Jan 02
A new tool to allow Snapchat users to check whether their username and cellphone number have been compromised in the recent database hack has been launched, with an estimated 4.6m … Continue reading
Jan 01
It looks like 2014 is off to a series of hacks, with our report earlier claiming that Snapchat was hacked, compromising some 4.6 million user names and phone numbers in the process, and now it looks like Microsoft’s Skype Twitter and Facebook accounts have been hacked by the Syrian Electronic Army, who have in the past successfully hacked Twitter, The Financial Times, and The Washington Post just to name a few. The group took the opportunity to tweet out some anti-Microsoft sentiments, and advised the followers to stop using Microsoft’s services due to monitoring, which we can only assume has to be related to the recent bout of accusations leveled at the NSA.
According to the tweet, “Don’t use Microsoft emails(hotmail,outlook), they are monitoring your accounts and selling the data to the governments. More details soon #SEA.” The tweets have since been deleted which we can only assume means that Microsoft has managed to regain control of their accounts. Thankfully unlike the Snapchat hack, this was only the hack of Microsoft’s Twitter and Facebook pages, meaning that as far as user information is concerned, it appears to be still intact. Microsoft has yet to respond to the hack.
Skype Twitter Account Hacked, Group Posts Anti-Microsoft Sentiments original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 01
The Snapchat exploit revealed last week has seemingly exposed the usernames and cellphone numbers of a claimed 4.6 million users of the self-destructing messaging service, according to a site that … Continue reading
Dec 31
European cybercriminals have been using USB drives to steal money from cash machines owned by an unnamed bank. Details on the attacks were revealed at the Chaos Computing Congress in … Continue reading
Dec 31
Security researchers Andrew “bunnie” Huang and Sean “xobs” Cross have recently described a new way that nefarious hackers could steal data from users by infecting memory cards with new software. … Continue reading
Dec 31
We have all seen the warnings on ATMs in which banks advise their customers to avoid using the machine if it looks like it might have been tampered with. After all with 3D printers creating ATM skimmers with relative ease, anyone not aware could be easily fooled and could lose their life savings in one fell swoop. Now it seems that instead of relying on ATM skimmers, hackers have managed to use USB drives in order to steal from unknowing customers. This is done by thieves cutting a hole into ATMs that allows them to plug in a USB drive that then installs code into the ATMs which then allows them to steal from it.
This was discovered when a lender discovered its ATMs were being emptied out despite the use of safes to help protect the cash inside. The findings of this hack was presented at the Chaos Computing Congress, although its presenters asked not to have their names published. As it stands this hack appears to be limited to European banks but there’s no telling if the hack has managed to make its way stateside or to other banks around the world. Interestingly enough the researchers have indicated that there might no be honor among thieves because in order to release the money, separate codes had to be used, discouraging thieves from the gang to go solo or rip one another off.
ATM Hack Uses USB Drives To Steal Money original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Dec 31
If you own a smartphone or a tablet that allows you to expand its storage via microSD cards, you might be interested to learn that it seems that your microSD card might not be as secure as you might think. Presenting their findings at the Chaos Computer Congress, Andrew Huang and Sean Cross have detailed their findings in which they discovered that microSD cards and other flash-based storage were prone to hacks and could be used by hackers for malicious purposes if they found out about its vulnerability.
The idea behind the vulnerability is through errors in the flash-based storage itself. Manufacturers have sophisticated software that can detect hardware issues, such as bad sectors, and correct them through firmware. Unfortunately the firmware themselves aren’t bug free, and it is through these buggy firmware that hackers are able to take advantage of the vulnerability and hack into these flash-based storage devices, allowing them to install malware and deliver man in the middle attacks. Unfortunately it seems that cards that have been compromised are not detectable by custom security protocols and the only way to deal with a compromised card would be to physically destroy it.
On top of that, it has been found that devices such as USB flash drives and even SSDs are prone to these vulnerabilities as well. The good news is that manufacturers who are aware of these flaws in their products can release updates to fix it, although we guess it’s not often that we see messages on our phones or computers asking us to update our SSDs or microSD cards, right?
Researchers Discover Vulnerability In Flash-Based Storage original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Dec 30
Hackers Claim To Have Attacked Dota 2, LoL, And Other Game Servers [Update]
Posted in: Today's Chili![Hackers Claim To Have Attacked Dota 2, LoL, And Other Game Servers [Update]](https://i0.wp.com/cdnrss.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/screen_shot_2013-12-30_at_3.18.50_pm.0_cinema_720.0.jpg?resize=640%2C359 "Hackers Claim To Have Attacked Dota 2, LoL, And Other Game Servers [Update]")
When streaming over services like Twitch, there can be an immense amount of pressure because with thousands of people watching you play a game, you will want to win to avoid looking silly in front of your audience. However it seems that one particular gamer, a certain Phantoml0rd, had the added pressure thanks to a person/group going by the name of DERP who threatened him that if he were to lose the Dota 2 match that he was currently playing, they would attack the game’s servers. Unfortunately Phantoml0rd and his team lost that match the DERP kept to their word, with their Twitter account boasting about services, such as EA.com, having been taken offline.
The group has also managed to perform DDoS attacks on other games that Phantoml0rd began streaming on his Twitch account, such as League of Legends, Club Penguin, and Dota 2. According to Phantoml0rd, he believes that he was randomly targeted as he was top streamer on Twitch at that time. As it stands websites such as EA.com are still unable to load, with the folks at Polygon having reached out to the affected services for comments and when they might be able to expect their services to be able to resume.
Update – In a post by Phantoml0rd on Facebook, “Just had an automatic pointed at me, put in hand cuffs and sat in the back of a cop car as I watched as 6 policemen go through my whole house.. will keep you all updated.”
Hackers Claim To Have Attacked Dota 2, LoL, And Other Game Servers [Update] original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Dec 30
One of the nifty features of the Nintendo Wii U system is its GamePad. This allows gamers to stream games from their Wii U onto the GamePad to keep playing if the main television is in use, basically transforming the living room console into something of a handheld one. However it seems that two hackers have managed to reverse engineer the Wii U’s GamePad controller and have managed to get it to stream PC games to the controller, bypassing the Wii U’s console entirely. The hackers demonstrated a Gamecube emulated version of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, as well as a drawing app, both of which were streamed directly from the PC and onto the GamePad.
The duo presented their findings during a lecture, in which the lecture’s description read, “When the Wii U was released, a few console hackers and I were talking about potential uses for the Wii U GamePad. However, before being able to use a Wii U GamePad as a remote controller for a robot or a quadricopter, the first step was to understand how it worked and how to communicate with it.” Unfortunately the video demonstration of the hacked GamePad in action has since been removed, but if you’re interested in checking out the findings of the hackers, you can check out the lecture slides which has since been posted online. Pretty cool, huh? Imagine the possibilities that this can open up!
Wii U GamePad Reverse Engineered To Stream PC Games original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Dec 27
Snapchat is an application that was originally designed to allow users to take photos and videos that they could send to other users that automatically deleted after 10 seconds. The … Continue reading
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