Today's Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

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#3279504 6-Sep-2024 11:16

ARS Technica: City of Columbus sues man after he discloses severity of ransomware attack

A judge in Ohio has issued a temporary restraining order against a security researcher who presented evidence that a recent ransomware attack on the city of Columbus scooped up reams of sensitive personal information, contradicting claims made by city officials.

The order, issued by a judge in Ohio's Franklin County, came after the city of Columbus fell victim to a ransomware attack on July 18 that siphoned 6.5 terabytes of the city’s data. A ransomware group known as Rhysida took credit for the attack and offered to auction off the data with a starting bid of about $1.7 million in bitcoin. On August 8, after the auction failed to find a bidder, Rhysida released what it said was about 45 percent of the stolen data on the group’s dark web site, which is accessible to anyone with a TOR browser.

Dark web not readily available to public—really?

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said on August 13 that a “breakthrough” in the city’s forensic investigation of the breach found that the sensitive files Rhysida obtained were either encrypted or corrupted, making them “unusable” to the thieves. Ginther went on to say the data’s lack of integrity was likely the reason the ransomware group had been unable to auction off the data.

Shortly after Ginther made his remarks, security researcher David Leroy Ross contacted local news outlets and presented evidence that showed the data Rhysida published was fully intact and contained highly sensitive information regarding city employees and residents. Ross, who uses the alias Connor Goodwolf, presented screenshots and other data that showed the files Rhysida had posted included names from domestic violence cases and Social Security numbers for police officers and crime victims. Some of the data spanned years.

On Thursday, the city of Columbus sued Ross for alleged damages for criminal acts, invasion of privacy, negligence, and civil conversion. The lawsuit claimed that downloading documents from a dark web site run by ransomware attackers amounted to him “interacting” with them and required special expertise and tools. The suit went on to challenge Ross alerting reporters to the information, which ii claimed would not be easily obtained by others.
...

Sued by the Government for Using Tor to Expose Them...

Seytonic

kingdragonfly

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#3279547 6-Sep-2024 16:08

The US still uses bank checks heavily. For decades, some banks, like Chase, may let you draw against a check instantly, before the funds clear.

In the US, the penalties for writing bad checks can vary significantly depending on the state and the amount involved.
For example

Misdemeanor: If the amount is relatively small (often under $500), the penalty might include a fine and up to one year in jail.
Felony: For larger amounts, the penalties can be much more severe, including fines up to $10,000 and imprisonment for up to two years.

Additionally, some states impose treble damages, meaning you could be required to pay three times the amount of the check.

People magazine: Chase 'bank glitch' videos go viral as company warns it's 'fraud, plain and simple'

JPMorgan Chase is reacting to viral social media posts about some of its customers attempting to exploit a “bank glitch” that amounts to simple checking fraud.

“We are aware of this incident, and it has been addressed,” a spokesperson for Chase said in a statement to PEOPLE and other news outlets.

The spokesperson did not comment on the extent of the fraud or the penalties for accounts and customers involved.

But, they warned, “Regardless of what you see online, depositing a fraudulent check and withdrawing the funds from your account is fraud, plain and simple."

In recent days, social media platforms like X and TikTok have included many users posting videos discussing a so-called “glitch” at Chase in which customers could take out vastly more money from their accounts than they actually had by depositing bad checks and then immediately withdrawing the money from a Chase ATM before the check had bounced.

It’s unclear how many Chase customers actually attempted to withdraw money using the "glitch" based on the bad checks.

Some social media users also claimed that they then suffered massive negative account balances — in the tens of thousands of dollars — as a result of attempting to take out cash this way.
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wellygary

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#3279549 6-Sep-2024 16:27

kingdragonfly: The US still uses bank checks heavily. For decades, some banks, like Chase, may let you draw against a check instantly, before the funds clear.

Still in use in the UK too,

"If your tax calculation letter says you’ll get a cheque
Your tax calculation letter will tell you if HMRC will send you a cheque.

You do not need to contact HMRC to make a claim - you’ll automatically get the cheque by post."
https://www.gov.uk/tax-overpayments-and-underpayments/if-youre-due-a-refund

geoffwnz

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#3279562 6-Sep-2024 18:15

NZ banks use checks too. Things like checking if you can service a loan.

They no longer use cheques though.

And when Americans talk about checks, are they talking about cheques, bills or questions?

MotorDrive Rallying

kingdragonfly

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#3279569 6-Sep-2024 19:16

In "cheques" in the US used to mean "travel cheques." American Express and Visa are among the few companies that still issue them. Their use has significantly declined due to the convenience and widespread acceptance of credit cards and prepaid debit cards.

In the US, "bank checks" is a generic term, almost meaningless, beyond being printed on paper for a dollar amount, and it is not a promissory note (direct between two parties, no bank involved)

Personal Check: Issued by an individual from their checking account. These can bounce.

Certified Check: A personal check that the bank or the US government guarantees. The bank verifies that the account has sufficient funds and sets aside the amount until the check is cashed. Not fun to replace if lost.

Cashier’s Check: Issued and guaranteed by the bank. The bank withdraws the amount from the account holder’s account and then issues the check from its own funds. Popularly believed to be impossible to replace if lost, but it can be replaced with a big hassle.

eracode

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#3279605 6-Sep-2024 21:18

Why is there a recent obsession and long posts in this thread about cheque arrangements in overseas countries? WGAF?

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

neb

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#3279618 7-Sep-2024 01:21

geoffwnz:
NZ banks use checks too. Things like checking if you can service a loan.

They no longer use cheques though.

And when Americans talk about checks, are they talking about cheques, bills or questions?

In the US you can put a check in the box to confirm that your check was checked.

k1w1k1d

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#3279635 7-Sep-2024 09:37

Don't you just love US spelling?

deepred

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#3279689 7-Sep-2024 15:39

k1w1k1d:

Don't you just love US spelling?

Apparenly it stemmed from the days when US publishers paid journos & other writers by the word rather than the page, so words were often shortened to take advantage of it. Eg, cheque -> check, colour -> color, Marlborough -> Marlboro. It was also a handy way to further distance themselves from their former British masters after independence.

"I regret to say that we of the F.B.I. are powerless to act in cases of oral-genital intimacy, unless it has in some way obstructed interstate commerce." — J. Edgar Hoover

"Create a society that values material things above all else. Strip it of industry. Raise taxes for the poor and reduce them for the rich and for corporations. Prop up failed financial institutions with public money. Ask for more tax, while vastly reducing public services. Put adverts everywhere, regardless of people's ability to afford the things they advertise. Allow the cost of food and housing to eclipse people's ability to pay for them. Light blue touch paper." — Andrew Maxwell

elpenguino

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#3279750 7-Sep-2024 18:36

However it happened, its blimmin annoying if you like playing word games online.

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

eracode

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#3279799 7-Sep-2024 21:33

I didn’t know whether to start a new thread or to post here. Our son is a tech guy and said he just got served an ad online and decided to look into it.

It’s a Kiwi outfit called Ethanet which says it’s NZ’s first mobile service provider to reward you with crypto. It seems to be a real company according to the Companies Office. The website says its loyalty programme is “ … partially government funded”.

Son says that the CEO’s LinkedIn page says their ads were rejected by FB because they were AI generated. He knows a lot about this sort of stuff because he works in the sector and he’s never heard of it before. Their site is fairly ‘out there’ and it’s not 1 April but he’s not sure if it’s a piss-take.

Maybe it’s for real but the site says “Launching to only 1,000 exclusive customers...”. Maybe it’s a legit business but I searched GZ for the name and nothing showed up. So, Whiskey Tango.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

freitasm

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#3279814 7-Sep-2024 22:32

Yes, I've heard of them before.

But a "crypto reward"? No, thanks.

And where is it that it says "partially government funded"? Because they would have to provide evidence. I don't know of a government program to fund private crypto.

SomeoneSomewhere

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#3279827 8-Sep-2024 04:01

I don't see any 'partially government funded' but they might be referring to the network/plans rather than the crypto.

Parts of RBI I think have government funding and it's not clear what services they're offering.

I think most of that is network build, not per customer, though.

freitasm

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#3279834 8-Sep-2024 08:05

@eracode mentioned "The website says its loyalty programme is “ … partially government funded”." so I don't think they mean the network.

cddt

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#3279840 8-Sep-2024 09:04

eracode:

It’s a Kiwi outfit called Ethanet which says it’s NZ’s first mobile service provider to reward you with crypto. It seems to be a real company according to the Companies Office. The website says its loyalty programme is “ … partially government funded”.

Son says that the CEO’s LinkedIn page says their ads were rejected by FB because they were AI generated. He knows a lot about this sort of stuff because he works in the sector and he’s never heard of it before. Their site is fairly ‘out there’ and it’s not 1 April but he’s not sure if it’s a piss-take.

The director seems to be a serial entrepreneur: https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/individual/search?q=+Christos+Alexander+CALDER&roleType=ALL&indEntityTypes=ALL&indDirStatus=ALL&indEntityStatusGroups=ALL&indShrStatus=ALL&advancedPanel=false&mode=standard&expandedResults=#results

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