Global WordPress Brute Force Flood

Posted on by

As I type these words, there is an on-going and highly-distributed, global attack on WordPress installations across virtually every web host in existence. This attack is well organized and again very, very distributed; we have seen over 90,000 IP addresses involved in this attack.

via Global WordPress Brute Force Flood | HostGator Web Hosting Blog | Gator Crossing.

This wordpress blog has been receiving these attacks since around the beginning of the year.   Getting rid of the admin account is a first step and using strong passwords is a second, I chose to just shut down access from the Internet entirely by disabling the wp-admin directory and wp-login.php access in httpd.conf.   That may not be practical for most sites however.  The error logs were getting quiet in the last 3 or 4 weeks and then this week they’re back up to full speed blocking with IPs from ranges all over the place.   It looks like I’m not the only one experiencing this according to here and here.

Update:  From my observations of the logs over these last few months these bots are hitting the sites very patiently, sometimes once an hour thus running under the radar of the security plug ins I tried.

Update II: More links here, here, and from here:

These rules will block access for the offending IP address for 5 minutes upon 10 failed login attempts over a 3 minute duration.

This won’t work.  Each IP from these bots may hit you once or twice an hour so any limit login plugin won’t detect them at any rate to ban them.  You can’t stop this on an IP basis.  Since my logs last rotated Sunday morning (almost 6 days ago) I have had 500 different IP addresses hit wp-login.php.  They all have been given 403 Forbidden responses yet they keep coming.

Big winner with Office for iPad and Android delay

Posted on by

My colleague Zack Whittaker believes Google Docs will take some of these customers away, but that’s not the biggest threat to Microsoft. The longer Microsoft neglects to release the iOS and Android versions of Office, a greater number of customers owning iPads and other tablets will discover competing Office-compatible apps for those platforms. Having used many of these suites for years, it is clear they are robust enough to fill the need for Office for many owners.

via Big winner with Office for iPad and Android delay: Google | ZDNet.

After having used a tablet I can’t see how one could do any real work on one.  Tablets are good consumption devices — reading (and perhaps commenting on) documents produced on workstations with real QWERTY keyboards that fit one’s fingers and hand.

Microsoft: Uninstall Faulty Patch Tuesday Security Update

Posted on by

Microsoft patchMicrosoft announced last night that it has stopped pushing a security update originally released on Patch Tuesday because the fix is causing some PCs to blue screen. Microsoft recommends users uninstall the patch, which is also causing compatibility with some endpoint security software.

via Microsoft: Uninstall Faulty Patch Tuesday Security Update | threatpost.

This is why I always turn automatic updates off on all PCs and update on my own terms and on my own schedule.

A guide to the system-on-a-chip

Posted on by

To help you keep things straight, we’ve assembled this handy guide that will walk you through the basics of how an SoC is put together. It will also serve as a guide to most of the current (and future, where applicable) chips available from the big players making SoCs today: Apple, Qualcomm, Samsung, Nvidia, Texas Instruments, Intel, and AMD.

via The PC inside your phone: A guide to the system-on-a-chip | Ars Technica.

SoC=System on a Chip

Judge says Apple, Motorola pursuing business strategy in court

Posted on by

Referring to the “parties’ obstreperous and cantankerous conduct,” Judge Robert N. Scola of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, described it as not a proper use of the court.

via Judge says Apple, Motorola pursuing business strategy in court | ITworld.

Word of the day!

obstreperous – Meaning “clamorous, noisy” and “argumentative,” it is from Latin ob-, “against,” and strepere, “to make a noise.”

Bitcoin crashes, losing nearly half of its value in six hours

Posted on by

On Wednesday afternoon, the Bitcoin bubble appears to have burst. As of this writing, its current value is around $160—down from a high of $260. (It fell as low as $130 today.) There is no obvious explanation for why the digital currency has fallen so far and so fast, although the market correcting after such a huge rise might be a good explanation. (Update 4:05pm CT: Bitcoin seems to have somewhat recovered and appears to be hovering around $200.)

via Bitcoin crashes, losing nearly half of its value in six hours | Ars Technica.

More info from Slashdot and Techcrunch.  From:  Bitcoin Suffers A Correction Amid Apparent DDOS Attacks On Some Exchanges

This also happened last week when Mt. Gox when Bitcoin reached $142 and hackers attacked the exchange. At that point, Mt. Gox said it had suffered ”its worst trading lag ever.”

European scientists propose world’s largest quantum network, between Earth and the ISS

Posted on by

In recent years, quantum physicists have successfully teleported entangled photons over a free-space distance of 143 kilometers (89 miles) using lasers, and 250 kilometers (155 miles) over optical fiber in the lab. In the past year we have also seen the first ground-to-air network, between a base station and an airplane flying 20 kilometers (12 miles) above. These were impressive feats, but to prove the possibility of a worldwide, satellite-based quantum network, larger distances are needed — something like the 400 kilometers (248 miles) to the ISS.

via European scientists propose world’s largest quantum network, between Earth and the ISS | ExtremeTech.

Facebook “Home” Is Next Step in Facebook’s Developing World Strategy

Posted on by

Projections from the Yankee Group, a Boston-based analytics firm, highlight the potential: the number of smartphones in use is projected to double from 1.5 billion in 2013 to nearly 3 billion in 2017. Most of those 1.5 billion new adoptions will be in the developing world, and the vast majority will be lower-end Android phones. Facebook also wants to capture the attention of those who haven’t yet gotten access to the Internet—and will likely first do so on a mobile device.

via Facebook “Home” Is Next Step in Facebook’s Developing World Strategy | MIT Technology Review.

Don’t Use Linksys Routers

Posted on by

Today I am publishing 5 Linksys router vulnerabilities so that consumers may be aware of the risks.
linksys vulns.txt

via Don’t Use Linksys Routers « Superevr.

I run a WRT54GL in my network but installed tomato on it because I never liked the linksys GUI and wanted to try out tomato.  Here’s his take on the WRT54GL:

1. Linksys WRT54GL Firmware Upload CSRF Vulnerability
I demonstrate Cross-Site File Upload in my BlackHat and AppSec USA talks. If you need more info on the vector itself, check out How to upload arbitrary file contents cross-domain by Kotowicz.

I suspect these kind of exploits exist in all consumer grade routers.

OpenDaylight SDN Group Breaks Cover

Posted on by

The OpenDaylight members plan to work on a standardized SDN controller and develop OpenDaylight APIs that sit between the controller platform and the network applications and user interfaces. The common, open source platforms will be developed using technology contributed by member companies and utilizing existing industry standards such as OpenFlow.

via Light Reading – OpenDaylight SDN Group Breaks Cover.