There are many things I did not put into my CV. It is hard to explain, to present to others. Sometimes I can not find words. And also by night, I become a different person (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). Not sure how to organize topics - by area or year. I think the year would be fine.
1998-2003
Most ISP (Bosnia and Herzegovina) have been hacked(from my side) and reported to them (it was a weird thing to explain ppl that they have a bug, issue, security issue, to update things, etc). From my bag of tools goes:
- Mysql without a password but root/toor and qwerty or 123456789 for SSH/Admin page
- RPC that has a format bug (RH 6.0)
- default password, default users
- not having blocked NetBIOS (but even if they put password there was a way to crack that because of a flaw)
- Huh and others
- RE my fav app: System Mechanic. I learned about approx 30 days how to crack this app. Later same skills I used to crack the app and find how they work. Connect with other security people.
- cracked several encrypted texts (Ceasar, viegner) with statistics and logic
- Build the first game in Visual Basic with minimum information(one book for VB) and reverse engineering (mind experiment, thinking)
2004
My first bank job. I got a position as an IT technician. I got hacked ATM - and reported it to the bank (the security officer was my good friend from high school). The same situation is still present in most Bosnia and Herz Banks. SMS banking - they start to apply new SMS banking and also pay through SMS. I demonstrate an issue with local telecoms - spoofing SMS and sending money to other people's accounts. They stop to plan SMS banking in this direction. First war game server. It was fun. I did play later more than 2 times: at BalCcon, and at Ericsson.
2006
The web application at government, police, and telecoms - I did send an email but they did not read or they promise me I to get jailed. SQL injection, non-authorization, bad permission for accounts, etc.
I did not care what they think - I told them they can do that - but at that time Bosnia and Herz did not have a law on that - so it was funny. They did not get the idea of how this information was good for them. They saw me as a danger and risk to them.
Made some videos for Youtube in 2006:
(irssi, Slackware, and 4 computers, direct connection to the net)
2007
A lot of hacking, and a lot of playing with networks, and systems. The found issue in PPPoE and how to crack any wifi at that time in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was funny - I send a report to one big WIFI ISP. Found that people massive use admin/admin on some ISP - I automate the gathering of this info and send a report to ISP. Later I hack several times their servers and report them to them. Last my hack was SQL injection and report it to them. They respond with "does not matter, no one besides you would hack us" - this was a failure. Later in 2008, happen several hacks of this ISP and 10k users' DB was "shared" over the net. We found bad guys but the police did not have the law on this and how to handle the situation. So they left them out.
2008
Busted first spam king in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was using several ISP and dumped my email from some DB to send me spam. He did it wrong. I found him - reported and give info to ISP. They did the next steps. Also, half of my friends and non-friends have free internet. I found a way to get a free net each time I hack some ISP to give me 1 year or more free net. So I share it with people. Main domain name register for domain .ba - SQL inje. Reported - they switch to using rewriting to URL. The code is still there with bugs.
2009
Start to examine a global threat - people, tools, operations. From organized crime groups, and state-level hackers to small-script kids. It was fun to watch criminals, police, and FBI agents how they play games. In the end, I gather a good base on how things go underground. From OSINT skills to satellite hacking. Develop the first symmetric algorithm that I would cryptoanalysis in 2012 and find an issue. Cracked Cyber Command hash as part of the challenge. I was the 9th person who did that.
2010
Hacked 2 banks in Saudia Arabia as part of the pent-testing contract that I did have with one company. My NDA was finished so in short: bypass some security(not sure to say but it was Gmail security at one side that block PDF with exploit code and after execution, RAT is downloaded&executed PC ), plant RAT, gather info, print screen, write a document(they did have more SQL inje, non-auth URL access, and others) and get money from the client. I did get an offer later in 2013 but I refuse. Simple for me this was fun. For them, it was a job (and not fun at all) + with the money I got. The local CyberCrime unit refuses my CV. Later in front of them(this Cyber Crime unit), I would be offered a job by the FBI but I refuse. (later in 2012, I would give some tips on this)
2011
First, a remote job. Later I got one more. The second one was Ipercast - I found a lot of security issues (ex PHP shell execution and gathering info about clients, files, etc )
2012
I start to work for the best company in the world. Ipercast. They are the first CDN and from them was made Akamai. Bussines unit that was in Bosnia and Herz. was planned to be closed because of financial issues. With my own skills and directed by my CTO Alexander - we bring one solution that saves 25 jobs positions. The solution would be used by Vodaphone Germany, it would bring a lot of cash and a similar approach would be used for RAI Italia, Sony Germany, and others. Manipulating on the low level with streaming for different protocols (RTMP, HTP, RTPS, others). I started a project(for one NGO): Streaming. It included a special type of streaming and security. It was a combination of many things. My NDA was ended now. Later by this year, I was approached by people from the Cyber unit and FBI to work for them. I demonstrate skills that at that time were advanced for these units and organizations. I refuse because: I did not want to do what other people want me to do + I was working for the best company in the world with the best position in the world. My job offers me freedom, travel, and combines all my skills. I was paranoid and at some point, they start to follow me, read my email, read my chats - this was exposed when we met - I told to FBI that it was wrong to read my emails, and chats, send black van (I made a picture of a black van, you can ask Milos - BalCcon organization. He saw and he was laff at that time), agents, etc and local police follow my IMEI and position as a local secret agency follow my traffic (I found how things go from the law, technical specification, how they manage - complete picture). Also, I did show a picture of the FBI van to people who organize BalCcon (Balkan Security conference) 9 months before this happens(only proof for now). They laff. Everyone laff at that time. But not me. I am still paranoid. News and some insider got the wrong information. I spend the next 4 years removing this title and text through cyberspace. It was wrong and not ethical at all. Bosnia and Herz do not have any laws to prevent similar situations. https://web.archive.org/web/20170926234049/https://www.nezavisne.com/novosti/hronika/U-akciji-FBI-ja-uhapsen-haker-Vladimir-Cicovic/171278
2013
My company tries to get a server with a domain in China. I found the issue after my sysadmin team tries to resolve it with no success: It was a China firewall that works on the domain level. It was fun. I put all my effort to help a group of people to fight against the first information warfare - anti-vaxer propaganda. I gather information as part of a group, and find weaknesses inside false news distribution - but the government in Bosnia and Herz did not want to know this. As also the cyber unit as also the Ministry of Health and CERT RS. The first victim, a baby, who did not get the vaccine to stop some nasty thing was to die 2 years later because their parents got influenced by this false news. This continues in 2020 - and the government does not have a proper reaction - instead, it getting more worst especially because people are not able to take critically thinking on the topic.
2014
Flood. Bosnia and Herzegovina. I help the local Red Cross to use automatic sending text on all numbers for volunteers with one button. I found a way how to organize communication in parts there was no electricity. Also, use the normal distribution to find how many there are baby and diabetic patients in the flooded area.
My CTO did have an issue with Gmail. I troubleshoot and found that Gmail has issued 4 days before they were put into the board as an official issue. I try to contact them. Also later I would find a security issue with their emails that still exist. If you see a green icon (for TLS secure email sending) it was me.
Still - they can not handle how email arrives at them or goes to other SMTP - in other words, all emails you send are not secure they are open to reading whoever intercepts them.
One of the largest DDOS attacks on local TV stations and finding a person who did this also found a solution to stop the current one. In this case, local CERT RS also Cyber Unit - did not find a way to help local TV stations. I did ask them to involve me in this kind of case - they never did.
Discovered that MTEL telecom ISO27001 - before they apply to the public. I was using a private URL when they accessed it. In other words, they can follow what and when someone visits through this ISP.
2015
Told the Bosnia and Herz. Ministry of Security for "top security software for encryption messages" - not to use because it has a flaw. They did not respond to this. They don't know what to do. Offered help to local Cyber Unit for solving the case of encrypted hard disk - simple, unofficial channels I send the query to allow me to crack password for encrypted hard disk. They refuse. Why? You need to ask them. For me, it brings fun and intellectual challenges.
Hunted Islamic State through the internet. Find them all that makes propaganda war against Bosnia and Herz government. Found names, locations, and profiles - and report them. After one month of spreading fear to citizens - I got a little bit angry about this. The only reason why this happens is they get me angry as also the government that spends millions of euros on software and weapons and has no chance to find people over the internet.
Find IP (first email on the picture) and 1-2h later full name, location, and other information.
I got a response from the Ministry of Security (thanks, and in a live TV conference he mention "We got help from a hacker that hack banks" - like there are 1000 of them in Bosnia and Herz. It was scary at the moment. I was hoping this will stay in the shadows)
Email that was sent at that time:
2016
Moved to Amsterdam, and meet Dutch hackers. Learn new things.
2017
I got an interview with Facebook and Google(Ireland - not California). Reject interview for Google after failing the Facebook interview(Got 2 programming task, simplest one - fall both). In the end - I did not see myself inside that kind of company. I love algorithms, programming, math, and puzzles - but simple I don't see myself in that kind of company. Only I promise to myself - if any day in the future I want to go - it would be booking dot com. I forget to mention I fall an interview with booking dot com in 2015. Face-to-face interview. Simple I did not prepare myself and the persons who interview me - did not get my idea correctly. It happens (I did not present small detail and the complete troubleshooting question goes in the wrong direction)
2018
Someone send anonymous mail to one of the judges as a threat - I asked again some politicians to help this Cyber Unit to identify the person who did this. From my perspective - it was possible for even a person to use a proxy and hide very well (from information that I read from the news).
2019
Start working for ZenDev and Ericsson as a consultant.
(found bugs in ssh of Ericsson router - "it is not our job". Ok)
One person tries to blackmail the woman for her photos (she sends them to him, a romantic affair) to send to her husband. Options to inform the police or the real husband were not good at all. (kids, marriage, too much newspaper) I exploited that he (the person who blackmailed) did not know a real husband. So I called this person yelling, threatening to call the police, and told him that I forgive my "wife". He got a message and leave the poor woman alone. (this happen in Bosnia and Herzegovina FYI - and I was using Viber with a number from Bosnia and Herz - so he could not notice my location)
2020
0wned some tweeter bots from local Bosnia and Herz. CERT (they mess up with keys) - reported to them as part of ethical hacking.
Srdjan Rajcevic, at that time the main person in the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development, Higher Education and Information Society - false some massive retweets - and he and his personal "bots" (people that support him and pay as well for that) put a false story that behind this "massive RT" was me. I was of course laff - it was not me and the tools they use is a marketing tool that promotes tweets (more RT, more rank on google). I did notice until 23h that evening - someone was systematically searching me through Google, going over my profiles (GitHub, Facebook, blog post, and this blog, etc). Then I get alarmed. Returned complete the day starting from 8 in the morning so I got this:
8 am Srdjan google me with his iPhone, from home and his wife also (from an Android phone)
9 am The chief of his cabinet or someone else - google me, view my personal blog
On 16 that day he state that he know who did this "attack" (it is not an attack and every person was laff in this from the IT sector in Bosnia and Herz) (https://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/iz-vlade-rs-a-se-pozalili-da-lazni-profili-napadaju-njihove-naloge-na-drustvenim-mrezama/200415125)
16:30 Police from Bosnia google me (they lack "security of operations")
At 21:30 there was IP. .. from Stockholm. It was a domain of the Swedish police, "whois records". I check - it was really them.
Also notice that Srdjan R. has iPhone, iTablet, and Mac laptop. Later I will get information that one company doing this to all people in the government of R.Srpska. (name of the company, it is connected with the most winning solution for government proposals)
Crap. But then again - I did not do anything and thank the high power of the internet - complete my traffic is "captured" or "followed" here in Sweden - so even if they try to check they can see that it was not me. So I got relaxed. and laff on all this. Forgot to mention - I am using the internet to harvest information about who is harvesting information on me. I called contra-OSINT and I am doing this since 2008 when my paranoid nature starts.
Also: "DDOS attack" on journalist: https://www.infoveza.com/milan-curlic-curla-iz-banjaluke-prijetio-nasoj-redakciji/ - I found this person. He believes that anonymity exists :)
2021
One of my friend got death threat https://www.gerila.info/novosti/drustvo/banjalucki-komicar-mirko-komljenovic-prijavio-da-dobija-prijetnje/ It was the same person from the upper link "DDOS attack"
Later in 2021, there was a scandal of blackmailing a young politician with his private video. No one in the media published but the video was "viral". Actually, he has more than one video and this group of people (yes, they are identified and reported to the police - no one did take any steps to bring this person to justice. Why? Ask the police) Send a note to him that I want to help and RNR starts (all this was done by law and nothing was illegal in this process - that is more fun): - removed 5-6 domains and WordPress (wordpress.com tnx to these nice people) - block emails (tnx to Yahoo admins) - recover the true identity of these people - find start point where to go (the person who was blackmailing the victim used his real CC to pay domain) So in the short idea was to block all content (there were 2-3 new videos that did not get in public) and because I removed them several times - all news got removed as content and they start from the beginning. So people lost interest in this type of page and did not follow it (they changed all the time domains with new but they did not become viral as with the first video) and blackmailers get issues setting up new domains and blogs as emails also (they are not so technical skilled people)
Got "thank you" in a live tv show from the victim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CDgudFisCc
2022
Find some person who sends a death threat to some official https://srpskainfo.com/srpskainfo-donosi-detalje-hapsenja-mahmutovic-priznao-da-je-prijetio-kojicu-foto/
Made some inspiration for the new generation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjimiYjYzGk (all mentioned things are old or legal - but also if you do not get caught then it is ok hahaha joke. no illegal things)
2023
I have all passwords: https://github.com/vladimircicovic/wifi_pass
Maybe is time to start a security carrier.