Frank Hecker

@hecker
49 Followers
33 Following
66 Posts
Resident of Ellicott City and Howard County, Maryland, systems engineer, and occasional blogger.
Webhttps://frankhecker.com

I promised another shoe would fall... here is part one of the VexTrio origin story. It is just too big for one entry, so a few more will come in the next few weeks... and this is still a small fraction of what we know. The story of malicious adtech has long legs.

We had great reception at BlackHat. One of the most common questions was: why are you giving this talk? Simple. It's a story that needs to be told and one that is too big to carry alone. We are looking for message carriers in the media, champions in the government, partners in the industry.

Organized crime, predominantly Russian speaking, has a strong foothold in the advertising world - and they are ensuring the delivery of everything from dating scams to information stealers. Let's root them out together.

boosts for awareness appreciated.

#dns #threatintel #scam #malware #infosec #cybersecurity #cybercrime #infoblox

https://blogs.infoblox.com/threat-intelligence/vextrios-origin-story-from-spam-to-scam-to-adtech/

VexTrio Unveiled: Inside the Notorious Scam Enterprise

We expose adtech operators who partner with malware threat actors to commit digital fraud on a global scale through their affiliate advertising networks.

Infoblox Blog

Today on Okazu – Into the Baiheverse: When We Met and The Clouds of Past Millennia

Okazu Staff Writer @hecker introduces us to new Baihe publisher Baiheverse, with a look at two of their initial works in English. He encourages fans to check them out on https://bsky.app/profile/baiheverse.com and https://x.com/baiheverse.

https://okazu.yuricon.com/2025/07/04/into-the-baiheverse-when-we-met-and-the-clouds-of-past-millennia/

Another trip down #Cohost memory lane: some early (December 2022) thoughts from an amateur writer on the potential impact of large language models: https://frankhecker.com/2022/12/11/ai-is-to-the-world-of-ideas-as-index-funds-were-to-investing/
AI is to the world of ideas as index funds were to investing

Will LLMs disrupt human writers as index funds disrupted stock pickers?

frankhecker.com
Continuing re-publishing my old #Cohost posts: What do girls and young women working in textile factories have to do with both #Yuri and the present-day world we live in? My attempt at an answer: "Our lives are built upon the bones of millions". https://frankhecker.com/2022/12/07/our-lives-are-built-upon-the-bones-of-millions/
Our lives are built upon the bones of millions

Our present-day prosperity was due in large part to the work of millions of young industrial workers.

frankhecker.com
Incredible production values, an affecting story, and solid performances by #FreenBecky make #TheLoyalPin the best Thai live-action #yuri series to date, a #sapphic storybook romance that should delight their current fans and attract new ones. My Okazu review: https://okazu.yuricon.com/2024/09/18/the-loyal-pin/
Okazu » The Loyal Pin

This is an amazing concept....

Open Sourced "3D Printed" Pharmaceuticals

Build your own pill printing machine. Feed it an open sourced "recipe" / medical chemical compound instruction. Add some base ingredients. And make your own medicine.

This is an exceedingly solarpunk idea and could be a core aspect of a post-scarcity world as it relates to healthcare.

They have information about abortion medication (Misoprostol), ADHD medication (Vyvance), and more.

There are obvious issues - especially around quality control, safety, effectiveness, and application. And the makers address this - but wow. Just wow.

I very specifically have not verified any of this. But I'm incredibly interested in diving in and learning about it and its feasibility.

The anarchist collective behind this venture, Four Thieves Vinegar Collective (@4thievesvinegar), spoke at this last DefCon 32. See @mixael's talk here (via Peertube): https://kolektiva.media/w/uvD1wWTRoh7HEto8zeSswr

Here is a @404mediaco article by @jasonkoebler : https://www.404media.co/right-to-repair-for-your-body-the-rise-of-diy-pirated-medicine/

Here is their main website: https://fourthievesvinegar.org

Here is are the open sourced instructions (along with parts list - both purchased and off the shelf along with 3D printed parts): https://github.com/FourThievesVinegar/solderless-microlab

Definitely something to follow and learn more about. I'm excited and hope this is effective and grows.

(HT @aeischeid for highlighting the article and HT my dear friend for telling me about it after going to their DefCon talk!)

#solarPunk #postScarcity #healthcare #abortion #abortionAccess #ADHD

"Eradicating Hepatitis C with Bio-Terrorism" - DEFCON 32

PeerTube

Today on Okazu - The Secret of Us

Okazu Staff Writer Frank Hecker says Thai GL Drama The Secret Of Us is full of plot holes, is a fun watch as long as it focuses on the main characters.

https://okazu.yuricon.com/2024/08/14/the-secret-of-us/

Okazu » The Secret of Us

We're proud to have raised our contributor rate to $75 an article this year, and we want to keep it going into 2025. The good news?

We're already 50% there!

If you want more history, analysis, and interviews from Japan, consider tossing in a few dollars to our fundraiser:

https://ko-fi.com/animefeminist

#crowdfunding

Support Anime Feminist on Ko-fi! ❤️. ko-fi.com/animefeminist

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Today on Okazu – She Makes My Heart Flutter

Okazu Staff writer Frank Hecker says this Yuri series from Korea is a can’t miss combination of young adult lesbian comedy and mature adult lesbian romance, both wrapped up in an easy-to-watch one-hour package.

https://okazu.yuricon.com/2024/08/07/she-makes-my-heart-flutter/

Okazu » She Makes My Heart Flutter

This attack is unbelievably powerful, easy, and preventable. It’s the criminal’s best kept secret. Much stealthier and more effective than dangling CNAMEs. We found many Russian-nexus actors, but we suspect there are more to be found. Please boost for awareness and hope we aren’t rediscovering this attack in another 6 years. Thanks to everyone contributed to our understanding of the attack and the actors using it … including Proofpoint, @rmceoin Dave Safely, Mandatory, and @briankrebs @dnsoarc #sittingducks #dns #domainhijacking #cybercrime #cybersecurity #infosec #threatintel #malware #phishing #tds #vextrio #404tds #threatintelligence #infoblox @knitcode https://blogs.infoblox.com/threat-intelligence/who-knew-domain-hijacking-is-so-easy/
Who Knew? Domain Hijacking is So Easy | Infoblox

Learn about the insidious DNS attack vector that threat actors are using to hijack domains from major brands, government institutions, and other organizations, large and small. Find out how to determine whether your domain name is at risk.

Infoblox Blog