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Persistent Cyber Spies Try To Impersonate Security Researchers

Posted by Soulskill on from the who-verifies-the-verifiers? dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Rocket Kitten, a cyber espionage group that mostly targets individuals in the Middle East, has been spotted attempting to impersonate security researchers. "We feel fairly certain that Rocket Kitten's prime targets are not companies and political organizations as entire bodies but individuals that operate in strategically interesting fields such as diplomacy, foreign policy research, and defense-related businesses. We believe the espionage factor and political context make their attacks unique and very different from traditional targeted attacks," researchers noted in a recently published new paper (PDF).

24 comments

  1. The Israelis ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    If the group is targeting 'strategic individuals in the Middle East one can't help but wonder if the Israelis are behind the cyber spying group

    1. Re: The Israelis ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I believe it's Hillary, AL Gore with his internet, and climate change environmental wackos that are behind this.

      Your turn....

    2. Re:The Israelis ? by Schmorgluck · · Score: 2

      Interesting theory, but while I haven't much sympathy for anything coming from the government of Israel since Yitzhak Rabin has been assassinated by an Israeli terrorist, I think the Mossad would be more subtle and competent than that.

      --
      There's nothing like $HOME
    3. Re: The Israelis ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      Now you went and did it. Bringing up the Israelis and the Mossad in the same comment means it must be true. And of course you are posting this as anonymous over the Tor network so no one discovers your secret identity. You never know who could be watching like the NSA, FBI, or dare i say the Mossad. Where should I send the bit coins to for your brilliant analysis. And of course you have all the proof that the Israelis are behind.....what am I saying of course you have proof. It's right there in this YouTube video you just found. It's all one big conspiracy between the illuminati, the Knights templer, the Mossad, Microsoft, pinky and the brain, bob the builder and the secret decoder ring I got in my cracker jack box. Please give us a hint as to how you determine that the Mossad is most likely involved.

      Don't worry I took all my meds today, at once, and then spit them up, and saved them for later because they taste like chicken.

    4. Re: The Israelis ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why is it my turn? Because you said it? You're the lord of this discussion?

      But I interrupted your argument... We're whackos and therefor...

      I await in anticipation to conclude your argument.

    5. Re: The Israelis ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You never know who could be watching like the NSA, FBI, or dare i say the Mossad.

      The NSA or FBI doesn't watch the TOR network endpoints like the Snowed documents showed?

      Not only is this a gross negligence of the my tax dollars but I also feel ignored and sad.

    6. Re: The Israelis ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Whooosh.

    7. Re:The Israelis ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      if you RTFA, you'll see that when they say middle east , they mean Israel.
      most of the targets were Israeli institutions .

    8. Re: The Israelis ? by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Please give us a hint as to how you determine that the Mossad is most likely involved.

      Well, they haven't issued a statement denying it, have they?

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  2. Whats that... by drunk_punk · · Score: 1

    Old saying? "impersonation is the sincerest form of pwnage."

    something like that...

    1. Re:Whats that... by davester666 · · Score: 1

      more like "we've already used up our credibility, let's start using up other peoples"

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  3. Spies are impersonating researchers by fustakrakich · · Score: 2

    say the researchers...

    Help me out here. Who should I believe?

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    1. Re:Spies are impersonating researchers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, I get a little suspicious when people start writing articles claiming that company such-n-such is a well known cyber intel corp targeting group such-n-so. Seems a lot like James Bond - the world's best know "secret" agent (ever notice how every villain knows who James Bond is). Do people really think that the *real* intel operations are so well known?

  4. More like by ThatAblaze · · Score: 2

    More like "persistent streams of junk articles try to impersonate real news."

    1. Re:More like by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Worse than posting as AC, is submissions by AC. Horrible, wretched shit. Of course, if your an editor on Slashdot, you are probably in a dead end job and just batch all your news feeds anyway. It's not that we don't notice, we just don't care anymore,

  5. Cyber Spies! by QilessQi · · Score: 3, Funny

    Rocket Kitten, a cyber espionage group that mostly targets individuals in the Middle East...

    Obligatory XKCD: http://xkcd.com/1573/

    --
    Koans and fables for the software engineer
  6. Re: This is the Republican's plan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are you really that stupid? Both sides are in it together.

  7. Rocket Kitten is Windows only .. by nickweller · · Score: 1

    No serious security researcher would use Windows ..

  8. I want you to examine that statement... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: Based on your statement which clearly alludes to "Windows != Secure, *NIX = Secure" b.s. that flowed around here for decades (which ANDROID, yes a Linux, puts to shame & to rest since it's exploited almost daily for years now by malware of all kinds) - it's IN THE BEST INTEREST OF SECURITY RESEARCHERS TO USE WINDOWS (since it's most used, & most used = MOST attacked) - the only thing that kept lesser used OS safe, was "security by obscurity" (less used = less attacked, not worth malware makers/botnet herders to attack those since they represent less of a gain for their efforts).

    * Windows is MOST USED on the PC + Server platform, overall, & thus, it represents the MOST LIKELY TO BE ATTACKED/ABUSED... so security researchers SHOULD use it.

    (Windows has gotten BETTER/STRONGER for it - & MacOS X, Linux, etc. have YET to go thru it since they're less used... on smartphones, as I stated above? ANDROID, a Linux, is JUST starting to experience that level of attacks since it's most used on the smartphone platform... & they're learning by & FROM it thus, getting better & stronger for it!)

    APK

    P.S.=> "Drink that in, & digest it" - it's truth... apk

    1. Re:I want you to examine that statement... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      See subject: Based on your statement which clearly alludes to "Windows != Secure, *NIX = Secure" b.s. that flowed around here for decades (which ANDROID, yes a Linux, puts to shame & to rest since it's exploited almost daily for years now by malware of all kinds) - it's IN THE BEST INTEREST OF SECURITY RESEARCHERS TO USE WINDOWS (since it's most used, & most used = MOST attacked) - the only thing that kept lesser used OS safe, was "security by obscurity" (less used = less attacked, not worth malware makers/botnet herders to attack those since they represent less of a gain for their efforts).

      * Windows is MOST USED on the PC + Server platform, overall, & thus, it represents the MOST LIKELY TO BE ATTACKED/ABUSED... so security researchers SHOULD use it.

      (Windows has gotten BETTER/STRONGER for it - & MacOS X, Linux, etc. have YET to go thru it since they're less used... on smartphones, as I stated above? ANDROID, a Linux, is JUST starting to experience that level of attacks since it's most used on the smartphone platform... & they're learning by & FROM it thus, getting better & stronger for it!)

      APK

      P.S.=> "Drink that in, & digest it" - it's truth... apk

      Actually the ones I know and work with don't, because, well, gcc, bash, nmap, tunneling sockes round with ssh to evade controls, a ip stack that doesnt get in the way of things etc. The tools are just better suited to the job, its not about if your host os is more secure or not.
      The ones that do, are forced to do by corporate policies at where they work. Because managers believe random people shrilling them on the internet.

  9. Analysis of Windows is best done... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From within Windows itself - no questions asked. VM or otherwise...

    APK

    P.S.=> Windows is most used on the pc desktop + servers combined & is thus the most attacked (ROI for "ne'er-do-wells" doing such sheninigans) - there's no analyzing it, without it in some form - doing so would be foolhardy if not impossible - but, it's what makes it stronger (as well as immediate driver support, separating it from all others AS superior, since the economic incentive is there for board makers)... apk

  10. Microsoft tries to impersonate security too. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They are more renowned for spyware than Rocket Kitten too.

    http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/08/22/nsa-windows-8-exploit/
    http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/07/11/microsoft-gave-the-nsa-direct-backdoor-access-to-outlook-skype/
    http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/how-stop-windows-10-upgrade-downloading-your-system
    http://www.extremetech.com/computing/195592-with-windows-10-microsoft-could-move-to-a-subscription-based-model
    http://www.extremetech.com/computing/205320-microsoft-windows-10-will-be-the-last-version-of-windows
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GU5uv28a3I
    http://techrights.org/2015/07/31/vista-10-anticompetitive/
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwRYyWn7BEo
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gghj03J_ri0
    http://localghost.org/posts/a-traffic-analysis-of-windows-10
    http://www.ghacks.net/2015/08/28/microsoft-intensifies-data-collection-on-windows-7-and-8-systems/
    https://gitlab.com/windowslies/blockwindows

    Time for Windows to gtfo. distrowatch.com