Tag Archive for: owners

Someone is hacking 3D printers to warn owners of a security flaw

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Do you have an Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro/Plus/Max 3D printer?  Did you know it has a security vulnerability?

If you answered “yes” to both those questions, then chances are that I can guess just how you found out your 3D printer was vulnerable to hackers.

My bet is that you might have learnt about the problem after seeing a strange message displayed on your device, claiming that it had been hacked.

As multiple posts on Reddit confirm, owners of the 3D printers have had an unusual message pop up on their devices.

The message contains ASCII art of a worm and claims to be “harmless” – but warns of a “critical vulnerability” in the printer, posing a “significant threat”. It advises affected users to disconnect their printer from the internet to avoid being hacked.

In the message, someone calling themselves “printer god” bemoans Anycubic’s lax security and warns that a malicious attack could have caused damage.

The warning message in the file hacked_machine_readme.gcode can be safely deleted from the printer’s screen or USB drive.  The author claims to have sent it to over 2.9 million vulnerable printers.

The hack seems to be connected to a post in an online forum earlier this week by a user called “Dump”.  “Dump” claimed to have tried to communicate with Anycubic for two months about “two critical security vulnerabilities” – with one described as “catastrophic if found to be malicious.”

Anycubic has now confirmed the existence of a “security issue”, which it claims was “caused by a third party using a security vulnerability of the MQTT server to access users’ printers.”

Anycubic says that it is enhancing its cloud server security and will release new firmware to users on March 5, 2024.

This isn’t the first time that printers have been hijacked through security vulnerabilities to spread messages. For instance, in 2018, thousands of printers were seized to print out a message promoting PewDiePie’s YouTube channel.

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I’m a security expert – Android and iPhone owners must never post two sentences online or risk criminal attack

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PROTECTING your privacy has become important in the digital age because sharing can quickly turn into oversharing.

Cyber-security giant McAfee released research showing that oversharing on social media with hundreds – if not millions of people – can expose your life more than you want it to.

iPhone and Android users should not post certain sentences online to protect their privacyCredit: Getty

The online protection agency says that oversharing is when you say more than one should to more people than you should.

When you post on social media statements, such as “This is an Airbnb I’m staying in for the week,” or “I go to this cafe every morning before work,” can expose you to privacy harm.

Saying you are way tells your followers and anyone viewing your profile that your home is currently empty.

Posting that you go to a cafe every morning tells your people that if they want to meet you they know where to find you.

To protect your privacy on social media McAfee recommends following these three steps.

The first is to be more selective about your social media settings.

On Facebook and Instagram, you can make your profile available and visible to friends only. This makes it so people who you do not accept to follow you cannot view your profile and social content.

“Taking a “friends only” approach to your social media profiles can help protect your privacy,” McAfee said. “That gives a possible scammer or stalker much less material to work with.”

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Another way to protect your privacy is not allowing strangers follow you.

Not allowing strangers to follow you prevents fake accounts from accessing your profile and trying to scam you.

McAfee says in Q1 2023 alone, Facebook took action on 426million fake accounts.

Making your social media profiles private prevent strangers from gathering information about you and potentially using it for fraud.

The final way to protect your privacy on social media is considering when and what you post.

Instead of posting on your vacation that you are out of town, or double-check your photos before you post so that you do not share any personal information that could cause fraud or harm.

Not only does McAfee recommend…

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Billions of Android owners warned of ‘bank-raiding’ attack that can even get around security checks

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ALL Android owners have been warned over a new strain of malware that can hide from antivirus programmes.

It is reportedly capable of stealing sensitive data, such as banking information and also deploying nasty ransomware.

It can record all ongoing calls and steal contacts from the victim’s deviceCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Ransomware is a type of virus which stops users from being able to access their own devices – as well as everything that’s stored on it.

It encrypts files and leaves the device essentially useless and the user locked out.

Criminal cyber gangs use this as a ploy to demand ransom from their victim.

Cybersecurity experts at CloudSEK’s threat intelligence research team rang the alarm on this new form of virus.

The malware, which researchers have dubbed Daam, is targeting Android phones as well as Windows PCs.

But Daam was found to be particularly invasive on mobile phones.

It has the ability to record audio from an Android device, without any action from the owner of the phone.

Not only can it also read call logs, but it can record all ongoing calls and steal contacts from the victim’s device.

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Even WhatsApp calls – or audio conversations via other messaging apps – aren’t safe.

This means that if Android owners disclose any sensitive information in those calls – such as banking details – it could be used against them.

The malware is being downloaded accidentally by unsuspecting Android owners when they visit third-party sites, according to researchers.

To stay safe, it’s important Android owners make sure they only download apps from legitimate sources.

It’s also helpful to check reviews before downloading anything, and to make sure the phone’s operating and security systems are up to date.

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Billions of Android and iPhone owners urged to check signs a criminal is hiding in your device – don’t lose everything

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SECURITY experts have warned smartphone users about major signs that criminals are hoping to hack their device.

Androids and iPhones are pretty safe gadgets but no device is fully hackproof, according to cybersecurity experts at Trend Micro.

Hackers have several techniques when it comes to infiltrating smartphonesCredit: Getty

They wrote in a recent blog post: “Unfortunately, no device can ever be 100% hackproof, and the iPhone is no exception.”

The blog lists three potential ways that a hacker can infiltrate your phone.

They’re all pretty common and you may have some of the red flags on your device right now.

EVIL APPS

The first hacking route the experts pointed out was “malicious apps.”

It’s normal to download apps onto your smartphone, but cybercriminals rely on you not checking what you’re downloading.

You have to be wary of all apps you download onto your device and make sure you’ve double checked the permissions that they want to access.

Try reading the apps reviews and only downloading from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

DANGEROUS WI-FI

The Trend Micro experts also warned against using insecure Wi-Fi networks, especially public Wi-Fi.

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Cybercriminals can take advantage of your need to be online and steal data from your device.

Even the FBI has warned to be wary of public Wi-Fi.

“Preventing internet-enabled crimes and cyber intrusions requires each of us to be aware and on guard,” the FBI wrote in a recent announcement.

“Be careful when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network and do not conduct any sensitive transactions, including purchases, when on a public network.”

PHISHING MESSAGES

The third threat on the list could be lurking in your email app or text message inbox.

Phishing emails and texts sit waiting on devices, often containing dangerous links, and attachments.

Delete any suspicious messages without clicking on links or revealing any private information.

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