Security

Analysts from Cisco, a worldwide leader in computer-based networking technology, have released their annual security report for 2010. The report reveals several interesting new trends, one of which is the revelation that attacks on non-Windows ... platforms, particularly those used on smartphones and tablet computers, are growing steadily in number. According to Cisco, a large part of the reason these alternative platforms are being attacked more frequently has to do with the determination of PC (Windows-based) application vendors that consistently patch vulnerabilities and prevent scammers from ... (view more)

When people decide to become an organ donor, they trust that their final wishes will be carried out and in good hands when the day comes. Unfortunately, that may not be the case, as a recently discovered software glitch in Britain has compromised ... the donation preferences of 444,031 people. The discrepancies were first discovered back in March 2010 and found to have existed between the organ donation information found on Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agencies (DVLA) application forms and the information recorded in the British Organ Donor Register (ODR). Twelve-Year-Old Software Glitch ... (view more)

An international report says that the term "cyber war" overstates the genuine security risks that national governments face in the online age. It goes on to note that officials need to plan for accidental incidents as well as attacks. The report, ... from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, says that comparing online attacks to an armed military conflict exaggerates the potential effects. It also argues that a financial crisis or a health pandemic would also be much more serious than cyber attacks. The key finding of the report is that most forms of attack against ... (view more)

A hacker recently made a post stating he'll give anyone willing to pay $499 behind-the-scenes access to confidential network files, including those of the US Army. The hacker posted a price list for access to a range of sites on an underground ... digital forum, along with offers for other illicit services. While there's no way to be certain the offer is legitimate, at least one security expert says he's seen evidence which suggests that offer is in fact genuine. (Source: krebsonsecurity.com ) US Military Intelligence Website Vulnerable Among the most high profile web sites said to be vulnerable ... (view more)

A malicious backdoor Trojan using illicit images is currently making its way through email inboxes around the world. Sophos is reporting that the computer worm lurks within an attachment offering a Kama Sutra PowerPoint presentation. Beyond the ... PowerPoint After activating the link (which is in fact an .EXE executable file) inquisitive individuals are shown a legitimate-looking presentation with more than a half dozen 'techniques' taken from the ancient Indian text. While the provocative pictures do appear as promised, the virus (called Troj/Bckdr-RFM) also makes its way onto the computer ... (view more)

Security experts are trying to work out why the amount of spam (unsolicited bulk email) distributed worldwide fell dramatically towards the end of 2010. That said, they also suspect it's a situation that won't last long. Post-Christmas Spam a ... Fraction of Summer Totals Security firm Symantec estimates that in August the number of bogus emails sent daily was around 200 billion. Surprisingly, that number slipped dramatically to 110 billion by October, was just 70 billion in late December, and collapsed after Christmas to around 30 billion. (Source: symantec.com ) If you're staggered by talk of ... (view more)

Microsoft is today warning users of fake security alerts arriving via email. Microsoft is reminding users that it never sends out security alerts with attachments via email and that you should never open such an email if it arrives in your inbox. ... Microsoft Email Security Updates Are a Scam Cyber-criminals have been sending a so-called Microsoft updates that are actually viruses. This scam in particular takes advantage of Microsoft's well-established Patch Tuesday schedule for monthly email updates. Potential victims receive an email purporting to be from Microsoft's Director of Security ... (view more)

A recent Wall Street Journal report has revealed that some popular mobile apps have been sending personal data of their users to third parties without consent. A whopping 56 applications using the Apple iPhone and Google Android systems were found ... guilty of such practices. In a recent statement, Alex Deane, director of Big Brother Watch, was outraged with such activity. Founded in 2009, Big Brother Watch is a British-based group dedicated to combating intrusions of privacy and protecting civil liberties. Personal Info Breach "Alarming News" "This is alarming news. Most users of ... (view more)

Security company McAfee Labs recently released their 2011 Threat Predictions report, where they foresee cyber criminals turning their attention to three specific attack vectors in the coming year. An attack vector is "a path or means by which a ... hacker (or cracker) can gain access to a computer or network server in order to deliver a payload or malicious outcome. Attack vectors enable hackers to exploit system vulnerabilities, including the human element." (Source: techtarget.com ) Most specifically, Google TV, the Apple iPhone, and Foursquare: a location-based social networking ... (view more)

Microsoft has revealed that hackers have attempted to exploit a bug in Microsoft Word. The bug was fixed in a security update last month, but the company is also concerned that some users may not have installed the update. The bug involves the way ... MS Word handles rich text format (.RTF) files. This is a format used for text documents that have a very limited degree of formatting information compared to full-blown MS Word documents. The format is most commonly used as a way of moving documents from one word processor to another without altering the text's formatting. RTF Flaw Causes Memory ... (view more)