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Hackers

Hacking For Ransom- A Franchise- When’s The IPO?My phone constantly rings with solicitations for solar energy, extending the automobile warranty for cars I got rid of years ago, and with dire warnings that charges are pending against me from social security, the IRS, or other agencies. Some are annoying, but many are scams. A few years ago, I opened an email that locked my entire computer system with a message that I would receive the key if I paid a handsome sum in Bitcoin. I chose to get rid of my hard drive and start all over again. Losing years of files was the price for an education. I have never opened a file from an unknown source since that experience. I am even extra careful with attachments from known sources these days. The hackers have been winning Companies have been paying- Colonial and JBS Cryptocurrencies are untraceable The US government says- You’re on your own The ramifications are staggering for businesses and markets Hackers are an ongoing and growing problem for individuals, companies, and even government agencies. Whether they sit in Russia, China, North Korea, or our own backyards, there seems to be no stopping the efforts to extract a ransom. Hackers have been attacking those with insufficient security and have become so technologically sophisticated that they can pierce cyber armor that protects data and the ability to conduct business. The ransom business is profitable. It has a low overhead and is growing. It is disruptive and dangerous. The nefarious offshoot of technological advances is so successful that a public offering of shares in hacking companies would likely receive a high valuation and lots of interest. After all, it’s a real money maker for the culprits. The hackers have been winning Around two years ago, my 91-year-old dad received a phone call from someone saying he was an attorney for his grandson. The caller said my son was involved in a car accident, was in the hospital in Boston, and was under arrest for driving under the influence. He asked my father to send money immediately for his grandson’s defense. Fortunately, he called me, and I immediately called my son, who was sitting at his desk at work in New York City. The call was a scam. I called the FBI, who said they deal with this every day, and there was little they could do as the scammers use networks and phones that are untraceable. Technology has only made law enforcement’s job more challenging. Savvy criminals have been winning. While we did not fall for the scam, many succumb as they pull on emotional drawstrings. What grandfather would not do anything to help or protect their grandchild? If one out of ten or even one hundred scamming attempts succeeds, the criminal venture is highly profitable. Meanwhile, hacking computers take scamming to a new level. When a hacker gets inside the systems of a business or a government agency, they can extract valuable data, proprietary corporate information or shut down all business activity. The latter seems to be the most profitable as companies with little choice are paying up and forking over millions, making hackers huge winners. Companies have been paying- Colonial and JBS Two hacking instances in 2021 temporarily roiled commodity markets. On May 7, Colonial Pipeline, a US oil pipeline system originating in Houston, Texas carries gasoline and jet fuel to the Southeastern United States, was the victim of a ransomware cyberattack. The hack impacted computerized equipment that manages the pipeline system. The move created fuel shortages and caused refining spreads to spike higher in mid-May. The chart shows the spike in the gasoline crack spread to $27.30 per barrel during the week of May 10. The refining margin moved to the highest level since September 2017 as the market feared shortages and consumers in the Southeast began hoarding gasoline. Jet fuel is a distillate oil product. The NYMEX heating oil futures contract is a proxy for other distillates like jet fuel. The chart of the heating oil refining spreads illustrates the rise to $21.28 per barrel during the week of May 10 as the Colonial Pipeline hack created fears of shortages. Colonial Pipeline CEO Joseph Blount told the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; his company paid a $4.4 million ransom on May 8, the day after the attack. The payment was in Bitcoin, the hacker’s currency of choice. On June 1, JBS, the world’s leading beef supplier, suffered a hack of its computer networks that briefly shut down operations in the US and Australia. While the Colonial hack caused gasoline and distillate prices to spike higher, the beef markets spiked to the downside. August feeder cattle futures dropped to a low of $1.4510 on June 1. August live cattle futures plunged to $1.14625 per pound on fears that meat processing plants would not accept animals because of the hack. JBS CEO Andre Nogueira said the company paid hackers an $11 million ransom “to prevent any further risks for our customers.” Cryptocurrencies are untraceable Some market participants and government officials believe that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are causing a rise in hacking that holds companies and individuals hostage. Cryptocurrencies are a libertarian form of money that flies beneath the radar of government officials, central banks, and regulators. While the blockchain records transactions, they are anonymous. Christine Lagarde, the President of the European Central Bank, and Janet Yellen, the US Treasury Secretary, have expressed concerns about the nefarious uses of cryptocurrencies long before the recent hacks. Passions run high in digital currencies. A few years ago, JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon called Bitcoin a “fraud.” At the same time, Warren Buffett, one of the world’s preeminent value investors, said cryptocurrencies are “financial rat poison squared.” Charlie Munger, Mr. Buffet’s 97-year-old partner, doubled down and called cryptocurrencies “disgusting” and a threat to civilization in recent comments. The lack of regulation and anonymity make Bitcoin and other cryptos a hacker’s dream. The US government says- You’re on your own The payment of ransom by companies that are critical parts of the US’s energy and food supply chain infrastructure is a failure of the government to protect the businesses and people they serve. Colonial and JBS pay taxes. The individuals that depend on their products pay taxes. The US government is responsible for a safe environment. While the Biden administration promised to get to the bottom of the hacking issues, the President said that the businesses were on their own. President Biden told a reporter, “The bottom line is that I cannot dictate that the private companies do certain things relative to cybersecurity. A lot of you are very seasoned reporters; you’ve been covering this debate up on the Capitol Hill for—before I became President—and, unrelated to President Trump, just a debate internally among Senators as to whether or not the government should be assisting. And it gets into privacy issues and a whole range of things.” The ransom payments were a sign that the businesses could not wait or depend on the world’s leading democracy for assistance. At a recent summit in Geneva, President Biden sought assistance from Russian leader Vladimir Putin as Russia is a leading source of hacking activity. Since the meeting, the hacks continue. Last week, the US leader called his Russian counterpart again to reiterate his displeasure. The ramifications are staggering for businesses and markets The ramifications of hacking for ransom are downright scary. If the culprits can hold a critical energy pipeline and the world’s leading beef supplier hostage, what about the US power grid, water supply, farm and logistical networks, and other critical infrastructure? When companies or individuals pay the ransom, there is no guarantee that the hackers will not demand more or refuse to provide the key so systems can operate. Moreover, a hack that takes data or proprietary information could be a gift that keeps on giving to hackers. It seems that the anonymity of the cryptocurrency asset class only exacerbates the problem. If a hacker cannot receive untraceable payment, they will be less likely to attack. Meanwhile, infrastructure, companies, and individuals remain at risk. With more regulation on the horizon, hackers may use a closing window of opportunity to step up their nefarious activities. A massive hack could impact markets across all asset classes, not only their prices but also their continued operation. Hacking and ransom attacks are a clear and present danger that is growing. They have the potential to disrupt markets and the supply chains for essential products and services. Use the link below to sign up for the next Monday Night Strategy Call Trading advice given in this communication, if any, is based on information taken from trades and statistical services and other sources that we believe are reliable. The author does not guarantee that such information is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. Trading advice reflects the author’s good faith judgment at a specific time and is subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee that the advice the author provides will result in profitable trades. There is risk of loss in all futures and options trading. Any investment involves substantial risks, including, but not limited to, pricing volatility, inadequate liquidity, and the potential complete loss of principal. This article does not in any way constitute an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any investment, security, or commodity discussed herein, or any security in any jurisdiction in which such an offer would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.
Editors' picks
NYMEX:CL1!
by Andy_Hecht
30
Bullish on Cybersecurity We are becoming more and more dependent on the internet. Along with this increased dependence the social desire for cyber defense will grow. Even at high costs the demand and necessity will be strong. A single company will not monopolize security of the internet - it's too big and too complex - but I do think a broad index of companies building the "immune system of the internet" can benefit from this trend. Supporting this trend are: continued political cyber warfare & allegations lawfareblog.com the release of CIA Hacking Tools ("zero day" exploits etc.) wikileaks.org Hospital ransomware attacks - speaking to someone working in hospital data - hackers taking control of hospital data and holding it as ransom is more common than many of us are aware of. "The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported a fourfold increase in ransomware attacks from 2015 to 2016. Those attacks resulted in a total of $1 billion being paid to hackers, the FBI said." medlineplus.gov The Elliott Wave and technical analysis perspective: Two cybersecurity ETFs $HACK & $CIBR have been trending in a bullish channel since 2015 and 2016 respectively, after tracing out a clear zigzag corrective patterns on long-term charts. The two primary counts suggest further fifth wave upside at Intermediate or Minor degree. The leading count is in red on the $HACK chart and depicted on the CIBR chart. Wave 3 is extended and wave 5 has begun tracing out the initial first and second waves. The alternative count in blue on the $HACK charts illustrates an extended fifth wave in which Minute waves ((i)) and ((ii)) are complete and the initial first and second waves of wave ((iii)) of 5 are near complete suggesting a (iii) of ((iii)) of 5 spike is possible soon. $31.50 - $32.00 would be the first target zone. RSI on $HACK is just shy of bullish territory and has been trending bullish with lower highs since February 2016. Volume on $CIBR is trending up with higher highs suggest there is building strength for further upside.
AMEX:HACKLong
by Kappy
*******WHOEVER SAID THAT YOU CAN'T PREDICT THE MARKETS???******Ladies and gentlemen, it's about time i come clean here and share with you my secrets of success in trading the stock market. It is no secret that many expert traders make outrageous claims about the market not being perfect and that it can't be predicted, and that it will always be 50/50 percent chance of success and failure. Well rest assured that their claims are nothing but dust. old news. Good news is that you can in fact predict the market with precision and three steps ahead of all the other market participants before it even happens! That is right! It is very true what you just read! In fact it is very scientific, theoretical, and mathematical! Its a very simple system that has been used by very few successful novice traders that have been keeping it a secret, and only they have known about it for some time, but now i am going to spill the beans and share their secret and mine for the very first time! This system that i am going to share with you now has come a very long way, and quite frankly, this system has come such a long way that its creators are quite shockingly not what many traders hoped to expect. The creators of this golden opportunity system came from very humble beginnings, so humble that their social way of life playing online video games sparked the idea for the creation of what they now call D.I.P. Using all of their knowledge of online video gaming, their knowledge of astro physics, and their knowledge of meta physics they were able to put together D.I.P. and later put it to the test by trading Bitcoin. Whilst trading Bitcoin using D.I.P., they were able to predict the future pivot points three steps ahead of the market and create a LARGE CASH FLOW. Later, these humble heroes applied their method to stocks, futures, and currencies and got the very same results without failure! Today, i share with you an example of their D.I.P. method . . .
by TheBlanco951
3
PSA: Bitcoin traders, YOU are the targets- Don't get hacked!No trade setup today folks. This MALWARE warning for BTC traders is purely a public service announcement with some sage advice on how you need to safeguard your hard work and earnings against looting parasite hackers. IF YOU TRADE BITCOIN YOU ARE A TARGET! Q: What the heck are you talking about? A: Recently there have been links posted in the TV chat and as comments on published charts which will take you to a website that automatically runs a flash element. This instant and automatic install pretends to be useful trading software, but it is absolutely malicious. It works to provide the attackers access to as many of your unprotected accounts as it can, particularly email and trade accounts. The attacker will change your account passwords locking you out and looting anything of value you might have. Q: How do you know this? A: I have been witness (first hand) while in the chat to people reporting the exact end results listed above, and watched them freak out while looters locked them out. I have also recently been the target of such an attack. The link was posted to my most recent published chart multiple times, in a very real-time and conversational way. The link was also posted to another TV member's chart who later investigated it. Q: What to do then? Just not click on anything? A: DO NOT CLICK ON LINKS FROM UNKNOWN/UNTRUSTED SOURCES!! Take two seconds to look at the user's profile and publication history. Is the account well established, or is it 30 mins old? Have they EVER published anything? Do you recognize the user name? USE SOME COMMON SENSE! ~ Enable Two Factor Authentication (2fa) on ALL your accounts- especially your email and Trade accounts!! ~ Use a different strong password for every account and for god's sake use LastPass or something like it. ~ In your browser settings, disable flash from running automatically. ~ Use FireFox and install the NoScript plugin. ~ Lastly, Go to www.grc.com, under "Services" click on SheildsUp and find out if you're vulnerable. It's an Internet security vulnerability profiling service offered for free by Steve Gibson one of the leading information security experts of our time. He coined the term "Malware". DO THESE THINGS!! You work too hard to lose it all to a looting parasite because of complacency. /end rant. PS. If you are interested in researching the malware referred to above, please feel free to message me, and I'll PM you the link. Anyone who re-posts the link in the chat or on a published chart will risk being permanently banned by the mods.
BITSTAMP:BTCUSD
by ninjabenja
6