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Feds Thwart Extortion Plot Against Best Buy

Posted by timothy on from the black-hat-size-extra-small dept.

hiero writes "From an article in the Star Tribune: 'Federal authorities said Tuesday they thwarted an extortion plot against Best Buy Co. Inc. by a man who sent the company an e-mail threatening to expose what he claimed were weaknesses in the retailer's computer system unless he was paid $2.5 million.' What's really interesting to me, though, is this paragraph further on in the article: 'The federal search warrant was obtained the morning of Oct. 24 and allowed the FBI, with Best Buy's cooperation, to use an Internet device known as an Internet Protocol Address Verifier. It contained a program that automatically sent back a response to Best Buy after the company sent a message to the e-mail address. The response allowed investigators to identify Ray as the sender of the e-mail threats, according to the government.' Internet Protocol Address Verifier? Is this Carnivore in action?"

5 of 942 comments (clear)

  1. "Internet Protocol Address Verifier"? by blowdart · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Fancy name for a web bug perhaps? Maybe not, otherwise we'd say Microsoft crowing how lack of security in Outlook Express is useful...

  2. Internet Protocol Address Verifier by stikk · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Sounds more like a html based email, accessing some type of a remote object..
    Seems the govn't has a new name for an old technique spammers used years ago to verify read mail.

    I respect our govern't, but how many agents does it take to market old techniques :)

  3. WTF?? is this true???? by dave1g · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Show some proof please

  4. Re:Not Carnivore.. by Kevinv · · Score: 2, Redundant

    It's a freaking web bug in an HTML e-mail. You know, open the message, the image gets downloaded. Bang you've got the IP address.

    This is not freaking high tech.

  5. Re:IP Address Verifier == web bug by rmohr02 · · Score: 2, Redundant

    Why use a 1x1 transparent pixel image when you could use a big graphic saying "we found you!".