Security

Apple has warned iPhone users to take care when replying to SMS (Short Message Service) text messages, after a hacker released details about a fundamental security flaw in the iPhone operating system. The flaw could allow pranksters to send bogus ... messages that appear to come from someone else. It could also trick users into following dangerous links or handing personal information to criminals. The revelations come from a "white hat" hacker -- someone who looks for security flaws to pressure companies to improve, rather than to exploit them for personal gain -- who goes by the name " ... (view more)

The international hacking group Anonymous claims it has bypassed Sony security and accessed the account details of ten million PlayStation Network (PSN) users. Sony, which actually did have millions of accounts compromised back in 2011, says this ... current claim is false. Anonymous used its own Twitter account to report the massive hack. "@Sony Hacked, @PlayStation Network Pwned," the tweet read. It has since been removed from Twitter. Another tweet posted later in the day elaborated on this original note, claiming that Anonymous had infiltrated approximately ten million PSN accounts. That ... (view more)

Imagine waking up one day and finding that the digital contents of your smartphone, laptop, and tablet computer have all been wiped out by hackers. This nightmare recently became reality for Wired.com writer Mat Honan, who later discovered that ... major holes in Apple and Amazon security had allowed the hack to occur. The hackers did a lot of damage. Not only did they wipe the contents of Honan's iPad, MacBook, and iPhone, but they infiltrated his Gmail account (and deleted it) and his Twitter account, where they posted a number of unseemly comments. (Source: venturebeat.com ) Amazon's Swiss ... (view more)

McAfee has released a new browser add-on that allows Facebook users to more privately post personal pictures. The app reportedly prevents strangers from viewing these images. Called Social Protection, it's a plug-in that offers two viewing features: ... First, it allows users to blur all their uploaded photos, and allow only the contacts the user selects to see them clearly. Second, the software allows a user to select which images will be blurred. This allows all the other photographs to remain visible to Facebook friends, by default. Images Blurred in Timeline, News Feed Using this new system, ... (view more)

Hackers who support the Syrian government may be responsible for two separate attacks on the Reuters news agency. The hackers' efforts apparently caused false information about the political and military situation inside Syria to appear on the news ... agency's website. The first hack damaged the Reuters blogging platform, a section of the agency's website that allows Reuters correspondents to write personal accounts and opinion pieces under their own name. It appears Reuters reporters can post directly to the site, which may have made the hacker's job easier. Fake Interview Posted On Reuters ... (view more)

A Russian hacker accused of launching distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against Amazon.com four years ago has now been arrested in Cyprus. The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) is currently trying to have him extradited to the US. ... According to the DoJ warrant used to detain 25-year-old Dmitry Olegovich Zubakha in Cyprus last week, the Russian carried out two attacks on Amazon in 2008. Using botnet-based DDoS tactics, his goal appears to have been to shut down Amazon's Internet servers by overwhelming them with fake traffic. Amazon Faces Massive Traffic Levels Amazon says ... (view more)

An international security campaign has taken down Grum, a hacker-controlled botnet responsible for the daily release of 18 billion spam emails. The takedown effort began two weeks ago, when authorities in the Netherlands pulled the plug on Grum's ... two main servers. Other servers in Panama went offline earlier this week. Grum's last servers were disconnected in Russia, effectively killing the botnet. Group Effort Stops Grum The demise of the Grum botnet was confirmed by security vendor FireEye in a recent blog post. Grum's termination apparently resulted from a group effort. To kill the ... (view more)

A Fairfax, Virginia, woman has accused a Best Buy employee of stealing "racy" photographs from her Apple iPhone. It's the first time the electronics retailer has been involved in such a case. Sophia Ellison went to the Fairfax-based Best Buy ... location because she wanted to have photos and contact information transferred from an old iPhone to a brand new one. What should have been a simple and straightforward process got complicated, however, when the Best Buy employee who volunteered to help her -- right now known only as 'George' -- offered to purchase the old iPhone for $60. ( ... (view more)

A new update for a Symantec antivirus program reportedly causes some PCs running Microsoft's Windows XP operating system (OS) to crash. Apparently, the new software contains elements that conflict with older elements of the Symantec program. The ... faulty update was first made available early last week for Symantec's Endpoint Protection 12.1 antivirus software, a program used by a substantial number of businesses and some home consumers. Some XP Users Updated, Then Confronted by Blue Screen of Death The problem seems to affect computer systems running Microsoft's aging Windows XP OS. Symantec ... (view more)

Hackers have posted a list of some 453,000 Yahoo user names and their passwords. Although those responsible say they are merely trying to highlight weak security, observers say that some users could indeed be at risk. The log-in details that were ... stolen appear to come from Yahoo Voices, a site that is set up so users can post their own blogs and articles. Some of these posts earn their authors a small up-front payment, while those that attract a lot of visitors can earn the writer significant bonus payments. The hackers apparently gained access to the site's log-in database by means of a ... (view more)