Security

There's a tendency to blame hackers for security breaches resulting in critical data being compromised. However, a new study finds that, in many cases, human negligence and system problems are also to blame. Recently, security firm Symantec and the ... Ponemon Institute carried out a study investigating the causes of serious data breaches. The findings were quite astounding: in more than one in three cases human error or negligence was to blame for a hack. Another 29 per cent of breaches were the result of system malfunctions. Human Error, System Fails to Blame for Data Breaches This means that, ... (view more)

The Zeus malicious software tool, which is designed to steal bank account information, is reportedly making a resurgence. This time Zeus is being spread through misleading Facebook pages. The Zeus malware, which has been circulating for roughly six ... years, poses as a legitimate file and tricks victims into installing it on their PCs. It then waits until a victim logs into an online banking site before using keylogging tools to capture log-in details. With enough information, the people behind Zeus can empty bank accounts. Malware Targets Bank Accounts, Social Security Numbers To make things ... (view more)

Motorola is experimenting with new methods for securing personal technology devices. The firm is actively searching for alternatives to the standard password. At the recent All Things D(igital) conference in California, Motorola's head of Advanced ... Technology and Projects, Regina Dugan, suggested transforming the human body into a walking verification center. The first method involves an electronic tattoo, whereby an individual would be able to literally wear a passcode on their skin. To pursue this idea Motorola has teamed with an electronics company MC10, which currently offers tattoos with ... (view more)

Iranian hackers pose a greater threat to the U.S. than their Chinese counterparts, a new report suggests. The theory is that China is more interested in spying on the United States while Iran wants to harm vital U.S. systems. The claims come in ... anonymous briefings given by U.S. government and security officials. They follow equally startling warnings by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which encourage U.S. businesses to share details of security threats so that experts can look for common patterns. Previously, U.S. security officials had pointed to the Middle East as a ... (view more)

The feared Zeus Trojan is expected to make a comeback in the next six months. According to security research firm Trend Micro, many cybercriminals are returning to this form of malware as a tool for compromising website security. Zeus is by no means ... new. Its source code was originally spread across the world wide web more than two years ago, and since that time has been customized by cybercriminals. Popular variants of Zeus included 'Citadel' and 'GameOver'. Overall, Zeus (sometimes called Zbot) is one of the oldest forms of financial malware still being used by cybercriminals today. Zeus a ... (view more)

Twitter plans to introduce an "account verification" feature that the social networking site hopes will help beef up security. The move follows a spate of attacks in which high-profile media accounts have been taken over and used to publish bogus ... news claims. The new system is a form of 'two-factor verification', meaning that merely providing a standard password isn't enough. When a person uses two-factor verification security, a hacker who gains access to a password still won't be able to break into an account. If users enable the new system in their account settings, they'll be able to add ... (view more)

Hackers have reportedly threatened to attack the computer system belonging to Cuba-based Guantanamo Bay prison. That has forced the U.S. military to take the facility's wireless network offline. Reports indicate the hack was designed to show support ... for Guantanamo Bay prisoners. More than half of the prison population is currently taking part in a hunger strike focused on raising awareness about the facility's conditions. Guantanamo Officials Fear Hacking Threat Anonymous, a so-called 'hacktivism' group that uses hacking as a form of political protest, began an online campaign to mark the ... (view more)

After lying low for several months, the Chinese military's hacking division has reportedly resumed attacks on U.S. businesses and government agencies. Earlier this year a US security firm published a report that linked cyber attacks to a ... Shanghai-based residence. Given that the building is known to belong to the Chinese army, it was widely concluded that China's military was directly involved in the operation. Chinese officials denied the claims. However, security experts continued to insist that the Shanghai-based unit was responsible for attacking U.S. government agencies, businesses that ... (view more)

A Romanian man convicted of ripping off ATM machines is hoping to make amends by offering an iron-clad way to protect those same machines. Valentin Boanta, who is currently six months into a five-year prison term, first started working on his ... project while awaiting trial back in 2009. Boanta's system uses a Secure Revolving System (SRS) that can be installed in any ATM machine. Its appearance resembles a metallic box measuring about 6 inches long and features a card slot in the middle. (Source: torontosun.com ) Internal Rotation Prevents Skimming SRS allows the bank card to be inserted for a ... (view more)

Law enforcement officials in Italy have reportedly arrested four members of Anonymous. The suspects allegedly carried out attacks on a number of prominent Italian websites and online services. The suspects are all aged between 20 and 34 and were ... placed under arrest in the Italian cities of Turin, Venice, and Bologna. One suspect was arrested in the southern community of Lecce. According to police, the suspects were part of Anonymous Italy, which carried out hacks of prominent commercial and government websites. Some of those sites were owned by the Vatican, Italy's prime minister's office, ... (view more)