Tag Archives: stealing

Windows Security Just FAILS.

The malware records the magnetic stripe information on the back of a card as well as the PIN (Personal Identification Number), which would potentially allow criminals to clone the card in order to withdraw cash.

The collected card data, which is encrypted using the DES (Data Encryption Standard) algorithm, can be printed out by the ATM’s receipt printer, Trustwave wrote.

The malware is controlled via a GUI that is displayed when a so-called “trigger card” is inserted into the machine by a criminal. The trigger card causes a small window to appear that gives its controller 10 seconds to pick one of 10 command options using the ATM’s keypad.

[…]

A criminal can then view the number of transactions, print card data, reboot the machine and even uninstall the malware. Another menu option appears to allow the ejection of an ATM’s cash cassette.

via Cybercriminals refine data-sniffing software for ATM fraud – Network World.

Whoa. This is BAD.

Seriously, though – DES? Cmon, any first year computing student learns that DES has already been outdated by it’s bigger and badder brother, the Advanced Encryption Standard.

See? I do learn things in Introduction to Systems! 🙂

However, the REAL WTF here is why ATMs all over the world are running WINDOWS in the first place. I’m no Apple fanboy (har, har), but even I recognise that Windows isn’t the most hacker-proof OS out there.

Going phishing? No thanks.

PHISHING. It’s something that, invariably, will happen to all of us.

Phishing is the act of basically taking your details through social engineering – complete a survey to get cash, update your details, log in “for security purposes”, view “important bank messages”, etc. For the people doing the phishing, it’s all about getting your personal details in order to steal your money.

Traditionally, phishing attacks are more “click on a link, complete survey/update details”, but lately they’ve been getting more sophisticated, telling potential targets to “call a number and confirm their details.

From The Age (hat tip to @ashermoses):

But in a new variation on the traditional “phishing” attack, which usually asks victims to click on a malicious link, one Commonwealth Bank scam email asks customers to call a Queensland phone number in order to redeem a $500 “cashback bonus”.

[…]

“It’s an automated system with an American accent that welcomes you to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and then requests an account number or says something’s expired and asks for your credit card number,” he said.

The voice recording then requested Howard’s expiry date and pin number, but he just entered in random digits.

“It actually told me the information was incorrect, which suggests that it’s hooked up to a payment gateway and it’s actually trying to do an authorisation on the credit card right then and there,” he said.

I’ve been hit three times now – the first time was easy to spot, the second easy as well, and the third time wasn’t so easy (but still contained enough tell-tale signs).

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