News

Sophos warns on 'beta test' Mac OS X backdoor trojan
Sophos warns on 'beta test' Mac OS X backdoor trojan
It used to be a reflection of the maturity of the computer software marketplace that applications went through beta testing to iron out bugs. Now it seems the same process applies to malware, as Sophos is warning users to be on alert for a beta test of a new Mac OS X trojan.
Feb. 28, 2011
Obfuscated multi-browser banking trojan spotted by Spain's S21sec
Obfuscated multi-browser banking trojan spotted by Spain's S21sec
A Spanish IT security research firm has spotted a man-in-the-browser trojan that injects HTML in all of the mainstream Web browsers and uses rootkit techniques to hide its presence.
Feb. 28, 2011
UPDATE: Stolen network equipment causes Vodafone UK network outage
UPDATE: Stolen network equipment causes Vodafone UK network outage
The theft of specialist equipment has prevented thousands of users from accessing the Vodafone network.
Feb. 28, 2011
Texas man acknowledges hack of NASA computers
Texas man acknowledges hack of NASA computers
A 26-year-old man from Houston plead guilty to hacking and wire fraud charges last week in a case involving the 2008–09 breach of a Minnesota-based company. In a separate incident, however, he will apparently avoid criminal charges for accessing two NASA servers.
Feb. 28, 2011
Two Android viruses circulating in the wild
Two Android viruses circulating in the wild
Two Google Android viruses have been spotted circulating and infecting users’ smartphones in the wild. The viruses are potentially nasty because one – SW.SecurePhone – uploads data to remote servers from the users' handset, while the other – SW.Qieting – auto-forwards messages to a remote number.
Feb. 28, 2011
SpamIt and Glavmed pharmacy spam campaigns generate $50m a year
SpamIt and Glavmed pharmacy spam campaigns generate $50m a year
Reports are coming in that a cybercriminal gang - with members who were involved in the Storm and Waledac worms - have raked in more than $150 million promoting unlicensed online pharmacies between May 2007 and June 2010.
Feb. 25, 2011
Mass General takes $1 million hit for losing 193 patient records
Mass General takes $1 million hit for losing 193 patient records
Following closely on the heels of its first Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule fine, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has doled out a $1 million fine against Massachusetts General Hospital for a data breach involving 192 patients begin treated for infectious diseases.
Feb. 25, 2011
Exxon, Shell, BP hacked in Night Dragon attacks
Exxon, Shell, BP hacked in Night Dragon attacks
Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell and BP were among the oil companies targeted by hackers working through internet servers in China, say US reports.
Feb. 24, 2011
ICO slams Cambridgeshire County Council after USB stick loss
ICO slams Cambridgeshire County Council after USB stick loss
The latest 'victim' of USB stick loss, Cambridgeshire County Council, has been given an electronic dressing down by the Information Commisoners Office for what the regulator calls a clear breach of the Data Protection Act.
Feb. 24, 2011
ISC releases security fix for Bind DoS vulnerability
ISC releases security fix for Bind DoS vulnerability
The Internet Systems Consortium has published an advisory and an update for the Bind domain name system software versions 9.7.1 to 9.7.2-P3.
Feb. 24, 2011
UK passport office violated Data Protection Act with data breach
UK passport office violated Data Protection Act with data breach
The UK Identity and Passport Service (IPS) violated the Data Protection Act when it lost the passport renewal applications of 21 UK citizens, according to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Feb. 23, 2011
Iranian Cyber Army turns Voice of America into pro-Iranian propaganda service
Iranian Cyber Army turns Voice of America into pro-Iranian propaganda service
The self-styled Iranian Cyber Army was able to hack into the US government-funded Voice of America website and transform the home page into a pro-Iranian banner that instructed the US government to “stop interfering with Islamic countries.”
Feb. 23, 2011