Episode 134 - Happy Birthday The Duchess of Ladywell

This week in InfoSec (07:15)

With content liberated from the “today in infosec” twitter account and further afield

3rd January 2009: The Genesis of Bitcoin

The pseudonymous Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto mines the first 50 bitcoins, now known as the Genesis Block, six days before the initial release of the bitcoin software and launch of the cryptocurrency network. Bitcoin has become the de-facto digital currency, popular for its decentralized approach because no single entity can control, manipulate, or deactivate the currency and transactions can be highly private yet still remain secure.

1st January 2000: Y2K Comes and Goes

After years of hysteria regarding the Y2K bug, the world’s computers begin using the date 2000 with no major catastrophes. There is still debate whether the “Year 2000 Problem” was overblown by the technology industry or if the frantic updating done by armies of software developers leading up to Y2K averted disaster. I tend to lean towards the latter.

Wrap up of the year:

https://www.computing.co.uk/news/4061865/cyber-computings-biggest-security-stories-2022

Rant of the Week (17:02)

ChatGPT banned in NYC schools over learning impact concerns

The NYC Department of Education has banned the use of ChatGPT by students and teachers in New York City schools as there are serious concerns about its use hampering learning and leading to misinformation.

The organization manages the largest school district in the U.S., so others might follow with similar decisions.

ChatGPT is a next-gen chatbot optimized for dialogue-format user interactions, released by OpenAI in November 2022. The chatbot has been very disruptive for several disciplines, including programming and essay writing.

Another field that AI-based chatbots like ChatGPT are expected to revolutionize is internet searching, as those tools can provide richer answers to search terms and allow users to find what they're looking for using natural language.

Microsoft is reportedly planning to integrate ChatGPT into Bing to give its search engine an edge over competitors like Google Search.

NYC Dept. of Education is worried about the information that ChatGPT may convey to students, specifically the safety and accuracy of its answers. Moreover, the organization fears young students will grow complacent and lack the necessary skills to evaluate information.

Billy Big Balls of the Week (27:01)

WhatsApp adds proxy support to help bypass Internet blocks

WhatsApp now allows users to connect via proxy servers due to Internet shutdowns or if their governments block the service in their country.

The new proxy support option is available to all users running the latest WhatsApp iOS and Android applications.

WhatsApp said that connecting through a proxy will maintain the messages' privacy and security as they will remain protected by end-to-end encryption.

This ensures that they can only be read by you and the recipient, with no one in between, like the proxy server, Meta, or WhatsApp, being able to access their contents.

[All this while the outcome of their use of personal data on WhatsApp in Ireland is still awaiting a decision from the courts after they were fined €390 million ($414 million) for misuse of data from Facebook and Instagram]

"Using a proxy doesn't change the high level of privacy and security that WhatsApp provides to all users. Your personal messages and calls will still be protected by end-to-end encryption," the company said on Thursday.

"Our wish for 2023 is that these internet shutdowns never occur. Disruptions like we've seen in Iran for months on end deny people's human rights and cut people off from receiving urgent help," WhatsApp said.

"Though in case these shutdowns continue, we hope this solution helps people wherever there is a need for secure and reliable communication."

Industry News (38:39)

LockBit Hands Ransomware Decryptor to Kids' Hospital

NHS is Most Scammed UK Government "Brand"

General Electric Insider Handed Two Years for IP Theft

Rail Tech Giant Wabtec Discloses Global Data Breach

Meta to Appeal €390m GDPR Fine

Cops Catch Serial Child Abuser After Tech Breakthrough

Over 200 Million Twitter Users' Details Leaked on Hacker Forum

Five Guys Discloses Data Breach Affecting Employee PII

Hackers Leverage Compromised Fortinet Devices to Distribute Ransomware

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-63637883

Tweet of the Week (45:53)

https://twitter.com/igb/status/1611057796606488577

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