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Wakerupper closing

Hi folks,

Some time ago, on a past podcast, I talked a bit about a service called wakerupper. I remember them because they had reminder system where it can be stopped after a certain time. My other ones don’t work that way for repeating events. I needed to use it because I needed to do something for a limited time, and wanted it to expire after a certain date. Sadly, two things happened:

• I could not pick from any saved messages, even after installing flash:
• In doing some looking at their site, somewhere, it said they were closing but would honor those who had credit to spend.

Read directly from their site from this link.

I did enjoy the service while i did use them. While I had a few issues, I stopped using them for a multitude of reasons, none of which was about the service itself. I had other multiple needs, and I’ll revisit the services I use now for various reasons.

There aren’t many services out there, and some are claiming to be free but end up paid after all.

I thought I’d pass this along, been meaning to write about this, but thought of it after my reminder expired.

questions? Do ask in the comments, or E-mail.

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The Yahoo Breach, am I effected?

I was so doing my best and not talking the Yahoo! breach that recently made news in december 2016 and this evening, I get an E-mail which is looking very legitament and comes from a yahoo address for communications. While I’m not going to share the E-mail in detail, this is definitely time that we say goodbye to Yahoo! mail. Once I get stuff transfered over to jaredrimer.net that I want, I’ll be removing the account from my PC. I never put it on my phone, and now, I will personally not use the account after I verify that I have everything transfered over that I want.

I had a hunch when I was made aware of another potential breach through my network, and I have some suspicions. The person indicated they did not get an E-mail, but someone else I know did. If I got one, I’m sure they will if their account was a potential target.

This is not the first time I’ve been targeted in one way or another. Remember this article I posted when I was dealing with some serious issues along the network? While indirectly effecting me, it does effect the provider which is me, and the provider I pay which is Ultrahost.

I believe Ultrahost is doing much better in detecting and eraticating issues much quicker than before, and for that I’m happy to see. Sadly, not all providers are aware of the dangers, and as the E-mail sent, more people are being notified. Yahoo has to notify at least a billion users. Thats a lot of users, and its going to take time. Here’s what I wrote about Yahoo! when i saw the news the first time. I didn’t think it was the end. To top it all off, this story delbt with the blind in general as we learned about a hotel chain which blind individuals had visited for the convention. I’m sure if you search hacked or breach on this blog, you’ll find a lot more out there, and we should be aware of whats out there.

If you are unaware of the use of Yahoo! which providers like .co.nz, ATT’s SBC Yahoo! and others, you may want to consider if it is practical ditching the account and service altogether. I’ll be happy to help where I can, please reach out.

Have you been effected? Please sound off in the comments. The boards await you.

Here’s one from the past that may recellect your memory. Have fun digesting this.

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an unexpected update

Hi all.
This is unexpected.
Today after many months so many that I thought that they had stopped production the last update being june 2015 realtech have broken silence and released the basic hd audio chipset update.
This version is 2.80 up from 2.77.
Why is this important, aren’t realtech just the cheap stupid hardware in the computers?
It is but it just happens to be in just about every computer these days that uses intel chips at least.
So if you are having a problem with things then this is finally the official non manufacturer spaciffic universal realtech card update.
Next amd have released an update to their display drivers.
It was first catalist 14 then 15 then omiga and now crimson live series.
For all of us that uses standard cards, it appears that amd has debunked its autoupdater and included it in the crimson installer.
Once you get the minimalistic installer and run that it will download an update, then you can update the system with that.
So happy the dates no longer reflect 9 februrary 2015 anymore.
I thought we were left in the dust with amd to.
Again why is this important, it means that some of these cards especially those of us with 10 and having to use standard ms drivers may not have to, and that finally major manufacturers are catching up to things.
The advantage of the amd driversets is that the drivers include everything in them.
One package will update all amd hardware mostly and now it appears autodetection is part of that package.
Finally my toshiba reported an update in win7 saying intel system for 7 8 and 9 series.
Again this is important, it may only be a basic internal ms chip installer update but it does mean especially with a lot of quads on the market that the duelcore is still alive.
With all the terrorists, security breaches, etc, if anything if you are a geek and want to thank someone other than a god or jesus then thank whoever that backward compatability even for your 3-6 year old unit may still be active in some way.
For myself I am hoping this fixes things on the system which has been having issues with some display for a little while.
laters all

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linked in breech

Hi.
Well this came off one of my feeds yesterday, but linkedin was hacked.
Someone lifted 117 million entries from their database although highly encripted were still able to get access somehow.
Email and password combos have been sold online aparently.

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this weeks updates and articles

Hi all.
In reverse order here are the updates and news.
It seems that yahoo hasn’t learned a bit, they just released the fact 1 billion had their data and identity stolen from 2013 it was discovered during the 2014 hack investigation and could indanger their deal with verisen.
I am not supprised with this record I do think yahoo is ruined.
In another bit of news, if you have a second generation watch and find that the new update does not exist then read on.
If you were unlucky and now have a red exclamation on your watch, call apple, and take the watch to apple so you can buy a new one.
Yeah aparently with watch gen2 units, the watchos 3.1 update released on monday bricked all watches in that class.
So if you have it with your new gen2 and chances are you do, apple will replace it free for you.
The update was pulled down within a day and won’t be up till they fix whatever is buggy.
Update wise.
Released in no order we have klite mega codec 12.7 series 12.71 is the latest.
Adobe services updated database.
Flash player now up to series 24.
ccleaner up to 5.25.
The standard roleup for all the remote invasions windows and office seem to have, same deal nothing new here.
See my other blog for other news.

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Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon

Here’s my next book and its a tech book. I posted it to the books blog, but thought you all should have it too.

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Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon
by Kim Zetter

Top cybersecurity journalist Kim Zetter tells the story behind the virus that sabotaged Iran’s nuclear efforts and shows how its existence has ushered in a new age of warfare—one in which a digital attack can have the same destructive capability as a megaton bomb.

 

In January 2010, inspectors with the International Atomic Energy Agency noticed that centrifuges at an Iranian uranium enrichment plant were failing at an unprecedented rate. The cause was a complete mystery—apparently as much to the technicians replacing the centrifuges as to the inspectors observing them.

 

Then, five months later, a seemingly unrelated event occurred: A computer security firm in Belarus was called in to troubleshoot some computers in Iran that were crashing and rebooting repeatedly.

 

 At first, the firm’s programmers believed the malicious code on the machines was a simple, routine piece of malware. But as they and other experts around the world investigated, they discovered a mysterious virus of unparalleled complexity.

 

They had, they soon learned, stumbled upon the world’s first digital weapon. For Stuxnet, as it came to be known, was unlike any other virus or worm built before: Rather than simply hijacking targeted computers or stealing information from them, it escaped the digital realm to wreak actual, physical destruction on a nuclear facility. 

 

In these pages, Wired journalist Kim Zetter draws on her extensive sources and expertise to tell the story behind Stuxnet’s planning, execution, and discovery, covering its genesis in the corridors of Bush’s White House and its unleashing on systems in Iran—and telling the spectacular, unlikely tale of the security geeks who managed to unravel a sabotage campaign years in the making.

 

But Countdown to Zero Day ranges far beyond Stuxnet itself. Here, Zetter shows us how digital warfare developed in the US. She takes us inside today’s flourishing zero-day “grey markets,” in which intelligence agencies and militaries pay huge sums for the malicious code they need to carry out infiltrations and attacks. She reveals just how vulnerable many of our own critical systems are to Stuxnet-like strikes, from nation-state adversaries and anonymous hackers alike—and shows us just what might happen should our infrastructure be targeted by such an attack.

 

Propelled by Zetter’s unique knowledge and access, and filled with eye-opening explanations of the technologies involved, Countdown to Zero Day
is a comprehensive and prescient portrait of a world at the edge of a new kind of war.

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‘Avalanche’ Global Fraud Ring Dismantled

I read this article entitled Avalanche’ Global Fraud Ring Dismantled and thought it was a pretty good one. I know that the USCERT also issued an advisory about this one as well, and I have not read this one yet. On my Saturday Afternoon Hangout which broadcasted on the mix yesterday, i talked about this one. I’ll have a full rundown of links later on which includes this, but if you want to talk about this one first, feel free.

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Some tech I’ve read of late

I have not really been writing like I have intended. I put together some tech that I talked about on my show The Saturday Afternoon Hangout and I found it of interest. There was a lot i’ve read, you might want to check out my twitter to see what I’ve been up to. From the show notes, here’s the list of things i talked about on the show, and if you have thoughts, let me know.

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• Visa Delays Chip Deadline for Pumps To 2020 (Krebs on security)
• Avalanche Global Fraud Ring Dismantled (Krebs On Security) and Avalanche (crimeware-as-a-service infrastructure) (USCERT) are the same. Have not read the second as of yet, read Brian Kreb’s article already. Major victory I think. USCERT may go in to how it worked while Krebs talked about the takedown.
• Exploring the Surge in Phishing Attacks (Phishlabs)
• What’s a Mirai Botnet Doing With My Router? (Safe and Savvy Blog from F-Secure)
• New SmsSecurity Variant Roots Phones, Abuses Accessibility Features and TeamViewer (Trend Micro)

In no way was this the entire list, but some of it anyway. Let me know your thoughts. I have a few thoughts where applicable within the show notes, and I do have the doors open for yours as well.

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