Category Archives: impersonation

Swatting as a Service

Posted on by

Motherboard is reporting on AI-generated voices being used for “swatting”:

In fact, Motherboard has found, this synthesized call and another against Hempstead High School were just one small part of a months-long, nationwide campaign of dozens, and potentially hundreds, of threats made by one swatter in particular who has weaponized computer generated voices. Known as “Torswats” on the messaging app Telegram, the swatter has been calling in bomb and mass shooting threats against highschools and other locations across the country. Torswat’s connection to these wide ranging swatting incidents has not been previously reported. The further automation of swatting techniques threatens to make an already dangerous harassment technique more prevalent…

Continue reading Swatting as a Service→

A Device to Turn Traffic Lights Green

Posted on by

Here’s a story about a hacker who reprogrammed a device called “Flipper Zero” to mimic Opticom transmitters—to turn traffic lights in his path green.

As mentioned earlier, the Flipper Zero has a built-in sub-GHz radio that lets the device receive data (or transmit it, with the right firmware in approved regions) on the same wireless frequencies as keyfobs and other devices. Most traffic preemption devices intended for emergency traffic redirection don’t actually transmit signals over RF. Instead, they use optical technology to beam infrared light from vehicles to static receivers mounted on traffic light poles…

Continue reading A Device to Turn Traffic Lights Green→

Defending against AI Lobbyists

Posted on by

When is it time to start worrying about artificial intelligence interfering in our democracy? Maybe when an AI writes a letter to The New York Times opposing the regulation of its own technology.

That happened last month. And because the letter was responding to an essay we wrote, we’re starting to get worried. And while the technology can be regulated, the real solution lies in recognizing that the problem is human actors—and those we can do something about.

Our essay argued that the much heralded launch of the AI chatbot ChatGPT, a system that can generate text realistic enough to appear to be written by a human, poses significant threats to democratic processes. The ability to produce high quality political messaging quickly and at scale, if combined with AI-assisted capabilities to strategically target those messages to policymakers and the public, could become a powerful accelerant of an already sprawling and poorly constrained force in modern democratic life: lobbying…

Continue reading Defending against AI Lobbyists→

Experian Privacy Vulnerability

Posted on by

Brian Krebs is reporting on a vulnerability in Experian’s website:

Identity thieves have been exploiting a glaring security weakness in the website of Experian, one of the big three consumer credit reporting bureaus. Normally, Experian requires that those seeking a copy of their credit report successfully answer several multiple choice questions about their financial history. But until the end of 2022, Experian’s website allowed anyone to bypass these questions and go straight to the consumer’s report. All that was needed was the person’s name, address, birthday and Social Security number…

Continue reading Experian Privacy Vulnerability→

Obligatory ChatGPT Post

Posted on by

Seems like absolutely everyone everywhere is playing with Chat GPT.

So I did, too….

Write an essay in the style of Bruce Schneier on how ChatGPT will affect cybersecurity.

As with any new technology, the development and deployment of ChatGPT is likely to have a significant impact on the field of cybersecurity. In many ways, ChatGPT and other AI technologies hold great promise for improving the ability of organizations and individuals to defend against cyber threats. At the same time, however, the use of these technologies also raises important questions and concerns about the potential risks and challenges they may pose…

Continue reading Obligatory ChatGPT Post→

Complex Impersonation Story

Posted on by

This is a story of one piece of what is probably a complex employment scam. Basically, real programmers are having their resumes copied and co-opted by scammers, who apply for jobs (or, I suppose, get recruited from various job sites), then hire other people with Western looks and language skills are to impersonate those first people on Zoom job interviews. Presumably, sometimes the scammers get hired and…I suppose…collect paychecks for a while until they get found out and fired. But that requires a bunch of banking fraud as well, so I don’t know…

Continue reading Complex Impersonation Story→

FBI warns Against Spear Phishing in the Name of Truist Bank

Posted on by

The FBI has released a warning that threat actors have started impersonating Trusit, the one of the largest US Bank holding company. According to the investigative agency, threat actors are using this spear phishing campaign to infect the victims with … Continue reading FBI warns Against Spear Phishing in the Name of Truist Bank→

Authentication Failure

Posted on by

This is a weird story of a building owner commissioning an artist to paint a mural on the side of his building — except that he wasn’t actually the building’s owner.

The fake landlord met Hawkins in person the day after Thanksgiving, supplying the paint and half the promised fee. They met again a couple of days later for lunch, when the job was mostly done. Hawkins showed him photographs. The patron seemed happy. He sent Hawkins the rest of the (sorry) dough.

But when Hawkins invited him down to see the final result, his client didn’t answer the phone. Hawkins called again. No answer. Hawkins emailed. Again, no answer…

Continue reading Authentication Failure→

Tennessee Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Identity Theft and Fraud

Posted on by

James Jackson, a 58-year-old resident of Memphis, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for 13 counts of mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud and mail theft. According to US Attorney Michael Dunavant, between… Continue reading Tennessee Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Identity Theft and Fraud→