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Fascinating. The author uncovers a huge web of fake accounts across GitHub and SourceForge which are used to push backdoored versions of legitimate software ins
by nneonneo 8y ago
Fascinating. The author uncovers a huge web of fake accounts across GitHub and SourceForge which are used to push backdoored versions of legitimate software installers. A good reminder to be cautious when downloading “unofficial builds” and to always check checksums for official ones.
There’s also a really unexpected connection with sneaker-buying bots, which was a surprise to me. I did not know the lengths to which sneakerheads would go to to procure new shoes. I wonder if these backdoor bots are used just to give someone an extra leg up on online auctions and sales of sneakers...that’s some real twisted dedication right there.
- ageitgey 8y agoThe after market for "exclusive" sneakers is at a crazy peak right now. You can buy a $250 shoe and flip it for $500-$1000 nearly instantly. So it's not just old school sneakerheads looking for cool shoes - it's big business. There are whole sub-industries within this bubble, too. People selling sneakerbot code, people selling purchase alert services, people selling access to private dischord groups that alert you to upcoming sales, etc. It's huge.
- hi5eyes 8y agoyeah the whole hypebeast streetwear black market is huge, especially for shoes and supreme/big drops the most interesting part is looking at stockx with the charts they have on items, I have shoes/silhouettes that I bought on sale/new through retail that have since sold out and seeing 2x return on investment isnt uncommon
- mruts 8y agoMy co-worker and I (he was into sneakers, I was into money) used to have a nice little business arbitraging sneakers. Pretty easy to make 100%-500% returns with a little code and some ebay dedication.