Month: January 2014
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Microsoft phishing attack nets law enforcement requests | ZDNet
Originally published in ZDnet. Microsoft employees handling secret law enforcement request documents were suckered by phishing attacks, giving hackers access to the documents, the company acknowledged in a blog post late Friday January 24. The attackers gained purposeful access to specific Microsoft employee email accounts. The company said, “It appears that documents associated with law… Read more…
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'Google outed me'
Originally published in ZDnet. If you haven't heard about it by now, last Wednesday, ESPN's Grantland website published an article called Dr. V’s Magical Putter by Caleb Hannan. It was supposed to be a profile about a golf club, but instead its purpose – and dramatic climax – was to out the club's inventor as transgender.… Read more…
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Researcher describes ease to detect, derail and exploit NSA's Lawful Interception
Originally published in ZDnet. While headlines from European hacking conference 30c3 featured speakers vying for U.S. National Security Agency revelation sensationalism, one notorious hacker delivered an explosive talk that dismantled one thing the NSA, law enforcement, and global intelligence agencies depend on: "Lawful Interception" systems. And German researcher Felix "FX" Lindner did exactly that, in what was stealthily 30c3's… Read more…
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MIT website hacked by Anonymous on anniversary of Aaron Swartz suicide
Originally published in ZDnet. On the anniversary of young hacker and digital activist Aaron Swartz's death, Anonymous has re-engaged its Operation Last resort to hack MIT's website, taking over the server for its Cogeneration project. The website has been defaced for one hour. The page is now titled THE DAY WE FIGHT BACK. (Update Monday… Read more…
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Video: Fan pays $42,000 for one-hour adult webcam session
Originally published in ZDnet. While the tech world holds its annual shark-jumping contest at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, Maitresse Madeline, San Francisco-based domme and Kink.com porn director, has auctioned off a private hour-long webcam show to an Australian viewer for an astounding $42,000. The highest amount ever paid for a one-hour live adult… Read more…
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Predictably, Snapchat user database maliciously exposed
Originally published in ZDnet. On January 1, 2014, an anonymous user announced the release of SnapchatDB and 4.6 million usernames and matched phone numbers in a Hacker News post. The Snapchat accounts – even those marked 'private' – were exposed in a database hack that Snapchat knew about for four months, ignored, then told press last… Read more…