Threats Without Borders - Issue 45
Matt's Newsletter - Week ending September 26, 2021
Welcome to Issue 45 of the Threats Without Borders Newsletter. We picked up a few new subscribers last week - Thank You and Welcome!
Ransomware - to pay or not, that is the question. I have written extensively about the topic, particularly after the Treasury Department warned in October 2020 that paying a ransom may violate rules set by the Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC). Two of my writings include:
Last week, the Biden administration carried through with its threat to sanction organizations that violate OFAC standards. The administration imposed sanctions against virtual currency exchange SUEX for its role in facilitating financial transactions for ransomware actors. The agency determined that 40% of all transactions conducted by the exchange were to the benefit of known ransomware groups.
40%??? Yeah, that’s a little aggressive. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cryptocurrency-exchange-sanctions-name-biden-administration/
Redeemer or Con
In almost a taunt of federal law enforcement, this guy claims that he escaped the clutches of the FBI and Interpol when they took down the AlphaBay dark web market four years ago. And now he claims to be coming back to make it bigger and better. He haughtily brags about his design, including the financials which will be based on Monero instead of BTC. The article is entertaining if nothing else. His technical and criminal prowess are yet to be determined. https://www.wired.com/story/alphabay-desnake-dark-web-interview/
China is out..more for us or end of game?
China’s central bank has declared that all cryptocurrency transactions are illegal and subject to sanctions. The Chinese government claims the move is due to the prevalence of fraud, money laundering, and high energy use from mining. But let’s be real… it’s about control. If the communist party could control the currency, and profit from it, they would have no problem at all. It’s outside of their control! If you have any spare GPU’s laying around it would probably be a good time to set up a mining rig! https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-24/china-deems-all-crypto-related-transactions-illegal-in-crackdown
Also read: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/09/bitcoin-outlawed-in-china-as-country-bans-all-cryptocurrency-transactions/
What do they say about ingenious criminals…
If they would only use their ingenuity for good. Famous luxury car Youtuber “Omi in a Hellcat” caught a federal indictment for running an illegal streaming service that netted him over 30 million dollars. It’s a brilliant scheme, really. Read the article. He admits he found a loophole and exploited it. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in court! In the meantime, Omi’s license is suspended and the Fed’s took the keys to the Hellcat. https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2021/09/youtuber-who-documented-luxury-lifestyle-ran-massive-fraud-scheme-to-do-so-feds-say.html
Apple, The good ol’ days
Back in the day, when asked to opine on the iOS V. Android debate, I’d always question “What do you care more about, functionality and customizability or security?”. Android allowed you more options to customize your device and you could install apps from anywhere, not just what Google allowed, while Apple kept a stranglehold on your device promising security. Well those days are over. Or maybe they never really existed and it was all smoke and mirrors??? Apple zero-days seem to be a weekly thing now with three disclosed just last week. https://habr.com/en/post/579714/
The Rest…
Carrying your Dell laptop, while powered on, in a backpack voids the warranty. Or - Dell fine print voids the warranty on every laptop. That’s the point of a laptop, to carry it in a bag. https://www.dell.com/community/XPS/FAQ-Modern-Standby/td-p/7514448
Agricultural Co-Op - “But we’re critical infrastructure”, ransomware group - “No you’re not, pay up”. And by pay up, they mean 5.9 million dollars. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/09/5-9-million-ransomware-attack-on-farming-co-op-may-cause-food-shortage/
Phishing attacks as a ransomware precursor https://cofense.com/blog/phishing-ransomware-precursor/
Who would have thought the “Church of the Healthy Self” would be a fraud? It was, and the leader was just sentenced to 14 years in prison for running the 33 million dollar fraud. https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/ex-pastor-orange-county-church-sentenced-14-years-federal-prison-orchestrating-33
Cool Tools
Find all the cell towers - https://opencellid.org
Really detailed maps - https://soar.earth/?
“EVERYTHING THAT IRRITATES US ABOUT OTHERS CAN LEAD TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF OURSELVES.” - Someone smarter than me.
I’ve been a fan of lo-fi hip hop music for a few years now and find it to be my background sound more often than not. I was explaining the concept to a friend the other day and found this older article from Discover magazine that describes it nicely. Or just listen for yourself. Two of my favorite sources:
https://www.lofi.cafe/ - you can change the channel in the lower left hand corner
https://www.youtube.com/c/LofiGirl
Cool Job
Fraud Operations Crypto Investigator - Robinhood
Thank you for opening this weeks email. Please consider sharing with your colleagues. See you next Tuesday!
Matt