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Fake Password Reset E-mail Hits 7,500 Black Hat Registrants

Posted by timothy on from the perfectly-natural-return-to-your-homes dept.

An anonymous reader writes "7,500 Black Hat USA 2012 attendees may have been surprised to get a fake password reset e-mail sent to accounts they used to register for the conference. Black Hat has apologized and explained the lame phishing spam attempt."

6 of 67 comments (clear)

  1. How many peeps fell for it? by Snotnose · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The only newsworthy chunk of info here is, How many of these peeps fell for it? These are the elite, what percentage fell for it?

    1. Re:How many peeps fell for it? by Sir_Sri · · Score: 4, Insightful

      These are the elite

      No, some of them are elite hackers, some of them are just trying to keep up with the mischief elite hackers are going to be creating or trying to feel like they're part of the culture.

  2. Re:I would be deeply saddened by Mabhatter · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They totally deserve that? Why would you sign up for a "Black Hat" event with an important account? The trusting fools!

  3. A real hacker conference would test antendees :) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It would be great to keep out the script kiddies. I have just the test to determine if someone is a hacker. Just ask them what they like to hack. If they answer with responses like "i like breaking into xyz systems" then deny them a ticket. If they answer with "i like to hack on xyz" and go into how they configured/wrote/learned about some system then let them in. Hacking isn't about breaking into systems or clicking on some button to attack something. It is literally the joy of learning. While breaking into a system might be hacking it's not so unless there is a learning component to it. I like to hack. I hack stuff together all the time. I throw some GNU/Linux distribution together (and having known nothing prior enjoy that). I'm a hacker. I *could* break into a system... but can't say I ever really have. Sure. I've exploited a bug or two for fun. That was a hacking as I learned something and enjoyed it. However someone clicking a button (something any computer users knows how to do) to join in on a DDoS attack on some web site is not hacking. You'd have to be the dumbest person on earth or at least over the age of 40 (loss of skills/memory/ability etc) to call that hacking.

  4. The Reply by azalin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    An automatic reply should have been sent to everyone who fell for it:

    Your reservation has been revoked. Please invest some time in learning basic security guidelines before applying again.
    Best regards

  5. Re:the ironing by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Actually, it's a Simspons reference from "The Simpsons: Grift of the Magi (#11.9)" (1999)