Yanking the Computers from a ’99 Pontiac Sunfire

It’s my neighbours car. We spent a Sunday pulling out all the computers we could find.

Note the plural – computers.

Because there’s up to 100 computers in your car. Learn more in this column – the Computers in your Car.

Above – on the left are the fuses, on the right is the OBD port.

The brain of a 1999 vehicle

Whew, being a mechanic is physically taxing eh – hold a weirdo yoga-ish position for an extended time, hands above your head wrenching on wires.

Below are some of the connectors.

1 – there’s just one port you should know – the OBD II port. More here.

Was it assembled more cleanly and elegantly in your mind?

Was for me. There was no electrical tape in mine.

After all this turns out there’s no point in me hooking the computers up to my laptop for testing, since the protocols have changed drastically since 1999.

Made a nice blog header though.

 

 

Don’t Get “Vished” – Attacked via the Phone

Basically – the phone is used as an attack vector to get information.

Vishing – attacker calls you and extracts sensitive information you’d otherwise not share

This type of psychological attack takes advantage of trust, manners, and our social nature to want to be helpful.

The Attack

A stranger calls you at work. They will usually assume 1 of 2 personas – friendly, or intimidating.

1 – the caller is friendly and fun, making you feel rude saying no to their request

2 – the caller poses as someone higher up the corporate ladder. They’ll create a sense of urgency and obligation for you to provide them the requested information. So not wanting to disappoint your “boss”, you give it to them.

While the above are just 2 of the many possible personas, they’re the most popular. See chart below for more angles.

The Defence

– your gut. If something feels off, don’t be shy to say “I can’t” or flat out “no”

– be the outgoing call. Say, “I can probably help you with that, let me finish this email and I’ll call you right back… what’s you number?”

– phone number spoofing is easy, as in, caller ID is not reliable

– vishing attacks often happen while you’re very busy and distracted, so your defences are already down

– remember no information is inconsequential. The attacker may be seeking a tiny piece of information that seems small and frivolous, but really, it’s a key piece to a bigger puzzle

– someone recently tried to vish me, read the anatomy of the attack here

This has been Part 1/3 in a series with Michele Fincher of Social Engineer, Inc., a premier consulting and training company which specializes in the art and science of social engineering (SE.)

Meet Michele here.

 

 

Loudest Radio I’ve Had in Years – Chevy Trax

I need to hear my current OCD song loud, borderline painfully so.

But when I crank the volume in most press cars, it’s never loud enough.

This Chevy Trax exceeded that.

See above – that’s the volume I like, and the system is turned up only halfway. That’s loud.

Here’s a chart of how loud stuff is, by decibels.

 

 

Looking for a Lab

Seeking someone to click links for me, see where they go, and what action occurs, to help me solve some of these mysterious occurrences.

Like how I friended myself on Facebook, then accepted it.  Didn’t.

Or the time I replied to the below account, then all my Followers / Following disappeared.

Help for when my blog is under a password attack.

To open and click emails that make no sense.

Or help me find clues to whomever tried to get into my domain account this week.

Ideally we can verify each other’s identity through a mutual contact. Happy to pay or barter.

See more examples for your lab here.