back to article Spy vs spy vs hacker vs... who is THAT? Everyone's hacking each other

Intel agencies and top-tier hackers are actively hacking other hackers in order to steal victim data, borrow tools and techniques, and reuse each other's infrastructure, attendees at Virus Bulletin Con, Madrid, were told yesterday. The increasing amount of spy-vs-spy type activity is making accurate threat intel increasingly …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Quick - move to the cloud!

    There you can be safe (and ignorant) of who's accessed your data!

  2. nickx89

    spy on spy, researcher on researcher

    So when spies are spying on other spies then security researchers shouldn't spy on the spies for threat intel. Instead they should focus on filling those loopholes in their systems, if they can't come up with it, then make it a security-security duo team. It sound so vague!

  3. Mephistro
    Thumb Up

    That was a nice article! Good, heady IT stuff.

    And kudos to the Kaspersky people, as they seem to have made a good analysis that looks -to me at least- fact-based, instead of the usual politically motivated "reports"* you often find in this kind of issues.

    *"Reports" translates in this context as "Misinformation".

    ;^)

    1. Nick Kew

      Re: That was a nice article! Good, heady IT stuff.

      Kaspersky are techies, not Politicians (or journos). So they (a) know what they're talking about, and (b) don't have a politico's misinformation Agenda.

      I wonder how much they have to lose by pointing fingers at the spooks? Would a Western-based outfit have been too fearful (of loss of business, if not actual arrest) to issue a similar report?

  4. Pen-y-gors

    Ah, memories

    +1 to the sub-editor for the headline - if you remember MAD you surely aren't a teenager!

    1. Stevie

      Re: Ah, memories

      Still have the NES game too, mint in box. Fancy a game? We'll need to figure a way to couple the NES to the TV but after that, look out for spring-loaded boxing gloves in the closets and buckets of water balanced on the doors!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Ah, memories

        I think one of the emulators has network play, great game.

        1. Stevie

          Re: Ah, memories

          "emulators?"

          Ptui! I only play Real Spy vs Spy on vintage original NES equipment.

          Emulators indeed! Thrashing's too good, in my day, Mafeking, Nintendo Seal of Approval etc etc

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Ah, memories

          great game, the sequels not as good

      2. Krack73

        Re: Ah, memories

        Mine was the C64 version. Never had so much playing with a mate. Alway trying to outdo each other.

        Careful when opening that door. Ah great times.

        1. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge

          Re: Ah, memories

          You're all wrong , its supposed to be played on a Spectrum , where it was born .

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Ah, memories

            I think it came out on the C64 before the speccy

            1. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge
              Paris Hilton

              Re: Ah, memories

              i checked. you're right . my bad

  5. Stevie

    Bah!

    Given the subject matter I'm appalled that the author couldn't be arsed to make sure he wasn't using the correct form of your/you're, forgot to misspell the as "teh" and left out all the greengrocer's apostophe(')s called for.

    For shame!!!111!!!!

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If they quack like a duck...

    If they hack intoyour server and they do it for their own purposes, they are criminals.

    State sponsored criminals, organized crime or "entrepeneurs" , are the same thing: scum.

  7. Version 1.0 Silver badge

    What would George Smiley do?

    This raises some interesting questions, if you're busy hacking the opposition and someone hacked into you, then is the information that you're receiving actually the hacked information or is it information that someone else wants to to think is the information that you're looking for?

    These days, the only person that I trust is nobody.

  8. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    The moral of the story seems to be that attackers aren't very good at defending. So, if you want to defend your infrastructure, don't take your attack team's advice. What was it attackers advised? Oh, yes; backdoors.

  9. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    A Phisher of SMARTR Men of Alien Being?

    Is El Reg an IntelAIgent Agency Source and Quite Quiet Almighty Force?

    1. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

      Re: SMARTR Men of Alien Being or Always the Bridesmaid never the Groomed Bride

      And if it is not, does it want to be one or are they and is everyone else happier and more contented that they just report on the crazy shenanigans and mad searches for them?

      1. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

        Re: SMARTR Men of Alien Being or Always the Bridesmaid never the Groomed Bride

        Traditional Spooks are Ye Olde Skins in the Greater IntelAIgent Games being played by AIMasters today for Command and Control of the Future Tomorrow with SCADA Systems Administrations

        1. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

          Re: SMARTR Men of Alien Being or Always the Bridesmaid never the Groomed Bride

          Oh, for goodness sake, fall off that fence you be perched on, and at least think that things are being done completely different now ... by that and/or those whom you might know of but of whom you are to be tried to be kept in deep dark ignorance of. ie another vain glorious attempt by failing systems to keep you enslaved to past masters of the Command and Control Genre/ Virtual Reality.

          1. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge

            Re: SMARTR Men of Alien Being or Always the Bridesmaid never the Groomed Bride

            watchoo talkin bout Willis?

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