The hottest Cybercrime Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

The Facebook scam economy

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 2776 implied HN points • 16 May 25
🕹 Technology Social media Cybercrime Advertising Privacy Regulation
  1. Meta platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, are dealing with a huge problem of scams, with many advertisers promoting them. This is partly due to the rise of cryptocurrency and AI.
  2. Despite employees reporting these scams, Meta has been slow to act because they prioritize ad revenue over user safety. They allow scammers to continue operating for too long before taking action.
  3. Scams on Facebook are affecting vulnerable people, including workers in Southeast Asia who are often trapped in abusive conditions. This brings up serious concerns about the ethics of the platform's operations.

Digital Drug Trade: The Story of Silk Road

Tripsitter • 59 implied HN points • 28 May 24
🕹 Technology Dark web Cryptocurrency Cybercrime E-commerce
  1. Silk Road was a pioneering dark web marketplace for illegal drugs and other items, founded by an idealist named Ross Ulbricht.
  2. Ulbricht's motivation for creating Silk Road included making money, promoting libertarian ideologies, and providing a platform for people to buy drugs anonymously.
  3. The Silk Road story reflects a mix of ambition, freedom, and technology, showcasing the complexities of Ulbricht's character and the challenges he faced.

Wazawaka & Co.

Natto Thoughts • 39 implied HN points • 15 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Cybercrime Ransomware Hackers
  1. A new report by Prodaft sheds light on the intricate world of Russian cybercrime communities, revealing relationships among prominent hackers including Mikhail Matveev.
  2. Matveev, also known as Wazawaka, plays a significant role in leading a cybercriminal team orchestrating ransomware attacks, showcasing the dynamic and unethical practices within the ransomware ecosystem.
  3. Prodaft's report unveils Matveev's connections to other cybercriminal groups, such as Babuk and EvilCorp, underscoring the complex relationships and betrayals within the Russian cyber underground.
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Wazawaka & Co., Part 2: Patriotic Hacker

Natto Thoughts • 19 implied HN points • 22 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Cybercrime Ransomware International relations
  1. Matveev, a.k.a. Wazawaka, of the Babuk ransomware group aligns his attacks with Russian strategic interests, suggesting a possible connection to the Russian state.
  2. The Russian government views IT experts and hackers as valuable assets and can use them as a deterrent against adversaries, as seen in battles over extradition and state-coordinated cyber operations.
  3. Ransomware criminals like Matveev may mix financial motives with political considerations by targeting victims and timing attacks to align with state goals as seen in Babuk's attacks on the DC Metropolitan Police Department and Costa Rica.

Horse Therapy for War Trauma; Chinese Military Shakeup; Russian Cybercriminals in Turkey; China's "Combat Talent"

Natto Thoughts • 19 implied HN points • 22 Sep 23
🌍 World Politics Military Cybercrime Security Corruption
  1. Horse therapy, like equine-assisted services, can provide respite and restoration for war-traumatized individuals, helping them project calm authority, boost self-esteem, and find moments of happiness.
  2. The disappearance of China's Defense Minister Li Shangfu raises questions about political and military implications under President Xi Jinping, potentially affecting US-China military communication.
  3. Russian cybercriminals and their Turkish counterparts are collaborating in Turkey, engaging in online scams and fraud that challenge the dominance of traditional cybercrime groups.

Risky Biz News: FTC orders MoneyGram to return $115 million to scammed victims

Risky Business News • 0 implied HN points • 15 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Cybercrime Data security Vulnerabilities Malware Infosec Industry
  1. The FTC ordered MoneyGram to return $115 million to scam victims due to system abuse
  2. Cybercriminals are developing new ransomware like MortalKombat and using phishing campaigns for attacks
  3. Various cybersecurity vulnerabilities and exploits have been detected, addressed, and reported by different companies and security researchers

Managing catastrophic misuse without robust AI

Redwood Research blog • 0 implied HN points • 07 May 24
🕹 Technology AI Security Ethics Cybercrime Monitoring
  1. Managing catastrophic misuse of powerful AIs requires strategies to ensure they refuse tasks with potential for harm.
  2. Dealing with bioterrorism misuse may involve creating separate API endpoints, stringent user checks, and monitoring for suspicious activities.
  3. Mitigating large-scale cybercrime with AI may involve monitoring, human auditing, and banning users based on suspicious behavior.

Vụ lừa đảo Macbook Air (2)

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 0 implied HN points • 05 Feb 10
🕹 Technology Security Data Analysis Cybercrime
  1. Proper investigation of fraud cases like the Macbook Air scam involves preserving the crime scene data by making backups, which protects evidence integrity.
  2. Analyzing data from security systems can often reveal the identity of the perpetrator without necessarily requiring access to external entities' information.
  3. Creating profiles with relevant details such as nicknames, emails, phone numbers, and IP addresses helps in tracking and expanding the investigation using publicly available data.

Tội phạm tin học Việt Nam dễ bắt, khó xử

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 0 implied HN points • 17 Jul 07
🕹 Technology Cybercrime Hacking Information Security
  1. Cyber criminals in Vietnam are easy to catch and difficult to handle due to their use of basic tools and techniques.
  2. Law enforcement agencies can recover deleted data from hard drives, even after common operations like formatting or partitioning.
  3. Many Vietnamese hackers are young and inexperienced, often underestimating the consequences of their actions.

Risky Biz News: Last of the Twitter hackers to be extradited to the US

Risky Business News • 0 implied HN points • 20 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Cybercrime Vulnerabilities Malware Infosec Industry
  1. Spain's National Court agreed to extradite a 23-year-old UK national to the US for his role in the 2020 Twitter hack.
  2. GoDaddy and the FBI experienced breaches in their systems, while crypto platforms like Platypus and Dexible were hacked for millions of dollars.
  3. Various cybercrime incidents and threat intelligence reports emerged, including seizure of cryptocurrency funds by Norwegian authorities and dismantling of CEO fraud and IMSI catcher gangs.

Importance of Data Privacy

The SHIPTO.ME Blog • 0 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Data Privacy Cybercrime Preventative measures Online Security
  1. Data privacy is crucial in the digital age to prevent fraud, data selling, and other harmful activities.
  2. Data breaches can severely damage a company's reputation, lead to fines, and even pose national security risks.
  3. Preventative measures like securing personal information, using strong passwords, and protecting devices can help minimize the risk of cybercrimes.

Risky Biz News: Chinese APT exploits two Pulse Secure zero-days

Risky Business News • 0 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Security Malware Cybercrime Vulnerabilities Infosec Industry
  1. Chinese state-sponsored hacking group exploited two zero-days in Ivanti Connect Secure VPN appliances.
  2. FTC banned data broker Outlogic from selling precise location data of American citizens due to privacy violations.
  3. A member of the ShinyHunters hacking group was sentenced to three years in prison for hacking and selling data on underground forums.

"Not even against the rules"

Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends • 0 implied HN points • 23 Oct 22
🕹 Technology Social media Content Moderation Cybercrime AI
  1. The impact of public pressure on social media platforms has diminished over time when it comes to moderating violent and dangerous content.
  2. In the past, platforms like Twitter and Reddit were more hands-off with violent content, but norms have shifted due to public outcry.
  3. Fringe sites like 4chan, known for extreme content, have been resistant to traditional methods of regulation and moderation, posing a challenge for authorities.