The interview process is open to the public. Feel free to get in touch with me however works best for you! If you didn't know that I've conducted interviews with notable figures in the past, here's some background:
Check out my articles on similar topics:
Greetings, dear readers!
Today you'll see a promised interview with a fascinating individual! Keep in mind that his responses are entirely based on OpSec, (2) ideas.
First things first, I want to express my respect to: malicious.life, dark.fail, rekt.news, vice.com & darknet.diaries !
Our acquaintance began, as is customary, with a reaction to my unusual nickname (I remind you that this is a joke and a simulacrum; I do not work or have ever worked for any government, nor have I ever worked for comparable entities) and a general interest in the crypto-related business.
He gave me some links to some good manuals he used, which I'll include as a bonus at the end of the interview... Let’s get started!
-
For educational purposes only, the Author won't be responsible for any damage done. The J's spelling and punctuation are left unchanged ❗️
-
I do not support or agree with absolutely everything our interlocutor says in the following interview. My position.
The Story begins...
“Although he never set foot in any college, and he never even had to hold books in his hands, everyone around him was aware of his clear and sober mind..." - an Irish tale "The Day of the Scholars", collected by the Seumas MacManus.
officercia.eth - Hello there!
Your background in hard-core security, and more specifically banking security, is of great interest to me, so I couldn't be happier about the opportunity to interview you. I will start off by saying that I intend to ask questions that I believe the entire community will find interesting.
So, let's get started. First, could you tell us a little bit about yourself? You don't have to give all the details, we respect your OpSec and Privacy.
J - To begin, I want to express my gratitude for the opportunity to speak with you and, in particular, for the resources that you have made available! People who have lived long enough will find that your blog is an excellent source of new ideas!
In response to your question, I will tell you that I am a little over 40 years old and that I have spent over 10 years of my life working in banking security. At the moment, I'm participating in the development of one of the Web3 projects.
officercia.eth - I'd like to make things simpler for you, so if you could elaborate a bit more, that would be great. When you think back on your workday, what has caught you by surprise the most? Perhaps some "industry secrets" exist.
J - So, let me start from the very beginning and explain everything to you. The thing is, I started out as a security guy in a data center, and at the time, we were renting it out to various payment projects.
Let me to demonstrate how we (rarely) cleaned our servers; the following video is not mine but is similar:
And now the most interesting part. In theory, you can clean working PC with distilled water and it won't get at least a tiny harm!
But don't do it. Desktops and laptops are not designed for any kind of submersion no matter what it is. If you must clean it, the best way is to open the case and blow it out with compressed air.
In the 1980s, Jerry Pournelle suggested that people who were having problems with their keyboards take them into the shower, turn off the water, and wait a month before plugging them back in.
During the time when switches were mechanical, this might have made sense, but now that membrane switches are commonplace, it could be a very stupid move. You could potentially ruin your keyboard by getting water trapped between the membrane's two halves.
Since carbonated water is acidic, it will accelerate rusting. To create carbonated water, carbon dioxide gas is added to regular water. Typically CO2, as it poses no health risks and has no negative effects on the environment. Avoid mistaking it for distilled water.
officercia.eth - Awesome! That's great advice, I'll try it at my PC.
J - Take care with that:D Your computer won't survive exposure to any amount of saltwater.
officercia.eth - OK, got it. So, tell me more of the things that astonished you. Perhaps not in the ultra-cool air-gapped server room, but on the end user's end?
J - After all, my work was connected directly to the component that is typically concealed from public view, so I didn't hear very much about it. Having said that, I am aware of a few peculiar occurrences within our company.
Because I don't want to embarrass you, I'm not entirely sure if I'm allowed to bring it up on your blog...
officercia.eth - Actually, it's your right to say what you want. I want to emphasize that the events described here are merely the author's (my) dream and that our interlocutor's statements do not in any way represent the truth (especially when it cannot be objectively established - for example, via the OSINT method, finding two confirming sources) or serve as a call to action.
Disclaimer: You are solely responsible for your actions! You have been warned❗️
After we've had a chance to get to know each other a bit, could you please tell us why you're here today for an interview?
J - Certainly, I sincerely hope that serves as an adequate disclaimer:D I think you worry about nothing but the smallest things.
So, I came to this interview for a purpose, and that purpose is to vent my hatred for the industry, which I despise for its hypocrisy and, dare I say it, it’s duplicity. Let me now explain what it is that I mean.
I'm going to guess that you were unaware of this, but the most (almost 80% - my own estimations) popular models of automated teller machines around the world allow you to deposit coupons (banknotes) that have been printed on a standard home printer.
You will, in fact, have the money added to your account. Such ATMs frequently stand in places with little traffic, such as gas stations and alleys. They are also frequently built into the wall!
officercia.eth - Are you sure about the 80%? That doesn't sound very convincing.
J - Absolutely. However, there are a few catches. It is true that this percentage is relatively low in many developed debtor countries that have robust economies; however, this is not the case in all countries.
Don't even entertain the idea of getting started on that! Perhaps you are familiar with the fact that every printer leaves unique marks on the paper that is being printed. They are on every popular model and help law enforcement catch criminals.
Keep in mind that all ATMs can record your GSM data and the details of any financial transaction within a certain range. What this means is that you are destined for failure.
In addition to this, you should stay away from any activities that are illegal!
It's a bad turn of events. On the other hand, I think that banks are selling their old, vulnerable equipment to "third world" countries while being aware of these vulnerabilities - you can find the exact data about this yourself, just jam the keywords, once again.
Almost all cryptocurrency ATM terminals in use today are models of such old and vulnerable ATMs:
-
'Full Of Fun' An ATM In UP Dispensed Fake Currency Notes From 'Children Bank Of India'
-
Twenty Poond notes: investigation after ATM dispenses toy money
-
Fake money from ATMs, Philippine central bank issues warning
-
Dark web market listings for counterfeit banknotes up 91% last year
Everyone is aware of this, but no one brings it up because doing so could result in significant financial losses. Because of this, ATM manufacturers working in conjunction with banks estimate the safety of their banks-partners and regular customers at a level that is lower than the amount that could be lost.
officercia.eth: Despite the fact that every possible precautionary measure has already been developed and implemented!
Moreover, most ATM cameras do not have a filter for infrared radiation which may come from diodes with different wavelengths and angles. This can be used by robbers and crooks. They can even impersonate someone's face. Currently, somewhere in the world, a heist à la "The Italian Job" is being carried out:
A group of people travel to Asian or African country, deposit a large amount of "freshly-printed paper" into ATMs, process the funds using cryptocurrency, and withdraw the funds. Canoeing down mountain rivers with a bank account full of cash is a common means of escape.
To summarize, this is an egregious display of hypocrisy. It irritates me that they are attempting to move toward Web3 technology. Decentralization, blockchain technology, and cryptocurrencies are the options I have chosen for myself!
First sort out your problems and then come to our Web3!
officercia.eth - Oh my goodness, that is terrifying! What you say is fantastic, but I seriously doubt we're talking about 80%.
J - Not only that, but I urge you not to partake in any shady dealings involving fiat currency and banks, and especially not to follow the teachings of the SWIFT/MT103/202/farm42 sect.
Don't be that dimwitted. Take a look at the officer's blog!
officercia.eth - Really appreciate your time and effort in conducting this interview. I think we've covered all the interesting ground for today; it's been great chatting with you. Can we talk again sometime down the road?
J - I would like to express my gratitude for the opportunity to do so freely. I would also be delighted to engage in conversation with you once more…
Check out:
-
Everything you need to know about ATM attacks and fraud: part 2
-
New malware responsible for fraudulent withdrawals in ATMs with old Windows
-
Cutlet Maker Malware That Spits Cash Out of ATMs Has Spread Across the World
-
Design and development for detection and prevention of ATM skimming frauds
Also:
officercia.eth:
Spotted an awesome thread which tells the astounding story of how drones carrying Raspberry PIs tried to hack into the company's networks!
In short, radio monitoring department, largely based on War-Driving (or vice versa), vibroacoustic protection, air-gapping and physical security service should be enough to protect against such violent attacks. In other words, this is a very, very serious and targeted attack…
officercia.eth - Many thanks! I'd like to remind our readers that they, too, have the opportunity to shine in an interview. You can get in touch with me through any ways that works best for you. Whatever it is that you want to discuss, I'm here for you.
I'd like to share some thoughts on the debate after it's over... You should not trust J immediately and you should not accept what J said as absolute truth. In addition to this, you should stay away from any activities that can be considered as illegal in certain jurisdictions! May the Force be with you!
Support is very important to me, with it I can do what I love — educating users!
If you want to support my work, you can send me a donation to the address:
-
0xB25C5E8fA1E53eEb9bE3421C59F6A66B786ED77A or officercia.eth — ETH, BSC, Polygon, Optimism, Zk, Fantom, etc
-
4AhpUrDtfVSWZMJcRMJkZoPwDSdVG6puYBE3ajQABQo6T533cVvx5vJRc5fX7sktJe67mXu1CcDmr7orn1CrGrqsT3ptfds — Monero XMR