vyagers
Abstract. The GMR-2 cipher is a kind of stream cipher currently being used in some Inmarsat satellite phones. It has been proven that such cipher can be cracked using only one frame known keystream but with a moderate executing times. In this paper, we present a new thorough security analysis of the GMR-2 cipher. We first study the inverse properties and the relationship of the cipher’s components to reveal a bad one-way character of the cipher. View full article »
Over the years WiFi Routers have been notoriously susceptible to simple attacks. In early 2017, Trustwave SpiderLabs Researcher Simon Kenin identified 43 different models of Netgear Router to be vulnerable for Remote and Local Password Disclosure. View full article »
In the wake of WannaCry, a new cyber threat has emerged from the NSA leak. Making use of previously exposed tools, Petya once again is engaged in another large scale attack. Important distinctions in this case, however, are that the attacks targeted mainly a specific country, and are used solely for destruction. While Petya may look like ransomware, it appears that despite a victim paying the ransom, there is no way to decrypt the files afterward. View full article »
On the 19th of last month, a 30 – year – old Tomo lost 10 million won in five minutes after receiving a phone call. Mr. Doo has deposited $ 15 million in a “Bitsumer” account, a virtual money exchange that can buy and sell virtual currency like Bitcoin. A person who introduced himself as an executive of Bitsum said, “I am suspicious of overseas hacking, so please just give me a verification number written on the letter” Bitsum “. View full article »
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s national cybercrime unit seized servers belonging to a small company at the center of a global outbreak of malicious software after “new activity” was detected there, the service said in a statement early Wednesday. View full article »
As was anticipated by Minister Pier Carlo Padoan, the Taormina G7, he would have to face, inter alia, the overwhelming problem of Web security and the protection of sensitive data. View full article »
A vulnerability in the Play Framework of Cisco Elastic Services Controller (ESC) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to gain full access to the affected system. View full article »
The OSCI-transport protocol is used for data exchange between public agencies. It is the obligatory communication protocol for public administrations and therefore the basis for e-government in Germany [1]. It attempts to provide a secure channel [2] for communication between government agencies [3]. View full article »
During a short security test, SEC Consult found several severe security vulnerabilities in the OSCI 1.2 Transport library. View full article »
Dear [preferred name]: We recently learned that certain hotel reservations made for Google business travel were among the many reservations affected by a security incident impacting a third-party provider’s electronic reservation system that serves thousands of travel agencies and hotels. This did not affect Google’s systems. However, this incident impacted one of the travel providers used by Googlers, Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT). View full article »
BROKERS IN THE SHADOWS – Part 2: Analyzing Petya’s DoublePulsarV2.0 Backdoor
The GMR-2 cipher's vulnerability highlights a broader issue in satellite communications: the reliance on proprietary, often outdated cryptographic algorithms. While the A5 family used in GSM networks has been extensively analyzed, satellite phone standards like GMR-1 and GMR-2 have received less public scrutiny. The recent inversion attack demonstrates that even with a moderate computational budget, an attacker can recover the keystream and decrypt intercepted calls. This raises concerns for journalists, activists, and enterprises that depend on satellite phones for secure communication in remote areas.
Researchers have shown that the GMR-2 cipher exhibits poor one-way characteristics, meaning that given the output, one can efficiently reverse-engineer the internal state. This is a fundamental design flaw that cannot be patched without replacing the hardware. In contrast, modern terrestrial mobile standards have moved toward open, peer-reviewed algorithms like AES and SNOW 3G. The lesson is clear: closed designs often hide weaknesses that only become apparent after deployment.
The Humax WiFi router vulnerability is a reminder that home and small-office networking gear often ships with insecure defaults and unpatched firmware. Many devices expose administrative interfaces on the local network without proper authentication, allowing any connected device—or a remote attacker via CSRF—to change settings or extract credentials. The Trustwave SpiderLabs research on Netgear routers revealed that a simple unauthenticated request could disclose the administrator password, a flaw that affected millions of devices.
Beyond password disclosure, routers frequently contain hardcoded backdoors, outdated web servers, and insecure UPnP implementations. These issues are compounded by the fact that most consumers never update their router firmware, leaving them exposed for years. Manufacturers must adopt secure development practices, provide automatic updates, and disable unnecessary services by default. Until then, routers will remain a prime target for botnet recruitment and man-in-the-middle attacks.
The Petya outbreak in June 2017 marked a turning point in ransomware tactics. Although it presented a ransom note, its true intention appeared to be data destruction and disruption, particularly targeting Ukrainian institutions before spreading globally. The use of the DoublePulsar backdoor and EternalBlue exploit, both leaked from the NSA, demonstrated how state-grade tools could be repurposed by less sophisticated actors. Unlike WannaCry, which also used EternalBlue, Petya lacked a kill switch and spread laterally within networks using stolen credentials and WMI.
Analysis of the DoublePulsarV2.0 payload revealed modifications to the original implant, making it harder to detect. The malware’s damage was exacerbated by its ability to overwrite the Master Boot Record, rendering systems unbootable. This incident underscored the importance of network segmentation, timely patching, and offline backups. It also raised ethical questions about government stockpiling of vulnerabilities, as the delayed disclosure allowed these exploits to be weaponized by criminals.
The critical vulnerabilities found in the OSCI-Transport library, which underpins secure communication in German public administration, illustrate the risks of relying on a single protocol for all e-government transactions. SEC Consult’s discovery of multiple severe flaws—including buffer overflows and authentication bypasses—meant that an attacker could potentially intercept or manipulate data exchanged between agencies and citizens. Because OSCI is mandated for official communications, any compromise could have widespread consequences, from tax fraud to identity theft.
The incident highlights the need for continuous security audits of core infrastructure, even when it is developed in-house. The OSCI protocol, while conceptually sound, suffered from implementation errors that went unnoticed for years. A coordinated disclosure process and rapid patching were essential, but the event also raised questions about the sustainability of bespoke cryptographic solutions. Moving forward, e-government systems should adopt standard, widely tested protocols like TLS with strong cipher suites, and prioritize transparency to allow independent review.
Are habitable planets the best places to look for life? The question seems odd, because we’re assuming life has to have clement conditions to emerge and survive.
Interstellar
Yesterday we looked at the possibility of colonizing worlds much different from the Earth.
Resources Between
Michael Michaud wrote the essay that follows back in 1978 for a now-defunct magazine that never published it.
Starships
It’s reasonable to call the two Voyager spacecraft our first interstellar probes, in the sense that they are approaching the heliopause and are still transmitting data.
Looking Back from
TESS will be the first dedicated all-sky exoplanet hunting satellite.
New
The 100 Year Starship Symposium forces an interesting conversation simply by virtue of its name. I learned this yet again this morning when I met a neighbor out walking his dog.
100 Year Starship:
Somewhere deep within the suburbs of our solar system, the New Horizons spacecraft is sleeping.
With New Horizons
This Earth video created by James Tyrwhitt-Drake using footage from the Elektro-L weather satellite—a Russian satellite that takes one 121 megapixel image of Earth every 30 minutes—is the highest…
The most accurate,
SUMMARY: An EU-funded research project aims to re-engineer the TCP protocol, as well as the way routers work – and all without the need to replace expensive internet infrastructure.
Latency is a pain,
Electric cars are ideal for people who live in cities where pollution tends to be the worst and driving distances tend to be less with lower speeds.
BMW unveils
There are many reasons to marvel at “Interstellar,” Christopher Nolan’s just-opened epic.
Science friction:
While Grand Theft Auto V is arguably the best game of the GTA series, perhaps the best part of the game (as is the case with the entire franchise) is its soundtrack.
Listen to over![Supermovies: This Is What The Next Few Years Of Your Life Looks Like [Infographic]](/images/ph71.jpg)
UPDATE: The above graphic was updated October 28 to reflect the confirmed Marvel Studios Phase 3 releases
Supermovies: This
It’s been half a year since Huawei introduced the Ascend P7 to the market, and according to a new report out of China, a successor might be unveiled as early as next year’s CES in the beginning of…
This is the first
Toyota’s $69,000 fuel cell vehicle (FCV) coming next year is called the Mirai and will have a network of hydrogen stations in the US Northeast to support it.
Toyota’s hydrogen
Recent Posts Hacks all the time. Engineers recently found Yahoo systems remained compromised
Yay!
There are few pieces of infrastructure in any city more iconic than the pay phone. Clark Kent used it. So did Colin Farrell. And Bill. And Ted.
New York City
Ubisoft has launched a new tie-in title for the highly anticipated Far Cry 4, set to launch on consoles and PCs today, called Far Cry 4 Arcade Poker.
Ubisoft releases
Fitness trackers and smartwatches will battle for consumer attention in 2015 – but the real excitement is in the smartclothing being explored by athletes to track performance
Forget smartwatches
Last month, Google quietly launched its new bookmarking service previously called Stars on the Chrome Web store as a free download.
Google’s
WALTR is a new Mac app from Softorino that’s designed to make it easy to upload and convert any music or video file to an iPad or iPhone format for native playback.
‘WALTR’ for Mac Lets
A number of Mac users who were experiencing wi-fi connection difficulties with OS X Yosemite have found the problems continue to persist after updating to OS X 10.10.1.
Troubleshooting
Well known iOS hacker iH8sn0w has posted a new video on his YouTube channel of an iPad 3 (J2a model) running an untethered iOS 8.1.1 jailbreak.
iH8sn0w shows
New tool means tweets are no longer gone forever but don’t worry there are ways to get rid of those embarrassing old tweets
Twitter just made
Increased user concern over security and privacy on the Internet has led to widespread adoption of HTTPS, the secure version of HTTP.
The Cost
Welcome to WordPress.com! This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post.
November 2012
Jackson Laboratory researchers led by Associate Professor Zhong-wei Zhang, Ph.D., have provided direct evidence that a specific neurotransmitter receptor is vital to the process of pruning synapses…
December 2012
Medical illustrators and neurological imaging experts at Johns Hopkins have figured out how night-hunting owls can almost fully rotate their heads — by as much as 270 degrees in either direction —…
January 2013
Ouya raised more than $8 million last year for an Android-based video game console that would sell for $99.
February 2013
Today’s industrial robots have incredible dexterity to match their brute strength, and can actually learn on the job.
March 2013
April 2013 was a month of profound contrasts—triumphs in technology and culture set against tragedies that shook the world.
April 2013
Razer has announced two new additions to its gaming laptop category, the Razer Blade Pro and the Razer Blade. The Blade Pro is the latest installment in its 17-inch gaming laptop section.
May 2013
Yesterday Huawei Ascend formalized P6, a high-end Smartphone regarded as the world’s thinnest with a thickness of 6.18 mm.
June 2013
The world’s first lab-grown hamburger will be served Monday (Aug. 5) in London in front of an invitation-only crowd, according to NBC News. No word on a special sauce, lettuce or a sesame bun.
July 2013
Threes, Huawei announced this morning the third generation of Honor. In this menu Honor 3 HD 4.7 “screen, quad-core and 13-megapixel camera processor.
August 2013
The iPhone launch has come and gone, so naturally, it’s time for the iPad rumors to begin.
September 2013
After far too much speculation, lots of waiting, and a surprise name-change in the middle of things, Android 4.4 KitKat is official.
October 2013
Nokia’s Lumia 525 Windows Phone has long been rumored, and the Finnish smartphone manufacturer is making it official today with little fanfare.
November 2013
On Sunday, at 5:17 p.m. GMT (12:17 p.m. EST), Europe’s Mars Express orbiter successfully completed a daring low-pass of Mars’ largest moon Phobos.
December 2013
Netflix Instant has more streamable movies available than you could watch in an entire lifetime, but depending on where you are in the world, that selection of movies might only be available in that…
January 2014
Lenovo has rolled out a variety of business-chic ThinkPad laptops over the past few months, as well as the wonderfully flexible Yoga 2 Pro.
February 2014
At F8, Facebook introduced new mobile privacy tools, and a mobile ad business called Audience Network.
April 2014
Earlier today, ensuing both Apple’s release of iOS 7.1.1 more than two months ago and the unexpected iOS 7.1.1 Pangu Jailbreak utility that was released last week, Apple issued iOS 7.1.2 tothe public…
June 2014
Many driver’s licenses and passports have holograms and other types of sophisticated security embedded in them, but for the most part, people still heavily rely on ID cards to prove who they are.
August 2014
The Vibe Z2 Pro costs only 32,999 INR or US$533 to dethrone the Find 7 as the cheapest Quad HD smartphone.
September 2014
At the Code/Mobile conference last week, the speaker lineup included two self-made stars who have built their personal brands to translate across many mediums: Kim Kardashian West and Michelle Phan.
October 2014
(Phys.org)—Researchers have set a new record for the quantum factorization of the largest number to date, 56,153, smashing the previous record of 143 that was set in 2012.
November 2014