3 ms·
> I sure hope no one on here would install software requested by unsolicited tech support! All it takes is one browser 0-day that gets distributed on an ad net
by kevin_thibedeau 3y ago
> I sure hope no one on here would install software requested by unsolicited tech support!
All it takes is one browser 0-day that gets distributed on an ad network. A large segment of the HN crowd is still executing untrusted JS on their computers and opposed to blocking their source of income.
- derefr 3y agoThe people who run these scams build them around evergreen money-extraction strategies; buying a 0day just to hack some people they could already socially-engineer their way into the pockets of anyway, would just be a waste of money. Especially since the 0day would only be useful for a couple of days/weeks, and they don't have the in-house technical talent to automate any of what they're doing to run it faster.
- mschuster91 3y ago> buying a 0day just to hack some people they could already socially-engineer their way into the pockets of anyway, would just be a waste of money. At least back in the day when Flash was still a thing, it was a common issue for "enterprising" people to buy advertising slots, even on reputable media, and spread all kinds of malware via them.
- derefr 3y agoYes, but those are separate groups with separate capabilities and motives. Scammers are not hackers, though both can and will steal your money.
- TylerE 3y agoA huge part of this is target selection. They don’t want to waste time with anyone who isn’t going to buy it whole hog.
- supriyo-biswas 3y agoThese days I’d be worried about something like the libwebp 0-day; JS execution is well protected these days. Also, 0-days are generally hard to come by in browsers these days, the libwebp one was initially developed by NSO for example; and tech support scams are not that profitable.