DEF CON 31 War Stories - Tracking the Worlds Dumbest Cyber Mercenaries - Cooper Quintin

For the last 6 years my colleagues and I have been tracking the activities of the cyber-mercenaries we call Dark Caracal. In this time we have observed them make a number of hilarious mistakes which have allowed us to gain crucial insights into their activities and victims. In this talk we will discuss the story of Dark Caracal, the mistakes they have made, and how they have managed to remain effective despite quite possibly being the dumbest APT to ever exist.

[@tartas1995]

Honestly the best compliment for a podcast like darknet Diaries is that real it experts listen to it

[@Chiberia]

Audio guy has his gain slider to "mcdonalds drivethrough"

[@theflowpowa42oshow]

This comment didn't make me laugh but it did make me hungry.

[@TheTylrBllmn]

Where d'ya get a gain slider?! All they gave me were knobs 😢

[@josephschaefer9163]

At least it's not set to taco bell

[@JohanAntonissen]

I guess he went to breakcore gigs too often back in the day.

[@ScottDoler9000]

I literally LOL'd

[@xplinux22]

I was waiting so eagerly for this one to be posted. Ever since I saw the EFF deeplinks post about it, the title had amused me so much that I knew I wanted to learn more. Was not disappointed, I enjoyed the ride!

[@rjbrake]

Dude sounds like he's got a mouth full of marbles and jello

[@adrianalexandrov7730]

in Russian "bandook" means racketeer, mugger, hooligan, etc. Basically a criminal prone to violent crimes. Would be written as "бандюк"

[@DavidUrulski-wq9de]

True, also backwards it spells koodnab, which almost sounds like koolnab, cool nab, cool noob. Bit rude.

[@magicponyrides]

Jesus Christ this talk was incredible. I had no idea what I was in for.

[@ZincLeadAlloy]

It’s interesting to see the whole cybersecurity ecosystem that involves real pros, malicious actors and intelligent KZbinrs haha!

[@sativagirl1885]

*Imagine* this world's power structure not as a pyramid but a hypercube, resting in the palm of your hand. You're made in God's image. Create!

[@-r-495]

thank you for giving Jack a shoutout. great guy, great podcast!

[@sagebrushrepair]

Jackery Sider!

[@olommentes]

although every time I say this, another mic will clip into infinity at defcon, but this is Darknet Diaries

[@4Nanook]

Pallas Cat is NOT another name for a Caracal, they are ENTIRELY different cats, in territory, in appearance, and in behavior.

[@izd4]

Furthermore, manuls are cooler than caracals

[@N1njaSnake]

Indeed, that was a shocking error. Caracals are bastards, manuls are cute.

[@trell535]

I would tell this story at every party I go to, plus he's an excellent story teller

[@I_hu85ghjo]

2:50 the irony of the crowd while same shit happened to Assange. Hypocrisy makes humans blind

[@brujua7]

Super insteresting. Much love to EFF!

[@dakoderii4221]

Kazakhstan has some crazy "monuments" consisting of phallic symbols and a 5 pointed star with a barbecue joint inside. They serve barbecue ala "Fried Green Tomatoes" style.

[@prostytroll]

2:44 "...escaping to Russia to get a little bit more freedom - ha,ha,ha" - I wonder if Snowden and Assange would find it funny...

[@Theabstractblu]

Man took me on a journey great job

[@CYB3Rsynth]

I'm having a freaky Mandela effect type moment right now because I feel like I've watched this all the way through before but it was posted 10 days ago and I have not watched any defcon content in the past month

[@wraithfvcker]

You appear to be a user of psychedelic drugs, basing this off of the mocking clown avatar (which is a common DMT entity) and synth being in your name. If this is the case, I experienced something similar with a music video the first time I saw it. It was unmistakable that I had not seen it, yet because I was on LSD I had the most potent deja vu I have ever experienced while watching it, and I also because I felt had seen it before, I thought the video was designed to look like things look to someone on LSD. Then when I watched it the second time, it was not like I remembered. You may have triggered something similar by having used psychedelics recently, basically a feeling of deja vu. Don't do kids, drugs. 😊🎉

[@Truth_Unleashed]

Nope, but darknet diaries will likely do a story on this. He does mention the conti ransomware group from a darknet diaries episode.

[@dannydetonator]

This happens not only to some drug users. You might have watched a different presentation on cybersecurity or ransomware attacks (could be TEDx or the same Darknet Diaries. It has similar vibe and memory is not reliable. Yeah, i do dope periodically..

[@chriscerne7095]

Same. I got deja vu when he was talking about tracking down the building from the WiFi hotspot. But after doing some Googling, I realized that some of the info was in the Darknet Diaries Dark Caracal episode.

[@CYB3Rsynth]

@@chriscerne7095 that's it!

[@33Thrty]

the left handed shake in the beginning was extremely distributing .

[@capability-snob]

The next battle may be secure operating systems and hardware. Capability systems that allow for easy control and auditing of security decisions need to find their way into the mainstream.

[@sativagirl1885]

#RFC 420, secure smoke signals are available for take out or in!

[@jamestaylor3805]

Self surviving systems that have extremely limited connectivity periods IMHO

[@BGodsVoice]

Good stuff. Very insightful

[@Milkman76]

Heyyyyy it's COPS for the hacker crowd. 🤣 I wonder where most of these cyber mercenaries come from.

[@JuliaYamYam]

great talk, thank you!

[@Theabstractblu]

shoutout #DarknetDiaries

[@joaobino9431]

12:18 Nazaré Tedesco. This Brazilian meme is just everywhere huehuehuehue....

[@raretapes8057]

What the hell was that left-handed cross-handshake?

[@Sk0lzky]

Pallas cat (manul) and caracal are entirely different species. Someone must've gotten confused :v

[@JeremyAndersonBoise]

Xampp for the fail 😂

[@pietrolux]

Easy on that Gain button next time please. Cool talk!

[@n_sweep]

deaf con

[@sassycat77]

what a great talk,

[@7_of_9]

Great stuff!

[@Hukkinen]

I think they rather sell subcontracting for Conti ransomware than aim primarily for using Conti against political targets..

[@chessdominos]

Who is the hecker?

[@andrewferguson6901]

This story seems familiar, did someone else publish about these events in the past year or two?

[@jamestaylor3805]

Dark Caracal episodes on other shows.

[@chidaruma_]

Amazing talk 😂

[@andreyns89]

2:46 - Wow. What a twist. 😯😯😯

[@majdps995]

Interesting story. Seems like the threat actor never heard of opsec.

[@HsvgamingFreak]

אל תחשוב על זה מוחמד אנחנו 20 צעדים לפניך

[@mariarahelvarnhagen2729]

Is It The Band Glass Animals & Their Record Label & Family ?

[@JohnDoe-bd5sz]

I love these videos but please please please fire those in charge of sound for these videos, the sound part is terrible

[@motionthings]

I hear you hired the "NASL sound guy" :p

[@talphazero1036]

Dude was outta breath from standing and talking. I'm asthmatic myself and go through it ever so often, but seeing it from the other side is reallllyyyyyyy off-putting. Good CON regardless

[@Auth_Zero_]

Is PrinceAli Prince Roni fom DX-143?

[@jeffbrownstain]

If Rache Bartmoss was a corpo skid 😂

[@kalmarnagyandras]

Shouty audio hurts

[@jscheunemann]

Irina needs to have a news person like the great Borat to help with Kazakh government

[@katanasteel]

Banduke and dark caracal are today's cdc backoffice

[@AndreeaCe]

So I end up at G2E Asia, I request it on the last call after refusing something else, they agree. Near the time to get ready for the delegation, I get very mentally beaten up. In the end I went. I managed to find my way in that situation as they didn't manage to give me an Exhibitor badge since the changes were made on short call. Yeah...Welp...what else?

[@radattk3145]

whatsapp definitely has a backdoor for the US gov

[@emd2837]

the vocal fry is telling

[@74KU]

Ah shit, this dude is tracking me Also, take a drink of water the lip smacking is intense.

[@tonygardner4077]

distorted mic.... ekk

[@SixOneNiner23]

I was best friends with the people tracking me, Libby did a great job but it’ll never be true I was just loaded, no intent and it shouldn’t have been there.

[@AskingAnnie]

All this tech but can’t have good audio figured out

[@TheAndjelika]

It is still fascinating to me how Americans laugh at Russia when they talk about freedom. I guess it's a remnant of the Cold War, but they don't seem to realize that the "land of the free" is just a brand, and that the USA today doesn't even rank in the top 10 among countries that can be considered free at all, in fact, it's right up there with Russia. Here are the first 10 (Switzerland, New Zealand, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Luxembourg ) ... Yes, there is at least one hacker who had to flee the USA and seek asylum in Russia.

[@fifthfangofmetsudo]

Yes, nothing free about America... apart from the cost of living in your head as it seems from this comment

[@Nitidus]

Such a stupid, ignorant comparison can only come from someone who has never had to live in Russia nor got to know anyone who faced persecution there. Also, let me tell you that the freedom index does not represent an objective truth. Trying to make it look lit it was is actively deceiving. God, I never thought I'd have to defend the fuc|king US one day...

[@thelatearthurmorgan6158]

The people of New Zealand are prisoners in their own country.

[@davidkamaunu7887]

Yes the USSR fought the Cold War to keep Germany divided and maintain a buffer against future invasion after WW2… The US fought the Cold War only to become as autocratic and oppressive as the USSR was. 😢

[@plebius]

Man this comment thread is a s*** show. Comparing the US to Russia. Really, where you mysteriously fall out of windows for being critical. Where everyone accepts that the courts are rigged and the ballot boxes too. Is that what we are comparing. I also can't believe I am defending the US on this one, but wtf is that comparison.

[@deminnn]

2:42 поржал с этого момента

[@lalanotlistening]

mic’s too hot 😖

[@NeostormXLMAX]

But the fact that she moved to russia and was not arrested debunks the idea about the west saying everything is censored, same with snowden going to hong kong first

[@barmooj]

Banduke means bastard in Lebanese 😂

[@Racontact]

Jackery Slider

[@Studio23Media]

"Escaping to Russia to get a little more freedom" Oh the irony... 🥴🤣

[@radattk3145]

like you aren't censored on all platforms unless you go 100% along with this regime

[@Studio23Media]

@@radattk3145 LMAO no. I'm not 🤡

[@thesenamesaretaken]

​@@Studio23Mediaeverything since late 2019 is down the memory hole

[@thettguy]

Too bad the guy introducing the speaker did not know the speakers name. Traditionally you mention their name when introducing them. !!

[@purestench9263]

Pallas and caracal cats are completely different. I think he meant pallas' are relatee to manuls or some shit

[@eyezikandexploits]

Shoutout darknet diaries

[@alch3myau]

2022 video, 1963 audio.

[@tuskiomisham]

Lol a caracal is not a pallas cat but ok

[@artej11]

Big Floppa :3

[@OwO-.]

probably switched it up with manul, because pallas cat is another name for the manul. also they are both adorable :3

[@JeremyAndersonBoise]

Is this a cat talk?

[@jamestaylor3805]

Maybe as a joke... intentional slight twist. US students grow in an environment where they ridicule the mascot of rival schools. And black p$**y may not have made it past committee, and shadow cat is trademarked.

[@RedHair651]

You did all this research but you still called the language of Lebanon "Lebanese" 😅

[@DaleGribblerosky]

Honestly im kinda upset of the lack of ponytails and neck beards in attendance to the show. Where has hacker culture gone? Lol

[@sativagirl1885]

#MoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonLighting by government authorities is a real kosher cash cow.

[@157-40_T]

❤

[@gotonethatcansee]

vigilante eh

[@MachineWashableKatie]

Caracals are not pallas's cats

[@I_hu85ghjo]

6:23

[@steveeuphrates-river7342]

Haha... funny story

[@emd2837]

well that was interesting in a unintentional kind of way. eff really? oh dear

[@repairstudio4940]

Haha stupor effective. 😁

[@erikschiegg68]

Is Irina Petroushova a cover name for Russel Brand?

[@JorgetePanete]

World's*

[@frosty1433]

What the movie Fat Pizza and then listen to their response: 11:44

[@0xbitbybit]

Why does he have different colored arms/hands? 🤔😂

[@yomajo]

For full record, current Kazakhstan president Tolkayev is awesome!

[@girl4632]

But in no sense opening pdf install malware. It's not some kind of magic. Tell exactly what it was. I don't think it was based on any vulnerability in pdf opener, not pdf could be executed. It must be fooled by extension.

[@stubstunner]

Fake version of pdf opener.

[@MikeHunt-rw4gf]

Algorithm.

[@huckleberryfinn8795]

He's acting like we can speak freely in America. They destroy yojr life when you speak out against the establishment here too.

[@Blackgriffonphoenixg]

no they don't, don't be such a schizo.

[@mingmang713]

Seems like an interesting presentation just a shame it's presented by this guy

[@goldnutter412]

🤣

[@PhillyHardy]

Sell out

[@beni8ification]

This reeks glowies, yikes

[@djzio]

You'd think someone there knew something about how to record live audio