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Phreaking

Phreaking is a slang term coined to describe the activity of a subculture of people who study, experiment with, or explore telecommunication systems, like equipment and systems connected to public telephone networks. The term "phreak" is derived from the words "phone" and "freak". It may also refer to the use of various audio frequencies to manipulate a phone system. "Phreak", "phreaker", or "phone phreak" are names used for and by individuals who participate in phreaking. Additionally, it is often associated with computer hacking. This is sometimes called the H/P culture (with H standing for Hacking and P standing for Phreaking). information on this site is for educational purposes only! Wyretap Network ©2007 - 2010

Disclaimer: The information on this site is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to encourage or teach you to break the law, that's what TV is for, albeit in a very flawed manner. The owner(s) of this website will not be held liable for anything you choose to do with the information contained on this site. If you want to learn how to rape, murder, loot, and commit acts of terror on a monumental scale, well, you won't find it here. Instead, tune-in to your nightly news and take a lesson from your 'elected' 'leaders'.

Social engineering techniques and terms

All social engineering techniques are based on specific attributes of human decision-making known as cognitive biases.[1] These biases, sometimes called "bugs in the human hardware," are exploited in various combinations to create attack techniques, some of which are listed here:
Pretexting
Pretexting is the act of creating and using an invented scenario (the pretext) to persuade a targeted victim to release information or perform an action and is typically done over the telephone. It is more than a simple lie as it most often involves some prior research or set up and the use of pieces of known information (e.g. for impersonation: date of birth, Social Security Number, last bill amount) to establish legitimacy in the mind of the target. [2]
This technique is often used to trick a business into disclosing customer information, and is used by private investigators to obtain telephone records, utility records, banking records and other information directly from junior company service representatives. The information can then be used to establish even greater legitimacy under tougher questioning with a manager (e.g., to make account changes, get specific balances, etc).
As most U.S. companies still authenticate a client by asking only for a Social Security Number, date of birth, or mother's maiden name, the method is effective in many situations and will likely continue to be a security problem in the future.
Pretexting can also be used to impersonate co-workers, police, bank, tax authorities, or insurance investigators — or any other individual who could have perceived authority or right-to-know in the mind of the targeted victim. The pretexter must simply prepare answers to questions that might be asked by the victim. In some cases all that is needed is a voice that sounds authoritative, an earnest tone, and an ability to think on one's feet.
Phishing
Main article: Phishing
Phishing is a technique of fraudulently obtaining private information. Typically, the phisher sends an e-mail that appears to come from a legitimate business—a bank, or credit card company—requesting "verification" of information and warning of some dire consequence if it is not provided. The e-mail usually contains a link to a fraudulent web page that seems legitimate—with company logos and content—and has a form requesting everything from a home address to an ATM card's PIN.
For example, 2003 saw the proliferation of a phishing scam in which users received e-mails supposedly from eBay claiming that the user’s account was about to be suspended unless a link provided was clicked to update a credit card (information that the genuine eBay already had). Because it is relatively simple to make a Web site resemble a legitimate organization's site by mimicking the HTML code, the scam counted on people being tricked into thinking they were being contacted by eBay and subsequently, were going to eBay’s site to update their account information. By spamming large groups of people, the “phisher” counted on the e-mail being read by a percentage of people who already had listed credit card numbers with eBay legitimately, who might respond.
IVR or phone phishing
This technique uses a rogue Interactive voice response (IVR) system to recreate a legitimate sounding copy of a bank or other institution's IVR system. The victim is prompted (typically via a phishing e-mail) to call in to the "bank" via a (ideally toll free) number provided in order to "verify" information. A typical system will reject log-ins continually, ensuring the victim enters PINs or passwords multiple times, often disclosing several different passwords. More advanced systems transfer the victim to the attacker posing as a customer service agent for further questioning.
One could even record the typical commands ("Press one to change your password, press two to speak to customer service" ...) and play back the direction manually in real time, giving the appearance of being an IVR without the expense.
The technical name for phone phishing, is vishing.
Baiting
Baiting is like the real-world Trojan Horse that uses physical media and relies on the curiosity or greed of the victim.[3]
In this attack, the attacker leaves a malware infected floppy disk, CD ROM, or USB flash drive in a location sure to be found (bathroom, elevator, sidewalk, parking lot), gives it a legitimate looking and curiosity-piquing label, and simply waits for the victim to use the device.
For example, an attacker might create a disk featuring a corporate logo, readily available off the target's web site, and write "Executive Salary Summary Q2 2009" on the front. The attacker would then leave the disk on the floor of an elevator or somewhere in the lobby of the targeted company. An unknowing employee might find it and subsequently insert the disk into a computer to satisfy their curiosity, or a good samaritan might find it and turn it in to the company.
In either case as a consequence of merely inserting the disk into a computer to see the contents, the user would unknowingly install malware on it, likely giving an attacker unfettered access to the victim's PC and perhaps, the targeted company's internal computer network.
Unless computer controls block the infection, PCs set to "auto-run" inserted media may be compromised as soon as a rogue disk is inserted.
Quid pro quo
Quid pro quo means something for something:
An attacker calls random numbers at a company claiming to be calling back from technical support. Eventually they will hit someone with a legitimate problem, grateful that someone is calling back to help them. The attacker will "help" solve the problem and in the process have the user type commands that give the attacker access or launch malware.
In a 2003 information security survey, 90% of office workers gave researchers what they claimed was their password in answer to a survey question in exchange for a cheap pen.[4] Similar surveys in later years obtained similar results using chocolates and other cheap lures, although they made no attempt to validate the passwords.[5]
Other types
Common confidence tricksters or fraudsters also could be considered "social engineers" in the wider sense, in that they deliberately deceive and manipulate people, exploiting human weaknesses to obtain personal benefit. They may, for example, use social engineering techniques as part of an IT fraud.
The latest type of social engineering techniques include spoofing or hacking IDs of people having popular e-mail IDs such as Yahoo!, GMail, Hotmail, etc. Among the many motivations for deception are:
Phishing credit-card account numbers and their passwords.
Hacking private e-mails and chat histories, and manipulating them by using common editing techniques before using them to extort money and creating distrust among individuals.
Hacking websites of companies or organizations and destroying their reputation.

The Real ID Coming Soon!!!

The Real ID Coming Soon!!!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Windows 8 release date in 2012; plans leaked

June 29, 2010 - 6:08 A.M.
By Richi Jennings. June 29, 2010.

Windows 8 plans have leaked out of Microsoft. Highlights include a 2012 release date (beta in 2011), webcam login, faster startup/shutdown, an appstore, and more. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers unpick fact from fantasy.

Your humble blogwatcher selected these bloggy morsels for your enjoyment. Not to mention animated optical illusions...
(MSFT)


Peter Bright shines a light:

A set of slides distributed to Microsoft's PC partners in April of this year has been leaked. ... Outlines Microsoft's vision for Windows 8 ... form factors ... hardware capabilities ... and the demands that these parameters will place on OEMs.
...
Suggests that Redmond still sees no value in creating a dedicated tablet-oriented operating system ... does not, of course, mean that Windows 8 might not be more finger-friendly than Windows 7. ... "Logoff + Hibernate" ... will act as an accelerated alternative to shutting down.M0RE


Gavin Clarke waxes innovative:

Microsoft's successor to Windows 7 is taking shape - and that shape looks suspiciously like an iPad. ... In trying to differentiate Windows 8 ... it plans to stress features for partners such as Windows 8's customization and the different form factors.
...
The company is becoming firmly entrenched in its role of taking innovation cues from other people ... or is incapable of thinking beyond the present trends on product development.M0RE


DanielRemains was probably the first leak publisher:

These PDFs come directly from an OEM Microsoft partner. ... I had to convert them to PDF to be able to remove watermarks.
...
Microsoft has some nice plans cooking it seems!.M0RE


Buon giorno, Adrian Alfaro: [in translation]

This top secret slide has escaped ... it exposes Microsoft's future plans, including Windows 8 development. ... Other features ... will be implemented through presence sensors.
...
The boot time of Windows 8 will be even shorter ... thanks to Action Center identifying autorun applications that slow the startup. ... Integration between Windows Help, Microsoft Answers and third-party forums.M0RE


Stephen Chapman serves "some super secret squirrel" scuttlebutt:

Long story short, these slide decks are chock full of internal thinking on Windows 8. ... Microsoft is clearly paying attention to Apple while planning Windows 8 ... aiming to give Windows the very same “it just works” status. ... Logging in via facial recognition. ... Windows accounts could be connected to the cloud which would allow for roaming settings.
...
Shaping the planning of Windows 8 are explosion of form factors (laptops, netbooks, slates, etc.) ... collision of enterprise and personal worlds ... and more. ... One of the key takeaways here is Microsoft detailing “Slate” as a major form factor focus. ... Windows 8 will introduce “Windows Store” ... which will allow you to purchase applications.M0RE


But Preston Gralla counsels caution:

It's not yet confirmed that the slide deck is real, and Windows 8 is likely two years away. ... But don't be surprised if most or all of these features are in.M0RE


And Pallab De notes an oopsie:

As you can imagine, Microsoft is not bemused. Francisco Martin’s blog, which was hosted on Microsoft Live Spaces, has already been pulled down. ... Worse still, in their eagerness to share the confidential documents, Win7Vista might have exposed their source. ... One Mr. Derek Goode from HP.
...
Windows 8 will provide an option called “Factory Reset”, which will [reinstall Windows] while retaining your data and configuration. ... [And] a pre-boot recovery environment, which will be simple enough to be useful to everyone, but will also house advanced diagnostic tools for power users.M0RE


Meanwhile, what would Miguel de Icaza do?

If I was in charge of the Windows 8 future ... I would try to reproduce ... the AppStore ... formula on my mainstream operating system. ... Everyone is scared of installing applications on Windows either because they break the system or because you might be accidentally installing malware.
...
For a Windows appstore to work, they need to guarantee that installing software wont ever break the system. ... Microsoft needs to both alter their kernel ... and come up with a new way of distributing applications. They need: A sandbox. ... Self contained applications. ... APIs that will run in the Sandbox. ... A public contract for extensions.M0RE



And Finally...
Amazing Animated Optical Illusions
[hat tip: epicwinftw.com]


Don't miss out on IT Blogwatch:


Richi Jennings, your humble blogwatcher Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and security. A cross-functional IT geek since 1985, you can follow him as @richi on Twitter, pretend to be richij's friend on Facebook, or just use good old email: itbw@richij.com.

You can also read Richi's full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.


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