Digest

This episode of Hotline Hacked features stories about tech mishaps, including a tale of a network disruption caused by ARP spoofing and another about accidentally shutting down a cloud storage server by pasting a command into the terminal. The first story involves a pen tester who inadvertently caused widespread European network disruption by using ARP spoofing to gather data. The second story involves an ISP employee who accidentally shut down a cloud storage server by pasting a list of usernames into the terminal, which included a default user account called "shutdown." The episode also includes a story about a caller who used a Raspberry Pi to build a botnet for denial of service attacks, and another about finding a large repository of sales leads by tweaking a URL. The episode concludes with a discussion about the prevalence of third-party data brokers and the risks associated with purchasing sales leads from unknown sources.

Outlines

00:00:00

Introduction

This Chapter introduces the Hotline Hacked podcast, a show where listeners can share their strange tales of technology, true hacks, or computer confessions.

00:09:24

ARP Spoofing and Network Disruption

This Chapter tells the story of a pen tester who inadvertently caused widespread European network disruption by using ARP spoofing to gather data. The pen tester was attempting to up spoof some switches at a multinational company's London HQ, but his actions caused intermittent network problems for the entire company. The story highlights the importance of understanding the potential consequences of one's actions when working with technology.

00:36:03

Accidental Server Shutdown

This Chapter tells the story of an ISP employee who accidentally shut down a cloud storage server by pasting a list of usernames into the terminal. The employee was logged in as root and had right-click to paste enabled by default, which caused the entire clipboard to be dumped into the server's terminal. The story highlights the importance of being careful when working with sensitive data and the potential consequences of user error.

00:42:25

Botnet for Denial of Service Attacks

This Chapter tells the story of a caller who used a Raspberry Pi to build a botnet for denial of service attacks. The caller was able to shut down the Hamas website and make the PlayStation website unresponsive, but was unable to receive a reward for their efforts because the bounty program did not accept full shutdown disruption or distributed denial of service attacks. The story highlights the growing prevalence of botnets and the potential for misuse of these powerful tools.

00:21:56

Finding Sales Leads Through Guessable URLs

This Chapter tells the story of a caller who found a large repository of sales leads by tweaking a URL. The caller was looking for leads for their company and found a website that offered sample data for each state. By changing the state name in the URL, the caller was able to access the entire repository of data, which was being sold for tens of thousands of dollars. The story highlights the importance of basic security measures and the potential for data leaks when valuable information is not properly protected.

00:28:35

Ads

This Chapter features advertisements for Shopify and Notion, two popular online services.

00:34:21

Ads

This Chapter features advertisements for Air Traffic Out of Control podcast and CIS Security.

00:35:13

Outro

This Chapter concludes the episode and encourages listeners to submit their own stories to Hotline Hacked.

Keywords

Q&A

• What is ARP spoofing and how can it be used to disrupt a network?

  ARP spoofing is a type of attack where an attacker impersonates another endpoint on a network and redirects traffic to their own device. This allows the attacker to act as a man in the middle and intercept data that is being transmitted between two other devices. ARP spoofing can be used to disrupt network traffic, steal sensitive information, or launch other attacks.

• What is a botnet and how can it be used to launch denial of service attacks?

  A botnet is a network of computers that have been infected with malware and are controlled by a single attacker. Botnets can be used to launch DoS attacks, send spam, steal data, or perform other malicious activities. Botnets are often used by cybercriminals to carry out large-scale attacks that are difficult to trace back to the original attacker.

• What are the risks associated with purchasing sales leads from third-party data brokers?

  The use of third-party data brokers has raised concerns about privacy and security, as the information they collect may be used without the individual's knowledge or consent. Additionally, the source of the data may be unknown or unreliable, which can lead to the purchase of invalid or fraudulent leads.

• What is Putty and how is it used to connect to remote servers?

  Putty is a free and open-source SSH and telnet client for Windows. It is commonly used to connect to remote servers and manage them through a command-line interface. Putty is a popular choice for system administrators and developers who need to access remote servers securely.

• What is SSH and how does it provide secure communication between devices?

  SSH (Secure Shell) is a network protocol that provides secure communication between two devices. SSH is commonly used to access remote servers, transfer files, and execute commands. SSH uses encryption to protect data from eavesdropping and tampering, making it a secure way to manage remote systems.

• What is Linux and why is it a popular choice for servers and other enterprise environments?

  Linux is a Unix-like operating system that is known for its stability, security, and flexibility. Linux is widely used in servers, embedded systems, and desktop computers. Linux is an open-source operating system, which means that its source code is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute.

• What are RHEL and CentOS and how are they related to each other?

  RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) and CentOS (Community Enterprise Operating System) are both Linux distributions that are based on the Red Hat Linux kernel. RHEL is a commercial operating system that is popular for its stability and support, while CentOS is a free and open-source distribution that is popular for its compatibility with RHEL. Both RHEL and CentOS are widely used in servers and other enterprise environments.

• What is a Raspberry Pi and why is it a popular platform for building custom hacking devices?

  The Raspberry Pi is a series of small, low-cost single-board computers that are popular for hobbyists, educators, and makers. Raspberry Pi devices are often used for projects such as home automation, robotics, and media streaming. The Raspberry Pi's small size and low cost make it an attractive platform for building custom hacking devices.

• What are sales leads and how are they used by businesses?

  Sales leads are potential customers who have expressed interest in a product or service. Sales leads are often generated through marketing campaigns, referrals, or online forms. Companies often purchase sales leads from third-party data brokers, but this practice can be risky as the source of the data may be unknown or unreliable.

• What are third-party data brokers and what are the concerns about their use?

  Third-party data brokers are companies that collect and sell personal information about individuals. This information is often used by businesses for marketing, advertising, and other purposes. The use of third-party data brokers has raised concerns about privacy and security, as the information they collect may be used without the individual's knowledge or consent.

Show Notes