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What’s In a Denial-of-Service Attack? This Week’s ‘Cyber Vandalism’ at US Airports Could Signal the Next Step In Russia’s War
Steve Huff
Steve Huff is an Editor and Reporter at dot.LA. Steve was previously managing editor for The Metaverse Post and before that deputy digital editor for Maxim magazine. He has written for Inside Hook, Observer and New York Mag. Steve is the author of two official tie-ins books for AMC’s hit “Breaking Bad” prequel, “Better Call Saul.” He’s also a classically-trained tenor and has performed with opera companies and orchestras all over the Eastern U.S. He lives in the greater Boston metro area with his wife, educator Dr. Dana Huff.
Monday's attacks on U.S. airports, including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), were—on the surface—a nuisance, but experts say they could signal trouble ahead.
Russian cybercrime gang Killnet claimed the attacks on more than a dozen American airport websites, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), and Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) along with LAX. The group listed its targets on its Telegram channel. For a time, the Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks—in which websites are flooded with “junk” traffic, overwhelming servers—either slowed or took the airports’ public sites offline completely, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Still, Infosecurity Magazine reported that the attacks had “no direct impact on airport operations.”
An attack like this wasn’t exactly unexpected. Multiple federal agencies authored an April 2022 cybersecurity advisory warning that the February Russian invasion of Ukraine might “expose organizations both within and beyond the region to increased malicious cyber activity.” It mentioned DDoS attacks and named multiple known cybercrime gangs, including colorfully named groups such as Salty Spider, Fancy Bear, and Killnet, which took down Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport in March.
Infosecurity Magazine’s story also noted that early press coverage about the April advisory was criticized for raising alarms about what some security experts wrote off as essentially “kids” making digital mischief.
But denial-of-service attacks aren’t simply cyber vandalism, said Bryan Hornung, CEO and founder of Philadelphia-based Xact IT Solutions.
“We usually see three types of DDoS attacks,” he said, “One, where they create a nuisance to let you know what they are capable of. Two, where they use DDoS to mask a more severe type of attack. Three, where they hold the network traffic hostage and demand a ransom to stop the DDoS attack.”
“In these cases,” Hornung continued, “there are plenty of other ways to stop the attack, so cyber criminals do not typically succeed with extortion regarding DDoS.”
Cybersecurity firm Tanium’s Director of Security Research Melissa Bischoping agreed that the attacks should be taken seriously. “The concept of a denial of service may seem inconvenient and annoying,” she told dot.LA, “but DDoS attacks can be used to take critical systems—or revenue-generating systems—offline, impacting your organization’s bottom line.”
Bischoping and Hornung agreed that these types of attacks could be used for pure disruption and nothing more. Still, Hornung said that often “we see DDoS attacks happening to divert the attention of technical people, so a different, more severe attack can be deployed.”
“How they are used depends on the attacker’s skill level, motivation, and the level of access they have obtained in the environment,” said Bischoping.
Any time there’s a chance for “increased economic disruption, social unrest and political uncertainty, cyber attacks also tend to increase,” Bischoping added.
“This can be due to ‘hacktivism,’” she continued, “nation-state efforts, or criminal activity for economic gain.” In addition, she said we should expect “all future military conflicts to have some cyber element to them, including the current ones.” For that reason, she said, it’s crucial to remain vigilant.
Asked if Russian losses in Ukraine will likely lead to more cyber attacks, Hornung replied, “The cyber war will intensify regardless of what happens in Ukraine.”
He also wasn’t ready to dismiss DDoSing as the work of independent groups acting alone.
“No cyber criminal activity in Russia happens without approval from Moscow,” Hornung said.
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Steve Huff
Steve Huff is an Editor and Reporter at dot.LA. Steve was previously managing editor for The Metaverse Post and before that deputy digital editor for Maxim magazine. He has written for Inside Hook, Observer and New York Mag. Steve is the author of two official tie-ins books for AMC’s hit “Breaking Bad” prequel, “Better Call Saul.” He’s also a classically-trained tenor and has performed with opera companies and orchestras all over the Eastern U.S. He lives in the greater Boston metro area with his wife, educator Dr. Dana Huff.
steve@dot.la
'No Swiping, No Profiles, No DMs': 222 Wants to Serve Gen Z Experiences Based on Serendipity
05:00 AM | October 17, 2022
image by 222
Midway through dinner at a West Hollywood restaurant, Arman Roshannai, the 21-year old CTO of 222 brings up 19th century French polymath Pierre-Simon Laplace’s demon. Or, rather, the Frenchman’s theory of destiny. As Roshannai explains, LaPlace thought that if someone (the demon) knows the precise location and momentum of every atom in the universe, their past and future values for any given time can be calculated from the laws of mechanics. Freewill, Laplace would say, is an illusion.
How did we get to Laplace? Roshannai made a joke about 222 being his demon after I suggested he’s Dr. Frankenstein.
“Don’t mention that in the article,” Roshannai says. He’s mostly joking.
But how could I not? 222 is a demon caste from human brain mimicry. But unlike the other demons — consumer predictability, metaverse, surveillance — 222 is offering salvation.
The idea for 222 began with a simple theory: “Meeting people through chance encounters, being at a bar, seeing someone wearing a shirt of a band you like and striking up a conversation just felt much better than getting a follow request on Instagram,” says Danial Hashemi, the 21-year-old COO.
To test it, Roshannai and Hashemi began to host events at Keyan Kazemian’s house—the 23-year-old CEO of 222.
“We would beg our friends who didn't know each other to come to Keyan's backyard where he lives in Orange County,” says Hashemi. “We cooked pasta and served wine.” They also had their friends fill out a personality survey that they then used to determine who should sit at which table at subsequent dinners.
People kept coming back. Some people became best friends. Others started dating. And what began as a college research project bloomed into an AI company. “No swiping, no profiles, no dms, just say yes and find the people and places that best match your personality,” says Hashemi.
Sound cool? The table next to ours thinks so. They’re one of a smattering of four-to-eight person cliques at the West Hollywood restaurant who have been synthesized to have a good time. And by the looks on their faces, bright-eyed and full of expression, 222 is working.
To sign up, you have to be between 18 and 27. For now, 222, is targeting Gen Z. The app, I’m told, is coming soon but until then you enter your phone number on 222’s website before being directed to 30-some odd questions that include:
“Would you rather watch an arthouse or mainstream blockbuster?”
“Would you rather go clubbing or have a daytime picnic?”
“Would you rather listen to Tchaikovsky or Megan Thee Stallion?”
Potential members also have to rate how strongly they agree or disagree with statements like:
“I would go to space if there’s a chance I wouldn’t come back.”
“Humans should make an active effort to curb the emission of greenhouse gasses.”
“Humans are born with an innate purpose.”
The survey also includes a self-assessment of your drug habits and at one point you have to rate your own attractiveness on a scale between one and 10. The goal is to provide the AI with enough data points for it to determine which of the 16 categories your personality falls into.
“Once you get your personality type, you wait until we have an experience,” Hashemi says.
For now, 222 experiences are held every other week. Members who are selected by the AI engine to attend the dinner portion of the evening pay $2.22. Those who aren't selected for the dinner portion of the experience can still, if they choose, attend the post-dinner venue.
The way the AI determines compatibility is a bit of a mystery.
“The AI picks up on these social trends itself,” says Roshannai. “It may notice that similarity is a great indicator of compatibility, or find other underlying patterns that we didn’t even know existed.”
Based on feedback from real-life interactions, he continues, “we certainly can and will do some tinkering with what we feed the model.” But ultimately, the model itself will start learning what prompts have weight and which questions are best used to predict meaningful connections.
According to Kazemian, “Do you think comedy is becoming too politically correct?” Has been particularly successful in determining compatibility. Political leanings less so.
Back at the restaurant, Kazemian pulls out his laptop, scans the room like a spy, taps a few keys on the keyboard and runs a script. The program sends participating 222 members a text message with info for the post-dining venue.
Tonight, the venue is a rooftop lounge within walking distance of the restaurant and with a 180-degree view overlooking the city. Hashemi confirms there’s a section designated for 222 members. While we’re standing around the tables, Kazemian’s girlfriend dares Roshannai to go talk to a girl. He does. Pays her a compliment on her dress “and it worked,” Roshannai exclaims. The look on his face is a familiar one, it’s the look of excitement spawning from serendipity. It may seem like typical human behavior but increasingly, it’s not.
Every trend report suggests young people just don’t care about being in the physical world anymore. Tech companies are obsessed with trying to create increasingly immersive online spaces to hang out in. The average young person spends half their waking life staring into a screen. The office is dead. Third spaces are increasingly scarce. The loneliest generation in the history of the world keeps getting lonelier.
“Have you read Robert Putnam’s book “Bowling Alone?” Hashemi asks me. “One of the slides on our pitch deck literally says we're anti-Metaverse.”
Not long after our arrival, the trio begins to notice familiar faces from the restaurant pour in. Hashemi says that as their member base has grown steadily at a rate of 30% per month since 222’s inception, it’s increasingly difficult to differentiate who’s been sent by 222 and who hasn’t. Based on the RSVPs, of the nearly 40 people who attended the dinner portion of the evening, only four or five replied that they wouldn’t attend the post-dinner venue. Which is to say, 222’s success rate, at least for this evening is roughly 90%.
The use cases for this technology, Kazemian says, are myriad: choosing seats on airplanes, selecting roommates, providing venues with information about their patrons' likes/dislikes to best curate an unforgettable evening. But the goal, the same one that inspired those backyard dinners, remains the same: Veer people back towards the physical world. Incite meaningful connections IRL. Use the demon to fight the demons.
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Andrew Fiouzi
Andrew Fiouzi is an editor at dot.LA. He was previously a features writer at MEL Magazine where he covered masculinity, tech and true crime. His work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Long Reads and Vice, among other publications.
Here's How To Get a Digital License Plate In California
03:49 PM | October 14, 2022
Photo by Clayton Cardinalli on Unsplash
Thanks to a new bill passed on October 5, California drivers now have the choice to chuck their traditional metal license plates and replace them with digital ones.
The plates are referred to as “Rplate” and were developed by Sacramento-based Reviver. A news release on Reviver’s website that accompanied the bill’s passage states that there are “two device options enabling vehicle owners to connect their vehicle with a suite of services including in-app registration renewal, visual personalization, vehicle location services and security features such as easily reporting a vehicle as stolen.”
Reviver Auto Current and Future CapabilitiesFrom Youtube
There are wired (connected to and powered by a vehicle’s electrical system) and battery-powered options, and drivers can choose to pay for their plates monthly or annually. Four-year agreements for battery-powered plates begin at $19.95 a month or $215.40 yearly. Commercial vehicles will pay $275.40 each year for wired plates. A two-year agreement for wired plates costs $24.95 per month. Drivers can choose to install their plates, but on its website, Reviver offers professional installation for $150.
A pilot digital plate program was launched in 2018, and according to the Los Angeles Times, there were 175,000 participants. The new bill ensures all 27 million California drivers can elect to get a digital plate of their own.
California is the third state after Arizona and Michigan to offer digital plates to all drivers, while Texas currently only provides the digital option for commercial vehicles. In July 2022, Deseret News reported that Colorado might also offer the option. They have several advantages over the classic metal plates as well—as the L.A. Times notes, digital plates will streamline registration renewals and reduce time spent at the DMV. They also have light and dark modes, according to Reviver’s website. Thanks to an accompanying app, they act as additional vehicle security, alerting drivers to unexpected vehicle movements and providing a method to report stolen vehicles.
As part of the new digital plate program, Reviver touts its products’ connectivity, stating that in addition to Bluetooth capabilities, digital plates have “national 5G network connectivity and stability.” But don’t worry—the same plates purportedly protect owner privacy with cloud support and encrypted software updates.
5 Reasons to avoid the digital license plate | Ride TechFrom Youtube
After the Rplate pilot program was announced four years ago, some raised questions about just how good an idea digital plates might be. Reviver and others who support switching to digital emphasize personalization, efficient DMV operations and connectivity. However, a 2018 post published by Sophos’s Naked Security blog pointed out that “the plates could be as susceptible to hacking as other wireless and IoT technologies,” noting that everyday “objects – things like kettles, TVs, and baby monitors – are getting connected to the internet with elementary security flaws still in place.”
To that end, a May 2018 syndicated New York Times news service article about digital plates quoted the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which warned that such a device could be a “‘honeypot of data,’ recording the drivers’ trips to the grocery store, or to a protest, or to an abortion clinic.”
For now, Rplates are another option in addition to old-fashioned metal, and many are likely to opt out due to cost alone. If you decide to go the digital route, however, it helps if you know what you could be getting yourself into.
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Steve Huff
Steve Huff is an Editor and Reporter at dot.LA. Steve was previously managing editor for The Metaverse Post and before that deputy digital editor for Maxim magazine. He has written for Inside Hook, Observer and New York Mag. Steve is the author of two official tie-ins books for AMC’s hit “Breaking Bad” prequel, “Better Call Saul.” He’s also a classically-trained tenor and has performed with opera companies and orchestras all over the Eastern U.S. He lives in the greater Boston metro area with his wife, educator Dr. Dana Huff.
steve@dot.la
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