Hacker Says They Compromised ProtonMail; ProtonMail Calls BS (bleepingcomputer.com)

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Hacker Says They Compromised ProtonMail; ProtonMail Calls BS (bleepingcomputer.com)

Posted by BeauHD on Saturday November 17, 2018 @07:19AM from the what's-that-smell dept.

A hacker going by the name AmFearLiathMor is claiming to have hacked ProtonMail and stolen "significant" amounts of data. They have posted a ransom demand to an anonymous Pastebin but it reads like a prank, as it states that the alleged hackers have access to underwater drone activity and treaty violations in Antarctica. Lawrence Abrams writes via BleepingComputer: According to the message, a hacker going by the name AmFearLiathMor makes quite a few interesting claims such as hacking ProtonMail's services and stealing user's email, that ProtonMail is sending their user's decrypted data to American servers, and that ProtonMail is abusing the lack of Subresource Integrity (SRI) use to purposely and maliciously steal their user's passwords. After reading the Pastebin message (archive.is link), which is shown in its entirety below minus some alleged keys, and seeing the amount of claims, the first thing that came to mind was a corporate version of the sextortion scams that have been running rampant lately. As I kept reading it, though, it just felt like a joke. ProtonMail posted on Twitter that this is a hoax and that there is no evidence that anything states is true. The encrypted email service provided a statement to BleepingComputer: "We believe this extortion attempt is a hoax, and we have seen zero evidence to suggest otherwise. Not a single claim made is true and many of the claims are unsound from a technical standpoint. We are aware of a small number of ProtonMail accounts that have been compromised as a result of those individual users falling for phishing attempts. However, there is zero evidence of a breach of our infrastructure."

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Most people are stupid by gweihir · 2018-11-17 07:23 · Score: 1

Criminals are generally stupid as well but can still profit if their victims are of comparable or higher stupidity. Of course, the Protonmail-Team might not be quite the right target for that...

--
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
1. Re:Most people are stupid by KiloByte · 2018-11-17 09:38 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  This doesn't seem to be an attack on ProtonMail directly, but an attempt to reduce their userbase. Even a skilled rational user will spend a bit of time researching these claims, while the paranoid but dumb crowd are going to jump ship to some snake oil "secure" providers.
  
  --
  The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
2. Re: Most people are stupid by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 10:09 · Score: 0
  
  It's so obviously fake when someone calls out a site for stealing it's users passwords. The site owns the database, your password is their property now that you gave it to them, and they have the encryption algorithm plus the salt. They can reverse all user passwords in a few moments.
3. Re:Most people are stupid by gweihir · 2018-11-17 12:07 · Score: 1
  
  Good point. From that perspective it makes sense.
  
  --
  Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
4. Re:Most people are stupid by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 16:07 · Score: 0
  
  Even if the entire thing is just baseless libel, the "attack" does successfully damage ProtonMail's reputation, and since they cater to the more security-minded people, this is important.
  This may not be an all bad thing. Perhaps we could get a decent OpenPGP based desktop environment, so we have separation between endpoint message encryption and the networks/protocols the messages are sent through.
  I always worry when a service combines endpoint encryption with their network. It may never happen, but in theory, they can always have their client save off a password, or just generate a very weak encryption key (for example, instead of polling /dev/urandom, the key's random seed comes from the value of seconds since the epoch. Nobody would know that the key can be guessed fairly easily, and the key would "appear" just as secure as one generated from a secure RNG.) Again, this is just talk about what is -possible-, not anything even done.
  tl;dr, Protonmail is being libeled.
Irish? by Tomahawk · 2018-11-17 07:31 · Score: 3, Informative

The hacker's name is "The Great Wolf" in Irish.
(In case anyone was interested...)
1. Re:Irish? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 08:01 · Score: 0
  
  THERE NO WOLF IN IRELAND
2. Re:Irish? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 08:54 · Score: 0
  
  No, it doesn't. It means The Big Grey Man.
  It is an apparition that is said to haunt Ben MacDhui, a Scottish Mountain.
3. Re: Irish? by Tomahawk · 2018-11-17 09:05 · Score: 1
  
  Scots Gaelic Vs. Irish Gaelic. ðY
  It's more likely the Scots version, yes. But the Irish translation is still correct.
4. Re: Irish? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 09:19 · Score: 1
  
  A wolf is a mac tíre in Irish.
  An = the, fear = man, Liath = Grey, Mor = big.
5. Re:Irish? by Whibla · 2018-11-17 23:23 · Score: 1
  
  As the AC above me pointed out the name comes from Scottish folklore.
  Not sure where you get your translation from.
  Damn mods should probably do a little fact checking before they rate 'stuff they read on the internet' as informative...
6. Re: Irish? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-19 02:45 · Score: 0
  
  The Irish version would be the same, except an n instead of m as second letter.
7. Re: Irish? by Tomahawk · 2018-11-20 23:39 · Score: 1
  
  Yes, they are the words. The phrase, however, doesn't translate as the individual words. It's an idiom.
Allegations by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 07:35 · Score: 0

So if I make any wild allegation it's considered news and I get famous on the internets?
1. Re:Allegations by gweihir · 2018-11-17 07:53 · Score: 1
  
  Yep, that seems to be how it works these days.
  
  --
  Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
2. Re: Allegations by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 08:05 · Score: 0
  
  What exactly do you contribute to make the internet a better place? You seem like little more than an incredibly rude misogynist.
3. Re: Allegations by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 08:11 · Score: 0
  
  works for drumpfenfuhrer.
4. Re: Allegations by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 08:15 · Score: 0
  
  Pondering this...
5. Re:Allegations by Tablizer · 2018-11-17 08:31 · Score: 1
  
  Worked for the Orange Guy.
  
  --
  Table-ized A.I.
6. Re: Allegations by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 08:58 · Score: 0
  
  Offensive xenophobic debt-loving ego-driven ADHD toddler.
7. Re:Allegations by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 10:17 · Score: 0
  
  Roses are red, it's too bad you're a bitch, your activist judges are dying, and the GOP Senate will approve Trump's nominations without a hitch.
8. Re: Allegations by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 12:22 · Score: 0
  
  I farted legindarily and it caused the recent storms in the Northeastern United States. Butterfly effect and all. Prove me wrong.
9. Re: Allegations by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 16:37 · Score: 0
  
  And you seem like little more than an incredibly ignorant pedophile.
Re:gweihir = fake name massive human fail... apk by gweihir · 2018-11-17 07:53 · Score: 1

I see I triggered you again. What a pathetic life you must have...
I also _know_ you are not apk....

--
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Re: gweihir = fake name massive human fail... apk by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 08:01 · Score: 0

It looks like both gweihir and APK are triggered by a copy & paste troll.
Stop whining, crybaby by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 08:11 · Score: 0

You're the worst deficient of anyone. If gweihir likes you, that reflects poorly on his character. You're both extremely rude. You get nodded down because your posts are generally off topic spam, like most of your shitposts about ZIP. You get incredibly triggered when anyone mods you down, even when it's completely justified. Grow up, crybaby.
Some people are more stupid than others by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 08:34 · Score: 0

BeauHD keeps on trying to go "hacker! hacker! hacker!" and still doesn't notice how stupid that makes him sound.
Bigfoot Needs a Slimjim by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 08:39 · Score: 0

The big grey man of Scotland is the hacker lol
1. Re: Bigfoot Needs a Slimjim by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 15:23 · Score: 0
  
  someone should warn BigClive
GAYpk is losing it by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 08:40 · Score: 0, Funny

GAYpk is melting down again! Must need a good dicking from his live in boyfriend!
Probably legit claim. by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 11:57 · Score: 0

> it reads like a prank, as it states that the alleged hackers have access to underwater drone activity and treaty violations in Antarctica.
Why should it be a prank? For example the sunken argentinian submarine ARA San Juan was found by ROVs (underwater drones) just two days ago, after a search spanning an entire year. The hunt for flight MH370, which may now re-start based on that sub find success, also involved widespread UWAV application in the Southern Indian Ocean.
Trying to re-introduce (treaty banned) territorial national claims for parts of the Antarctica seems to be a frenzy lately, as some traditionally cold climate countries, mostly located in northern Europe are rapidly losing their snow, ice and glaciers coverage to global climate change.
Gweihir of ALL folks KNOW better... apk by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 13:26 · Score: 0

In your IMPERSONATIONS of me saying what you thought "makes me look bad" https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... (like now)? You did me a favor:
1st - Hosts stop portsmash (blocking downloads of it) "You basically have to already be able to run your own evil code on a machine in order to PortSmash it." from https://www.theregister.co.uk/...
2nd hosts MAY prevent the OTHER forms of Intel CPU weakness per ACADEMIC RESEARCH I read:
SPECTRE "As an attempted mitigation for our JavaScript-based attack" https://spectreattack.com/spec...
MELTDOWN "We presented Meltdown, a novel software-based attack" https://meltdownattack.com/mel...
So like portsmash?
Academics NEEDED LOCAL CODE (like portsmash hosts can prevent) so hosts ALSO work vs. Spectre/Meltdown!
APK
P.S.=> 3rd strike "yer out" - U FAIL PORTFILTERING TESTS https://yro.slashdot.org/comme... (IF hosts could DO it I'd implement it in my work & I STOP THAT ERROR) ... apk
LMAO: Who's DEFICIENT, milksop ZIP? apk by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 13:27 · Score: 0

Zach Paterson/ZIP + c6gunner 'Greatest Hits': "I'm a much better programmer than APK" - by Anonymous Coward ZIP on Monday October 08, 2018 @11:27PM (#57449082)
BIG TALK - ZIP has no programs to show as proof.
I do https://news.slashdot.org/comm...
(From registered /.ers liking/using/praising my work + 100k users worldwide)
ZIP tried to take credit for what I solved before him https://tech.slashdot.org/comm...
He codes? He can't EVEN READ!
I show 2 ways to do it YOURSELF https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... - he can't.
Delphi/FreePascal/ObjectPascal HAS no null-term'd string bufferoverflows https://developers.slashdot.or... - C does, C++ can UNLESS you do what I said 1st.
He likes CODE SIGNING (it's been STOLEN & ABUSED) https://www.helpnetsecurity.co...
MY METHOD CAN'T BE (upmodded +2 INTERESTING in CODING FOR DEFCON) https://it.slashdot.org/commen...
ZIP says he has no /. acct "I don't have an account so I don't have mod points" https://news.slashdot.org/comm...
Yet ZIP says he downmods me (IMPOSSIBLE w/ no /. acct.): "I down-modded a few of your post" - by Anonymous Coward "ZIP" on Thursday October 11, 2018 @11:31AM (#57461058)
APK
P.S.=> KEEP IMPERSONATING ME like https://science.slashdot.org/c... (I'd never say that OR bitch to do-NOTHING "ne'er-do-wells" like ZIP OR c6gunner https://linux.slashdot.org/com... (he 1st mocked me & impersonated me TWISTING /.ers words & after that, I FAIRLY challenged him to show HE DID BETTER & that was his response (weak))!
Above EXPOSES your BLOWHARD incompetence... apk
Thanks gweihir: What is it you called them? apk by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 13:30 · Score: 0

Thanks gweihir: What is it you call them? Ah, yes - DEFICIENTS (lol, better vs. my "ne'er-do-well" to them). They are vs. https://science.slashdot.org/c... RoTfLmAo!
* They ALWAYS do themselves in - every single time & you're right - they ARE completely DEFICIENT & PATHETIC!
(Everyone KNOWS that for years now, ever since I put out my hosts engine which stops ads/tracking scripts/threats online & SPEEDS you up 2 ways (hardcode fav sites resolved 1st & adblocking FASTER vs. any other method & you control it, easily locally, yourself)? They've been "at me" but LOSING bigtime (that 1st link above REALLY "seals the DEAL" on them - best part? They DID IT TO THEMSELVES (getting me to look into it)).
They TRIED to downmod me (literally 100's of downmods levelled on my posts the past week - I just overrode them via my UNLIMITED ac post ability (which I'm SURE a guy like YOU knows how I do it)) - they failed that too!
APK
P.S.=> Funny how since mid 2012 when I released my hosts program I got attacked (always was upmodded a LOT before that, suddenly after that, much less & TONS of downmods occurred - "Gosh, I wonder WHY?" NOT - their profits are adversely affected in webmasters + advertisers mostly, inferior security issue riddled competitors next, malware makers last (they just make more keeping ME "in business" stalling them))... apk
Isn't Proton Mail encrypted locally? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 13:30 · Score: 1

It's not possible to compromise ProtonMail because it's encrypted locally on your computer. ProntonMail themselves can't even access it.
Well, it's suppose to be anyway. I suppose there could be a backdoor or something hidden that does allow access to the decrypted data. It's nearly impossible to audit Proton mail's Javascript.
1. Re:Isn't Proton Mail encrypted locally? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-18 01:04 · Score: 0
  
  Anything that relies on you downloading code to encrypt from a remote web server is not secure: https://www.wired.com/2007/11/encrypted-e-mai/
  Also any nation state with a valid root certificate can probably conduct a man in the middle attack.
JOB (me) from "Lawnmower Man"... apk by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 13:31 · Score: 0

"You realize Dr. Angelo my intelligence has surpassed yours. I can't allow your fear of what you don't understand to get in the way of this work" https://science.slashdot.org/c...
* FROM the film "The Lawnmower Man" (JOB).
(Since I am CERTAINLY definitely MOWING YOU DOWN - & funniest part is YOU'RE HELPING ME DO IT, lol!)
APK
P.S.=> "It's NOT new - I realize nothing that I've been doing is new: I haven't been tapping into new areas of the brain. I've just been awakening the MOST ANCIENT. This technology is simply a route to powers that conjurers & alchemists used CENTURIES ago. Human race lost that knowledge & now I'm reclaiming it thru https://search.slashdot.org/co... ... apk
I am SICK & TIRED of you people BULLYING me by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 15:17 · Score: 0

See subject: I'm so sick & tired of /. BULLIES. You shitweasels have nothing better to do than HARASS, STALK & IMPERSONATE little ol' me. I've done absolutely NOTHING wrong & just try to make everyone's lives better w/ my work that stops ads & malware.
* As soon as I post, I'm CENSORED to -1 w/ ABUSED downmodpoints by bullies like ZIP, who even admit to this. I caught c6gunner mocking then IMPERSONATING me when he forgot to log out. Zontar mailed me a postcard w/ THREATS on it, then LIES & STALKS me. All because you JEALOUS JOWIE "ne'er-do-wells" KNOW I'm World-Class & you're shit. It's why you hide behind FAKE names & UNIDENTIFIABLE ANONYMOUS. The only good FAKE name I know on this site is my friend gweihir.
I'm even improving my already GREAT PHYSIQUE & INTELLECT while you weezils sit around all day on /. STALKING & HARASSING your BETTERS. I repeatedly dust the no-mind bullshit blatherings you BULLIES post to attack me. Like always I WIN & YOU LOSE.
APK
P.S.=> This BULLYING of me is SO UNFAIR & I've done NOTHING to deserve it. GROW UP... apk
Gweihir they also "F'd up" w/ 110010001000 by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 15:32 · Score: 0

Gweihir they also "F'd up" w/ 110010001000 (one of the folks who likes & uses my program) & I busted them https://news.slashdot.org/comm...
* What a PACK OF "BITCHBOY" PUNKS, lol - & STUPID too!
APK
P.S.=> Man, they truly ARE what YOU called them - DEFICIENTS, lol - punk "Weezilz" as I also call them (just telling it how it is, NOW with more proof the idiots SUPPLIED me with (pitiful))... apk
LOL! You're DELUSIONAL... apk by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 18:03 · Score: 0

See subject: You're a PUNY LITTLE WORM that has to HIDE behind UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous posts & you've FAILED @ every turn vs. me - face facts: YOU ALWAYS WILL!
* ESPECIALLY HERE (love it) https://science.slashdot.org/c...
LMAO!
APK
P.S.=> Thanks for being SO useful to me... apk
Everyone KNOWS you're impersonating me... apk by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-17 18:08 · Score: 0

See subject & gweihir put the icing on that cake for me right here https://it.slashdot.org/commen... chump!
* LMAO - you are FAILING (it's ALL YOUR KIND ("lowest of the LOW" online & in life - the not-men, the bitchboys) KNOW how to do!
APK
P.S.=> You LOSE, loser - the only thing you're good @ IS losing, lmao... apk
lol by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-18 07:26 · Score: 0

owned
What a stupid name by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-18 12:49 · Score: 0

Just when you think you've heard the most pathetic and retarded name that a "hacker" could come up with for him/herself, a new champion emerges.
Everyone gets the joke except you by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-18 13:32 · Score: 0

Making new friends I see. Good for you!
ZIP
Zach Patterson/ZIP + c6gunner 'Greatest Hits' by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-18 18:46 · Score: 0

"I'm a much better programmer than APK" - by Anonymous Coward ZIP on Monday October 08, 2018 @11:27PM (#57449082)
BIG TALK - ZIP has no programs to show as proof.
I do https://news.slashdot.org/comm...
(From registered /.ers liking/using/praising my work + 100k users worldwide)
ZIP tried to take credit for what I solved before him https://tech.slashdot.org/comm...
He codes? He can't EVEN READ!
I show 2 ways to do it YOURSELF https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... - he can't.
Delphi/FreePascal/ObjectPascal HAS no null-term'd string bufferoverflows https://developers.slashdot.or... - C does, C++ can UNLESS you do what I said 1st.
He likes CODE SIGNING (it's been STOLEN & ABUSED) https://www.helpnetsecurity.co...
MY METHOD CAN'T BE (upmodded +2 INTERESTING in CODING FOR DEFCON) https://it.slashdot.org/commen...
ZIP says he has no /. acct "I don't have an account so I don't have mod points" https://news.slashdot.org/comm...
Yet ZIP says he downmods me (IMPOSSIBLE w/ no /. acct.): "I down-modded a few of your post" - by Anonymous Coward "ZIP" on Thursday October 11, 2018 @11:31AM (#57461058)
APK
P.S.=> KEEP IMPERSONATING ME like https://science.slashdot.org/c... (I'd never say that OR bitch to do-NOTHING "ne'er-do-wells" like ZIP OR c6gunner https://linux.slashdot.org/com... (he 1st mocked me & impersonated me TWISTING /.ers words & after that, I FAIRLY challenged him to show HE DID BETTER & that was his response (weak))!
Above EXPOSES your BLOWHARD incompetence... apk