Watch out for video file (packed in zip archive) sent by your friends via Facebook messenger, according to the researchers from security firm Trend Micro crooks are using this technique to spread a new cryptocurrency mining bot dubbed Digmine.
The bot was first observed in South Korea, experts named it Digmine based on the moniker (비트코인 채굴기 bot) referred to in a report of recent related incidents in South Korea. Digmine infections were observed in other countries such as Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, and Venezuela.
Attackers are targeting Google Chrome desktop users to take advantage of the recent spike in the price of cryptocurrencies.
Digmine is a Monero-cryptocurrency mining bot disguises as a non-embedded video file, under the name video_xxxx.zip, but is actually includes an AutoIt script.
The infection starts after the victims click on the file, the malicious code compromise the system and downloads its components and related configuration files from a command-and-control server.
Digmine first installs a miner (i.e. miner.exe—a modified version of an open-source Monero miner known as XMRig) that silently mines the Monero cryptocurrency in the background. The bot also installs an autostart mechanism and launch Chrome with a malicious extension that allows attackers to control the victims’ Facebook profile and used it to spread the malware to the victim’s Messenger friends list.
“Facebook Messenger works across different platforms, but Digmine only affects Facebook Messenger’s desktop/web browser (Chrome) version. If the file is opened on other platforms (e.g., mobile), the malware will not work as intended.” reads the analysis published by TrendMicro.
“Digmine is coded in AutoIt, and sent to would-be victims posing as a video file but is actually an AutoIt executable script. If the user’s Facebook account is set to log in automatically, Digmine will manipulate Facebook Messenger in order to send a link to the file to the account’s friends. “
Researchers observed that since Chrome extensions can only be installed via official Chrome Web Store, crooks launch Chrome (loaded with the malicious extension) via command line.
“The extension will read its own configuration from the C&C server. It can instruct the extension to either proceed with logging in to Facebook or open a fake page that will play a video” Trend Micro continues.
“The decoy website that plays the video also serves as part of their C&C structure. This site pretends to be a video streaming site but also holds a lot of the configurations for the malware’s components.”
The technique doesn’t work when users open the malicious video file through the Messenger app on their mobile devices.
“The abuse of Facebook is limited to propagation for now, but it wouldn’t be implausible for attackers to hijack the Facebook account itself down the line. This functionality’s code is pushed from the command-and-control (C&C) server, which means it can be updated.” continues the analysis.
Facebook had taken down most of the malware files from the social networking site.
Bitcoin’s plunge extended to more than 25 percent Friday as the frenzy surrounding digital currencies faced one of its biggest tests yet.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency approached $10,000 as this week’s selloff entered a fourth day with increasing momentum. It touched a record high $19,511 on Monday. Other cryptocurrencies also tumbled, with bitcoin cash crashing more than 35 percent and ethereum losing more than 23 percent over the past 24 hours, according to coinmarketcap.com.
The losses represent a major test for the cryptocurrency industry and the blockchain technology that underpins it, which have rapidly entered the mainstream in recent weeks. Bears cast doubt on the value of the virtual assets, with UBS Group AG this week calling bitcoin the “biggest speculative bubble in history.” Bulls argue the technology is a game changer for the world of investment and finance. Both will be closely watching the outcome of the current selloff.
“The sharks are beginning to circle here, and the futures markets may give them a venue to strike,” said Ross Norman, chief executive officer of London-based bullion dealer Sharps Pixley Ltd., which offers gold in exchange for bitcoin. “Bitcoin’s been heavily driven by retail investors, but there’ll be some aggressive funds looking for the right opportunity to hammer this thing lower.”
Traders who bought the currency on futures exchanges using collateral may start facing margin calls following the price decline. Two venues launched products in recent weeks that required hefty security, with Cboe needing 44 percent to clear contracts, and the CME 47 percent. Brokers set safety nets even higher.
“There’s no doubt people who got in on margin will face some pressure here,” Norman said by phone from London. “The volumes weren’t huge, so it won’t be a major price driver, but for those caught on the wrong side it will hurt.”
Crypto Mania
Many of the recent news stories and market moves connected to cryptocurrencies appear to carry hallmarks of the mania phase of a bubble. Long Island Iced Tea Corp. shares rose as much as 289 percent after the unprofitable Hicksville, New York-based company rebranded itself Long Blockchain Corp. Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Thursday bitcoin isn’t functioning like a normal means of payment and is being used for speculation.
Still, cryptocurrencies are attracting established players. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is setting up a trading desk to make markets in digital currencies such as bitcoin, according to people with knowledge of the strategy. The bank aims to get the business running by the end of June, if not earlier, two of the people said.
The deep web, invisible web, or hidden web are parts of the World Wide Web whose contents are not indexed by standard search engines for any reason.
The opposite term to the deep web is the surface web. The deep web includes many very common uses such as web mail, online banking but also paid for services with a paywall such as a video on demand, and much more.
This part of the Internet is known as the Deep Web, and it is about 500 times the size of the Web that we know.
The Deep Web vs. The Dark Web
Deep Web is the portion of the Internet that is hidden from conventional search engines, as by encryption; the aggregate of unindexed websites
The Dark Webon the other hand, is defined as “the portion of the Internet that is intentionally hidden from search engines, uses masked IP addresses, and is accessible only with a special web browser: part ofthe deep web.” The key takeaway here is that the dark web is part of the deep web.
Deep Web Search Engines:
Here are some Deep Web Search Engines that crawl over the TOR network and bring the same result to your regular browser.
Understand onion routing is to start with the concept of proxy servers. A proxy server is a server that relays your connection through that server, which basically adds a step in the path of your data packets.
If someone traced your IP address, they’d see it as the proxy server’s IP address instead of your home address.
But proxy servers aren’t exactly anonymous. They keep logs of all the traffic that passes through, which means that they can actually point back to you if necessary.
For most activities, the proxy server is fine even though it’ll add a bit of latency to your connection. Your anonymity would not be entirely protected, however, if your proxy service was hit with a subpoena for your IP information.
Onion routing is like an advanced form of proxy routing. Instead of routing through a single unprotected server, it uses a network of nodes that constantly encrypt your data packets at every step.
Only at the end of this “chain” of onion nodes does your data become decrypted and sent to the final destination. In fact, only this “exit node” has the power to decrypt your message, so no other node can even see what you’re sending.
Who is playing most with Deep web
It is extremely easy to access the dark web and even easier to be detected on it if you don’t take precautions. If you are new to the deep web, this guide will help you on your way.
According to researchers, only 4% of the internet is visible to the general public.
Meaning that the remaining 96% of the internet is made up of “The Deep Web”.
Dark Web or Dark Net is a subset of the Deep Web where there are sites that sell drugs, hacking software, counterfeit money and more. We explain this further down the article if you are not up to speed.
According to the recent survey conducted by researchers Daniel Moore and Thomas Rid (in their book Cryptopolitik and the Darknet), it is found that 57% of the Dark Web is occupied by unauthorized contents like Pornography, Illicit Finances, Drug Hub, Weapon Trafficking, counterfeit currency flow and many more.
Before doing anything on the Dark Web or even learning about it, make sure you are protected with a VPN and Tor.
If you are looking to access hidden marketplace’s or darknet websites (with a .onion domain) then dark web access is done using the TOR network with the TOR browser bundle. TOR is the most widely used dark web browser.
How to Access Dark Web:
Step 1: VPN (Virtual Private Network) and make use of it hide your activities, use it ALL of the time, no matter if you are on TOR or not. This site here reviews the best VPN’s for use with TOR.
You should be taking your anonymity and security very seriously if you are visiting the Dark Web, especially if you are viewing any Darknet Markets.
Do not fool yourself and think that the ISP’s (Internet Service Providers) and Law Enforcement are not trying to track those who use Tor to access the Dark Web, they are, and they are good at it so don’t make it easy for them.
By using the simple VPN app, your dark web activities will be hidden from your ISP and government agencies as all of your internet usage will be encrypted. No one will even know you are using TOR, let alone browsing for darknet markets.
What’s even better is that the VPN will give you a fake IP address, in another country if you like, so even if Tor is compromised then the trace just leads back to somewhere else that can’t be linked to you.
How to Legally Accept a Drug Package as Per Police and Prosecutors
The other benefit of using a VPN is to prevent hackers stealing your identity and or personal files and photos from your computer.
You need to use a good VPN that keeps NO LOGS, fast performance, preferably accepts bitcoin as payment, has a kill switch for DNS leaks, and is compatible with TOR.
Step 2: Deep web site are not accessible by common browsers like Internet Explorer or Google Chrome. To get dark web access you will need to download the dark web browser called TOR browser bundle. Only get it from the official TOR website, never download it from anywhere else!
Now close all of your browsing windows and all apps connecting to the internet like Google Drive, Skype, OneDrive, iCloud etc.
Then open your VPN app and connect to another location other than where you are at, make sure to use theOpenVPN protocolas it is the most secure.
Open up your normal favorite browser and then download TOR
STEP 3: From here, you now have a good level of anonymity and security and you are able to gain access to .onion websites through your dark web browser.
Now you have dark web access you should Click HERE to view the Darknet Market List so you can visit some of the best black market websites on the Deep Web.
If you do want to check out some dark net markets then you should follow the guide for that specific market as it will show you step by step what to do to sign up, browse etc.
If you are looking for the biggest list of hidden deep web links go here so you can find exactly what you are looking for. We have compiled one of the biggest lists of tested .onion sites on the dark web complete with a search function, website name, description, categories, site status and even a screenshot of the landing page so you can see if your site is online or dead.
Keep it in Mind
DO NOT change the TOR browser window size unless you like living dangerously. The FEDS have programs that can match identities on random things such and matching time online and other things with the browser window size, I shit you not. If you don’t change the size then it is the same as most other people.
Please remember that TOR isn’t necessarily 100% anonymous, you should turn off JavaScript within the dark web browser settings to help.Disconnect your webcam or block the camera with some black tape. Hackers and governments have ways of getting into your computer and turning on the video and cameras.
You can have intimate images of you be used as blackmail or extortion, or even worse, used by the feds.
Disconnect your microphone or cover it with tape to muffle it good. The same goes for the microphone as the camera, the last thing you want is to be recorded saying incriminating things at home.
NEVER use your real name, photos, email, or even password that you have used before on the dark web. This is the fastest way to be tracked. Use an anonymous email account and aliases that have nothing to do with you that you have never used before.
In this post we will review different types of health technologies, weigh the benefits and risks and discuss how one’s safety and privacy can be affected by exploited vulnerabilities in these technologies.
Health Technology in the Digital Era
With the accelerated development of health technologies over the past decade, both patients and providers have entered an era in which much of our information is stored, processed and transmitted digitally. Whether we like it or not, we have become more dependent on technology to access and receive care, and our providers rely on it to diagnose and deliver care.
This rapid progress has gone beyond the confines of hospitals and clinics and has moved health technology into the patients’ hands and homes. The way we communicate and access health information from the comfort of our living room has turned digital. We can use patient portals to schedule appointments and communicate with our providers or to access and share our health data with guardians and loved ones.
We carry devices on our bodies to monitor and mitigate medical conditions, or we bring our smartphones to track and share our workouts and collect our vital signs as part of our daily routines. There are mobile apps that help us monitor our sleep, manage our stress, calculate our insulin doses and remind us to take our medications.
However, a manufacturer’s rush to market or lack of concern about risks leads to products designed with functionality in mind and security and privacy as an afterthought. To the extent that security is often retrofitted to the products or services that have already been introduced on the market.
Not All Health Data Is Protected Equally
Patients and individuals who use health technologies may be unaware of how their information is collected, used or disclosed to third parties. Data privacy policies associated with these technologies are not all the same, may not be clear to the user or may even inaccurately state how personal information is used and handled. Even if some policies do address these issues, such language may be buried under pages of legal jargon or worded in such a way that makes it difficult for a layperson to understand and assess potential risks. In addition, technology companies may lack adequate controls or not implement them effectively in regard to protecting your information.
What about cybersecurity? Data leakage and hacks are an everyday concern in this day and age. Total security does not exist. Thus, any health technology could conceivably suffer from a vulnerability that could be maliciously exploited — especially if the manufacturer is not required or does not have the capability to respond or proactively address these security flaws.
Weighing the Benefits and Risks
Both medical and consumer health technologies have a promising future in improving the health and overall wellbeing of individuals. But, with the benefits come new risks to the security of these systems and the privacy of the data they hold and transmit. We must remember that we all play important roles in protecting the confidentiality of our digital health footprints, ensuring that technology is used to our benefit and cannot be used against us. The same way we protect our personal and financial information, we must care to protect our health information and the safety of the technologies we use.
Some of the best features in today’s health technologies are ease of use and portability, which in so many cases require the internet and a smartphone to enable them. Not by coincidence, mobile phones and applications have increasingly become some of the favorite targets of hackers. Why? Because a smartphone is a mini-computer with superpowers. It has a microphone that can listen to you, a camera that can see you, a GPS that can locate you and an antenna to connect from anywhere. And it contains so much of your information, including your telephone, address, emails, photos, contacts and access to bank accounts and credit cards. This is a dangerous combination if not secured properly. Essentially, the smartphone is a part of our daily lives and contains a treasure trove of information.
With health and wellness technologies (i.e., those that are not specifically designed to diagnose, cure, treat, mitigate or prevent a disease or medical condition), we as users have a greater responsibility for what we choose to use and where we deposit and share our personal and health information. These technologies may hold and transmit information that, in the wrong hands, could potentially be used to harm us in many other ways.
With different types of health technologies we have different degrees of control over what is stored and how we can protect our information. Keep your eyes peeled for our next and last installment in this series, where we will discuss what we as patients and health technology users can do to protect ourselves and our information.
For last-minute shoppers, tech toys hold a special appeal. They’re crowdpleasers, and generally available with two-day shipping—or faster—from any number of online retailers. Stapling on internet connectivity also might make these flashy kids gadgets sound all the more appealing; it’s not just a teddy bear, it’s a machine learning teddy bear. On the other hand: don't.
This is not a screed against technology generally, or even tech as it relates to kids; there are plenty of responsible, safe ways for children to navigate and benefit from the internet. Instead, it’s an important reminder that toys with an online connection are at their core just another IoT device, often replete with the same ills and vulnerabilities. Plus, they have the added horror of occasionally pointing a microphone or camera at your child.
“Generally, people may not make that leap" that an internet toy is just another part of the IoT landscape, says Tod Beardsley, research director at security firm Rapid7. But hackers who target poorly secured internet-connected devices don’t distinguish between, say, a generic webcam and a Wi-Fi action figure. “A lot of the infrastructure looks like regular old Linux or Android. An attacker doesn’t care; inside it’s just a computer,” Beardsley says.
Hacker Heaven
That makes internet-connected toys prime candidates to join a so-called botnet, an army of zombie machines used by hackers to launch denial-of service-attacks against websites, servers, or other pieces of internet infrastructure. Remember that afternoon last fall when the internet shut down for the better part of an afternoon across the US? A botnet made that possible.
To which you might say, OK, sure, but that doesn’t sound so bad, at least in terms of how it affects my joke-telling conversational robot for tweens. Which, fair! But there’s a reason the FBI this year issued a warning about internet-connected toys, and it’s not just the threat of getting caught up in botnets.
“These toys typically contain sensors, microphones, cameras, data storage components, and other multimedia capabilities—including speech recognition and GPS options,” the agency wrote. “These features could put the privacy and safety of children at risk.”
That's not just hypothetical alarmism. When Mattel rolled out its talking, Wi-Fi enabled Hello Barbie doll in 2015, the product proved easily hackable; an attacker could have stolen anything from passwords to actual snippets of conversation before the toy giant rolled out fixes. More recently, the Norwegian Consumer Council found that it was trivial to track kid-focused smartwatches from multiple companies, and even use them to communicate with children who wear them.
'Maybe Santa gets to know who’s been naughty and who’s been nice. But not toy companies.'
MARC ROTENBERG, EPIC
The list goes on, including real-world consequences. In March, a line of IoT teddy bears called CloudPets left two million messages recorded by the fluffy buddies exposed in an online database, where anyone could have listened to them—not to mention sifted through 800,000 emails and passwords that were exposed as well. The list goes on, but you get the point.
Not every internet-connected toy is insecure, just like not every home webcam falls prey to hackers. But the IoT industry in general has a long way to go in terms of overall security, and toys as a subcategory are no exception. Besides, hackers aren’t even your biggest concern—more often than not, the companies themselves are.
Privacy First
Last year, several advocacy groups jointly filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against two specific products made by Genesis Toys, My Friend Cayla and i-Que Intelligence Robot, alleging that they “unfairly and deceptively collect, use, and share audio files of children's voices without providing adequate notice or obtaining verified parental consent.” The toys have already been banned in Germany, and stripped from the shelves of Target and Toys R Us. (You can still find them on Amazon, albeit in limited quantity as of this post.) Genesis Toys did not respond to a request for comment.
Privacy advocates say that those two specific complaints speak to broader concerns about the industry.
“Companies that are selling internet-connected toys are not just profiting from selling the device,” says David Monahan, campaign manager for Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, a group dedicated to ending child-targeted marketing. “They’re profiting by collecting and monetizing a lot of sensitive information from kids.”
While the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule, known as “COPPA,” puts limits on that sort of data-harvesting, it mostly ensures that parents have to give consent before data collection happens. In the frenzy of setting up a Christmas gift, it’s easy to tap ‘yes’ without realizing exactly what it is you’ve agreed to.
"Internet connected toys are a privacy nightmare," says Marc Rotenberg, president of the nonprofit Electronic Privacy Information Center. "Maybe Santa gets to know who’s been naughty and who’s been nice. But not toy companies."
Make It Work
If you are going to give an internet-connected device—or already bought one and can’t find the receipt to return it—the most important thing you can do is to understand exactly how it works, what it collects, and what it does with that information.
“If you look at the privacy policy and feel like you’d need a lawyer to understand it, that’s a red flag,” says Monahan.
That diligence extends to securing the device, as well. “Internet toys tend to be replete with default user names and passwords,” says Beardsley, which makes hacking them, well, child’s play. Take the time to customize the device setup, creating a unique password, and also figure out if and how the manufacturer pushes software updates, which often contain critical security patches.
'If you look at the privacy policy and feel like you’d need a lawyer to understand it, that’s a red flag.'
DAVID MONAHAN, CCFC
Be aware, too, of how these toys function. “Anything that has an input sensor, like a camera or a microphone, has to be on in order to work as advertised,” says Beardsley. In the same way that an Amazon Echo or Google Home listens constantly—but only sends data back to a server after hearing a ‘wake word’—a toy that uses a camera to detect colors, say, is likely always watching. And it may not be clear under what circumstances it communicates what it sees and hears over the internet, or what it stores.
In fact, that Echo comparison proves apt for other reasons. Those devices raise privacy hackles as well, but least when you interact with Alexa or Google Assistant, you understand the risks. “As adults, we make decisions around making transactions online, we know what kind of information we’re putting out there that might be vulnerable,” says Monahan. “Kids don’t really understand that. They can’t make a conscious choice about sharing that information.”
Those potential issues even led Mattel to cancel a highly touted upcoming product. Its Aristotle AI assistant was designed as a sort of Echo for the stroller set, until the company nixed it in October over privacy concerns.
And at that point, what more do you need? When even the toy companies are having second thoughts, it's well past time to pull the plug on connected gifts.
By using the simple VPN app, your dark web activities will be hidden from your ISP and government agencies as all of your internet usage will be encrypted. No one will even know you are using TOR, let alone browsing for darknet markets.
