005
CNN Interview with Kevin Mitnick
Ok Interview, but I think CNN asked some darn silly questions and Mr. Mitnick's 15 minutes were up a long time ago...
Hoodie Sweatshirts with Integrated Masks
These handy, masked French hoodies will help get the job done. Heck on the way home, knock-off the local 7-11 for a bonus...
Friday, October 07, 2005
It Never Ceases to Amaze Me... (California at its Best)
Provides an easy way to make your very own fake VIN tags or...
Try a couple of vanity plates... Something like CISSP or MCSE or maybe one that might be owned by someone popularized by a TV show etc. Once you have the VIN go to carfax and get the complete history on the vehicle...
Fridays are for Fun!
Secure Manhood - Man dubbed "ball-less wonder" after losing matches to female
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Nessus 3 will be Available Free of Charge, but...
Bruce Schneier on Phishing
The Internet is Broken — Weird Situation Evolving
I’ll be surprised if someone isn’t in court today asking for an emergency injunction to get this fixed.
The bottom line is that for now people who get their service from providers using Level 3 can’t go to the web sites who get their service from Cogent and vice versa. This also affects peer to peer applications like Chat and some kinds of voice over IP connections between Level 3 and Cogent customers.
Related links:
Slashdot
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
UK Study Shows Security Consultants' Rates are Rocketing
Pay for qualified security consultants has soared over the past year as budgets return and demand grows around the critical issues of application and system security.
On average, security consultants are currently charging 25 percent more year-on-year, cashing in on demand in areas such as application testing, compliance and mobile device management as well as emerging technologies such as VoIP and Wi-Fi.
Skills such as penetration testing, computer forensics and ethical hacking are also increasingly in demand. With too few qualified consultants and high demand for their time, it is a situation in which the lucky few can charge a premium for their services.
Iraq Security - TDS on Iraq and our Generals
Stewart takes a look at John McCain's reaction to some of the things being said by Rumsfield and the top generals that just don't seem to jive.
Windows: (Cut and Paste)
http://movies.crooksandliars.com/TDS-Iraq-Generals-MCain-10-03-05.wmv
QuickTime: (Cut and Paste)
http://movies.crooksandliars.com/TDS-Iraq-Generals-MCain-10-03-05.mov
Turning Off the Cameras Down Under - Call for Ban on Worker Surveillance
The final report of the Law Reform Commission has called for a new regulator to oversee the covert and overt monitoring of employees in the workplace.
The report, released today, called for new laws which would require employers to seek the permission from the regulator to test workers for drugs and alcohol and to install intrusive surveillance devices.
The report also called for the regulator to issue mandatory codes of conduct to cover video surveillance and monitoring of worker's emails.
The chairman of the commission, Marcia Neave, said an outright ban on surveillance in toilets, change rooms, showers and bathrooms was also needed to protect the basic dignity of working people - even if employees agreed to such a move.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
N.C. Troopers Catch Ambulance Thief Transporting Deer with IV
Leon Holliman Jr., 37, was reported missing from a River Region Human Services facility in Jacksonville last month. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol found him driving the ambulance with the deer on Sunday.
``I don't know how the man got it up in there,'' said Sgt. Robert Pearson. ``It was a six point buck.''
It wasn't known where Holliman got the deer, which had been dead for some time, Pearson said.
Authorities tracked the stolen ambulance through three rural North Carolina counties and one county in southern Virginia before its tires were punctured and it wound up in a ditch, Pearson said.
Holliman was admitted to a North Carolina hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. Police said they would decide whether to charge Holliman after that evaluation is complete.