Software That Contains Human Reasoning
April 20, 2016
Computer software has progressed further and keeps advancing faster than we can purchase the latest product. Software is now capable of holding simple conversations, accurately translating languages, GPS, self-driving cars, etc. The one thing that that computer developers cannot program is human thought and reason. The New York Times wrote “Taking Baby Steps Toward Software That Reasons Like Humans” about the goal just out of reach.
The article focuses on Richard Socher and his company MetaMind, a deep learning startup working on pattern recognition software. He along with other companies focused on artificial intelligence are slowly inching their way towards replicating human thought on computers. The progress is slow, but steady according to a MetaMind paper about how machines are now capable of answering questions of both digital images and textual documents.
“While even machine vision is not yet a solved problem, steady, if incremental, progress continues to be made by start-ups like Mr. Socher’s; giant technology companies such as Facebook, Microsoft and Google; and dozens of research groups. In their recent paper, the MetaMind researchers argue that the company’s approach, known as a dynamic memory network, holds out the possibility of simultaneously processing inputs including sound, sight and text.”
The software that allows computers to answer questions about digital images and text is sophisticated, but the data to come close to human capabilities is not only limited, but also nonexistent. We are coming closer to understanding the human brain’s complexities, but artificial intelligence is not near Asimov levels yet.
Whitney Grace, April 20, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Lessons to Learn from Instagram Translation Systems
April 20, 2016
Social media services attempt to eliminate the publishing of pornographic content on their sites through a combination of user reporting and algorithms. However, Daily Star reports Shock as one million explicit porn films found on Instagram. This content existed on Instagram despite their non-nudity policy. However, according to the article, much of the pornographic videos and photos were removed after news broke. Summarizing how the content was initially published, the article states,
“The videos were unearthed by tech blogger Jed Ismael, who says he’s discovered over one million porn films on the site. Speaking on his blog, Ismael said: “Instagram has banned certain English explicit hashtags from being showed in search. “Yet users seem to find a way around the policy, by using non English terms or hashtags. “I came across this discovery by searching for the hashtag “?????” which means movies in Arabic.” Daily Star Online has performed our own search and easily found hardcore footage without the need for age verification checks.”
While Tor has typically been seen as the home for such services, it appears some users have found a workaround. Who needs the Dark Web? As for those online translation systems, perhaps some services should consider their utility.
Megan Feil, April 20, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
The Marketing Case for Value from Dark Web
April 19, 2016
For marketers crying for more user data, the Dark Web may present a challenge — or not. A longread article, Bitcoin Remains Most Popular Digital Currency on Dark Web from Coin Desk reiterates the landscape of the Dark Web is more nuanced than the headlines screaming cybercrime suggest. Despite the inability to know users’ locations, identities and interests, which may worry marketers, several points are raised asking marketers if there is possibility for value in the Dark Web. Explaining more about the potential benefits to marketing and sales, cybersecurity reporter Brian Krebs is quoted,
“‘Plenty of would-be, legitimate consumers come from regions of the world where perhaps governments don’t want their consumers visiting certain places or buying certain items. And for those consumers, [the Dark Web] can be a boon, and potential positive for retailers and marketers,’ Krebs writes in an e-mail. Krebs goes on to say that much of the supposed danger posed by the Dark Web is nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to cybersecurity.”
This useful piece not only provides insights into how the marketing industry views Tor, but also serves as a handy layman’s guide to Dark Web (synonymous with darknet and dark net) terminology and a brief history. Additionally, the founder of Adland presents an interesting case for opening a .onion site to complement a site on the Surface Web, or the “regular” internet.
Megan Feil, April 19, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Data on Dark Web Not Excused from Fact or Fiction Debate
April 19, 2016
Remember when user information was leaked from the extramarital affairs website AshleyMadison? While the leak caused many controversies, the release of this information specifically on the Dark Web gives reason to revisit an article from Mashable, Another blow for Ashley Madison: User emails leaked on Dark Web as a refresher on the role Tor played. A 10-gigabyte file was posted as a Torrent on the Dark Web which included emails and credit card information among other user data. The article concluded,
“With the data now out there, Internet users are downloading and sifting through it for anything – or, rather, anyone – of note. Lists of email addresses of AshleyMadison users are being circulated on social media. Several appear to be connected to members of the UK government but are likely fake. As Wired notes, the site doesn’t require email verification, meaning the emails could be fake or even hijacked.”
The future of data breaches and leaks may be unclear, but the falsification of information — leaked or otherwise — always remains a possibility. Regardless of the element of scandal existing in future leaks, it is important to note that hackers and other groups are likely not above manipulation of information.
Megan Feil, April 19, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
First Surface Web Map of the Dark Web
April 15, 2016
Interested in a glimpse of the Dark Web without downloading Tor and navigating it yourself? E-Forensics Magazine published Peeling back the onion part 1: Mapping the Dark Web by Stuart Peck, which shares an overview of services and content in this anonymity-oriented internet. A new map covering the contents of the Dark Web, the first one to do so, was launched recently by a ZeroDayLab key partner, and threat intelligence service Intelliagg. The write-up explains,
“But this brings me to my previous point why is this map so important? Until recently, it had been difficult to understand the relationships between hidden services, and more importantly the classification of these sites. As a security researcher, understanding hidden services, such as private chat forums and closed sites, and how these are used to plan and discuss potential campaigns, such as DDoS, Ransom Attacks, Kidnapping, Hacking, and Trading of Vulnerabilities and leaked data, is key to protecting our clients through proactive threat intelligence.”
Understanding the layout of an online ecosystem is an important first step for researchers or related business ventures. But what about a visualization showing these web services are connected to functions, such as financial and other services, with brick-and-mortar establishments? It is also important to that while this may be the first Surface Web map of the Dark Web, many navigational “maps” on .onion sites that have existed as long as users began browsing on Tor.
Megan Feil, April 15, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
The Force of the Dark Web May Not Need Sides
April 14, 2016
The name “Dark Web” has sensational language written all over it. Such a label calls for myth-busting articles to be published, such as the recent one from Infosecurity Magazine, The Dark Web — Is It All Bad?. This piece highlights the opinions of James Chappell, CTO and Co-founder of Digital Shadows, who argues the way the Dark Web is portrayed in the media pigeonholes sites accessible by Tor as for criminal purposes. Chappell is quoted,
“Looking at some of the press coverage you could be forgiven for thinking that the Dark Web is solely about criminality,” he told Infosecurity. “In reality, this is not the case and there are many legitimate uses alongside the criminal content that can be found on these services. Significantly – criminality is an internet-wide problem, rather than exclusively a problem limited to just the technologies that are labelled with the Dark Web.”
The author’s allusion to Star Wars’ divided force, between supposed “good” and “bad” seems an appropriate analogy to the two sides of the internet. However, with a slightly more nuanced perspective, could it not be argued that Jedi practices, like those of the Sith, are also questionable? Binaries may be our preferred cultural tropes, as well as the building blocks of computer software programming, but let’s not forget the elements of variability: humans and time.
Megan Feil, April 14, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
ID Agent Alerts Government Contractors to Cyber Risk
April 12, 2016
All kinds of information shows up on the Dark Web, including thousands of emails of federal contractors. A recent article from Fierce Government IT, Report: Thousands of contractor emails found on Dark Web, shares several findings from a study conducted by ID Agent, a firm promoting its Dark Web security intelligence product. The study, “Federal Supply Chain Analysis: Cyber Threats from the Dark Web” relied on historical data loss information regarding numbers of email accounts stolen to analyze contracting areas based on their cyber risk.
The write-up expands on where ID Agent sees opportunity,
“Having cyber criminals with access to these accounts is scary enough, but malicious actors operating on the Dark Web have also taken many more forms in recent years. “While stolen personal information is concerning, national and corporate espionage continues to play a major role in the activities conducted via the Dark Web,” the report noted. ID Agent is by no means a disinterested party in disclosing the risk of these email accounts, as it hopes to market its Dark Web ID product that regularly provides this sort of threat intelligence to customers. Still, the study’s findings are a wake-up call to government contractors and the agencies employing them.”
ID Agent uses a proprietary algorithm for situating the risk of various companies and organizations. While this is a new market space, they are certainly not the only game in town when it comes to security and intelligence solutions which take the Dark Web into account. This appears to be an expanding ecosystem.
Megan Feil, April 12, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
FBI Runs Child Porn Website to Take down Child Porn Website
April 12, 2016
The article on MotherBoard titled How The FBI Located Suspected Administrator of the Dark Web’s Largest Child Porn Site provides a comprehensive overview of the events that led to the FBI being accused of “outrageous conduct” for operating a child pornography site for just under two weeks in February of 2015 in order to take down Playpen, a dark web child porn service. The article states,
“In order to locate these users in the real world, the agency took control of Playpen and operated it from February 20 to March 4 in 2015, deploying a hacking tool to identify visitorsof the site. The FBI hacked computers in the US, Greece, Chile, and likely elsewhere.
But, in identifying at least two high ranking members of Playpen, and possibly one other, the FBI relied on information provided by a foreign law enforcement agency (FLA), according to court documents.”
Since the dial-up era, child pornographers have made use of the Internet. The story of comedian Barry Crimmins exposing numerous child pornographers who were using AOL’s early chat rooms to share their pictures is a revealing look at that company’s eagerness to turn a blind eye. In spite of this capitulation, the dark web is the current haven for such activities, and the February 2015 hacking project was the largest one yet.
Chelsea Kerwin, April 12, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
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Third Party Company Profiteering
March 31, 2016
We might think that we keep our personal information from the NSA, but there are third party companies that legally tap ISP providers and phone companies and share the information with government agencies. ZDNet shares the inside story about this legal loophole, “Meet The Shadowy Tech Brokers That Deliver Your Data To The NSA.” These third party companies hide under behind their neutral flag and then reap a profit. You might have heard of some of them: Yaana, Subsentio, and Neustar.
“On a typical day, these trusted third-parties can handle anything from subpoenas to search warrants and court orders, demanding the transfer of a person’s data to law enforcement. They are also cleared to work with classified and highly secretive FISA warrants. A single FISA order can be wide enough to force a company to turn over its entire store of customer data.
Once the information passes through these third party companies it is nearly impossible to figure out how it is used. The third party companies do conduct audits, but it does little to protect the average consumer. Personal information is another commodity to buy, sell, and trade. It deems little respect for the individual consumer. Who is going to stand up for the little guy? Other than Edward Snowden?
Whitney Grace, March 31, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Google Reveals Personal Data in Search Results
March 30, 2016
Our lives are already all over the Internet, but Google recently unleashed a new feature that takes it to a new level. Search Engine Watch tells us about, “Google Shows Personal Data Within Search Results, Tests ‘Recent Purchases’ Feature” and the new way to see your Internet purchases.
Google pulls the purchase information most likely from Gmail or Chrome. The official explanation is that Google search is now more personalized, because it does pull information from Google apps:
“You can search for information from other Google products you use, like Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google+. For example, you can search for information about your upcoming flights, restaurant reservations, or appointments.”
Personalized Google search can display results now only from purchases but also bills, flights, reservations, packages, events, and Google Photos. It is part of Google’s mission to not only organize the world, but also be a personal assistant, part of the new Google Now.
While it is a useful tool to understand your personal habits, organize information, and interact with data like in a science-fiction show, at the same time it is creepy being able to search your life with Google. Some will relish in the idea of having their lives organized at their fingertips, but others will feel like the NSA or even Dark Web predators will hack into their lives.
Whitney Grace, March 30, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
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