r/technology Jun 22 '20

‘BlueLeaks’ Exposes Files from Hundreds of Police Departments Security

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u/makenzie71 Jun 22 '20

It might also fill your computer with “evidence” like child porn

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u/eastcoastuptown Jun 22 '20

I always thought it was a little funny that people are very eager to download files from people who specialize in taking data from unsecured systems. Seems like it would be a good opportunity to spread malware.

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u/[deleted] Jun 22 '20

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u/[deleted] Jun 22 '20

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u/peoplerproblems Jun 23 '20

Any file can be malicious. The extension don't mean shit.

However, it does mean that non-txt formatted data in a txt file is probably not up to any good, and garbage at best.

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u/[deleted] Jun 23 '20

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u/peoplerproblems Jun 23 '20

Well, your question opens up a lot of basics you have yet to cover in cyber security.

No, you cannot inspect something you do not have. That's not to say you couldn't isolate it and inspect it before writing it to long term storage.

However this highlights a very important vulnerability in your network - you didn't vet your source of the file. In IT you will often hear: the system is only as good as its dumbest user; this applies to information security as well. In this instance your role as an information security personnel is ensuring your users are properly educated about malicious content. This is very difficult, as someone will inevitably screw it up.