News

3.6 million social security numbers and 387,000 card numbers stolen
3.6 million social security numbers and 387,000 card numbers stolen
Taxpayers in South Carolina have been told of a security breach involving the theft of millions of social security numbers and hundreds of thousands of debit and credit card numbers. None of the SSNs were encrypted and 16,000 of the bank cards were similarly unencrypted.
Oct. 29, 2012
NullCrew continues its hacking spree with a new international operation
NullCrew continues its hacking spree with a new international operation
NullCrew is a hacking team that bears some similarities to the defunct LulzSec: it has sympathy with Anonymous, but is separate from Anonymous. It does, however, operate with none of the taunting flamboyance that probably led to the downfall of LulzSec.
Oct. 29, 2012
Hacker Halted: Forget About Securing Devices and Secure the Data
Hacker Halted: Forget About Securing Devices and Secure the Data
Opening the Hacker Halted conference in Miami, Florida, 29th October 2012, Jav Bavisi, president and CEO of the EC-Council, told the audience that the post-PC era of computing requires a fundamental shift in the security industry’s tactics.
Oct. 29, 2012
Unprotected backdoor into industrial control systems
Unprotected backdoor into industrial control systems
A software tool that is used to program the programmable logic controllers (PLCs) used in much of the critical infrastructure contains an unprotected backdoor that could be used by hackers to access any such device that has an internet connection.
Oct. 26, 2012
Government official advises users to use a false name online
Government official advises users to use a false name online
There’s a row brewing in the UK after a senior security official at the Cabinet Office advises users to provide false personal information to websites such as Facebook. Opposition MPs and Facebook are not amused.
Oct. 26, 2012
Former Sky insider found guilty of misusing company information
Former Sky insider found guilty of misusing company information
“Sky succeeds in its claims against Mr Freeman, Mr Sullivan and Mr Marrow and also against Mr Lee,” ruled High Court judge Sir William Blackburne, finding that Mr Lee had misused confidential Sky customer data.
Oct. 25, 2012
Jester’s warbag: be careful of what you do on the internet
Jester’s warbag: be careful of what you do on the internet
Jester (th3j35t3r) describes himself as a patriotic cyber activist. He spends his time trying to find and take down what he considers to be enemies of the USA, ranging from Wikileaks and Anonymous to militant Islamic websites.
Oct. 25, 2012
Jesus and Ninja show up in most-hacked passwords list
Jesus and Ninja show up in most-hacked passwords list
Apparently, quite a few people feel that “Jesus” can save them from online account breaches –but the popular Spanish men’s name and savior in the Christian tradition performs no miracles as a password, coming in at 21 in a list of the top 25 most-hacked passwords of 2012.
Oct. 25, 2012
Proposed new law will give Dutch police authority to hack foreign computers
Proposed new law will give Dutch police authority to hack foreign computers
Yesterday, reporting an interview with Foreign Secretary William Hague, the Telegraph stated that the UK, “should be willing to engage in covert cyber attacks on enemy states.” The Netherlands is simultaneously proposing to allow its police to take the battle to foreign computers.
Oct. 24, 2012
Sony PS3 hacked again
Sony PS3 hacked again
Sony’s policy of maintaining control over what software can run on its PS3 console has been undermined – some suggest permanently – by the release of the PS3 LVO decryption keys.
Oct. 24, 2012
Barnes and Noble hacked
Barnes and Noble hacked
Barnes and Noble has revealed a data breach involving PIN pads in its 63 stores. It appears that only one pad was affected in each of the stores, but all have now been disconnected for forensic examination.
Oct. 24, 2012
With an eye to piracy, Microsoft will not sell physical copies of Windows 8 in China
With an eye to piracy, Microsoft will not sell physical copies of Windows 8 in China
In an effort to combat software piracy and the related malware vectors that it presents, Microsoft will not sell Windows 8 as a physical boxed product in China.
Oct. 24, 2012