Security News Update for November 1, 2024
Russian Court Fines Google 2 Undecillion Rubles for Blocking YouTube Accounts
This is a case of YouTube blocking several Russian TV stations’ YouTube accounts. They are being fined by Russia’s anti-monopoly service from failing to restore the accounts. Google was fined, back in 2020, 100 thousand rubles a day with the fine doubling every week until the court order is implemented. Google Russia filed bankruptcy and now Russia is trying to get other countries to seize Google assets. An undecillion is 1 followed by 36 zeros. Credit: CyberNews
Pentagon Wants 17-Year Prison Sentence for Jack Teixeira
Teixeira is the (former) Massachusetts Air National Guard member who leaked top secret information to show his friends on the social media site Discord how cool he was. His attorney is hoping for 11 years. In any case, the 22-year-old will be in prison for quite a while. Obviously, the government is trying to make a point – leak secrets and you will be our guest for a long time. Credit: Security Week
Iran’s Cyber Playbook: AI, Fake Hosting and Psychological Warfare
US and Israel published an advisory attributing Iran to hacking the 2024 Summer Olympics and other attacks. The hackers are known as Cotton Sandstorm, Haywire Kitten and Marnanbridge. The advisory said the group was conducting cyber-enabled information ops, stole content from IP cameras, used AI software for spreading propaganda and other techniques. They even became a fake hosting reseller to host their own operations. High tech terrorists. Credit: The Hacker News
Cops Want to Make Sure if Data Brokers Are Restricted, it Won’t Stop Them From Getting Data They Want
Nice. It is good to provide privacy. As long as it doesn’t affect my use of your data. The cops met with the CFPB to lobby for a law enforcement exception to the proposed rule on data brokers buying and selling data. It sounds like the two organizations are willing to talk about a solution, but it doesn’t sound like they have worked out the details. Credit: The Record
Burglars Use WiFi Jammers to Disable Alarm Systems
Readers of this blog have heard me say this time and again. Security or convenience. Pick any one. A nationwide burglary ring is breaking into high end homes and stealing valuables. They are using tech to help them including covert cameras to see when the homeowners are not home and WiFi jammers to disable alarms. Anyone who has a wireless alarm system, and they can be purchased for as little as a hundred dollars, needs to understand that those systems are not very secure. They MAY protect you from a high school kid breaking in, but nowadays those kids are very tech savvy, so maybe not even from them. Hard wire everything; use battery backups and have redundant communications mechanisms. If you need help reviewing or designing a system, contact us. Credit: Denver 7
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