attack

Mon
20
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

Google Wallet Payment System Vulnerable to Attack

Google has temporarily suspended one of the features on its mobile wallet system for smartphones following word the platform has at least two serious security flaws. Google Wallet allows users to make payments using "near-field communications," a ... wireless protocol like Bluetooth, but with a maximum range of just centimeters. Users can hold, tap or swipe their smartphone next to a payment device without having to worry about the signal being intercepted. 'Brute Force' Could Break Code The system can be protected with a PIN (personal identification number) code, to prevent misuse when ... (view more)

Tue
17
Jan
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Hackers Attack Israeli Stock Exchange, Airline Sites

Online battles between Saudi and Israeli hackers have moved from credit card hacks to the shutting down of whole websites. The online 'war' began early this month, when a hacker claiming to be from Saudi Arabia published stolen Israeli credit card ... details . The actual location of the hacker, who used the code-name xOmar 0 (and variations, such as OxOmar), remains in dispute, with some experts claiming he is in Mexico. Assertions about the number of compromised credit card accounts also vary from 15,000 to 400,000. Political Leaders Speak Out The credit card attack had political ramifications ... (view more)

Mon
09
Jan
Dennis Faas's picture

Massive Credit Card Hack Hits Israel

Israelis have recently been hit with one of the largest credit card hacks in recent memory. An estimated 20,000 people in that Mid-East nation have found their financial information exposed to web users by an unknown hacker claiming to be from Saudi ... Arabia. Israeli authorities believe the attack, which officials first detected on Tuesday (January 3, 2012), qualifies as cyber-terrorism. Other experts, however, believe it's too early in the hacking cycle to determine exactly what motivated the attack or who, precisely, may have been behind it. (Source: nytimes.com ) Exposed Credit Card Accounts ... (view more)

Thu
24
Nov
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Feds Refute Hackers Destroyed US Water Pump

An unconfirmed report claims foreign hackers were able to gain control of a US water company's pump and destroy it, remotely. If true, this appears to be the first such publicly acknowledged attack in the US. The report comes from Joe Weiss of ... Applied Control Solutions, an independent security firm for industrial control systems. Weiss says he received a government report about a water utility firm (which doesn't use ACS services), on the condition he withhold the water company's name and location. Separate reports have indicated the site was in Springfield, Illinois. (Source: theregister.co. ... (view more)

Wed
16
Nov
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Adult Content Infects Facebook User Pages

Facebook has been criticized many times before for failing to protect the personal information of its hundreds of millions of users. But now the site faces a new challenge: explaining to users why their "News Feed" has been taken over by advertising ... for adult-mannered websites. As of late last week, Facebook users' home pages were bombarded with inappropriate photographs depicting extreme violence and supposed celebrities 'in the buff'. While situations like this are relatively rare, the scale of the recent attack has led Facebook to re-evaluate the safeguards it has in place. Facebook: ... (view more)

Mon
17
Oct
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Sony Again Targeted by Hackers

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)

Thu
11
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

Facebook Takedown Threat Likely a Hoax

Hackers calling themselves members of the Anonymous group claim they intend to take down Facebook on November 5th, 2011. The threat was originally made in a video posted on YouTube several weeks ago, which now has more than a million viewers. Those ... who posted the video have since attempted to get other members of Anonymous to back the attack. The video clip complains about Facebook's handling of personal data and its lack of privacy controls. It also attacks the site for allegedly handing over information to governments in the Middle East and North Africa. (Source: youtube.com ) It's ... (view more)

Tue
02
Aug
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South Korea Suffers Worst-Ever Cyber Attack

Chinese hackers are being blamed in the wake of a recent attack on two popular South Korean websites, breaches that together resulted in the loss of personal information associated with 35 million personal accounts. South Korea's SK Telecom, which ... owns and operates both of the websites involved in the attack -- a social networking platform called 'Cyworld' and a web portal named 'Nate' -- was recently forced to apologize for the breach. The number of personal accounts exposed in the attack is quite staggering, given that South Korea's population is only about 50 million. That equates to 70 ... (view more)

Mon
11
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Washington Post Nailed by Hackers; Account Info Leaked

On Thursday last week, the Washington Post admitted the Jobs section of its website had been hacked in June, a breach that led to the theft of 1.27 million user log-ins and email addresses. (Source: pcworld.com ) According to the Post, an ... "unauthorized third party" laid siege to the employment opportunities section of its website and on two occasions (June 27 and June 28) was able to access user information. Although log-in names and email addresses were lost, the Washington Post emphasizes that no passwords were stolen and that other personal information remained unaffected by the attack. ... (view more)

Mon
04
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Al Qaeda Forum Knocked Out by Hacker

A 'jihadist' Internet forum known as al-Shamukh has been disabled by an unknown hacker, counter-terrorism experts report. These same experts report that the group's website and its server appear to have been knocked out by the attack. Flashpoint ... Partners counter-terrorism expert Evan Kohlmann recently described the al-Shamukh site as a pro-Al Qaeda propaganda forum. He's not sure why the site has been allowed to continue operating, but suspects it might give Western governments a window into terrorist movements. "These sites can be like spy satellites, they're great ways of gathering ... (view more)

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