[scottishchris]

Looks like a chance for BlackBerry to do some marketing/PR work promoting security!

Reporter Richard Engel brought two brand new computers and a new smartphone to Sochi. He had an American security expert upload a phony identity for him so that they contained hackable data.

Then they went to a coffee shop and used the smartphone to browse about Sochi.

"Almost immediately we were hacked," Engel reports. "Malicious software hijacked our phone before we even finished our coffee, stealing my information and giving hackers the option to tap or record my phone calls."

Hackers In Sochi - Business Insider

What do you guys think? I wonder how many other journalists will be affected over the coming weeks?

[Foreverup]

No offense that is a loaded report. He set it up to be hacked basically proving their are hackers.

Any organization going there should have security protocols implemented before arriving be it an iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry.

If they don't they deserve what they get.

Posted via CB10

[MrGlenn]

How do you 'get actively hacked' by using your device in a responsible manner?

Or is he saying the connection he was browsing through automatically intercepted his data/re-routed him to malicious sites without him realising or something?

I thought that 'hacking' in recent times - at least when it comes to smartphone use - was caused by human error more than anything.
Downloading unknown files, permitting unknown apps, that sort of thing.

BlackBerry 10 signed.

[drjames05]

What smartphone did he have?

Posted via CB10

[iBelieveInBB]

No offense that is a loaded report. He set it up to be hacked basically proving their are hackers.

I didn't read it that way at all. All they did was load up a phone with a bunch of fake information so if it did get hacked it wouldn't be a big deal. To me it doesn't seem like they did anything to provoke the hackers or make the phone "easier" to get hacked. It would be no different if I went to the olympics as a tourist and connected to a random wifi connection to check emails….. well, except for the fact that I have a BlackBerry so, in that case, my information wouldn't have been hijacked.

[propeller10]

Well I doubt the malware is written for Blackberry 10.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

He opened some suspicion email attachments.... what did he expect to happen? Wouldn't have been much of a news story if he hadn't been hacked. Be interested to know if he had purposely turn off all of his "protection". Bet he even went to a few porn sites and registered and downloaded their special viewers.... Was a slow news day.

[scottishchris]

Indeed it was a slow day for news, but I still thought it a bit interesting given all the focus on security just now.

To be fair the article doesn't go into too much detail, which is a shame. It would have been nice to know what specific hardware and settings he was using.

Posted via CB10

[chrisjsandlin]

I saw the report on this last night on TV. It looked like he was using a s4 or some android phone and two mac books. The hacker detection software was running on what looked to be an PC possibly and IBM.

Posted via Q10

[chrisjsandlin]

Here is another thread about it too.

http://forums.crackberry.com/showthread.php?t=902061

Posted via Q10

[sjmartin007]

It not malware they are getting hacked through the open wifi.

Posted via CB10

[flyersfan76]

I just read this but in my defense I didn't have power all day yesterday.

What if it was a data connection over cellular not over wifi?

Apparently this phone was brand new with fake people info. As soon as the guy connected to the internet (report didn't say how) he received a spam email.


NBC News' Richard Engel: My Computers, Cellphone Were Hacked 'Almost Immediately' In Sochi

[sectionsix]

Interesting read with a better explanation. The hardware includes a Galaxy S4, Thinkpad and MacBook Air. Details Behind the NBC Honeypots: Part 2 - Trend Micro Simply Security

First, all the attacks required some kind of user interaction. Whether to execute “applications” or to open a Microsoft Word document, all the attacks shown required user interaction in order to compromise the device.

Second, these attacks could happen anywhere. They would not just happen in Moscow, nor did it require us to be in Moscow. Whether those attacks occur while you are sitting in a coffee shop in Berlin, or your home in Tokyo, these types of attacks can and do occur, on a worldwide scale.

Third, the infections occurred on newly unboxed hardware. Had basic security precautions such as updating the operating system or not opening emails from unrecognized sources been done, these attacks could have been prevented. A more detailed NBC video explaining these precautions can be seen here.

Finally, to reiterate, while all three devices looked like they had been compromised with no user interactions that was just not the case. Incorrect impressions may have been formed due to the editing process; no zero-days were used and all infections required plenty of risky behavior to succeed.

Here is a link to the whitepaper. https://forums.crackberry.com/e?link...token=WM3nc25b

[avt123]

I'd be more worried about the Russian government than normal hackers.

Hackers aren't the problem at Sochi, surveillance is | The Verge

[anon(5818411)]

No offense that is a loaded report. He set it up to be hacked basically proving their are hackers.

Any organization going there should have security protocols implemented before arriving be it an iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry.

If they don't they deserve what they get.

Posted via CB10

Isn't samsung trying to ban apple products at the games?

Posted via CB10

[FSeverino]

I wonder if the 'no one makes viruses fr them because not many people have them' argument that apple had for years is valid with bb10...

Posted via CB10

[ALToronto]

I wonder if the 'no one makes viruses fr them because not many people have them' argument that apple had for years is valid with bb10...

Posted via CB10

It certainly isn't valid with Apple. But with BlackBerry, isn't most browser hacking software independent of platform and targeted at Java? When you connect to a sketchy wifi and click 'I agree' without reading the license agreement, you may well be agreeing to have your device scoured for information.

The Russians have no expectations of privacy in communications. They didn't have it under communist rule, and they don't have it now. When you know you're being monitored, you don't send out private information. Foreigners are such easy pickings! I hope nobody tries online banking while they're there.

Posted via CB10

[FSeverino]

It certainly isn't valid with Apple. But with BlackBerry, isn't most browser hacking software independent of platform and targeted at Java? When you connect to a sketchy wifi and click 'I agree' without reading the license agreement, you may well be agreeing to have your device scoured for information.

The Russians have no expectations of privacy in communications. They didn't have it under communist rule, and they don't have it now. When you know you're being monitored, you don't send out private information. Foreigners are such easy pickings! I hope nobody tries online banking while they're there.

Posted via CB10

sure it is. thats what all my friends say when they spend 2x the money on a macbook. "oh, they dont have viruses...blah blah blah"
so they spend over 2000 for a 13" macbook that has either the same or slighlty lower specs for every area of my 14" lenovo ideapad y410p... only 'better thing' is that the macbook battery lasts 2x as long.

lol

[chiphazard]

Looks like a chance for BlackBerry to do some marketing/PR work promoting security!



Hackers In Sochi - Business Insider

What do you guys think? I wonder how many other journalists will be affected over the coming weeks?

It happened to CBC's Colleen Jones a few days ago. She is using a Samsung.

BlackBerry Since 2006. Rogers Halifax, NS - Official 10.2.1