Jan 26, 2015 10:12 PM (This post was last modified: Jan 26, 2015 10:13 PM by Oak.)
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The edition you are currently reading is the 224th full edition. To read any older editions of HF News, please go here.
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New Rule: Refund Services is now DBA
On January 21st, 2015 Omniscient, due to members offering services to help users to get a refund, has included the activity in the Disallowed Blackhat Activity Help Document to remove any doubt about whether or not this was forbidden. However, this is not considered a new rule as refund services would fall under the category of financial fraud but it seemed that some members needed extra clarification. You can read the updated Disallowed Blackhat Activity Help Document Disallowed BlackHat Activity. The announcement can be read here.
January MOTM Nominations
The first MOTM contest of the year is finally open for nominations! The last MOTM contest ended on a sour note when two members, Cyph Jr and Tweety., were disqualified from the competition when evidence showed that they were unfairly tipping the poll in their respective favors. The rules and requirements for the MOTM competition are there for a reason so it is strongly suggested that you read them over prior to nominating. You can do so here. You can also nominate a member here.
Ignore/Buddly List Pruning
On January 23rd, 2015 Omniscient made a thread asking members to go and review their Buddy/Ignore List for closed accounts and remove them if any are found, as it is completely useless to keep them bookmarked. Omniscient has also asked that members be responsible when adding and removing other members from their Buddy/Ignore List, because of this Omniscient stated that eventually he plans on making hard-limits for how many members you can have in each list. If you'd like to read Omniscient's announcement you may do so here.
Some OMC News
On January 22nd 2015, Omniscient made a thread about the current OMC situation. The situation is that out of the 13,371,337 OMC cap, 8,000,000 are already mined. This means that more than 60% OMC has already been mined and it's only been just over a year's time. Obviously this creates a huge impact on the value of OMC. Omniscient stated that he had planned for the OMC to take years to be fully mined and that he now realizes that he has no control over it, however he wanted to express his disappointment publicly. Unfortunately Omniscient also said that he has not made $1 from this project and is actually spending money monthly on it. Let's just hope that this changes in the near future. If you'd like to read Omniscient's thread, click here.
---Nominations: January 2015 - Froggy ---This is your chance to nominate the member that you feel deserves the title of "Member of the Month" for the month of January 2015.
---(The Alliance) Mega Security Guide - Wafflemonger ---An older thread that has been recently updated for the first time in over a year. Definitely a lot of valuable information here.
Entertaining Threads
---Best Things Made By HF Members - Scymo ---A thread that compiles every marvelous creation that Hack Forums users have spit out over the years.
---How it feels to be Admin on HF. - Factor8™ ---Have you ever wondered what it felt like to be an administrator on the world's largest hacking forum? View the thread to find out!
.Sinister: Hey, Hatred.. Welcome to this edition of the HF news! Before we begin, do you have any shoutouts you'd like to make? Hatred.: I would like to give a shoutout to my good friends Bandors, Ego, and the best for last, you!
.Sinister: So tell us Hatred., how did you end up on HackForums? Hatred.: It started in 2013. I was in this group that used to hack Flashplayer games and one of them used Hackforums and told everyone to sign up and use it. I signed up and started roaming around the forum and fell inlove.
.Sinister: That's interesting to hear. Speaking of hacking, I heard you've recently joined Sanctum. Can you tell us more about it? Hatred.: Yes I could. Sanctum is an unofficial group on Hackforums. Sanctum focuses on many different topics including Web Forensics, Networking, SQL Injection, and almost anything else you can think of. The members in Sanctum are extremely intelligent and we honestly just love what we do.
.Sinister: Web forensics, networking, sql injections, wow! What are you specialized in, if you don't mind me asking? Hatred.: I specialize in Web Forensics. I'm also learning Python.
.Sinister: Speaking of web forensics, I believe your group Sanctum has a service for that? Are there any other services you guys plan on releasing for the members of HF? Hatred.: Yes, we plan on releasing a lot more services for the members of HF, but that is a surprise.
.Sinister: I don't often see members with a 100% warning level. Care to tell us what happened? Hatred.: I don't really want to go into details but I was hosting a BTC giveaway and when I was messaging the members to tell them that I sent their BTC, I included something I shouldn't have.
.Sinister: BTC giveaways, we all know the secret intentions behind them. Can you give us your opinion on some of the forums here? Hatred.: Most of the forums within HF have their respective people that know what they are actually talking about. You always have those trolls who think they know everything and just say whatever they want.
.Sinister: That's very true. Why are you still on HF? What's keeping you here? Hatred.: The members and activity on Hackforums is what is keeping me on HF.
.Sinister: Yes, I can agree with that statement. What do you do outside of HF? Hatred.: I'm currently learning Python. I heard it can bring great success so why not? I'm also on my school's track team which is amazing.
.Sinister: Track? I'm a fan of track and field myself. Are you a distance runner, a sprinter? Hatred.: I'm a sprinter. I run the 60, 100, & 200 meter dash. I'm also on the 4 by 1 team for Track.
.Sinister: Dang, that's quite impressive. So we know what you do at school. May I ask what you do when you're with your friends? Hatred.: Just depends on the time of day. During the day time, we just sit around & work out, but when it comes to night time, a whole different story. It just depends on what we feel like doing that day.
.Sinister: Haha, sounds like a good life. What do you mean "a whole different story"? Nothing bad right? Hatred.: It's nothing really, just the usual thing stupid kids do. Ding dong ditch, throwing shit at windows and cars, and anything else we could think of to cause as much mischief and mayhem as possible.
.Sinister: Ah, I see. Just be careful with what you do. Thanks for your time! Would you like to say anything else before we wrap this up? Hatred.: I would just like to say thanks to Omniscient and the group Phoenix. Both Omniscient and Phoenix put countless hours into the forum and helping the members non-stop.
Jan 26, 2015 10:16 PM (This post was last modified: Jan 26, 2015 10:16 PM by Oak.)
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Omnicoin Android Wallet App Now Available
After much hard work by ӍeshCollider on both Omnicoinj, and the app itself, the Omnicoin Android app is now available on the Google Play Store. This app contains many features, and even more are planned for future releases. Currently, it supports decentralized transactions just like the desktop client, QR Code scanning, an Omnicoin address book, notifications for received transactions, a balance widget, and sending and receiving through both NFC and Bluetooth. This app is still new, so be sure to back up your private keys just in case! Feedback is always welcomed as well.
The Thought Fox I imagine this midnight moment's forest:
Something else is alive
Beside the clock's loneliness
And this blank page where my fingers move.
...
The window is starless still; the clock ticks,
The page is printed.
-Rivalry
"There is a war on for your mind" - Alex Jones
Prada-
I used to think kindness was the key
to everything and would argue when
others said strength, communication,
and the alike were key. Now I'm slowly
realizing that different keys open different doors.
-Trust
Man is free at the moment he wishes to be. - Voltaire D3xus-
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Make sure your eyes and your stomach are on the same page.
Man Jailed for Linking to Hacks
Barrett Brown was sentenced to 63 months (5 years, 3 months) in prison by a federal judge in Dallas, Texas for being, according to the judge, a "dangerous precedent." Brown, a 33-year old journalist, was allegedly an activist/participant in the works of the infamous hacktivist group Anonymous. In 2012, Brown was arrested for threatening an FBI agent on YouTube and was later charged with retaliating against a federal officer, online threats, and conspiring to release personal data of an agent. After this fiasco, Brown, still very much a part of the Anonymous movement, posted a link to a website with leaked information on various social media websites. Unbeknownst to him, the site also contained the stolen credit card information of hundreds of victims of fraud and he was subsequently sentenced to over five years. Somewhat fortunately for Brown, he will be eligible for monitored release after one year until his sentence is completed, after which his computer usage will be heavily monitored. Brown is someone the government has chosen to make an example of and it should remind anyone in the field of security to brush up on their knowledge of local and federal law.
Google's Project Zero
Google has recently begun Project Zero, a team dedicated to vulnerability assessment and the discovery of 0-day exploits in operating systems. In a 'spat' with Microsoft, Google has released several "Proof of Concept" files and fully developed exploits that highlight security holes in the Windows operating system. One of these includes a critical vulnerability in the Server Message Block version 2 (SMBv2) protocol where it allows local files to be executed with system-level privileges. Google does not appear to be focusing solely on Windows, however, as it recently released three 0-day exploits in Apple Mac OS X firmware. The first, available here, exploits the network XPC system daemon service. The second, available here, exploits a kernel NULL pointer dereference in the IOService userclient. The third, available here, appears to be another NULL pointer dereference stemming from the Bluetooth protocol stack. Ethics aside, Google is definitely on their game for security.
Plane Ticket Fraudsters Arrested
Recently, an effort by international law enforcement, led by Europol, investigated the fraudulent acquisition of airline tickets purchased with stolen credit cards. The investigation led to the arrest of 118 individuals who had allegedly stolen and used credit cards in a large-scale scam. In total, 218 tickets were purchased and the airlines were alerted and told to be weary of said tickets, leading to the thieves' inevitable detainment. With the theft and investigation, a total of almost $1 billion in losses was suffered by the airlines, according to the International Air Transport Association. This stunt, however, highlights the security of credit card companies' heuristic algorithms for detecting fraudulent purchases and should instill a sense of fear in would-be fraudsters.
Silk Road 2.0 Deputy Arrested
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents have arrested the alleged deputy, Brian Richard Farrell, of the illegal drug bazaar's reboot, Silk Road 2.0. He was charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine under the alias "DoctorClu" on Silk Road 2.0 which was introduced in November 2013, shortly after the seizure of its predecessor Silk Road or the first Silk Road. A search was conducted on Farrell's home which resulted in the finding of drug paraphernalia, silver bullion bars worth $3,900, and $35,000 in cash. The charge levied against Farrell carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years and a maximum punishment of life in prison.
Emergency Fix for Flash Zero-Day
Adobe issued an emergency fix for their Flash Player product after a zero-day exploit, CVE-2015-0310, was reported. A second zero-day, CVE-2015-0311, followed shortly after the first one but no patch was released. The patched vulnerability of the product was exploitable in Firefox and Internet Explorer, right up to Windows 8.1. You are asked to apply the critical patch, APSB15-02, as soon as possible.
Leak in Minecraft Security: Usernames and Passwords
Around 1800 Minecraft credentials (worth about $27 USD each) have been leaked on Pastebin and details surrounding the leak are thus far unknown. Minecraft's developer, Mojang, has been relatively silent regarding this matter. Experts are debating whether this exploit was the result of a much larger attack on Adobe and other security vulnerabilities but that too has remained unsettled. Regardless of the outcome, these attacks are a good reminder to pick strong passwords that vary between your online activities.
The Elder Scrolls Online Goes Free-to-Play
On March 17th, The Elder Scrolls Online will become free-to-play for anyone who is interested. Up until this point, gamers have been required to pay a monthly subscription fee of around $14.99 in order to play. This adoption of a free-to-play system means that console versions of the game will only require a one-time purchase when they are released on June 9th. Although the monthly subscription fee will no longer be a requirement for gameplay, a monthly fee for a premium service within the game, called ESO Plus, will be available to purchase and will give subscribers access to any new downloadable adventures for free. Players who don't hold a subscription will have to purchase this content separately. Subscribers will also be given a monthly payment that can be used to purchase (mainly cosmetic) items in the in-game Crown Store.
The End of Club Nintendo
Club Nintendo, a program where users could earn credits towards free games and other Nintendo products by entering codes found on purchased products and by completing surveys, has been set to shut down on June 30th, 2015, in North America and worldwide by September 30th, 2015. In order to help Club Nintendo members clear out their standing credit balances there are plans to add many new rewards and games that can be purchased with Club Nintendo credits before the program is shut down. Nintendo has stated that they will be implementing a new program later in the year, most likely to be announced circa June.
Peek at Possible Minecraft Gameplay with Microsoft's New HoloLens
Recently, Microsoft released a video regarding their new HoloLens headset. Within this video, a person is shown playing Minecraft in their living room with the HoloLens. Said HoloLens user is shown placing block projections on his floor and table. Interaction with the virtual environment is conveyed as being done through hand and finger motions. While this video was a prepared presentation and not live gameplay of Minecraft, it is still a very obvious hint towards what plans Microsoft may have for Minecraft with their new HoloLens technology. The full video can be found here.
Apple Spying on All iPhones According to Snowden Leak
According to Edward Snowden, Apple has spyware on every single iPhone and can track anyone at any given time. He has stated that as a result of this, he has never owned an iPhone. British Agency GCHQ was using iPhones UDIDs to track users, according to the NSA. Recently, Apple has come under fire for security vulnerabilities and backdoors in Snowden leaks and it seems they are trying to cover up their image. As of OSX 8, iPhones can no longer be tracked by law enforcement due to encryption options.
MegaChat: The End of Skype?
Kim Dotcom has been working on a chat program to rival current video chat frontrunner Skype for some time. As of now, MegaChat's beta has been released. MegaChat's beta service offers video chat but little else at the moment. However, it is a good start to a free and secure chat alternative to Skype. MegaChat is specifically targeted at people who do not like Skype for it's security holes and is hopefully going to be easy to use. MegaChat currently offers a bounty to anyone who can find a security vulnerability, unlike Microsoft when it comes to Skype.
Perhaps one of the most exciting things that technology holds for us in the future is breaking the language barrier. Thankfully, Google Translate has begun to do that in real time. Point your camera at anything in another language and you will be shown whatever you're trying to translate in the language of your choosing instead of the original. Google is able to create this thanks to Word Lens, which was obtained last year when it purchased Quest Visual, a start-up gaming company.
Every week - assuming we get enough submissions - the HF News will feature the best submitted battlestation.
Send Sir a message by clicking here and including an imgur link of your battlestation!
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