How even the FTC's lead technologist can get hacked - Wired
Cranor is not just tech-savvy. Shes a digital security guru, a Carnegie Mellon University professor who specializes in passwords and authentication. And she is a reminder that identity theft can happen to anyone. Even the experts.
Account Override
Heres what happened to Cranor, as best as she can tell: A woman walked into a retail carrier store in Ohio, identified herself as Lorrie Cranor and bought two Apple iPhones on an installment plan. She billed them to Cranors account and walked away. Thats all it took. No elaborate Oceans Eleven plot, no fanciful Swordfish hacking.
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http://www.wired.com/2016/06/even-ftcs-lead-technologist-can-get-hacked/
Identity thieves have come up with another devious way to make money by pretending to be someone else hijacking mobile phone accounts.
While a common criminal might try to snatch your smartphone for some quick cash, these clever crooks take over your wireless account.
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By taking control of your mobile account, a fraudster can buy new equipment, such as expensive smartphones, bill them to your account and then sell them.
This type of fraud is a form of money laundering, said Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com. Theyre turning someones personal information into cash by buying the phones and then selling them.
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http://counton2.com/2016/06/29/fraud-alert-id-thieves-hijack-mobile-phone-accounts/
bemildred
(90,061 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)The message arrived at night and consisted of three words: Good evening sir!
The sender was a hacker who had written a series of provocative memos at the National Security Agency. His secret memos had explained with an earthy use of slang and emojis that was unusual for an operative of the largest eavesdropping organization in the world how the NSA breaks into the digital accounts of people who manage computer networks, and how it tries to unmask people who use Tor to browse the web anonymously. Outlining some of the NSAs most sensitive activities, the memos were leaked by Edward Snowden, and I had written about a few of them for The Intercept.
There is no Miss Manners for exchanging pleasantries with a man the government has trained to be the digital equivalent of a Navy SEAL. Though I had initiated the contact, I was wary of how he might respond. The hacker had publicly expressed a visceral dislike for Snowden and had accused The Intercept of jeopardizing lives by publishing classified information. One of his memos outlined the ways the NSA reroutes (or shapes) the internet traffic of entire countries, and another memo was titled I Hunt Sysadmins. I felt sure he could hack anyones computer, including mine.
Good evening sir!
https://theintercept.com/2016/06/28/he-was-a-hacker-for-the-nsa-and-he-was-willing-to-talk-i-was-willing-to-listen/
marble falls
(57,063 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)While some sections of the British press celebrate the Brexit vote in the UK, in the technology press there has been much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments.
Forbes interviewed a clearly traumatised Brent Hoberman of Lastminute.com fame who seems to be in need of a reassuring cuddle: "People feeling rejection. I think this is what the Leave campaign underestimated: the psychology of rejecting openness."
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Preening international elitists like Hoberman are exactly what Brexit voters so dislike. While the self-styled digital elite talk in therapy-speak about European peace, love, and understanding, they are masking their true motivation which is the freedom to exploit low-cost mobile tech labour. Cheap labour was the top reason cited by Tech City startups for voting Remain.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/06/30/andrew_fentem_silicon_roundabout_brexit/