Page 22 - Cyber Warnings

Some cybersecurity vulnerabilities are complex, like the advanced persistent threats used by the
world's most sophisticated hackers and hacking groups.

These security challenges can long lurk undetected inside firewalls. XSS attacks, however, are
more straight-forward.

Infamous XSS hacker joins light side
One of the most famous hacks in history was actually via XSS. In 2005, a then-unknown hacker
named Samy Kamkar figured out how to force users of MySpace (does anyone who is not in a band
remember MySpace these days?) to "friend" him.

Overnight the 19-year-old's malicious code had boosted his friend count from 73 to more than a
million. MySpace, at that time one of the world's leading social media sites, was forced to shut down
to deal with the breach.

Kamkar wound up being convicted of a felony and was forced to keep from using computers for
three years. But in a sign of the changes in the cybersecurity field, the now-29-year-old has evolved
into an independent white hat hacker.

"Hacking is fun. It's a puzzle," Kamkar told Fusion.net. "It's such a good feeling when you solve
something that wasn't meant to be solved. When something works, I jump up and do a dance for 10
minutes. It's a feeling I chase."

About the Author

Alex Lating began working for Hexis Cyber Solutions in 2015
as the product marketing manager.

Previously she has worked at Gemalto and SafeNet and is
currently studying to receive her MBA from Loyola University
Maryland.

Connect with Hexis online: http://www.hexiscyber.com/

Hexis Blog: http://www.hexiscyber.com/blog

Twitter: @hexis_cyber

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hexis-cyber-solutions

22 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – January 2016 Edition
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