FBI 建議用擋廣告軟體降低瀏覽時的風險

在「Even the FBI says you should use an ad blocker」這邊看到的新聞,FBI 的公告則是在「Cyber Criminals Impersonating Brands Using Search Engine Advertisement Services to Defraud Users」這邊可以看到。

起因是有很多網路犯罪行為會透過購買廣告,在搜尋引擎上曝光誘導使用者點擊:

Cyber criminals purchase advertisements that appear within internet search results using a domain that is similar to an actual business or service. When a user searches for that business or service, these advertisements appear at the very top of search results with minimum distinction between an advertisement and an actual search result. These advertisements link to a webpage that looks identical to the impersonated business’s official webpage.

其中一種方式是,使用者輸入關鍵字想要下載某些特定的軟體,這時候網路犯罪者就會透過下廣告的方式,誘導使用者到假的網站下載有後門木馬的軟體:

In instances where a user is searching for a program to download, the fraudulent webpage has a link to download software that is actually malware. The download page looks legitimate and the download itself is named after the program the user intended to download.

這個方式讓我想到之前北韓政府對 PuTTY 的攻擊:「Trojanized versions of PuTTY utility being used to spread backdoor」。

而 FBI 建議個人的保護方式包括了 ad blocking extension,這算是減少被攻擊的管道:

Use an ad blocking extension when performing internet searches. Most internet browsers allow a user to add extensions, including extensions that block advertisements. These ad blockers can be turned on and off within a browser to permit advertisements on certain websites while blocking advertisements on others.

然後建議擋廣告軟體就是用 uBlock Origin,無論是 Chromium 系列的瀏覽器 (包括 Google Chrome),或是 Firefox 都有支援。

FBI 警告愈來愈多使用假身份與 Deepfake 技術應徵遠端工作的事件

Hacker News 上看到「FBI: Stolen PII and deepfakes used to apply for remote tech jobs (bleepingcomputer.com)」這個很「有趣」的文章,原報導在「FBI: Stolen PII and deepfakes used to apply for remote tech jobs」,另外 FBI 的公告在「Deepfakes and Stolen PII Utilized to Apply for Remote Work Positions」這邊。

The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) warns of an increase in complaints reporting the use of deepfakes and stolen Personally Identifiable Information (PII) to apply for a variety of remote work and work-at-home positions.

當 deepfake 的技術愈來愈成熟後,這個問題應該會愈來愈嚴重?

另外讓我想到,先前有人發現錄取的人跟面試的人好像不一樣的情況,但一時間找不到那篇文章...

FBI 手上的 GrayKey 可以解 iPhone 11 Pro Max

在「FBI Successfully Unlocks iPhone 11 Pro in Ohio, Casting Doubt on Claims it Needs Apple's Help in Florida Mass Shooter Case」這邊看到的消息,看起來 FBI 手上的 GrayKey 可以解開 iPhone 11 Pro Max 了...

先前 GrayKey 只有舊型的可以解,像是之前揭露的 iPhone 5 或是 iPhone 7,現在看起來找到新的漏洞可以打穿新的版本,所以升級了:

Forbes has previously revealed a GrayKey brochure that showed it worked on older devices, and the two iPhones acquired by the FBI in the most recent Pensacola case are an ‌iPhone‌ 5 and an ‌iPhone‌ 7, which strongly suggests that investigators are already capable of unlocking them.

魔與道的競爭...

VPN 保留連線記錄幫助 FBI 抓犯人

這應該是這幾天鬧得蠻大的事情:「PureVPN Logs Helped FBI Net Alleged Cyberstalker」。

起因在於 PureVPN 的廣告寫著他們不會記錄:

但在證詞裡卻提到 PureVPN 有記錄:

“Significantly, PureVPN was able to determine that their service was accessed by the same customer from two originating IP addresses: the RCN IP address from the home Lin was living in at the time, and the software company where Lin was employed at the time,” the agent’s affidavit reads.

然後回頭看 PureVPN 的 Privacy 條款發現他們在條款裡面寫著他們會記錄連線資訊:

Our servers automatically record the time at which you connect to any of our servers. From here on forward, we do not keep any records of anything that could associate any specific activity to a specific user. The time when a successful connection is made with our servers is counted as a ‘connection’ and the total bandwidth used during this connection is called ‘bandwidth’. Connection and bandwidth are kept in record to maintain the quality of our service. This helps us understand the flow of traffic to specific servers so we could optimize them better.

然後被告 Ryan S. Lin 就幹剿了:

“There is no such thing as a VPN that doesn’t keep logs,” Lin said. “If they can limit your connections or track bandwidth usage, they keep logs.”

以後挑 VPN 還得仔細看條款裡面留 log 的部份啊...

Apple 打算把 iCloud 加密用的 Key 放到用戶端

在經過最近 FBIApple 的戰鬥中 (FBI–Apple encryption dispute),Apple 正規劃把 iCloud 加密所使用的 key 放到用戶端裝置上,而非放在伺服器端:「Apple to Hand iCloud Encryption Key Management to Account Holders」:

In effect, Apple is following the lead of secure cloud services such as SpiderOak which has been offering what it calls “Zero Knowledge” cloud storage. By that, SpiderOak retains no information about whatever is stored in its cloud service, nor the means of gaining access to it.

也就是加解密都放在 client 端處理,server 端只是 storage。

這類型最大的問題是 server 端沒辦法運用資料,但 iCloud 的確可以放掉這些功能 (搜尋之類的),純粹當 storage 使用,藉以讓使用者自己裝置保護。

而蘋果在使用者的裝置上把類似於 HSM 的系統做的頗強大... 不知道 Android 有沒有機會也跟進。(雖然我自己是用 Apple 家的東西...)

Amazon Fire 會把加密系統弄回來

FBIApple 的戰爭開打後,愈來愈多安全與隱私問題被重新拿出來檢驗,而 Amazon 也決定將 2015 年拔掉的加密功能搬回 Fire OS 裡:「Amazon Reverses Course, Encryption Returning for Fire Devices」:

Amazon.com Inc. will restore encryption as a security option on its tablets and other devices that use the Fire operating system, following a customer backlash driven by increased sensitivity about data protection as Apple Inc. grapples with the FBI over access to a terrorist’s iPhone.

預定是今年春天加回來:

Amazon reversed course late Friday night, saying in an e-mail that it would restore encryption as an option on Fire devices with a software update “this spring,“ without being more specific.

愈來愈多公司與產品都認定加密是「基本功能」,無論你有沒有接觸到敏感資料。

美國年輕人的理想職業

紐約時報報導 National Society of High School Scholars 問了一萬八千名美國年輕人 (15~29 歲) 理想的職業,也不少出乎意料的結果跑出來:「The New Dream Jobs」。

常見的網路公司在上面,但讓紐約時報感到意外的,FBICIANSA 也在上面:

When the National Society of High School Scholars asked 18,000 Americans, ages 15 to 29, to rank their ideal future employers, the results were curious. To nobody’s surprise, Google, Apple and Facebook appeared high on the list, but so did the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Security Agency.

不過應該是不意外?在教育體系被灌輸愛國主義不就很容易就有這樣的結果?

聯邦政府僱用 CMU 的人研究攻擊 Tor

先前 Tor Project 有提到外面報導 FBI 在 2014 年時僱用 CMU 的人研究 Tor 的弱點並且加以攻擊:「Did the FBI Pay a University to Attack Tor Users?」。

這的確是錯的,因為不是 FBI,而是 DoD (美國國防部) 僱用的 (瞬間噴出茶來):「Judge confirms what many suspected: Feds hired CMU to break Tor」。Tor Project 的反應在「Statement from the Tor Project re: the Court's February 23 Order in U.S. v. Farrell」這邊。

A federal judge in Washington has now confirmed what has been strongly suspected: that Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) researchers at its Software Engineering Institute were hired by the federal government to do research into breaking Tor in 2014.

所以也不是空穴來風...

FBI 的搜索「創意」被美國法院否決

Zite 上看到「FBI can’t cut Internet and pose as cable guy to search property, judge says」這篇文章,講 FBI 的「創意」被法院給否決。

搜索的手段是這樣發生的。FBI 的人先把網路給剪斷,然後偽裝成修復工人進去搜索:

The Las Vegas court frowned on the FBI's ruse of disconnecting Internet access to $25,000-per-night villas at Caesar's Palace Hotel and Casino. FBI agents posed as the cable guy and secretly searched the premises.

然後就宣稱因為這是被邀請入內,所以搜索是合法的:

The government claimed the search was legal because the suspects invited the agents into the room to fix the Internet.

不過法官顯然不買帳,引用法官的話:

Permitting the government to create the need for the occupant to invite a third party into his or her home would effectively allow the government to conduct warrantless searches of the vast majority of residents and hotel rooms in America,

也就是說,除非當事人明確知道搜索並且同意,不然這種惡搞「同意」的行為並不合法。

GoDaddy 將 Lavabit 的 SSL Certificate 撤銷了...

在「美國法院可以強制公司交出 SSL Private Key...」這篇提到法院文件顯示 Lavabit 的 SSL Certificate 已經被 FBI 拿走。

消息公開後幾天,GoDaddy 終於記得要依照程序,主動把 Lavabit 的 SSL Certificate 撤銷:「GoDaddy Pulls Lavabit's Security Creds Because The FBI Got Ahold Of Its Encryption Keys」。

巡迴庭的消息好像還沒出來...