Security

Security experts at Kaspersky Lab, one of the leading anti-virus and computer security firms, recently announced they were able to take control of a hacker-built botnet containing more than 100,000 compromised computers. Unfortunately, less than 24 ... hours after the successful takedown, Kelihos, the cybercriminal gang behind the botnet, has already started building a new, large-scale collection of compromised computers to replace the one taken down. To stop the initial botnet, Kaspersky specialists used a method called "sinkholing." This technique involves direct infiltration of the botnet's ... (view more)

A new hacking group has emerged under a familiar name: LulzSec. Infiltrating dating and communications sites, its activity has led experts to fear that more copycat hacking organizations will emerge this year. The new group calls itself LulzSec ... Reborn, a clear rip-off of the LulzSec name made infamous last year. That rather unique moniker came from a combination of hacker lingo for "laughing out loud" with a short-hand name for "security." First Target of 'LulzSec Reborn' Attack: Single Soldiers The new group's first target was MilitarySingles, an online dating site for soldiers and other ... (view more)

According to a new report from Verizon, the majority of data stolen last year was the work of "hacktivists," many of whom were hoping to send a political message. According to security experts, this means that attacks by hackers seeking financial ... gain were, for the first time ever, overshadowed by other motivations for breaching security systems. The report, called "Data Breach Investigations," details examinations by Verizon of 855 security breaches. Ninety of the attacks were found within the ranks of Verizon's own customers, and 765 came from law enforcement agency ... (view more)

A new study conducted by Trustwave, an IT research firm, is providing a startling look at the security vulnerabilities and hacking trends within computer systems used in the business world. For example, the Global Security Report for 2012 shows that ... the most popular computer password selected by business users is "Password1". Of the 2.5 million passwords Trustwave studied in total, about 5 per cent contained the word "password." (Source: slashgear.com ) According to Trustwave, "Password1" is so popular because "it satisfies the default Microsoft Active Directory complexity setting," ... (view more)

Members of the hacking group Anonymous have apparently been duped into installing malware on their own machines. The malicious software was disguised as an update to one of the main tools used by the group. Anonymous has little or no formal ... structure; it's often described as an idea rather than an organization. Members generally take action as a form of protest rather than in pursuit of financial gain, portraying most of their victims as opponents of Internet freedoms. The most common tactic used by Anonymous is the distributed denial of service attack. This involves using a network of ... (view more)

According to NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration), in recent years, it has become an increasingly popular target for high-tech hackers. In 2007 and 2008, China was suspected to have hacked into NASA satellites , though no formal ... evidence linking China to the attacks has been brought forward. The agency says its systems were hacked approximately thirteen times in 2011 alone. "The threat to NASA's information security is persistent and ever-changing," noted Congressman Paul Braun at a recent meeting of the House Science, Space and Technology subcommittee. "Unless NASA is ... (view more)

Members of the international hacking group LulzSec ("Lulz Security") have discovered their worst nightmare may have come true. It appears that one of the group's leading figures was working as an undercover FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) ... informer for the past nine months. The news emerged this week with the arrest of five suspects in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. All those arrested are said to be members of the LulzSec group, which emerged last summer and quickly made a name for itself as a leading organization of highly proficient hackers ... (view more)

A British newspaper has accused Facebook of reading its members' text messages. In response, Facebook says the article is misinformed and "completely wrong." Google Android Security Permissions Scrutinized The dispute involves a Sunday Times report ... based on an investigation into Android-based handsets, the results of which may also apply to Apple iPhones. The investigation scrutinized the security permissions system within Android, which breaks into several different categories the information an application may use. For each category, the application must ask for and receive permission from ... (view more)

A senior US security official has warned that a high-profile international hacker group may currently possess the ability to cause widespread power outages in the United States. However, the hackers themselves have publicly countered that claim, ... saying they would never carry out such an attack. To underline their assertion, the hackers have attacked the newspaper that first published these claims. General Keith Alexander, director of the U.S. National Security Agency, was reported in the Wall Street Journal to have made the comments about Anonymous, a loose collection of hackers who view ... (view more)

An estimated 200,000 computers may be at risk because they are running an un-patched edition of Symantec's PC Anywhere. Late last month, Symantec urged all users to cease running the program unless absolutely necessary. The firm later changed its ... mind, announcing that it was safe to run as long as new security patches were installed. PC Anywhere became vulnerable when hackers threatened to release source code originally stolen six years ago, apparently without Symantec's knowledge. The hackers attempted to extort the company for $50,000 and then released the code publicly when it refused to ... (view more)