spoofing
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Verizon vulnerability made it painfully easy to access customer info
On the off chance you've experienced some sketchiness with your Verizon home internet account over the past few weeks, we might just know why now. As first reported by BuzzFeed, a vulnerability in Verizon's customer service systems meant that attackers could have duped their way into the accounts of any of the 9 million households that pay the telecom for internet access. And the worst part? The process was absolutely dead simple. Verizon, for what it's worth, said the issue (now fixed) came about because of a code error in a recent software update, and that they have "no reason to believe that any customers were impacted by this." Now, here's how it worked.
University of Texas students send yacht off-course with GPS exploit (video)
Students from the University of Texas gave us another reason not to mess with the Lone Star state: they'll hack your yacht. In cooperation with a luxury boat's owners, the Longhorns manipulated their $80 million vessel's nav system, covertly guiding it off-course -- all without the crew ever suspecting foul play. By transmitting spoofed global positioning system signals toward the craft, the students tricked its drivers into correcting a non-existent, three-degree course deviation, thus leading them off track. With their work done, the Texans believe this shows exactly how easy it is to exploit civil-band GPS signals. College kids may have conned the helm this time, but it isn't too far-fetched to think pirates could do the same. Our timbers are shivering just thinking about it.
Origin exploit uses hyperlinks to run malicious code remotely
Security research firm ReVuln has discovered a fairly simple way (in theory, at least) for unscrupulous folks and their hacking machines to execute malicious code on your computer, by way of EA's Origin platform.The exploit takes advantage of Origin's uniform resource identifier -- the protocol through which hyperlinks and shortcuts launch Origin itself and execute commands. Typically, a URI is clicked on by the user, either in the form of a link in a web browser or as a shortcut on a desktop, at which point the URI launches Origin and tells it what game to load, and how.As it happens, certain Origin-exclusive games are vulnerable to having their execution commands subverted by precisely formatted URIs. As seen in the graph above, this can be used by bad dudes to piggyback instructions onto the URI, which can instruct Origin to load and run malicious software, rather than Crysis 3.Avoiding this exploit is thankfully simple, however: Open Origin first, and launch games from there. The exploitative instructions are contained within the URI hyperlink -- take that out of the equation, and you should be fine."Our team is constantly investigating hypotheticals like this one as we continually update our security infrastructure," an EA representative told us. Uniform resource identifiers aren't unique to Origin, of course, and are widely used in everything from iTunes to Steam, the latter of which has an extremely similar vulnerability [PDF] that was discovered by ReVuln last year.
Apple responds to iPhone text message spoofing, reminds us how secure iMessage is
If you're a frequent texter, and the iPhone is your weapon of choice, there's a good chance you've been a wee bit concerned since yesterday's report that the device is vulnerable to a certain SMS spoofing attack. Basically, it's possible for a malicious individual to send a message and specify a reply-to number that is not their own, appearing as if they are someone else. We got in touch with an Apple representative and here's what we were told: Apple takes security very seriously. When using iMessage instead of SMS, addresses are verified which protects against these kinds of spoofing attacks. One of the limitations of SMS is that it allows messages to be sent with spoofed addresses to any phone, so we urge customers to be extremely careful if they're directed to an unknown website or address over SMS. Even if you aren't on an iPhone, we'd like to remind you to be careful when texting. There are numerous services out there that let you send a message that appears to be from anybody you like -- regardless of what model, OS or even carrier the recipient is using. All the more reason to think twice before filing that loan application over SMS.
iPhone reportedly vulnerable to text message spoofing flaw
If you're an iPhone owner, you may want to use good judgment before responding to any out-of-the-blue text messages in the near future. French jailbreak developer and security researcher pod2g finds that every iPhone firmware revision, even iOS 6 beta 4, is susceptible to a flaw that theoretically lets a ne'er-do-well spoof the reply address of outbound SMS messages. As Apple is using the reply-to address of a message's User Data Header to identify the origin rather than the raw source, receiving iPhone owners risk being fooled by a phishing attack (or just a dishonest acquaintance) that poses as a contact or a company. A proof of concept messaging tool is coming to the iPhone soon, but pod2g is pushing for an official solution before the next iOS version is out the door. We've asked Apple for commentary and will get back if there's an update. In the meantime, we wouldn't panic -- if the trickery hasn't been a significant issue since 2007, there isn't likely to be a sudden outbreak today.
Security Alert: Safari for iOS 5.1 reportedly vulnerable to address bar spoofing
Users of iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices running Safari on iOS 5.1 should beware of a security issue that involves address bar spoofing. The issue was discovered by David Vieira-Kurz of MajorSecurity.net, and involves "an error within the handling of URLs when using javascript's window.open() method." What does this mean in plain English? It means that the error can be exploited to trick users into supplying personal information to a malicious website, since the Safari address bar can display a totally different address than the website that is actually being displayed. MajorSecurity.net has notified Apple of the issue, so it's just a matter of time before a patch is available to fix the problem. In the meantime, it's a good idea to not open untrusted links and to think twice about sending personal information to any website that asks for it through Safari on your iOS device. For those who would like a working example of the vulnerability in action, MajorSecurity.net has created a web page at http://majorsecurity.net/html5/ios51-demo.html. Just open that page in Safari on a device iOS 5.1, click the demo button at the top of the page, and prepare to see something that looks amazingly like the www.apple.com site but is actually hosted by MajorSecurity.net. We'll let you know when the update to fix this issue is available. [via The Next Web]
MechWarrior Online fights with knowledge as well as lasers
In any combat situation it is key to be as well-informed as possible: to know where your enemy is (hopefully not right behind you), what resources you have on hand (dual Twinkies), what you're up against (spouse aggro), and so on. The makers of the upcoming MechWarrior Online have devoted their second dev blog to the importance of information -- or as they put it, "knowledge is power!" To aid with information warfare, the designers will provide to players a key tool called a BattleGrid, which will function like a pumped-up interactive map during in-game conflicts. Through the BattleGrid, players will be able to get a good idea of what's going on in the field quickly and what orders are coming through for the attack. The blog post also mentions the concept of "modules" that allow pilots to customize their 'Mechs, and it gives a brief overview of the line-of-sight targeting system and how players can work together to share battlefield information as well as how they can confuse the enemy. Hiding and seeking in the game will require a good combination of both detection and "spoofing" modules to keep your team alive while exposing the opposite one. [Thanks to Nimsy for the tip!]
Truth in Caller ID Act of 2010 makes Caller ID spoofing a crime
Caller ID spoofers, your days are numbered! The "Truth in Caller ID Act of 2010" has just passed the House. The bill -- which has been kickin' around in one form or another since 2007, and which only passed the Senate as recently as this February -- makes it illegal "to cause any caller ID service to transmit misleading or inaccurate caller ID information." As Ars Technica points out, there are some exceptions, including blocking your own outgoing caller ID info, and law enforcement is exempt. This bad boy is aimed at any and all real-time voice service, "regardless of the technology or network utilized," ensuring that VoIP is included. Look for the punitive measures (including flogging) to kick in about six months from now. [Warning: PDF read link]
Congress looking to make Caller ID spoofing illegal
The days of countermining caller ID systems could be coming to an end, at least for those who prefer to live life lawfully. A recent bill introduced in the US Congress, dubbed the "Truth in Caller ID Act of 2007," seems to have ripped a line from Suncom commercials of days past, and also seeks to "make it unlawful for any person in the United States, in connection with any telecommunications service or IP-enabled voice service, to cause any caller ID service to transmit misleading or inaccurate information." Of course, the bill definitely leaves loopholes for those involved in law enforcement, but for folks just horsing around, you could face penalties "of up $10,000 for each violation." Leave it to The Man to inhibit our fun.[Via Slashdot]
