Hi, My Name is Bernie

  In October 2024, a sneaky malware campaign started spreading. The threat actors used a message that looked like it came from the Israeli partner of ESET, a well-known anti-malware company. They targeted Israeli businesses and educational institutions. But here’s the catch: the message didn’t show any signs of having malicious content. Analysts who initially checked out the email thought there was nothing fishy about it. The email warns recipients that their company is being targeted by “state-sponsored threat actors.” It suggests downloading and installing the “ESET Unleashed” app to protect against this threat. The email’s link seems legitimate, pointing to a valid ESET server. The file on the download link contains an executable file (Setup.exe) and four DLL files. Upon closer inspection, it turns out that the DLL files are part of ESET’s anti-virus software, but the EXE file is actually a malicious data wiper but it was digitally signed by ESET. This malware has an interesting...

  **WARNING:** This post is not intended for individuals who are easily offended. Should you find satirical content objectionable, please leave this page immediately. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. With the Philippine elections coming very soon, One of the most colorful part this national exercise is the proliferation of Party Lists that have a great name recall. In the Philippines, the party-list system is a mechanism of proportional representation in the election of representatives to the House of Representatives. This system allows national, regional, and sectoral parties or organizations to gain seats in the House based on the proportion of votes they receive. The goal of the party-list system is to ensure that marginalized and underrepresented sectors of society have a voice in the legislative process. Each party-list group represents specific sectors such as labor, farmers, women, youth, indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups. Voters can choose a party-list group during el...

  It looks like a not-so-anonymous donor is willing to donate money for use in my non-existent "charity work in my area". 🤣 BUT SERIOUSLY... this is yet another example of threat actors that simply want to (a) verify my email address so they can continue sending me scam messages. (b) lure me in and scam me if I am greedy enough to "bite" into their lure.  Should anyone else receive a similar message, the best way to handle it is to simply ignore it and tag it as "junk email".  Oh, and if similar messages from unknown sources come your way... well you know what to do.

  . ..and then I realized that I don't have a TikTok account. I’ve also received similar messages claiming that new log-ins have been detected on my non-existent X (aka Twitter) and my MFA-protected Facebook account. This is a relatively new tactic that will trick unsuspecting recipients into clicking on a fake log-in screen for TikTok, X, or Facebook, hoping to steal their login credentials. So, stay alert and don’t fall for it! Have you received messages similar to this?

  Small to medium-sized business owners who handle sensitive information such as personal data, bank details, and confidential information should consider having their IT experts evaluate the feasibility of implementing Logging Made Easy (LME) within their infrastructure. CISA recently released version 2 of the LME. Currently, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are perceived as “low hanging fruit” by threat actors, making them easy targets for hacking and data breaches. Implementing systems similar to the LME can help owners mitigate this risk. What is LME? Logging Made Easy (LME), a free and open-source log management solution, was developed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). It’s tailored to assist small to medium-sized organizations in monitoring their networks, identifying threats, and bolstering their overall cybersecurity measures. Why would SME owners need to bother with this? SME owners should be intrigued by the potential of LME (or any ...

A few days ago, many people woke up to find unauthorized transactions in their GCash mobile wallets. These transactions, which occurred at a rate of Php 2,000 per transaction, even affected a local actress, drawing widespread attention. While the technical cause of these unauthorized transactions remains a mystery, I believe it’s crucial to address the underlying issue: GCash, and other mobile wallet applications in general, are essentially digital versions of physical wallets. Storing money in wallets, whether virtual or physical, inherently carries risks, with theft being the most significant concern. Physical wallets have been the target of various theft methods, and this raises the question: why do individuals, regardless of whether they use digital or physical wallets, keep a substantial amount of money in their wallets? Wouldn’t it be safer to deposit these funds in a bank or keep them securely at home? While this doesn’t absolve GCash of responsibility, it’s important to recogni...

  This paper was written 40 years ago, this documentation was written by Robert Lupton so people would stop bugging him with questions while he is working on other stuff (i can so relate to that).  It is basically a documentation for the X Window System, also known as X11 or simply X.   40 years ago, the X Window System, also known as X11 or simply X, was created and it has become the backbone of graphical interfaces on Unix-like operating systems, enabling the creation and management of windows, graphics, and user interactions on Linux and even MacOS. It's what makes the computer screen come to life with various applications and tools!  Well here's the rub.  We all know how litigious Elon Musk is with his "X" platform.  Can we see a lawsuit in the future just as how X Social Media sued him in 2023?

Background:  My home office has three computers.  Two desktops, both running Windows 11 (one is my gaming rig and the other is office-issued), and the third is a MacBook Air.  The Windows boxes prompted me for a software update.  So, the dutiful cybersecurity in me immediately approved the patches.  The work desktop prompted me for three updates, while my gaming computer prompted me to restart because the updates had already been downloaded. Two out of three updates on the work computer ran without a hitch but one did not continue. I left it as it is and will just let the office tech deal with next week.   Now, as for my gaming rig, all the updates appear to have been applied, but it affected the Bluetooth driver.  The connection to the Bluetooth speaker I use with it stopped working, so I checked its Device Manager.  Device Manager reported an error with the Bluetooth device, so this is what I did to try and fix it: I hunted down the drivers...

  I am uncertain how to respond to this news report. Schneider Electric recently experienced a cyberattack and the hacking group known as Greppy has issued a demand for $125,000 worth of baguettes. Failure to meet this demand will result in the release of the 40 GB of data allegedly exfiltrated by the group. If the report is accurate, this constitutes an unprecedented occurrence, rendering my initial intention to rename this blog as The Hungry Hacker unfeasible Read the report here:  Hackers demand France’s Schneider Electric pay a $125k ransom in baguettes | Tom's Hardware

  This pygmy hippopotamus has won the heart of the internet.  It is an inevitability because Moo Deng is indeed quite cute.  The question is for how long?

  Next week, I will be starting a new role for a new company (more on this in my succeeding entries).  This role will have me manage a team, and I will be meeting most of them for the first time next week. As someone who worked his way from the trenches, I just like to put some thoughts here so I can be reminded of the stuff that I plan to do. On  the first staff meeting, I will, at the onset, emphasize team unity because, as cliché as it sounds, there is indeed no "I" in team. I will also emphasize that one team member's success is the whole team's success. I want a culture of respect, appreciation and recognition. The team culture that I want to create is one where everyone lifts each other up, and there will be, as much as possible, no politicking. Work tactics and techniques should be shared across the team.  This means that there will be a team knowledge-base where team wisdom will be stored and will be accessible to everyone in the team. Hopefully, things will ...

  ...and all I need to do is send personal information to the International Monetary Fund Director of ATM Department, Mr. Arjun Rajesh (who inexplicably uses arjunrajesh@ gmail.com)  and I will have ₱1,634,980,891.97 in my bank account! But seriously , I can't believe how there are still people that gets scammed by emails like this. If you (and of my three blog readers) reads this, please do your share and inform everyone you know of this scam.

  Let this serve as a friendly reminder to refrain from digitally signing documents that you may unexpectedly receive. Such actions may inadvertently provide your digital signature to threat actors (hackers), which could subsequently be exploited for unauthorized financial transactions in your name. According to Bleeping Computer : Threat actors are abusing DocuSign's Envelopes API to create and mass-distribute fake invoices that appear genuine, impersonating well-known brands like Norton and PayPal.   Using a legitimate service, the attackers bypass email security protections as they come from an actual DocuSign domain, docusign.net. The goal is to have their targets e-sign the documents, which they can then use to authorize payments independently from the company's billing departments. The best way to avoid this is to double-check that the digital documents you received in your inbox are real and you expect it. If the message simply appears on your inbox unexpectedly, do not...

  I just found this in my Proton Mail inbox.  This, in my opinion, is a very good deal if you are looking for a safe and reliable email service,  I personally use Proton Mail as my "professional" email service and it had served me well in the past couple of years,

From Calculators to AI There was a time when the calculator, a now indispensable tool, was once met with raised eyebrows and was actually banned inside the classrooms. The skepticism around technology in education is not a new concept and now Artificial Intelligence is getting the same treatment. The Calculator Conundrum:  When calculators were first introduced, educators feared it would undermine basic arithmetic skills of students. The calculator made it seem like solving for a particular value "too easy", thus depriving the students of the chance to "stretch their mental muscles" when solving complex mathematical equations. It took time, but eventually, the importance of calculators inside the classroom became undeniable. The calculator went from being banned to being a necessity in the classroom. AI in the Classroom:  Fast forward to today, Artificial Intelligence is undergoing a similar trial. AI-powered tools are helping students automate repetitive tasks, of...

I played around with NotebookLM and fed it with the news item about the CLFS Vulnerability that affects Windows 11 23H2.  Using its Deep Dive conversation feature, I came up with this  Here's the direct link: https://youtu.be/HODS2-sXKS0