Tag Archive for: hacker

Sandworm hacker group behind cyber attack on Kyivstar – Security Service of Ukraine

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Sandworm hacker group behind cyber attack on Kyivstar – Security Service of Ukraine

The hacker group Sandworm, which is a regular unit of Russian military intelligence, was behind the cyber attack on the Ukrainian mobile operator Kyivstar at the end of December 2023, Head of the Security Service of Ukraine’s (SBU) cybersecurity department Illia Vitiuk said in an interview with Reuters.

“The SBU helped Kyivstar restore its systems within days and to repel new cyber attacks. After the major break, there were a number of new attempts aimed at dealing more damage to the operator,” the SBU press service quoted Vitiuk on its Telegram channel on Thursday.

According to the head of the department, the enemy planned to strike several times in a row, seeking to leave people without communication for as long as possible. “In this case, other operators might not be able to withstand a prolonged overload of their networks,” he said.

Vitiuk said that the SBU continues to investigate the case of a large-scale hack of Kyivstar under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

“Currently, cyber specialists of the Security Service are already examining individual samples of malicious software used by the enemy. The attack was diligently prepared for many months,” the head of the SBU department said.

Vitiuk confirmed that the hacker group Sandworm, a regular unit of Russian military intelligence and has previously repeatedly carried out cyber attacks on Ukrainian targets, including telecom operators and Internet providers, is behind this attack. He also emphasized that this cyber attack had a significant impact on civilians but did not have a serious effect on military communications, since the Defense Forces use different algorithms and communication protocols.

In general, according to Vitiuk, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the SBU has detected about 9,000 cyber attacks on government resources and critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine.

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KLH student secures 4th in Ethical Hacker Rankings

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Hyderabad: KLH Hyderabad Campus student P. Vamshi Krishna Raju from third-year B. Tech (Computer Science and Engineering) demonstrated exceptional excellence by completing the L3 Certified Ethical Hacker (Master) certification, and secured the fourth position in the Quarter 3 leaderboard rankings 2023 of EC-Council, highlighting KLH’s dedication to nurturing top-tier talent in the field of ethical hacking.

The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) programme, hailed as the pinnacle of information security training, has witnessed achievements from KLH campus. In the academic years 2022-23 and 2023-24, 16 and 12 students from the campus earned the esteemed Certified Ethical Hacker certifications respectively which presents their deep understanding of ethical hacking and showcases the universities commitment to prepare students in becoming skilled professionals.

The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) programme, recognized as the gold standard of information security training, empowers individuals to master cutting-edge hacking technologies. KL Deemed to be University is acknowledged by EC-Council as an authorized Academia Partner, contributing to the prestigious EC-Council Academia Partner network.

Dr. G.P. Saradhi Varma, Vice- Chancellor, KL Deemed to be University, said, “As we witness our students excel on the international stage; it reinforces the importance of encouraging a culture of innovation and cybersecurity awareness. I congratulate the students for their stellar achievements, and I am confident they will continue to make meaningful contributions to the field of cybersecurity and beyond.”

Dr. Savadam Balaji, Professor at KLH Hyderabad campus, has completed the Certified Ethical Hacker Exam with proficiency, particularly excelling in key sections such as Cryptography, Cloud Computing, Reconnaissance Techniques, and more.

Professor Balaji’s expertise in these critical areas contributes significantly to KLH’s dedication to academic excellence and constant encouragement by the management.

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Did The Grand Theft Auto Hacker Do It With An Amazon Fire Stick While Under Police Custody?

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An 18-year-old hacker, Arion Kurtaj, a key member of the international cyber-criminal gang Lapsus$, has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after leaking clips of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6). The sentencing, delivered at Southwark Crown Court, sheds light on the extent of the gang’s audacious attacks on tech giants, including Uber, Nvidia, and Rockstar Games, which collectively cost the affected companies nearly $10 million.

Kurtaj, who hails from Oxford and is diagnosed with autism, was deemed unfit to stand trial due to the severity of his condition. The court heard that despite being under police protection at a Travelodge hotel, he managed to breach Rockstar Games, the developers behind GTA, using unconventional methods.

While on bail for hacking Nvidia and BT/EE, Kurtaj reportedly continued his cyber activities. Using an Amazon Fire TV Stick, he allegedly mirrored his smartphone’s display to the hotel TV, transforming it into a makeshift monitor. Connecting a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to his smartphone, he exploited the device’s “desktop mode” (DeX) capabilities, essentially turning it into a Linux computer. The Fire TV Stick, in this context, acted as a wireless HDMI cable via Miracast.

Kurtaj’s actions resulted in the theft of 90 clips of the unreleased GTA 6, which he later posted, along with the source code, on a forum under the username “TeaPotUberHacker.” The hack reportedly cost Rockstar Games $5 million to recover from, in addition to thousands of hours of staff time.

In sentencing hearings, Kurtaj’s defense argued that the success of the GTA 6 trailer, released earlier this month and amassing 128 million views on YouTube in just four days, indicated minimal harm caused by the hack. However, the judge emphasized the real victims and harm caused by Kurtaj’s multiple cyberattacks, not only on corporations, but also on individuals.

The trial also saw…

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GTA 6 hacker handed indefinite hospital order

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Arion Kurtaj

18-year-old Arion Kurtaj was a key member of the notorious Lapsus$ cyber-crime gang

An 18-year-old hacker who leaked clips of a forthcoming Grand Theft Auto (GTA) game has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order.

Arion Kurtaj from Oxford, who is autistic, was a key member of international gang Lapsus$.

The gang’s attacks on tech giants including Uber, Nvidia and Rockstar Games cost the firms nearly $10m.

The judge said Kurtaj’s skills and desire to commit cyber-crime meant he remained a high risk to the public.

He will remain at a secure hospital for life unless doctors deem him no longer a danger.

The court heard that Kurtaj had been violent while in custody with dozens of reports of injury or property damage.

Doctors deemed Kurtaj unfit to stand trial due to his acute autism so the jury was asked to determine whether or not he committed the alleged acts – not if he did so with criminal intent.

A mental health assessment used as part of the sentencing hearing said he “continued to express the intent to return to cyber-crime as soon as possible. He is highly motivated.”

The jury was told that while he was on bail for hacking Nvidia and BT/EE and in police protection at a Travelodge hotel, he continued hacking and carried out his most infamous hack.

Despite having his laptop confiscated, Kurtaj managed to breach Rockstar, the company behind GTA, using an Amazon Firestick, his hotel TV and a mobile phone.

Kurtaj stole 90 clips of the unreleased and hugely anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6.

He broke into the company’s internal Slack messaging system to declare “if Rockstar does not contact me on Telegram within 24 hours I will start releasing the source code”.

He then posted the clips and source code on a forum under the username TeaPotUberHacker.

He was rearrested and detained until his trial.

Earlier this month, the trailer for GTA 6 was released clocking up 128m views on YouTube in just 4 days.

In sentencing hearings, Kurtaj’s defence team argued that the success of the game’s trailer indicated that Kurtaj’s hack had not caused serious harm to the game developer and asked that this be factored into the sentencing.

But Her Honour Judge Lees said that there were real victims and real harm…

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