Cloning Apple
1.4 billion Apple Devices vs. $100 Hacking Toolkit / Houdini RAT Attacks Banks / US Attacks Russia Power Plants / Phone As Government ID
Gordon Kelly writes: Warning Issued For Apple’s 1.4 Billion iPad And iPhone Users
With Apple’s (admittedly ugly) iPhone 11 now coming together quickly and recent iOS 12 releases looking rock solid, the company has been on something of a roll. But that just changed.
Israeli forensics company Cellebrite has told users that it has found a way to break into any iPhone or iPad running any version of iOS — including the latest release. With Tim Cook previously stating there are 1.4BN active iOS devices around the world, that’s concerning news for every one of them.
Picked up by AppleInsider, Cellebrite reveals that it can perform a “full file system extraction on any iOS device” and this service is for sale. Moreover, Cellebrite is a company you should take seriously. Back in 2016, the FBI is widely understood to have used Cellebrite to crack the iPhone 5c belonging to San Bernardino killer Syed Rizwan Farook and the company has previously talked to Forbes about its service.
In its defence, Cellebrite says its tools require you to physically have possession of the iPhone or iPad you want to hack (it cannot be done remotely) and that it performs lengthy security checks to determine the entitlement of anyone who wants it to crack a device. That said, Forbes has previously reported that Cellebrite kit has sold on eBay for as little as $100, making it the dream for hackers and jealous spouses alike.
Get all the details on this news today from Forbes.com
Charlie Osborne: Houdini malware targets victims with keylogger, online bank account theft tools
A new variant of the Houdini malware has been detected in campaigns against financial institutions and their customers.
Last week, cybersecurity researchers from Cofense said in a blog post that the new strain of Houdini — also known as HWorm — was released by its author on June 2, 2019.
Dubbed WSH Remote Access Tool (RAT), it took the variant only five days to start seeking out victims via phishing campaigns, with the overall goal being the theft of online banking credentials which can be used to make fraudulent purchases.
The phishing campaign masquerades as legitimate communication from banks including HSBC. The fraudulent emails contain .MHT web archive files which act in the same way as .HTML files.
… HWorm has previously been spotted in attacks against the energy sector. According to FireEye, it is likely the developer of the malware is based in Algeria and has ties to another malware developer, responsible for the njw0rm and njRAT/LV strains, due to similarities spotted within their code bases.
Get many more technical details about this malware campaign from ZDnet.
David E. Sanger and Nicole Perlroth wrote: U.S. Escalates Online Attacks on Russia’s Power Grid
Two administration officials said they believed Mr. Trump had not been briefed in any detail about the steps to place ‘implants’ — software code that can be used for surveillance or attack — inside the Russian grid.
Pentagon and intelligence officials described broad hesitation to go into detail with Mr. Trump about operations against Russia for concern over his reaction — and the possibility that he might countermand it or discuss it with foreign officials, as he did in 2017 when he mentioned a sensitive operation in Syria to the Russian foreign minister.
“Because the new law defines the actions in cyberspace as akin to traditional military activity on the ground, in the air or at sea, no such briefing would be necessary,” they added.
Is it appropriate for US Cyber Command to conduct acts of war without prior authorization or notification to the President or Congress? Apparently the answer is yes. Read the whole article at the New York Times. Is this really the new Cold War that we want? Which country is more prepared for an extended power outage?
Jon Fingus translates from news sources abroad: Germans can soon use their iPhones as virtual ID cards
iOS 13’s newly expanded NFC support will be useful for more than just hopping on the subway. Germany is taking advantage of the upcoming software’s support for Apple-approved NFC identification documents to let residents scan their ID cards and use them both online and for check-ins at international airports. You’ll need to wait for both the release of iOS 13 (likely in September) and the German government’s AusweisApp2 to make everything work, but this might just save you the trouble of pulling out your wallet to prove who you are.
This isn’t the first announced identification support, either. Japanese will also have the option of scanning their NFC-equipped identity cards, while the UK will use it to let EU citizens scan passports whether or not Brexit takes place.
Engadget has the rest of the story.
My quick takeaway
Do you remember cell phone cloning is a thing? Anytime we are dealing with broadcast communications, we run the risk of sharing unique identifying information as part of authentication. The IMEI number was meant to uniquely identify every mobile handset to cellular networks. But scammers figured out how to use listening equipment to pick up these signals like the cell towers do in places where large numbers of people frequent, say a bridge. They could then take that information and create chips that broadcast the same signal, cloning the consumer’s phone, getting access to their calls and much more. How long will it be before NFC is compromised and what are we doing now to ensure that crosschecks with GPS and two or three factors are used to validate? Also, a phone can be shared amongst people so it cannot be used to uniquely identify a person without photography or some other biometric. Implanted ID chips must be just around the corner.
Politics may be married to technology and big media, but sometimes individuals can make a difference.
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