Security

A security company says a newly discovered piece of malicious software ("malware") appears to be heavily based on the Stuxnet worm. Stuxnet, was (as of last year) dubbed the most threatening malware ever created . However, the new version of this ... worm appears to be designed for intelligence gathering to make a future attack easier, rather than causing damage. Stuxnet Virus Attacks Nuclear Reactors Stuxnet was one of the most sophisticated viruses in recent years. Although it spread around the world and infected Windows PCs, its main target was industrial control systems in Iran. ... (view more)

The IT professionals behind next year's London Olympics are to carry out two simulated cyber-attacks to test their system. However, officials say they aren't aware of any specific threats. The move follows warnings in 2009 by the United Kingdom's ... then Home Secretary (roughly equivalent to head of the Department for Homeland Security), David Blunkett. He warned that without co-ordinated defenses, the system could come under attack. Blunkett suggested this might be a case of attempted disruption of the event rather than attempts to steal money, with criminals targeting ticketing and ... (view more)

A new virus found to have infected the United States Air Force's military drone control system is nothing more than a "nuisance," the Air Force reported last week. The Air Force suggested that the problem was easily overcome. Last week the U.S. Air ... Force confirmed that it had detected malware on portable hard drives used at the Creech Air Force Base for relaying data between its various systems. Some analysts were alarmed by that news, since Creech is the main base for the Air Force's Predator drone. Although the device can target enemies all over the world, it is piloted from Creech in Clark ... (view more)

Less than a year after Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN) was nailed by a widespread security breach, it appears the online video game service has yet again been exposed by another attack by hackers. According to reports, the Japanese firm was ... recently forced to lock nearly 100,000 users accounts to prevent the breach from spreading. Back in the spring, Sony faced a massive security breach that paralyzed PSN for about a month. Hundreds of thousands of user accounts were exposed in that attack, forcing Sony to make apology after apology and even issue online credits for free games. PCWorld ... (view more)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has accused a 35 year old man of hacking Scarlett Johansson's cellphone and stealing photographs of the actress in a state of undress. Christopher Chaney, of Jacksonville, Florida, has been charged with ... several offenses after allegedly compromising the security of more than 50 people, including other celebrities. The offenses are believed to involve a string of entertainers, including singer Christina Aguilera, actress Mila Kunis, celebrity stylist Simone Harouche and jazz singer Renee Olstead. It's thought the attacks involved both direct access to ... (view more)

A group of German hacking enthusiasts says the country's government is unlawfully spying on people online. It says officials are secretly using a monitoring tool in a way not authorized by the courts. The accusations come from the Chaos Computer ... Club (CCC), a group of hackers who seek to find creative and unconventional uses for technology rather than merely causing disruption by illegally accessing data. Ironically, that's exactly what they say the German government is doing. The claims involve Bundestrojaner, a government-run application that is effectively a Trojan horse, software that can ... (view more)

Security officials have discovered a new botnet of infected computers capable of tremendous online destruction. Computers around the world have become infected in droves thanks to a steady stream of malicious email attachments that have continued to ... be released on a daily basis since August. At its most volatile, a record high 25 billion malicious attachments were sent out in a single day in August, alone. Botnet Delivers Altered Scam Those responsible for the attacks have had to alter their deceitful strategies several times to expand their list of victims. The first wave of malicious emails ... (view more)

Many people are still apprehensive about sending out their personal information online, for fear of having their identity stolen by a profit-seeking hacker. Hoping to reduce the amount of "cyberphobia" in America, the White House is proposing a new ... initiative that looks to improve the current state of user authentication. Authentication Method to use Multiple Confirmation Methods While initial reports are limited, many believe that the new authentication system proposed by the White House would use at least two different ID confirmation methods. One theory suggests that an encryption chip ... (view more)

The eyes of the world were set on US media sources this past weekend, as millions mourned and remembered the 10 year anniversary of the tragic terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. In an effort to recreate the panic that was a decade ago, ... sick-minded hackers infiltrated the Twitter account of NBC News and sent out a handful of false tweets to followers around the world. The messages spoke of a suspected airplane hijacking and that another similar attack was planned for Sunday, with Ground Zero once again the target. NBC News correspondents intercepted the false tweets at around 6pm on ... (view more)

The theft of online security certificates by hackers thought to be from Iran may be even more serious than first thought. The stolen certificates include those for security agencies from the United States, United Kingdom and Israel. The security ... breach originates with DigiNotar, a Netherlands organization that produces Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates which are used by webites. An SSL, for example, is used when home users connect to their banking web sites. Using the SSL certificate, information to and from the home PC to a bank website is encrypted and cannot be intercepted by a third ... (view more)