I had a rare Twitter username , @N. Yep , just one letter . I ’ve been offered as much as $ 50,000 for it . People have sample to steal it . Password reset instructions are a regular lot in my electronic mail inbox . As of today , I no longer control @N. I was extorted into pass on it up .
While eating dejeuner on January 20 , 2014 , I received a text subject matter from PayPal for one - metre proof computer code . Somebody was seek to steal my PayPal account . I ignored it and continued eating .
later on in the day , I checked my email which use my personal domain name ( show with GoDaddy ) through Google Apps . I chance the last message I had invite was from GoDaddy with the subject “ Account configurations Change Confirmation . ” There was a good reasonableness why that was the last one .
From : GoDaddyTo : < * * * * * @ * * * * * . * * * > Naoki HiroshimaDate : Mon , 20 Jan 2014 12:50:02 -0800Subject : Account configurations Change Confirmation
Dear naoki hiroshima ,
You are receive this email because the Account configurations were modified for the following Customer Account :
XXXXXXXX
There will be a brief period before this request takes essence .
If these modifications were made without your consent , please lumber in to your story and revise your security preferences .
If you are ineffective to lumber in to your business relationship or if unauthorised modification have been made to domain names associated with the account , please contact our customer support team for assistance:[email protected]or ( 480 ) 505 - 8877 .
Please observe that Accounts are dependent to our Universal Terms of Service .
sincerely yours , GoDaddy
I adjudicate to sign in to my GoDaddy account , but it did n’t work . I called GoDaddy and explained the office . The congresswoman asked me the last 6 digits of my mention wit number as a method acting of check . This did n’t work because the credit card information had already been changed by an attacker . In fact , all of my information had been changed . I had no way to evidence I was the real owner of the knowledge base name .
The GoDaddy illustration suggest that I fill out a case theme on GoDaddy ’s website using my politics identification . I did that and was told a response could take up to 48 hours . I expected that this would be sufficient to prove my identity and ownership of the account .
Let The Extortion Begin
Most web site use email as a method acting of verification . If your email bill is compromise , an attacker can easily readjust your countersign on many other websites . By take control of my domain name at GoDaddy , my attacker was able-bodied to control my electronic mail .
I before long realized , based on my old experience being attacked , that my desired Twitter username was the target . Strangely , someone I do n’t know sent me a Facebook message encourage me to change my Twitter email address . I assumed this was send from the assailant but I changed it disregardless . The Twitter write up email address was now one which the attacker could not get at .
The attacker judge to readjust my Twitter password several times and found he could n’t experience any of the reset email because it postulate sentence for the change of my orbit ’s MX criminal record , which controls the email land server . The attacker open up issue # 16134409 at Twitter ’s Zendesk support page .
N , Jan 20 01:43 postmortem :
chirrup username : @nYour email : * * * * * @*****.***Last house in : DecemberMobile issue ( optional ): n / aAnything else ? ( optional ): I ’m not receive the parole reset to my electronic mail , do you call up you could manually ship me one ?
Twitter required the aggressor to allow for more info to proceed and the assaulter give up on this route .
I afterward find out that the assaulter had compromised my Facebook account so as to dicker with me . I was horrified to learn what had happened when friends lead off asking me about strange behavior on my Facebook report .
I receive an electronic mail from my attacker at last . The attacker attempted to extort me with the following message .
From : SOCIAL MEDIA KINGTo : < * * * * * @ * * * * * . * * * > Naoki HiroshimaDate : Mon , 20 Jan 2014 15:55:43 -0800Subject : Hello .
I ’ve image you spoke with an accomplice of mine , I would just like to inform you that you were right , @N was the target . it appears super inactive , I would also like to inform you that your GoDaddy domains are in my monomania , one fake purchase and they can be repossessed by godaddy and never see again D :
I see you execute quite a few decent websites so I have pass on those alone for now , all datum on the sites has remained entire . Would you be uncoerced to compromise ? memory access to @N for about 5minutes while I swop the handle in exchange for your godaddy , and help insure your data ?
concisely thereafter , I received a reply from GoDaddy .
From:[email protected]To : < * * * * * @ * * * * * . * * * > Naoki HiroshimaDate : Mon , 20 Jan 2014 17:49:41 -0800Subject : Update [ Incident ID : 21773161 ] — XXXXX.XXX
Unfortunately , Domain Services will not be able to assist you with your change petition as you are not the current registrant of the domain name . As the recorder we can only make this type of change after verifying the consent of the registrant . You may wish to follow up on one or more of the come after pick should you decideto pursue this issue further :
1 . Visithttp://who.godaddy.com/to turn up the Whois record for the domain name and correct the issue with the registrant directly .
2 . Go tohttp://www.icann.org/dndr/udrp/appr…to observe an ICANN okay arbitration provider .
3 . Provide the undermentioned link to your legal counsel for data on submitting effectual text file to GoDaddy : http://www.godaddy.com / agreements / sho … GoDaddy now considers this matter closed .
My call was refused because I am not the “ current registrant . ” GoDaddy asked the assaulter if it was ok to change score info , while they did n’t gravel asking me if it was ok when the assailant did it . I was incense that GoDaddy had put the burden on the true owner .
A coworker of mine was able to connect me to a GoDaddy executive . The executive attempted to get the security team involved , but nothing has happen . Perhaps because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday .
Then I received this follow - up from the attacker .
From : SOCIAL MEDIA KINGTo : < * * * * * @ * * * * * . * * * > Naoki HiroshimaDate : Mon , 20 Jan 2014 18:50:16 -0800Subject : … hello
Are you hold out to swop the hold ? the godaddy account is quick to go . Password changed and a neutral electronic mail is linked to it .
I asked a friend of mine at Twitter what the chances of recovering the Twitter account were if the attacker took possession . I rememberedwhat had happened to @matand conclude that ease up up the account right forth would be the only elbow room to avoid an irreversible disaster . So I told the aggressor :
From : < * * * * * @ * * * * * . * * * > Naoki HiroshimaTo : SOCIAL MEDIA KINGDate : Mon , 20 Jan 2014 19:41:17 -0800Subject : Re : … hello
I released @N. Take it right away .
I changed my username @N to @N_is_stolen for the first fourth dimension since I register it in early 2007 . Goodbye to my baffling username , for now .
I received this response .
From : SOCIAL MEDIA KINGTo : < * * * * * @ * * * * * . * * * > Naoki HiroshimaDate : Mon , 20 Jan 2014 19:44:02 -0800Subject : RE : … hello
give thanks you very much , your godaddy countersign is : V;Mz,3{;!’g &
if you ’d like I can go into detail about how I was able to derive access to your godaddy , and how you’re able to secure yourself
The assaulter quickly took ascendence of the username and I regained memory access to my GoDaddy account .
PayPal and GoDaddy Facilitated The Attack
I ask the assaulter how my GoDaddy story was compromised and received this response :
From : mixer spiritualist KINGTo : < * * * * * @ * * * * * . * * * > Naoki HiroshimaDate : Mon , 20 Jan 2014 19:53:52 -0800Subject : RE : … hello
– I called paypal and used some very simple engineering maneuver to get the last four of your posting ( deflect this by call paypal and asking the agent to add a billet to your report to not liberate any detail via phone )
– I called godaddy and enjoin them I had lost the card but I remembered the last four , the agent then allowed me to seek a range of numbers ( 00 - 09 in your case ) I have not found a manner to compound godaddy invoice security , however if you ’d like me torecommend a more secure registrar i recommend : NameCheap or eNom ( not connection solutions but enom.com )
It ’s grueling to decide what ’s more disgraceful , the fact that PayPal throw the attacker the last four digits of my credit card number over the speech sound , or that GoDaddy take it as verification . When asked about this , the aggressor responded with this message :
From : SOCIAL mass medium KINGTo : < * * * * * @ * * * * * . * * * > Naoki HiroshimaDate : Mon , 20 Jan 2014 20:00:31 -0800Subject : RE : … hello
Yes paypal told me them over the earpiece ( I was play as an employee ) and godaddy let me “ infer ” for the first two digits of the wit
But judge 2 digit correctly is n’t that easy , right ?
From : SOCIAL MEDIA KINGTo : < * * * * * @ * * * * * . * * * > Naoki HiroshimaDate : Mon , 20 Jan 2014 20:09:21 -0800Subject : RE : … hello
I got it in the first call , most broker will just keep trying until they get it
He was favorable that he only had to guess two numbers and was able to do it in a single call . The affair is , GoDaddy allowed him to keep trying until he nailed it . mad . sound like I was dealing with a wannabe Kevin Mitnick — it ’s as though companies have yet to learn from Mitnick ’s exploit circa 1995 .
Avoid Custom Domains for Your Login Email Address
With my GoDaddy account restored , I was able to regain admittance to my email as well . I changed the electronic mail name and address I use at several web services to an @gmail.com address . Using my Google Apps email speech with a custom domain feels nice but it has a chance of being stolen if the knowledge base server is compromise . If I were using an @gmail.com electronic mail address for my Facebook login , the attacker would not have been able to access my Facebook account .
If you are using your Google Apps email speech to log into various websites , I powerfully suggest you stop doing so . Use an @gmail.com for logins . you could use the nicer customs duty domain email for messaging purposes , I still do .
In gain , I also strongly suggest you to use a long TTL for the MX record , just in case . It was 1 hour TTL in my case and that ’s why I did n’t have enough time to keep receiving e-mail to the compromise domain after losing the DNS command . If it was a week - long TTL for example , I would have had a greater hazard to convalesce the slip accounts .
Using two - factor certification is a must . It ’s probably what prevented the attacker from logging into my PayPal account . Though this billet instance that even two - factor assay-mark does n’t facilitate for everything .
Conclusion
dazed caller may give out your personal information ( like part of your deferred payment card issue ) to the incorrect person . Some of those company are still employing the unacceptable exercise of swan you with the last some digit of your credit card .
To avoid their imprudence from destroying your digital life , do n’t allow companies such as PayPal and GoDaddy hive away your credit scorecard information . I just removed mine . I ’ll also be leave GoDaddy and PayPal as soon as potential .
Naoki Hiroshimais the Jehovah of@Cocoyon , developer for@Echofon , a begetter of two , and a Harley and Chopin Lover .
This postoriginally appeared on Mediumand was republished with license .
GoDaddyHackingPAYPALX ( Twitter )
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