Security

Do you use a Linksys, Netgear, Verizon, D-Link, or Belkin router for your home network? Then your network could be vulnerable to attack. Baltimore, Maryland-based security consultancy firm Independent Security Evaluators (ISE) says that in a test of ... popular home routers most were vulnerable to attack by hackers. ISE put routers from Linksys, Netgear, Verizon, D-Link, and Belkin to the test after having installed each firm's latest firmware updates. ISE also left each router's default configurations in place when carrying out their tests. Hackers Intercept Sensitive Information ISE found that ... (view more)

The intensity of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks is on the rise, a new report suggests. According to Florida-based security firm Prolexic, such attacks have become eight times more potent in just the past quarter. Prolexic says that the ... average attack bandwidth associated with DDoS attacks seen during the first quarter of 2013 was just over 48 gigabytes per second (Gbps). That's a huge increase from the last quarter of 2012, when average attack bandwidth was just 5.9 Gbps. A DDoS attack involves flooding a website with bogus traffic to the point that the website's server can no ... (view more)

Hackers have reportedly initiated a widespread attack on sites that use the WordPress publishing platform. Hosts using particularly weak passwords are being told to change those passwords or risk having their sites taken over. The hacking campaign ... reportedly uses a "brute force" strategy, meaning hackers use the login name "admin" and then try thousands of typical passwords to bypass security. Hackers Hoping to Create a "Beefy" Botnet The goal, according to security experts, is to build a huge and powerful botnet. "One of the concerns of an attack like this is that the attacker is ... (view more)

Last week a security researcher based in Europe revealed that, using some hardware and software available on eBay, he was able to develop an application that could be used to remotely control a commercial plane , mid-flight. That researcher was ... Germany's Hugo Teso, who demonstrated his trick by producing a special Android app that automated the process of taking control of a plane and then re-directing it. The app, which is called 'PlaneSploit,' takes advantage of security vulnerabilities in the aviation industry's communications systems. (Source: gawker.com ) Teso said he was working closely ... (view more)

A security researcher is warning that vulnerabilities in the aviation industry's communications systems could allow a hacker to take control of an airplane mid-flight. German security consultant Hugo Teso recently presented his research on the ... aviation industry's security vulnerabilities at the 'Hack in the Box' conference in Amsterdam. (Source: cnn.com ) Teso, who held a commercial pilot license for more than a decade, spent three years examining the aviation industry's security systems. He found a staggering number of vulnerabilities, particularly in a system known as ADS-B, or automatic ... (view more)

Researchers have discovered a new type of malware that uses several advanced strategies to prevent you from detecting it. Those strategies include tracking user mouse usage and hiding malicious files. The malware, which is being called ... Trojan.APT.BaneChant, was recently discovered by researchers at security firm FireEye. The malware reportedly spreads through an infected Microsoft Word document attached to emails. So far, BaneChant has mostly been seen overseas. "We suspect that this weaponized document was used to target the governments of Middle East and Central Asia," noted FireEye ... (view more)

Researchers in California say they've developed a way to use brain signals as a form of digital security. It could solve several major problems with current password systems. Existing log-in tools are limited by the ability of the user to remember a ... password. In turn, that tempts people to use simpler passwords that are easier for humans to guess or machines to figure out by trial and error. The University of California Berkeley School of Information has been working on an alternative. Staff there believe reading a person's brainwaves represents a more reliable and secure system. They've ... (view more)

United States government employees are being told to avoid placing too much personal information on social media sites or other public pages. Phishers recently used that sort of data to target public workers in the energy sector. A phishing campaign ... involves using fake forms and websites to lure victims into providing sensitive personal information, from names and addresses to credit card data. Conference List Used for Email Attacks According to reports, phishers used a public list of conference attendees to attack public energy sector workers. The conference list provided the phishers with ... (view more)

North Korea has been dominating news headlines of late after making threats against both the United States and South Korea. However, global 'hacktivist' organization Anonymous recently launched its own attack on the mysterious Asian nation. ... Specifically, Anonymous has vandalized North Korea's official Twitter and Flickr sites. The hackers also reportedly bypassed the security of a North Korean book and music retailer as well as a national news and information page. North Korea's Flickr Page Defaced After the hack, North Korea's official Flickr page featured a picture of leader Kim Jong-un ... (view more)

Two techies have each won $25,000 after coming up with plans to block automated "robocalls." The men came up with ideas based around the way some websites check a human rather than a machine in completing a form. The contest is run by the Federal ... Trade Commission (FTC), which regularly deals with complaints that companies have violated rules that restrict robocalls, or automated marketing calls where you pick up the phone only to hear a recorded message. Although the FTC is continuing to pursue offenders through its regulatory and legal powers, it wanted to find technical measures that could ... (view more)