Collaborate Disseminate
A cybercrime vigilante was so incensed by tech support scammers, he reverse-hacked the Indian call centre to spy on his would-be attackers. Continue reading Tech support scammers hacked back by vigilante
Since 2010 users have been plagued by nearly uncountable versions of a seemingly uncountable variety of ransomware variants. While tactics have changed, including infection vectors, the goal of ransomware has remained the same: Namely, to render a mac… Continue reading Muhstik Ransomware: A Hack-Back Story
The theft of 26 million card records from an underground site offers valuable intel for banks. Continue reading Hacking Back? BriansClub Dark Web Attack a Boon for Banks
Senator Ron Wyden has written to NIST asking for guidance and training for government staff in how to share files securely. Continue reading Government agencies still send sensitive files via hackable .zips
”Hi there,” said the polite (and fake) help desk, leading to a back-and-forth between a lying scammer and a lying security analyst. Continue reading Twitter scammers jump in on real-time complaints to companies
”Hi there,” said the polite (and fake) help desk, leading to a back-and-forth between a lying scammer and a lying security analyst. Continue reading Twitter scammers jump in on real-time complaints to companies
For years, the United States has wrestled with this question: Should a private company be able to retaliate when its targeted by a cyberattack? Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., raised the specter of “hacking back” once more on Tuesday when he argued for a more transparent process in which a private company could approach the government for permission and guidelines on retaliation. “If [a major CEO] wanted permission to figure out how to hack back, I don’t think he’d know what agency’s door to knock on to actually give him an answer,” Whitehouse said at a Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday. The Senator asked for written responses from the Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence about where a private sector actor could go to get an answer on the prospect of hacking back. “We ought to think hard about how and when to license hack-back […]
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Continue reading Senator raises the specter of ‘hack back’ once again
The push to allow Cyber Command to go on the offensive is welcomed by former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, adding that nation-states that have targeted the U.S. need to pay a “fairly significant price” for their actions. “I’ve thought for some time we were going to have to go on offense,” Mullen told CyberScoop. “Our training says until the enemy starts to pay a price, it pretty much has an open runway. I think that line has to be drawn, and we have to respond, and they need to pay a fairly significant price for what they’re doing.” Mullen said he is comfortable with U.S. Cyber Command taking on these offensive measures as part of its rise to a unified combatant command. The unit was officially given that distinction in May. His comments come as he assumes the chair position at the newly formed […]
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Continue reading Adm. Mike Mullen: Cyber Command should be empowered to go on offensive
The U.S. government should decide how to retaliate against the worst attacks on the country’s private sector, and when appropriate, the military’s hacking unit should hit back, three experts said Monday. The controversial idea entails taking the fight to nefarious actors by attacking their computer network in-kind, probing for exfiltrated data and employing measures to retrieve or destroy stolen information. The three individuals, with experience in the private sector, intelligence community and military, spoke at a panel organized by APCO. They concurred that if companies feel compelled to hack back, they should delegate any potential response to the government. If retaliation is warranted, U.S. Cyber Command should carry it out. “I think if it’s going to happen, it’s best in the hands of the government,” said Sean Weppner, chief strategy officer at NISOS Group and a former DOD cyber officer. No company has the intelligence, offensive tools and contextual understanding of the […]
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Continue reading Private sector warms to U.S. Cyber Command carrying out ‘hack backs’
By the Senate Armed Service Committee’s estimation, the United States has held back in cyberspace. The committee is angling to change that with the latest National Defense Authorization Act, proposing to free up the military on the front lines of cyber conflict, create a new strategic cyber entity and respond to Russian aggressions in-kind. The bill’s authors wrote that lawmakers have long-standing concerns about the lack of an effective U.S. strategy to deter and counter cyber threats. To counter foreign state actors bent on stealing, striking, spying or disrupting in cyberspace, the bill suggests boosting resilience, increasing attribution capabilities, emphasizing defense and enhancing the country’s ability to respond to attacks. “We’re letting episodes define strategy. It should be the other way around, where we clearly articulate our cyber deterrence strategy and rules of engagement,” said Frank Cilluffo, director of George Washington University’s Center for Cyber and Homeland Security. By offering […]
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Continue reading NDAA pushes U.S. Cyber Command to be more aggressive