Top all-time · #1269
Sophos Blogs
Company blog · news.sophos.comsecurity
Sophos Blogs is the company blog at news.sophos.com, writing about security. Since 2017, 55 different Hacker News readers have linked it 63 times, most often “Fake iOS cryptocurrency apps hit victims for at least $1.4M”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2026-10-30, and you can follow it by feed.
The Sophos Blog
Most-linked posts?
- Fake iOS cryptocurrency apps hit victims for at least $1.4M2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2021-10-13
- Have a domain name? “Beg bounty” hunters may be on their way2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2021-10-11
- Malware increasingly targets Discord users by host, spread, and control malware2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2021-07-28
- Ping of Death Redux2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2020-10-13
- Ragnar Locker ransomware deploys virtual machine to dodge security2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2020-05-21
- ‘Fleeceware’ apps overcharge users for basic app functionality2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2019-09-26
What Hacker News says?
If you're wondering like I was why he is able to tweet from prison, this article explains that he's dictating tweets via phone to his family, and they are sending back comments to him via mail. [1] [1] https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2018/08/16/silk-road-founder-r...
Comment linking /en-us/2018/08/16/silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht-is-dictating-tweets-from-prison/
on “Ross Ulbricht granted a full pardon”Submitted ‘Fleeceware’ apps overcharge users for basic app functionality as a story · 107 points
HN discussionTelescreen works both ways. That could come in handy if you truly have nothing to hide, or I suppose if what you are hiding must be within His tolerances. Chalmers sent a copy of his timeline to Premier Park Ltd, the company that charged him with the crimes, and the defendant was able to prove his innocence. The charges against him were dropped.[1] the lawyer met with the detective in order to show him screenshots o…
Comment linking /en-us/2020/03/10/google-data-puts-innocent-man-at-the-scene-of-a-crime/
on “Another police raid in Germany”Submitted Three-minute call from ransomware gang published as a story · 9 points
HN discussionWe've seen companies do a lot of silly things with SMS. Facebook used 2FA SMS for ads [1]. Companies sometimes use your phone number from SMS 2FA as a single factor for password reset. I think this is debatable. [1] https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2018/10/01/facebook-turn-off-s...
Comment linking /en-us/2018/10/01/facebook-turn-off-sms-2fa-if-you-dont-want-your-number-used-for-ads/
on “Second factor SMS: Worse than its reputation”Submitted Ragnar Locker ransomware deploys virtual machine to dodge security as a story · 7 points
HN discussionYes, embedding a Windows app is essentially pointless for mobile users, but there are many other delivery vectors available from QR codes. There are some interesting approaches listed at https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2019/10/17/beware-the-square-h...
Comment linking /en-us/2019/10/17/beware-the-square-how-to-spot-malicious-qr-codes/
on “Snake in a QR Code”Submitted Sandboxie is now an open source tool as a story · 7 points
HN discussionIsn't that how most ransomware spreads? Here's a detailed view on Angler exploit kit which spreads through ad networks[1]. What's a good way to browse safely without using something like tails? There's firejail[2] and obviously I can run it as a different user [1]: https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2015/07/21/a-closer-look-at-th... [2]: https://firejail.wordpress.com/
Comment linking /en-us/2015/07/21/a-closer-look-at-the-angler-exploit-kit/
on “Linux ransomware in the wild”Submitted Ischhfd83: When cybercriminals eat their own as a story · 4 points
HN discussionI don't have a direct source but I found some other posts that suggest many people are unknowingly turning it on. "While this feature is turned off by default, many of Google's services and apps require it to be turned on, so unless you're actively keeping it off, there's a good chance it's enabled for your Google account." https://www.xda-developers.com/google-location-history/ "lots of people seem to have it switc…
Comment linking /en-us/2017/10/03/the-google-tracking-feature-you-didnt-know-youd-switched-on/
on “No reasonable expectation of privacy in one's Google location data”Submitted Decades of obsolete and unpatched hardware and software endanger us all as a story · 4 points
HN discussionIt's not uncommon for Android malware to exploit system vulnerabilities to break out of the sandbox. - Agent Smith abused an installation vulnerability in order to inject malicious code into other installed APKs on the device. ( https://research.checkpoint.com/2019/agent-smith-a-new-speci... ) - HummingBad used multiple root exploits to auto-root 10 million devices. ( https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2…
Comment linking /en-us/2019/10/08/icon-hiding-android-adware-returns-to-the-play-market/
on “Google: “Any harm Epic has suffered is not irreparable and is of its own making””Submitted Vigilante malware rats out software pirates while blocking ThePirateBay as a story · 4 points
HN discussionSophos says achieving RCE is extremely difficult: https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2020/10/13/top-reason-to-apply... I also assume that routers won't pass ICMPv6 RAs, so limited to a single network segment. And, only affects Windows 10.
Comment linking /en-us/2020/10/13/top-reason-to-apply-october-2020s-microsoft-patches-ping-of-death-redux/
on “CVE-2020-16898 – Windows TCP/IP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability”Submitted Memory scanning leaves attackers nowhere to hide as a story · 3 points
HN discussionThis is blogspam of https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2019/09/25/fleeceware-apps-ove... The only thing this user does is submit articles from secalerts.co, and almost all of them are blogspam.
Comment linking /en-us/2019/09/25/fleeceware-apps-overcharge-users-for-basic-app-functionality/
on “‘Fleeceware’ apps overcharge users for basic app functionality”Submitted Have a domain name? “Beg bounty” hunters may be on their way as a story · 3 points
HN discussionTechnical details: https://news.sophos.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/glupteba_... Pages 30-32 describe the command and control server update mechanism using blockchain.
Comment linking /wp-content/uploads/2020/06/glupteba_final-1.pdf
on “Google Sues Glupteba botnet [pdf]”Submitted ‘Cloud Snooper’ Attack Bypasses Firewall Security Measures as a story · 3 points
HN discussion> Also UK had law for years that can land you in prison for not providing decryption keys for data that you supposedly encrypted. It's not actively used, but it's there. It is actively used, it's just most people fold and hand over the data [0][1][2]. [0] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11479831 [1] https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/news/court-of-appeal-o... [2] https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2017/09/27/cam…
Comment linking /en-us/2017/09/27/campaigner-who-refused-to-decrypt-smartphone-and-laptop-found-guilty/
on “The UK’s new age-gating rules are easy to bypass”Submitted Sophos Active Adversary Report as a story · 2 points
HN discussion> he provided helpful advice They use the 'they/them' pronouns. Do you run a large open source project or website that gets security contacts? The vast majority of security reports are poorly written and bogus, with the person either trying to get money or pad their resume with CVE. I think that contributes to developer's wariness of these things, and the "please prove that this is a real security issue" attitude yo…
Comment linking /en-us/2021/02/08/have-a-domain-name-beg-bounty-hunters-may-be-on-their-way/
on “You're probably not vulnerable to the CUPS CVE”Submitted Turning the screws: The pressure tactics of ransomware gangs as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSome examples: https://threatpost.com/discord-malware-researchers/168096/ https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2021/07/22/malware-increasingl... https://thenewstack.io/roblox-and-discord-become-virus-vecto...
Comment linking /en-us/2021/07/22/malware-increasingly-targets-discord-for-abuse/
on “Slackmoji has been sunset due to cease and desist (2018)”Submitted Instagram copyright infringment scams – don't get sucked in as a story · 2 points
HN discussionNo. It was a policy problem large enough that legislators required it as a condition of selling phones. It was a real problem that kids walking around high-school, or people walking in the street, were carrying something easily stolen and fenced for several hundred dollars. Ride-by theft by bike was a notorious mode. The equivalent would be people walking around with a stack of $50s flapping in their hands. A target…
Comment linking /en-us/2015/07/02/smartphone-anti-theft-kill-switch-law-goes-into-effect-in-california
on “Unbricking my MacBook took an email to Tim Cook (and a #1 post on Hacker News)”Submitted Researchers: Cheap Crude ransomware tools proliferating on the dark web as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSince this article inexplicably doesn't link to the source material https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2023/11/14/active-adversary-fo...
Comment linking /en-us/2023/11/14/active-adversary-for-security-practitioners/
on “Fast-acting cyber gangs increasingly disabling telemetry logs”Submitted The Dark Side of AI: Large-Scale Scam Campaigns Made Possible by Generative AI as a story · 2 points
HN discussion
