Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Cops can be harsh art critics

from here

I can see making a fake license plate so that it's harder to identify the car as stolen, but if you're going to steal a car, maybe steal some better art supplies while you're at it.

Beer can covers

Product Page

Apparently, if you need to smuggle beer into some place, there's a product that can help with that. I may not approve of the brand, but I'm sure this works with most beers as they generally come in a fairly standard sized/shaped can.

Monday, December 30, 2019

Clumsiness and crookedness don't mix

from here (image source)

If you're robbing a place, it might be a good idea to know which exits will actually allow you to exit so you don't face plant into one of them.

These guys and their disguise

found on Me.me

I don't imagine this actually fools anyone, but I suppose as long as there's the appearance of compliance the authorities might let it slide

Friday, December 27, 2019

Mo' Data Mo' Problems

from here (image source)

Nobody wants to have the kinds of problems Facebook has - not even Facebook. I don't exactly know how how to meaningfully minimize data when you've got over 2 billion users, but oddly companies like Facebook run as fast as they can in the opposite direction, collecting not only vast amounts of data users enter into their profiles but also data about everything they do and everywhere they go. It's almost as though they can't see how their greed is hurting them.

I guess it clammed up

found on Funny Junk

To be fair they're called virus scanners not virus counters.

Thursday, December 26, 2019

I think I see the problem

from here

Apparently it's not just victims who can be caught unaware of their surroundings, criminals can have bad situational awareness too.

I hacked myself today

found on Funny Junk

Forgetting your password presents you with a great opportunity to try and see what's entailed with trying to break into an account. You know pretty much everything there is to know about your target (you) so you can make educated guesses about what kind of password it might be, whether there are dictionary words involved, what kinds of numbers or symbols are likely to be used, etc.

Unfortunately, you usually only find out you've forgotten your password when you really need into the account and don't have time to mess around with all that. However, if you ever find yourself with the time, do try it and and see how well you do.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

A known serial offender

from here (image source)

Of course this is in jest. Invasions of privacy are not actually treated as serious problems. The above image was apparently (according to some digging I did) a sex offender in a Santa suit.

Would we arrest the real Santa in the event we did start taking privacy more seriously? Probably not because people still want presents.

We wish you a Merry Cryptmas and a Happy New Sneer

found on Agent-X Comics

Happy holidays and I hope you all got something with more substance.

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Santa the pen-tester

from here and here (image source)

Considering he wears a red suit, it really shouldn't come as a surprise. He's basically advertising the fact.

Fly the over-friendly skies

found on Freeduh

The mistletoe isn't going too far. The mistletoe is just icing on the cake of horribleness that is the TSA's invasive practices. Those practices went too far all on their own, without the festive garnish.

This appears to be a more authoritative source for this comic, so if you want to see more from this artist, that's where you should go.

Monday, December 23, 2019

Santa's little inside man

from here and here (image source)

Santa could just plant a bug if all he needed was information about how naughty or nice you were. A person in the inside, however, could open the door and even case the joint.

He sees you when you're sleeping

found on RGBros

I'm not sure if this is an overreaction to surveillance by a supernatural being or not, but I'm pretty sure arson is a good way to get on the naughty list.

By all means check out more of this artist's webcomics.

Friday, December 20, 2019

Could you spot him in a crowd?

from here and here (image source)

Someone has made it extra easy on the police by basically labeling themselves in a prominent location. I don't imagine it'll be easy to lay low and go unnoticed with that on his forehead.

The gift that keeps on giving disappointment

found on Imgur

The worst time for updates is when you're trying to turn off your computer (because you don't have time for that, you need to go). The second worst time for updates is when you start up the computer (because you don't have time for that, you're trying to do something, maybe even work). Updates wouldn't be nearly as difficult to get applied if you could find a time to do them what didn't interfere with what the user is trying to do.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

It's for the ads - oops, I mean security

from here (image source)

I feel like Zuckerberg got caught telling a fib here. Like the so-called security functions the location data is supposedly used for are just an excuse to allow them to continue feeding the data into their ad machine. Like the regulatory version of plot-armour.

Keep Calm And Firewalls On hat

Product Page

Yes, there are still people who will turn off their firewall to make things work. We don't even talk about firewalls much anymore but ordinary people need to know that it's important to keep them turned on.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

All your bugs are belong to us

from here

No one has perfect security, not even the security companies. What's important is how they handle it and it seems like HackerOne handled it pretty well.

WiFi Security: PostIt Note Edition

found on Know Your Meme

On the one hand old-timers like me are going to question the wisdom of writing the WiFi password on the router (like attaching password PostIt notes to your computer monitor), but on the other hand if the password is unreadable it probably doesn't matter where it's written.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Cybercriminals hate this one weird trick

from here

If you care about getting the most for your money, this approach can save you from a lot more than just ransomware. Natural disasters, hardware failure, accidental deletion, etc. -

American soldiers attacked by a Canadian aggressor


Watch on YouTube

So glad none of these poor, defenseless service members were seriously injured in this skirmish with our Canadian forces. Hopefully we can all still be friends.

Monday, December 16, 2019

Sit, stay, respect my privacy

from here (image source)

Teaching your pets to respect your privacy is good for your (as it gives you practice in establishing and enforcing boundaries), it's good for them (especially if you respect their privacy in return), and obviously it can even be good for property value.

You know you're in a bad neighbourhood when...

found on Smiles TV

I guess it's true what they say about there being no honour among thieves.

Friday, December 13, 2019

I spy with your Internet-connected eye

from here

Why has our culture become so enamored with surveillance that we not only accept it when others do it to us but we even do it to ourselves? That such surveillance devices then get taken over by attackers seems like an entirely predictable conclusion. Why do we do this to ourselves?

It would certainly deter me

found on Izismile

I get a kick out of the imaginative ways people come up with to protect things. This person is not only thinking outside the box but it seems like they've also decided to monetize their inventiveness.

Unfortunately they're also advertising their willingness to facilitate a crime on Facebook for all to see. Not exactly a criminal mastermind at work here.

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Better living through power tools

from here

Unfortunately it appears that the KeyWe smart lock has software vulnerabilities that can be exploited by an attacker. Even more unfortunate is the fact that the software (firmware really) can't be updated, so the mistake that makes them vulnerable can't be fixed or patched. One may argue that the only way to deal with the problem is to remove them and replace them with a traditional lock, but if they already accept a traditional key it seems like a well placed hole through some computer chips could eliminate the avenues of attack the vulnerability opens up.

Toxic Cyberpunk Hacker button

Product Page

I'm going to be honest, I never would have thought to search for such a thing. Maybe others would have but the only reason I came up with the search terms to find this is because I rolled some dice.

That's not to say I think this is a bad design, I don't. I think it's an under appreciated concept and it definitely deserves to be seen.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

The Not-So-Safe-Mode

from here (source article)

It kind of violates ones expectations when Safe Mode isn't safe, and it makes one start to wonder why AV doesn't run in that mode when malware clearly does. That doesn't sound safe at all. Not even a little bit.

When hunting bugs is more useful than hunting mice

found on Weird Facts

That pair of cats definitely earned their keep that day. I wonder how the Russians felt about their plans being foiled by felines.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Why not both?

from here

The news that Avast (the anti-virus software brought to you by International Talk Like A Pirate Day) is selling the browsing data it collects to 3rd parties is definitely more than a little disappointing. One could imagine that they're trying to take out the competition; in which case one might accuse them of anti-competitive behaviour, but who wants healthy competition in that industry? It's certainly fair to say this represents a significant conflict of interest and a profound ethical lapse, however it remains to be seen if other members of the AV industry will hold them accountable since they've got such a terrible track record of doing that in the past.

Garfield's Cyber Safety Adventures: Privacy


Watch on YouTube

Better watch out for cheese_cat12 and others like him. You never know what their true intentions are.

Monday, December 9, 2019

Burnt arm in 3...2...1...

from here (image source)

Skillet grease can be quite painful. I've seen some clever solutions that problem, but this is not one of them. The part of her in the most danger of getting burned is also the part with no protection at all.

Now that's a weird threat model

found on eBaum's World

I don't know what happened in there in the past that the establishment wants to avoid repeating, but it seems like it must be one heck of a story.

Friday, December 6, 2019

Wasting those scammers' time is just an added bonus

from here

I wonder if this would demoralize catfishers. I tend to think I would be demoralized if I discovered myself in that position.

Ain't nobody got time for your social engineering

found on Reddit

We all know what's up when some alluring stranger messages us online, and we all lead busy lives, so the bots should cut out the pretense and just get down to business.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Mass Surveillance: The Home Game

from here and here (image source)

I like to imagine this is what people who flunk out of spy school do in their spare time - try to capture the glory of what could have been.

Your Password Was Too Short t-shirt

Product Page
Product Page

That's an interesting threat. If you don't fix your terrible password, I'll do it for you. This shirt will make people think you already did, and so give a sense of urgency.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

So much for confidentiality

from here (image source)

People inadvertently reveal sensitive information all the time, just because they aren't thinking about what they're doing. Maybe it's shouting their banking information into a phone on a noisy bus or maybe it relieving stress with the door wide open. The point is you might want to be a little more thoughtful and a little more careful, just in case.

They're called sea LIONS for a reason


Watch on YouTube

I've often heard it said that people are terrible judges of risk, but really, show some respect for wild animals and keep your distance. They are not cuddly pets.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

So they can do better crimes

from here

Not only does cryptocurrency seem like the last thing ordinary North Koreans would need or could use, but to so openly flaunt authorities when you know what you're doing is illegal? It's almost like someone wanted to get caught.

Anything can be a weapon

found on Imgur

The comparison to Florida man is both apt (because it sounds so ridiculous) but also a little unfair because the choice of weapon apparently worked, and as the saying goes if it sounds stupid but it works then it's not stupid.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Beyond private browsing

from here

Using a VPN can obscure where you're browsing from, while private browsing or incognito mode can make it more difficult to gather profiling information on you from cookies. Using them together would be even better, whether it's from browsing privates or protecting your privacy in other activities.

They hog more than just the ground

found on Izismile

If you've got apples, you better add this guy to your threat model if you want to protect them.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Security so low you can step over it

from here (image source)

No one's going to guess the combination because no one needs to, except maybe small children.

Expectation vs. Reality

found on Animals Being Cute

The sign might keep people away, but the actual dog would have the opposite effect. Hide that dog.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

And you can get them at your local pet store

from here and here (image source)

It's nice to know that ordinary citizens can still find ways to defend themselves against technology that's used against them.

Encryption Is Not A Crime phone case

Product Page

While there are certainly efforts to turn the law against encryption, those efforts are ultimately misguided and showing off this on the back of your phone whenever you're using it is a great way to remind the people in your vicinity of that fact.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

How not to stay hidden

from here

This story may focus on the victim and the mistakes they made, but I'm more interested in the mistakes the attacker made. Did they fall asleep? Did they forget to check the progress? Did it never occur to them there might not be enough room to zip up all the data they wanted to exfiltrate?

The Hoax Hotel : The Angriest Scammer I Ever Called


Watch on YouTube

I almost feel sorry for this scammer. Almost.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Purrrivacy Please

from here (image source)

Some people treat animals better than their fellow humans. For those people I hope this will make them think about giving whoever is at the ATM a little more room and a little more privacy.

That's not suspicious at all

original tweet

Clever of the Marin County Sheriff's Department to not specify which parking lot this was "lost" in. I expect they'll be getting contacted by many different people (both those who have actually lost their meth and those dumb enough to think they can scam the cops).

Monday, November 25, 2019

By day a bank teller, but by night a bank taker

from here (source image and article)

This is definitely the opposite of the way bank-related robberies are supposed to go, but bank customers are certainly easier to rob than banks themselves. Obviously not easy enough for this guy.