This week in Infosec takes us back to the debate of OEM software Rant of the Week is a story about the impact of phasing out 3G too quickly Billy Big Balls is a story of persistence Industry News brings us the latest and greatest security news stories from around the world And Tweet of the Week is the levity we’ll be leaving you with today
This Week in InfoSec (07:54)
With content liberated from the “today in infosec” Twitter account and further afield
15th February 1999
Computer owners (dominated by Linux users) marched on Microsoft’s offices demanding refunds for the copies of Windows that came pre-installed on their computers. This day came to be known as Windows Refund Day.
15th February 2007: TSA Removes Online Traveller Redress System. The Transportation Security Agency has removed from its website an online system designed for travellers who have been told they are on a watchlist and inserted a statement that the agency takes information security seriously, following reporting by 27B (and others) that the site could put travellers at risk of identity theft and looked like online fraud.
Rant of the Week (17:41)
3G network shutting down could disable millions of home security alarms and car safety systems
https://apple.news/AuLfeucEvTSOwz1aqMIUDow
Millions of burglar alarms, car safety systems, GPS trackers, medical monitors, and even prisoner ankle tags could stop working when American 3G mobile networks shut down later this year.
Billy Big Balls of the Week (29:26)
Gary Bowser was recently sentenced to over 3 years in prison and ordered to pay millions to Nintendo for what his lawyers say was a relatively minor role in a Nintendo Switch piracy ring.
He was the victim of domestic violence from a girlfriend, and another girlfriend of his was murdered. His older brother died in a plane crash, and Bowser’s mother died when he was 15, the court record adds. In response, Bowser drank, the court records state.
Bowser was charged in Canada in 2004 in a fraud case concerning less than $5,000, the court records say. In 2018, he contracted lymphedema, likely from a mosquito bite, which “caused morbid swelling of his left leg,” the lawyers wrote.
When Bowser did join Xecutor, he was the only member who did so under his own identity; his colleagues were pseudonymous on the site.
Xecutor as “one of the most prolific video game hacking groups,” and said that Bowser also administered a website called rom-bank.com which contained illegal copies of over 10,000 video games,
Bowser was paid $500 to $1,000 a month over the course of seven years to maintain the organization’s websites
Last week, Bowser was sentenced to more than three years in prison and has agreed to pay $4,500,000 in restitution to Nintendo. In a related civil lawsuit that concluded in December, a court ordered Bowser to also pay $10,000,000.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/epxm5n/gary-bowser-small-apartment-owes-nintendo-10-million
Unskilled hacker linked to years of attacks on aviation, transport sectors
For years, a low-skilled attacker has been using off-the-shelf malware in malicious campaigns aimed at companies in the aviation sector as well as in other sensitive industries.
The threat actor has been active since at least 2017, targeting entities in the aviation, aerospace, transportation, manufacturing, and defence industries.
Tracked as TA2541 by cybersecurity company Proofpoint, the adversary is believed to operate from Nigeria and its activity has been documented before in the analysis of separate campaigns.
Industry News (37:18)
Trustpilot Sues Immigration Biz for Alleged Fake Reviews
Healthcare Data Breaches Impact 147k Illinoisans
Finance Officer Jailed After Stealing £200,000 from Charity
Red Cross Attackers Exploited Zoho Bug Used by China
Grand Prix CFO Sentenced for Identity Theft
Researchers Block "Largest Ever" Bot Attack
Data Privacy Lawsuit Could Cost Meta $90m
Phishing Top Threat to US Healthcare
Tweet of the Week (44:32 )
https://twitter.com/zebpalmer/status/1492742757185556483
https://twitter.com/JackRhysider/status/1494330800564625413
[That was this week's TWEET OF THE WEEK!]