cybercrime – Odinn Security

Always take your credit card receipt when paying by contactless

By Edward Thomson | June 24, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

Quick post: it is worth taking your credit / debit card receipt when paying by contactless.

Why: if you take the receipt you will notice that there is a card number displayed in full without the stars (“*”). Not everytime, but too many times. Personally, I think that is bad practice although not actually illegal in terms of a contract breach under laws of payment card use (PCI DSS).

The number being printed on your copy is “fine” since it is your number, and it is “fine” to be on the merchant copy since they are supposed to dispose of the receipts securely, too often receipts are just thrown in the bin. 🙁

When paying by chip and pin the card number is always hidden with stars (except the last 4 digits). This number is the same as the one display along your card. The number printed when using contactless is actually different, but just poor practice.

The people behind malware and cybercrime

By Edward Thomson | March 21, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

As interesting as the techniques used in creating new malware are the people behind the code and the lengths they go to in order to hide themselves. The malware writers are a small but important piece of the puzzle however they are part of a wider category of cybercriminal.

In this piece I explore some of the people behind well known malware and other cybercrimes. Some people, and their actions, may be defined as criminal in a true legal sense but I make no statement on the morality of them. Is cyber-vigilantism justified (“doing right”) even if the actions are illegal? I have my own opinion but here I will try to stick to report facts with some opinion of personalities rather than of their morality.

…