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Russian Malware Communicates Using Britney Spears's Instagram Account (welivesecurity.com)

JustAnotherOldGuy writes: A key weakness in malicious software is the "Command and Control" (C&C) system -- a central server that the malware-infected systems contact to receive updates and instructions, and to send stolen data. Anti-malware researchers like to reverse engineer malicious code, discover the C&C server's address, and then shut it down. Turla is an "advanced persistent threat" hacking group based in Russia with a long history of attacking states in ways that advance Russian state interests. A new analysis by Eset shows that Turla is solving its C&C problems by using Britney Spears' Instagram account as a cut-out for its C&C servers. Turla moves the C&C server around, then hides the current address of the server in encrypted comments left on Britney Spears's image posts. The compromised systems check in with Spears' Instagram whenever they need to know where the C&C server is currently residing.

28 of 54 comments (clear)

  1. Good use for it by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

    I don't think anyone else if following it.

    1. Re:Good use for it by war4peace · · Score: 1

      You forgot the Then and the Else.

      --
      ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    2. Re:Good use for it by war4peace · · Score: 1

      Well, okay, only the Else.

      --
      ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    3. Re:Good use for it by war4peace · · Score: 2

      No, wait, only the Then. Conditionals are hard, man...

      --
      ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    4. Re:Good use for it by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

      If only I spelled "is" correctly, otherwise I get roundly ridiculed.

    5. Re:Good use for it by war4peace · · Score: 1

      C'mon, I was thirsty for a bad joke, and since nobody provided, I had to invent my own :)

      --
      ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
  2. I demand... by OpenSourced · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...that the links of Britney Spears with the Russian counterintelligence and propaganda units are investigated.

    --
    Rome taught me patience and assiduous application to detail. Virtues which temper the boldness of great, general views.
    1. Re:I demand... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Britney Spears is the reason Hillary lost!

  3. Whoa by beep54 · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is funny, nifty and frightening, all at the same time!

    1. Re:Whoa by locotx · · Score: 5, Funny

      Sorta like Britney Spears

  4. Re:Nothing to see by jfdavis668 · · Score: 2

    09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0

  5. Woah! by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 3, Funny

    The Russians compromise yet another Great American! WHEN WILL IT ALL END?

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    1. Re: Woah! by Spicy-korsair25 · · Score: 1

      Then explain Kanye West. If the Russians aren't controlling him, who is? The Chinese? North Koreans? Aliens?

    2. Re: Woah! by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Nobody.

      Simple logic. Controlling something, even the most insignificant, simplest of things, requires resources. Now ponder who would waste, well, anything on THAT.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  6. Britney Spears... by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

    Evil Mastermind.

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    #DeleteChrome
  7. Obligatory... by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 5, Funny
    1. Re:Obligatory... by ausekilis · · Score: 1

      How dare YOU, sir. The humanity.

  8. I'm not a girl... by king+neckbeard · · Score: 1

    I'm not a girl, not yet a botnet.

    --
    This is my signature. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
  9. Awesome :D by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    That's actually a really good idea. Bonus if they use some kind of steganographic algorithm (perhaps for any word with more than 2 letters, an even number of vowels = 0, odd = 1), making it impossible to moderate or screen comments. More celebrities social network feeds should be used in this way!

    01010101 = You and I should play some musical games baby :D

    I should patent this.

  10. Apostrophe catastrophe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Sigh... Britney Spears' Instagram account, not Britney Spears's Instagram account. You got it right in the summary at least.

    1. Re:Apostrophe catastrophe by Daetrin · · Score: 1

      The extra "s" was part of the encrypted message to our new Russian overlords.

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      This Space Intentionally Left Blank
  11. Re:OMG, it all makes sense now by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 1

    Now you have buy new milk from their suppliers that are owned by the GRU generals.

    I was once eaten by a GRU. I don't think it was carrying any milk though.

  12. Re:Who? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    I think it's some has-been stripper. Not sure, though.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  13. Re:OMG, it all makes sense now by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

    And milk makes YOU spoil early!

    No, that's China and their melamine milk.

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  14. Link goes to a different fucking story by Nyder · · Score: 1

    Link goes to a different story.

    Seems like either someone got trolled or the editors suck and no one else bothered to click on the link.

    --
    Be seeing you...
    1. Re:Link goes to a different fucking story by Nyder · · Score: 1

      ah shit, nm, not my best day so far, I'm wrong.

      --
      Be seeing you...
  15. Re:More BS. by alexgieg · · Score: 2

    they are known for having written the core of their protection suite in hand-coded assembler for speed-up.

    That was back then. I loved using NOD32 back in the version 2.x days, it was hands down the fastest anti-virus around, so light it seemed my computer wasn't running an anti-virus at all. Then in later versions they stopped doing that. Version 3.x was as bloated and slow as the other anti-virus in the market. I kept using v2 until it stopped being supported, and then I moved on.

    --
    Conservatism: (n.) love of the existing evils. Liberalism: (n.) desire to substitute new evils for the existing ones.
  16. Re:OMG, it all makes sense now by gnick · · Score: 1

    It must have been dark. When it is pitch dark, you are likely to be eaten by a grue.

    --
    He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.