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Thursday
Sep022010

UN telecom chief urges RIM to give India access to customer data

Governments fighting terrorism have right to information

The head of the United Nations telecommunications agency has urged the Canadian maker of the BlackBerry, Research in Motion, to allow law enforcement agencies access to customer data.

The Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, Hamadoun Toure, said in London Wednesday that all governments fighting terrorism have the right to users' information.

His comments came as India widened its security crackdown on encrypted communication, asking other companies to install servers inside its borders to allow it to obtain users' data.

That would likely affect such companies as Google, Nokia, Microsoft and perhaps Skype, if it begins to offer services in India. Nokia has already agreed to place a server in India by Nov. 5.

Click to read more ...

Thursday
Sep022010

Man guilty of fraud in Internet credit card scam

US scammer bought, resold nearly 27,000 credit card numbers


WASHINGTON (AFP) – A US man pleaded guilty Wednesday to fraudulently obtaining nearly 27,000 credit card numbers and selling them on to other scammers, who used them to make purchases.

Juan Javier Cardenas, 45, admitted at a plea hearing in a district court in Florida that he had "purchased stolen credit card information from a co-conspirator" using the Internet, a statement from the US Department of Justice said.

Cardenas then used the Internet to resell the credit card information to third parties who made fraudulent credit card purchases.

Click to read more ...

Tuesday
Aug312010

Cyber pranksters or terrorists? 4chan users make life hell for their victims

The strange virtual world of 4chan

By Jon Kelly and Jude Sheerin

Coventry cat tormentor Mary Bale has become the latest victim of 4chan - a website credited with creating some of the web's biggest phenomena, whose users wreak havoc across cyberspace. Just what is it all about?

When CCTV footage emerged of a middle-aged lady stroking a cat before dumping it in a wheelie bin, millions were outraged.

But in one murky corner of the internet, the scent of blood was detected.

En masse, an army of cyber-pranksters swung into action and culprit Mary Bale was initially outed not by the forces of Fleet Street but by users of an online community.

Click to read more ...

Friday
Aug272010

Pentagon establishes new cyber security strategy to protect Internet

Defending the Internet: National Security v. Big Brother


Tony Bradley

In the wake of revelations that the US military network was compromised in 2008, and that US digital interests are under a relative constant threat of attack, the Pentagon is establishing new cyber security initiatives to protect the Internet. The Pentagon strategy--which is part digital NATO, part digital civil defense, and part Big Brother--may ruffle some feathers and raise concerns that the US Internet is becoming a military police state.

The mission of the United States Department of Defense is to provide military forces needed to deter war and protect the security of the nation. The scope of that mission includes emerging threats and the need to deter cyber war and protect the digital security of the nation as well. To fulfill that mission in an increasingly connected world, and with a rising threat of digital attack, the Pentagon wants to expand its sphere of influence.

Click to read more ...

Thursday
Aug262010

Software weaknesses leave Internet users more vulnerable than ever

Cracks in computer defenses abound: IBM


SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – IBM on Wednesday reported that the number of discovered cracks that hackers could exploit in computer software surged in the first half of the year.

The number of new "vulnerabilities" documented by an X-Force Research and Development team at IBM increased 36 percent to 4,396 from the same period last year and more than half lacked patches to fix the flaws.

"This year's X-Force report reveals that although threats are on the rise, the industry as a whole is getting much more vigilant about reporting vulnerabilities," said IBM Security Solutions general manager Steve Robinson.

Click to read more ...

Thursday
Aug262010

Worst breach of American military cyber security originated in Mid-East base

Spies behind 2008 cyber attack, U.S. official says


(Reuters) - A foreign spy agency led a 2008 cyber attack on U.S. military computer systems, a top Pentagon official said, shedding light on what he called the most significant breach of American military cyber security.

Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn said the attack took place after an infected flash-drive was inserted into a U.S. military laptop at a base in the Middle East, uploading malicious computer code onto the Central Command network.

"That code spread undetected on both classified and unclassified systems, establishing what amounted to a digital beachhead from which data could be transferred to servers under foreign control," Lynn wrote in an article for Foreign Affairs magazine published on Wednesday.

"This previously classified incident was the most significant breach of U.S. military computers ever."

Click to read more ...

Wednesday
Aug252010

Pentagon warns that US military dominance at risk from cyber warfare

Secret US military computers 'cyber attacked' in 2008


A 2008 cyber attack launched from an infected flash drive in the Middle East penetrated secret US military computers, a Pentagon official says.

The attack by a foreign spy service was the "most significant breach" ever of US military networks, Deputy Defence Secretary William Lynn said.

Writing in Foreign Affairs magazine, Mr Lynn described it as a "digital beachhead" to steal military secrets.

He urged the US to speed up its cyber defence system procurement procedure.

Click to read more ...

Wednesday
Aug252010

Antivirus maker says not enough SMBs take security seriously

Report: Cybercrime Increases As SMBs Fail To Fortify Security

 

Cybercrime is on the rise, according the a report released by PandaSecurity, the makers of Panda Antivirus Pro 2011. The finding, based on a survey of 1,532 American businesses and 7,938 global companies, revealed that the 2 percent uptick in cybercrime can be attributed to poor security practices.

According to Panda, 36 percent of U.S. small businesses use free security solutions that are designed for home use, 31 percent operate without anti-spam tools, 23 percent lack anti-spyware, and 15 percent haven't set up a firewall.

Click to read more ...

Tuesday
Aug242010

40 percent of spam comes from single network of computers

Jeremy Kirk

More than 40 percent of the world's spam is coming from a single network of computers that computer security experts continue to battle, according to new statistics from Symantec's MessageLabs' division.

The Rustock botnet has shrunk since April, when about 2.5 million computers were infected with its malicious software that sent about 43 billion spam e-mails per day. Much of it is pharmaceutical spam.

Now, about 1.3 million computers are infected with Rustock, and the botnet is making up for its decreased size with increased volume, said Paul Wood, a MessageLabs intelligence analyst with Symantec. Those infected computers -- most of which are in North America and Western Europe -- are collectively sending around 46 billion spam e-mails per day.

 

Click to read more ...

Tuesday
Aug242010

Hackers targeting iTunes and Paypal: accounts "cleaned out"

Web scam hits iTunes and Paypal


By Maggie Shiels

iTunes accounts linked to PayPal have been targted in a scam with a number of users complaining that they have been cleaned out.

Apple and PayPal refused to discuss the details of the incident.

Experts have told the BBC there is no security hole in iTunes or Apple servers and that it is most likely users have fallen for an online scam.

"I just got hacked for $1,000 worth of software, videos and music," tweeted one victim.

Click to read more ...

Monday
Aug232010

Deleted North Korean Facebook account reappears with new group

A Facebook account established by a North Korea-linked Web site was deleted by the social networking service on Friday, but a new group sprang up over the weekend to take its place.

The account belonged to Uriminzokkiri, a Web site that provides Korean-language news and propaganda from North Korea's central news agency. The Web site appears to be run from servers in China but is ultimately controlled from Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.

The Facebook group appeared on Thursday and carried links to articles on the Uriminzokkiri Web site and videos on the site's YouTube channel. In its short life the Facebook group managed to attract a handful of Facebook friends before becoming unavailable during the Friday U.S. business day.

 

Click to read more ...

Friday
Aug202010

Infected computer failed to detect mechanical problems that may have caused plane to crash

Malware Implicated in Fatal Spanair Plane Crash


Authorities investigating the 2008 crash of Spanair flight 5022 have discovered a central computer system used to monitor technical problems in the aircraft was infected with malware.

An internal report issued by the airline revealed the infected computer failed to detect three technical problems with the aircraft, which if detected, may have prevented the plane from taking off, according to reports in the Spanish newspaper, El Pais.

Flight 5022 crashed just after takeoff from Madrid-Barajas International Airport two years ago today, killing 154 and leaving only 18 survivors.

Click to read more ...

Friday
Aug202010

Another new malware scam targets Facebook users

Protect Your Network from Facebook Malware


Tony Bradley

Reports are circulating of yet another malware scam targeting Facebook users. The sheer size of the social network, combined with the inherent trust users place in messages from friends and family through Facebook make it a prime target for malware attacks to exploit.

AppRiver report that they are detecting a new malware campaign targeting Facebook. The campaign tricks unsuspecting users into thinking the message is coming from Facebook. The e-mail appears to be an official Facebook notification indicating the reader can reconnect with friends, but the message is full of malicious links. Clicking on one of the malicious links will then redirect them through several different Web sites and load malware onto their computer through a hidden iframe exploit.

Click to read more ...

Thursday
Aug192010

Chinese military using civilian hackers to steal US data: Pentagon

Pentagon takes aim at China cyber threat


By LOLITA C. BALDOR

WASHINGTON – The U.S. for the first time is publicly warning about the Chinese military's use of civilian computer experts in clandestine cyber attacks aimed at American companies and government agencies.

In a move that is being seen as a pointed signal to Beijing, the Pentagon laid out its concerns this week in a carefully worded report.

The People's Liberation Army, the Pentagon said, is using "information warfare units" to develop viruses to attack enemy computer systems and networks, and those units include civilian computer professionals.

The assertion shines a light on a quandary that has troubled American authorities for some time: How does the U.S. deal with cyber espionage emanating from China and almost certainly directed by the government — despite the fact that U.S. officials don't have or can't show proof of those ties?

Click to read more ...

Thursday
Aug192010

Microprocessor giant to acquire security software maker

Intel to buy McAfee for $7.68 billion


SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Intel Corp (INTC.O) said it would buy security software maker McAfee Inc (MFE.N) for $7.7 billion to capitalize on rising demand from consumers for better protection of their laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Intel will pay $48 per share in cash for McAfee in its biggest acquisition ever. The price represents a 60 percent premium to McAfee's Wednesday closing price -- a level company executives defended as within the range of other large software and security deals.

The pact is the latest in a steady stream of technology deals, including Dell Inc's (DELL.O) $1.3 billion purchase of storage company 3PAR Inc (PAR.N) earlier this week.

Click to read more ...

Wednesday
Aug182010

Facebook Warns of Clickjacking Scam

Ian Paul

Security firm Sophos recently discovered a new clickjacking scam on Facebook that spreads via the social network's "share" feature and could be costing you $5 a week.  The new malware is similar to a so-called "likejacking" worm discovered last May. But instead of exploiting Facebook's "Like" button, the new scam uses the "Share" feature that posts content to your profile wall where your friends are encouraged to click on it.

This is the second Facebook scam reported on by Sophos in recent days. On Monday, the security firm alerted Facebook users to an enticing scam that allowed you to add a "Dislike" button to your profile.

Here's how the "Share" button scam works:

Click to read more ...

Tuesday
Aug172010

Lack of Internet security in South Asia called "woeful"

New victim in India-Pakistan 'cyberwar'


by Phil Hazlewood 

MUMBAI (AFP) – The "cyberwar" between India and Pakistan has claimed another victim, with the hacking of a high-profile lawmaker's website that experts say highlights the woeful lack of Internet security in South Asia.

A group calling itself the Pakistan Cyber Army said it hacked into the website of independent Indian MP Vijay Mallya, a flamboyant liquor baron, who is also head of Kingfisher Airlines and the Force One Formula One racing team.

"This is payback from Pak Cyber Army in return to the defacements of Pakistan sites!" the message on www.mallyainparliament.com said, according to Indian media. "You are playing with fire! This is not a game kids.

Click to read more ...

Tuesday
Aug172010

Phony "Dislike" button puts Facebook users at risk

Facebook scammers spreading fake 'Dislike' button


SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Computer security firm Sophos on Monday warned that scammers are duping Facebook users with a bogus "Dislike" button that slips malicious software onto machines.

There is no "Dislike" version of the "Like" icon that members of the world's top social networking website use to endorse online comments, stories, pictures or other content shared with friends.

Hackers are enticing Facebook users to install an application pitched as a "Dislike" button that jokingly notifies contacts at the social networking service "now I can dislike all of your dumb posts."

Click to read more ...

Monday
Aug162010

Limited access to RIM Messenger services in India

BlackBerry to give India partial access: source

 

By Bappa Majumdar

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Research In Motion (RIM) has assured Indian authorities of limited access to its Messenger services by September 1 and will hold talks this week on giving access to enterprise mail, a government source said on Monday.

RIM faces an August 31 deadline to give Indian authorities the means to read e-mail and instant messages sent over the BlackBerry.

Click to read more ...

Monday
Aug162010

Internet nutraceuticals scam bilked victims of $100M

1 million consumers lured by fake weight loss and colon cancer products

An American nutraceutical company has been shut down by the Federal Trade Commission after three years of running a massive scam that bilked one million consumers out of more than $100 million.

Central Coast Nutraceuticals of California, two individuals and four affiliated companies have had their assets frozen, and a temporary receiver has been named to take over the businesses under a court order issued by the United States District Court.

The company was marketing the products AcaiPure, an acai berry supplement, and Colopure, a colon cleanser product, on the internet using bogus endorsements from TV personalities Rachael Ray and Oprah Winfrey.

Click to read more ...