Category: Security

Security, Tech

Owls Up There with Fed Banking

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To be or not to be…poor. That is the question. WAIT, WHY IS THAT EVEN A QUESTION!?
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Let’s start this off by asking a simple question and this is something that many of you can relate to. How many of you enjoy having a bank account full of money? It’s safe to assume that almost everyone reading this script enjoys having a decent sum of money in their bank account.

I know that there may have been a very, very, very small few that might have said, “Money isn’t real, the real value of you isn’t in the form of numbers.” To them, I ask, if that is true then why is it that every time I get a bill, I spiral into a panic attack? Explain that one, however, you’re not wrong, that’s not the point being made here, so hush.

Suppose like in many situations, you check your account before going to sleep to confirm you have a decent amount, but when waking up you get an alert sounding like the accountant bit from South Park talking about your bank account, “Annnd, it’s gone. Your money, it’s all gone.” Let me script for you how this may have happened.

Dear sweet Satan’s cornhole…Z-Daddy was right. My accounts are at zero.
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Halloween Gone Mobile

So, the numbers in your bank account are gone with the wind and you’re probably wondering how you got to this junction. Well, let me inform you that you may have been infected with a virus called SOVA.

SOVA is a virus designed for mobile phones, as you can predict this is mainly for Android phones, but iPhone users don’t think you’re safe. Your sweet saucy phone jack is just not on the menu for now.

SOVA, in case you were wondering means owl in Russian, the name was given because owls are nocturnal birds of prey, they’re silent, and like a slow jam from the 80s, they stalk and capture their prey. As you could have already guessed, this is Michael Myers of the animal kingdom, and it very well could be on your mobile device.

I don’t stalk my prey; they just don’t see me coming. Stop making a big woot…oh I saw what you did there.
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Night-time Owls, Day-time Collection

Outside of SOVA being given a cute name by the threat actor, the first version made its first appearance on the underground markets back in September of 2021. For those who don’t know what the underground markets are, they’re the “dark web” or may also be called the “dark net”. And before you ask, no, there is not an underground store in either of those areas.

SOVA was shown that it not only had the ability to collect usernames, passwords, and other information, but it also has an interesting function that will be brought up later. Trust me, you’re not going to like this. If you suffer from having trust issues with people, you’re really going to have it with your phone after reading this script.

No, no, no, annnnnnd now it’s gone. All of my money, it’s all gone.
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Intruder at Hand

Right now, you’re probably looking at your phone and thinking “I don’t trust you.” And you would be right since your phone is the main attack vector for this malware/virus/trojan. That’s right, viruses have pronouns too.

SOVA is distributed by a smishing attack, which is another form of phishing where the attacker is trying to bait you into clicking on a link for further malicious intent via text messaging.

Once the fake application is installed on the phone, it then sends the list of all applications installed on your device back to the command-and-control server (C2C), this is done with the intent for the attacker to then choose which app to target.

The attacker fires back the malware that can perform collecting keystrokes, steal cookies, intercept multi-factor authentication tokens, copy and paste, and add fake overlays for a range of apps.

But are you ready to have some major trust issues? This malware can perform actions like clicking, swiping, and pretty much interacting the same way as if you were using it. This is all done via the accessibility service, guessing this is the last time you’ll trust a handicap sign.

All of our accounts are wiped clean, if only we kept reading Scriptingthewhy.
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Panic, Pause, and Simple Steps

While this seems like the sky is falling and you’re never going to dance again because empty words have no rhythm. Though it’s easy to pretend, knowing this information will not make you a fool. Always be very careful when you download from a friend as this could be potential harm that you have been given.

A few other ways of preventing from downloading such malware are to make sure you check all of the details of the application such as reviews and how often the application is downloaded. Make sure you download from only trusted sources like the manufacturer’s store or from the app store.

Other practices are making sure your OS (Operating System), applications, and anti-virus software are up to date. Most of the ways to keep your devices and information safe are to follow simple best practices but most of the time the combination of “It’s our app and we want it now” and reading takes too much effort that exposes us to possible threats.

This is my third time this month getting a spa treatment, and it’s all thanks to those cursed scripts. Bless you Z-Daddy.
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Made it this far and found this to be entertaining? Then a big thanks to you and please show your support by cracking a like, scripting a comment, or plug-in to follow.

Would like to give sincere thanks to current followers and subscribers, your support and actions mean a lot and has a play in the creation of each script.

Do you feel like I may have missed something about SOVA? Script a comment below.

Cloud Talk, Security, Tech

Icebergs and the Darknet

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Quick note: if you’re viewing this via email, come to the site for better viewing. Enjoy!

couple laying down on boat deck.
Sarah: Tom, did you read the latest script on Scriptingthewhy?
Tom: No, I don’t find any of them funny.
Sarah: Oh really…it’s over.
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You are on the bow of the titanic with your version of Jack and you’re feeling like you’re the queen, king, it, them, they, infinite letters and symbols of the world. For those who have seen the titanic, you know the ending, despite there being enough room on the floating door Jack chooses the “Irish exit” over dealing with possible child support cases.

Since the movie The Titanic’s release which seems like it has been forever, this isn’t much of a spoiler; people get on a boat, party hard, the captain sucks at captaining, and the boat finds that icebergs have a deeper meaning to them.

The symbolism in all of this, what is it? Well, after figuring out what gender you land your spinning wheel on, the breakdown is as follows; clearly, your character is Rose, Jack is your virtual private network the titanic is your computer, and finally, the iceberg is the internet.

Why is it that the iceberg is considered to be the symbol of the internet and not the ocean? It may be attributed to depth and not width, but I didn’t coin the idea so don’t ask me.

photo of an iceberg
The captain of the titanic saw this and kept sailing forward.
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Web in Layers

I’m just going to make the assumption that everyone in the world has some point or another in their life spent some time on the internet. Rather it is shopping online, checking emails, looking for that special someone, or…filtering through their list of pronouns.

We have all spent time on this portion of the internet which is called the “surface web” due to it being readily available to the public. Making this portion of the internet or the iceberg to be considered “just the tip”. What are the other portions I can hear you ask? They are deep and dark web.

What’s the difference between the two? The deep web is the middle of the iceberg that includes everything that search engines cannot identify because they are protected with a password or stored behind internet services, so for example, you may have been spending a good portion of your time perusing on the deep web if you have an Amazon or Netflix account.

And for our main event at the bottom of the iceberg which is every emo kid’s wet dream, the dark web, is the hidden collective of internet sites only accessible via a specialized web browser (Tor) used to keep internet activity anonymous and private.

A brief history of the dark web according to the International Monetary Fund, the dark web or also known as “darknet” was created back in the late 90s by two organizations in the US Department of Defense to create an environment of anonymized and encrypted networks that would protect the sensitive communications of US spies.

people at a nightclub
Bob: Did anyone bring the E?
Eric: I got you bro, there’s some ecstasy in my bag.
Bob: I was talking about the Ethernet cord.
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Darknet Clubbing

Aside from protecting America’s greatest spies and turning into a nightclub for hackers, what can be done on the dark web you may be asking? Well, pretty much anything you can think of.

The list is as follows but is not limited to; conducting black markets for stolen identity, selling of weapons, prostitution, sex trafficking, and the last thing you thought the internet would be used for since we still have corners on the block, the slinging of dope.

Do you want to perform a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)? Purchasing botnets on the dark web will help you perform this form of cyber-attack. You can also download files from the dark web however, they are more likely to come with a nasty array of surprises in the form of a virus, malware, spyware, ransomware, trojans, and many other devious files that could harm either your computer, bank account or just your life in general.

Now while being on the dark web sounds like a normal day in Camden New Jersey, just know, being present there is legal however, the activity you take part in begs the question if you’re joining the dark side or not.

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young man surfing.
Sailing would be so much easier if I had a boat.
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Freedom not Allowed

So, having access to the dark web, why is this part of the iceberg so important? Well, as mentioned before, joining the dark side because they have candy, will grant you anonymity making you and your activities harder to trace.

This helps you avoid government censorship if you live in a country where freedom is a no-no and provides you with some privacy. An example of this would be if you wanted to watch a movie or show that you don’t have access to within your country, you could simply “sail the seas to find your booty”.

Translation: you would have a VPN to change your location to the region where you would have access to said viewing. Finding out all this information may have you terrified and asking if your information is being sold on the dark web and Buddha only knows what people are looking to do with it. If that is the case, then you can venture to the “Have I been Pwned”(HIBP)website to see if your information is doing the cupid shuffle.

young man in a hoodie grayscale
Not every hacker wears a hoodie…it’s only the serious ones.
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Hacking Above to Depth Below

Now, if all this being on the dark web has you in Mr. Robot mode and you want to catch the bad guys or even play one part-time, there are careers in cyber security that can land you in the dark web.

Getting a degree helps but is not required since you have to display the ability to handle given situations versus sitting in a lecture hall letting valuable hacking time pass you by. Obtaining Security+ and acquiring certificates via online courses or boot camps will get you to depth faster.

Other certifications later acquired like the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) could see you higher up career-wise and in-depth iceberg-wise.

Made it this far and found this to be entertaining? Then a big thanks to you and please show your support by cracking a like, scripting a comment, or plug-in to follow.

Would like to give sincere thanks to current followers and subscribers, your support and actions mean a lot and has a play in the creation of each script.

Do you feel like I may have missed something about the dark-web? Script a comment below.

Cloud Talk, Programming, Security, Tech

Bombing with Midget Logic

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First day on the job. I think it’s time I read the latest script. What could go wrong?
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It’s your first day on the job as the new System Admin and you can’t wait to take on the day. Congratulations. After meeting with a few of your co-workers and the other people you are going to be helping throughout the building, you grab a cup of that fresh poisonous morning brew and head back to your office.

Quick rant, I swear toilet manufacturers and coffee companies have a secret contract together because there is no logical reason why you should down a cup and have to rush to the bathroom to exercise your sphincter moments later. They are in cahoots, and you can’t tell me otherwise.

Back on track, you’re back at your office sitting at your computer clearing out emails, and responding to tickets, and you notice a file named “Click here, there’s nothing to worry about.” You pause and think, “Maybe there is something to worry about”, you look back only for it to then say “No, really, there’s nothing to worry about. Promise.”

You wrestle with the thought and after a short time of debating you figure just checking the file out couldn’t be any harm, surely nothing could go wrong, you then receive an alert for a countdown. Let me script for you how things are about to blow up.

This is not good, Z-Daddy is ain’t good at all mate. One file is about to have me lose me job, fam.
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First Day Ticking

There’s a countdown, meaning you’re on a time clock and it’s a race to solve this problem. Relax, this is no cause for panic, you’re just having some first-day bad luck. The event you just triggered with your curiosity is called a “Logic bomb”.

Logic bombs go by other names such as “Slag code” or “Slug code” but the result is still the same. A flavor of bad things happens at the end of the countdown which leads to the involuntary clapping of your cheeks via boss or client.

Logic bombs are malicious code inserted into an application and are designed to go off when the right event has taken place. This isn’t to be confused with “time bombs” as time bombs are a subset of logic bombs.

Time bombs are coded to go off at a specific time. This is like how a typical bomb operates but the only upside is you get to keep all your limbs instead of being either wheelchair or casket bound for the rest of your existence.

Puppy, you stay as cute as you are and I’ll be your John Wick. I have the strange feeling I should looking out for something…oh well, I’ll just read another script.
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Coded Bombs Outsourced

What kind of person would leave you with such a treat for your first day on the job? Well, if you could recall how your now boss felt about the previous Sys Admin, you might have thought that it could’ve been him. But before any confirmation of them being the culprit here’s a brief history on logic bombs.

The history of Logic Bombs dates to the Cold War, you know, that good ole USA vs USSR. The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) had launched a trojan horse- that was in code, they didn’t actually launch a trojan horse, on the Soviet Union back in 1982. This was widely considered to be the original use of the logic bomb.

In the event of a logic Bomb being launched, a trucking company had some dealings with a software contractor, leading to a disagreement. Following that disagreement was the threat of using a logic bomb unless the client paid the invoices.

This had gone to court and the client won. Finally, this great-at-outsourcing country, the USA was on the receiving end of a logic bomb. Our army found that significant amounts of data were deleted which led to reservists being delayed for deployment and in payment. The Army was able to restore the data after coughing up $2.5 million for an investigation and repairing systems.  

How does any of this relate to your situation? Well, the previous Sys Admin might have been unhappy, and this is the kill from beyond the grave. You just happened to be the tool to set things in motion. Also, the individual that launched the logic bomb received jail time and had to pay $1.5 million in restitution. United States of America baby, we love our bills.

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Don’t worry kid, logic bombs aren’t the only thing we sell here. How about you turn around? You could get a trick and a treat.
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High Level and Too Close

How could the previous Sys Admin be the culprit you might be wondering. The design of a logic bomb depends on the one creating it and what their goals are. They’re usually created by someone with high-level access, granting them the ability to have many options as to where the bomb or bombs could be placed.

Being able to dress them as viruses, malware, or worms furthers an already growing attack vector list and can make it even harder to trace the origin. As mentioned before, a few conditions could be required for detonation, one being something simple like opening a file. The other could be natural as the payload goes off when a time criterion is met.

The developers’ goals could range from releasing a worm to infect the network, releasing ransomware to extort money from the company, or deletion of files and worse the hard drive. And once the dust settles, the culprit, if clever, is long gone as this could have been left months or even a year behind.

Pay my employees? How? My company makes money hand over fit.
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Build-A-Bomb Prevention Plan

At this junction, you’re probably wondering how you would be able to catch something like this from going off in your company or simply just avoiding this whole event together. One way to prevent this and I know the majority of companies are going to say, “THAT’S AN OUTRAGE!” Ensuring that the people who are closest to sensitive items and information are paid could help and seeing them paid well could be a huge benefit.

Money doesn’t solve everything but being able to pay your bills on time does help. Other forms of prevention are used up to date antivirus software as the logic bomb might have been injected into a virus or malware, scanning all files from time to time – this includes all compressed files, avoiding clicking on suspicious email attachments like “Nude Cowgirl Midgets” from known and unknown sources, keeping your OS (Operating System) up to date, and training staff not to click on anything promising them a good time. Logic bombs are tricky by design but with a watchful eye, you might be able to spot one in time and stop yourself from…well, exploding.

Like, share, and subscribe…in Scriptingthewhy we trust. America baby!
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Made it this far and found this to be entertaining? Then a big thanks to you and please show your support by cracking a like, scripting a comment, or plug-in to follow.

Would like to give sincere thanks to current followers and subscribers, your support and actions mean a lot and has a play in the creation of each script.

Have your company or someone you know experienced a logic bomb event? Feel like there’s something I may have missed? Script a comment below.