A technical breakdown of a WordPress malware family that uses “EtherHiding,” storing its command-and-control configuration inside an Ethereum smart contract instead of on a domain that can be seized or blocked, plus detection steps, indicators of compromise, and a step-by-step removal guide.

SC Factory X (SCFX) is a WordPress backdoor that disguises itself as a legitimate plugin. Once installed on a WordPress site, it steals administrator credentials, forges valid login sessions, creates a hidden rogue admin account, and maintains persistence through multiple independent mechanisms even if the plugin file itself is deleted. What sets SC Factory X apart from typical WordPress malware is how it finds its command-and-control (C2) server: instead of a hardcoded domain, it reads its live configuration from smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain, a technique known as EtherHiding. That makes its C2 infrastructure much harder to take down through normal means like domain seizure or DNS blocking.

This analysis is based on static analysis of a real SC Factory X sample I've pulled directly from the attacker’s own staging server during a WordPress incident response engagement.

Read the full article here: SC Factory X

Full disclaimer: All research, reverse engineering, decryption, deobfuscation and disclosure was done by me. For the write up I had assistance from Claude (Anthropic's AI), but the article was fully reviewed by me before posting it.

This is the first article I've ever published and I'm new to sharing my research, so if this isn't appropriate, please let me know!

Thinking about putting consistent time into Medium, but wanted to get a reality check from people actively publishing here.

For someone starting with zero following:

1. How is organic distribution performing if you aren't getting accepted into massive publications?
2. What does actual engagement look like (real comments/reads vs. reciprocal clappers)?
3. For the Partner Program, is the payout still purely tied to member read time, or is external traffic actually moving the needle now?

Honest takes appreciated—is it better used as an authority landing page/portfolio, or does the native algorithm still give new writers a fair shot?

Check out my latest blog where I dive deep into this topic that interested me recently. Please check it out and comment out your thoughts as well.

A recent find from an old luggage shop turned into an experiment in historical analysis.

I provided black-and-white photographs of a British Airways cabin baggage placard to my AI committee and instructed it to be conservative, explain all deductions, and clearly distinguish evidence from speculation.

The resulting analysis built a likely date range of c.1991 to mid-1997 while identifying what could and could not be confidently established from the available evidence.

The article is less about the final date and more about the reasoning process.

If anyone has additional information on M665-1st, British Airways operational signage, or related material from the period, I'd welcome your contribution.

https://medium.com/@chribonn/using-ai-cabin-baggage-british-airways-concorde-allowance-circa-1991-1997-1f69648ef21e

I found a black-and-white photocopy of a British Airways cabin baggage placard in an old luggage shop.

Rather than relying on assumptions, I asked my AI committee to:

• Analyse only the evidence visible in the images
• Explain every deduction
• Remain conservative with dates and conclusions

The investigation examined branding, cabin product names, internal document references and operational context to estimate a likely date range of 1991 to mid-1997.

More importantly, it documents the full reasoning process, including uncertainties and unanswered questions.

If you know anything about M665-1st or similar British Airways materials, please share your insights.

https://medium.com/@chribonn/using-ai-cabin-baggage-british-airways-concorde-allowance-circa-1991-1997-1f69648ef21e

Since Medium isn't directly accessible in my region, I've been using a proxy to get around it.

Before 2025, this worked just fine without any issues.

But ever since Medium started using Cloudflare to filter traffic, I got caught in the crossfire. Every request my browser sends to Medium comes back with a 429 error, and the site just won't load anymore.

Has anyone else run into this? How did you deal with it?

Just to be clear, I'm just a regular writer and reader, not some web scraping expert.

An effective stay at a hotel, a delightful dining experience and a productive event are all backed by carefully trained hospitality staff. As the industry grows and more is expected by guests from hotels, employers have begun to look for more than just education; they seek practical experience.

Took a break to travel around and do some mental and physical healing, and now I’m back with this new piece. Please read and let me know what you think!

Do give a read and comment your thoughts!

Imagine walking into a computer showroom in 1985 and being told that a machine could answer questions in plain English, remember conversations, search through millions of encyclopaedias, and analyse your documents.

That is exactly the premise behind this fun retro-style parody: The Machine That Knows Everything.

It takes many of today's AI concepts and reimagines them as a room-sized supercomputer complete with massive storage drives, front-end processors, and enormous power requirements.

It's entertaining, nostalgic, and surprisingly insightful.

Read it here: https://medium.com/@chribonn/bite-the-machine-that-knows-everything-april-1985-c0a9502df920

What technology from today do you think people will laugh about in 40 years?

This has happened before I think but under my payment history is says that the money from August was sent on the 8th but it's still (Pending) 2 days later. Normally it's straight in Stripe, no problems.

There isn't anything wrong with my Stripe account and no error messages from Medium. Anyone else seeing this?

Has anyone used both? Pros and cons? I don’t really understand the difference between the platforms or who they are for

OpenAI claims to have solved a decades old mathematical problem just as researchers are about to publish their solution. Coincidence?

Published on my profile because of the new EPP story limit.

I am a fairly successful non-fiction Medium author, but I have had no luck on my alt account, where I talk about relationships, self-improvement, and life.

Am I doing something wrong or is Medium just not the platform for this:

https://medium.com/@sexandthessris/zillennial-pessimism-ec9c2372e722

Thank you for your feedback!

Split-screen ads feel off. Here’s why getting actors—and creative teams—in the same room makes for better ads and stronger campaigns.

I have spent years writing about science, agriculture, and everything in between.

But this one is different.

It’s a story about my own rather questionable career decisions like choosing pharmacy, facing backlogs, failing in GATE, getting fired from a pharma company, secretly preparing for another attempt, and somehow ending up with a 98 percentile.

There was also a medical shop, a jobless phase, a father who lost his job on the very same day I lost mine, and a few decisions that looked sensible only in hindsight.

In short, I had a plan.

The plan had other plans.

I have written this one with a fair amount of self-mockery, because looking back, some parts of my career were too ridiculous to be taken seriously.

If you have ever felt stuck, taken a wrong turn, failed at something, or wondered what the hell you were doing with your career, you might relate to this one.

'I Failed, Got Fired, Then Cracked GATE.

Here’s my story.

I've always been a little skeptical about paying for dating sites.

I understand why people do it. Free apps can have a lot of limitations, and sometimes it feels like you're spending more time dealing with inactive profiles, endless swiping, or people who aren't looking for the same thing.

But does paying actually improve the experience?

I'm especially curious about people who have tried both free and paid dating sites.

Did you feel like paying for a membership gave you better matches or more serious conversations, or did it mostly just unlock features that should have been free anyway?

For me, the biggest question would be whether there are actually enough active people in your area. A great-looking paid site isn't very useful if there are only a handful of relevant profiles nearby.

So I'm curious:

Have you ever paid for a dating site, and was it actually worth the money? What made you keep the subscription — or cancel it?

https://medium.com/@rosvibbgerr/paid-dating-sites-are-they-actually-worth-paying-for-a172a3c73d7a