Security

If you're a computer hacker, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wants to hire you to help secure the nation's networks. Millions of digital attacks occur each day -- one of the most recent of which involves a breached fighter-jet project -- ... and has caused the DHS to put out ads looking for those who understand hackers. Ethical Hacking The DHS wants to hire so-called 'ethical hackers' to analyze threats and keep constant watch over government networks such as the Einstein program (PDF) and to develop ways to reduce vulnerabilities. In addition to hiring ethical hackers requested by the ... (view more)

According to a recent study, there were more electronic records being exposed in 2008 than in the previous four years combined. The study suggests that most breaches could have been avoided had the proper precautions been put in place. An astounding ... 99% of breaches were done through servers and applications, rather than desktop computers, notebooks, mobile phones or portable media combined. Verizon Business Data Breach Investigations A 2009 Verizon Business Data Breach Investigations Report (PDF) analyzed 90 confirmed breaches from 2008 that affected 285 million records. A previous report ... (view more)

We all hate spam for the same reasons: it is annoying and wastes time that could be better spent doing something else. Now, a new study claims that spam not only affects our Internet routines, but is also hazardous to the ozone layer. The report was ... issued by McAfee Inc., creators of anti-virus and computer protection software. The popular security tech company claims that the energy used to transmit, process and filter spam emails wastes a total of 22 billion kilowatt hours each year. Every Spam Message is a Carbon Footprint Spam emails create a large amount of unneeded carbon emissions that ... (view more)

While many people were expecting the arrival of Easter Bunny greeting e-cards over the weekend, an unwelcome "Twitter bug" hopped onto many systems, too. According to reports, the worm was still mutating and affecting countless user profiles well ... into Monday. Initial reports of the "Mickeyy" worm began on Saturday morning at around 2 a.m., as users were hit with a barrage of questionable messages. As is becoming the norm for most malware attacks (ie. Koobface ), users were enticed to click onto an infected page posted by another user. The clicks then set off a chain reaction that posted ... (view more)

Last week the latest variant of the Conficker worm surfaced -- and just to prove it, the worm infected at least 700 computers at the University of Utah. According to school officials, two main systems are affected by the infection: the university's ... three hospitals, but also its adjoined medical, nursing, and pharmacy colleges. The tip-off was a simple one most of us are quick to associate with trouble: staff noticed something was amiss when Internet service slowed considerably and email correspondence bogged down altogether. (Source: allheadlinenews.com ) Researchers are still not entirely ... (view more)

It's been over a week now since the April Fool's Conficker debacle passed without any noticeable disaster. However, the threat itself is still very present, and researchers are now finding out exactly what the motivation is for a future attack: ... cash. It would seem that if one stumbled upon a mysterious, universal hacker rulebook there would be two major motivations for their craft: 1) anarchy/destruction and 2) money. Researchers studying Conficker's spread are finding that, surprisingly, the worm might be more about the latter than previously thought. (Source: informationweek.com ) Conficker ... (view more)

Security experts have put together some intriguing statistics about the Conficker virus, including the total spread of the worm and the worst-hit country. It seems Vietnam has seen the most serious invasion, while four per cent of all computer ... infections are related to Conficker. The figures come from OpenDNS, a firm which offers DNS (Domain Name System) resolution services. This is the process of mapping a website name (such as www.infopackets.com ) to the actual IP address where the website physically exists. Because Conficker interferes with this process, the firm has plenty of data to ... (view more)

So, a couple days have come and gone and we're without any real evidence that the Conficker worm was a legitimate threat. Was it all just a bunch of hooey? Maybe, but if there's one thing we should take away from the debacle, it's that the problem ... isn't yet solved, even if there was no disaster. Most security experts were just happy to breathe a sigh of relief when April 1st came and went without planes falling out of the sky. "I'm not sure what to think," remarked BT chief security officer Bruce Schneier. "In a sense, the whole Conficker thing just puts a name on a general problem." (Source ... (view more)

German security researchers at the Honeynet Project have scored a major breakthrough in studying the behavior of the Conficker/Downadup worm. According to reports, there now may be a way to detect the malware on infected networks. Security ... researchers, with the help of Dan Kaminsky and Rich Mogull, have the ability to remotely and anonymously detect Conficker infections. Kaminsky explained that since the Conficker/Downadup malware changes the way Windows looks on a network, it is possible to scan a network and have it "respond" whether or not it is or is not infected with Conficker ... (view more)

With the Conficker worm spreading worldwide and social malware figures expected to quadruple in the near future, there is perhaps no greater time to maintain and protect your online identity than right now. In response to these concerns, a new ... iPhone application is set to be released, hoping to make it virtually impossible for someone to infiltrate and steal your personal information. The complex application will generate an additional password for most AOL, eBay and PayPal accounts. To access these protected accounts, users must now input their user ID, password and a six-digit number unique ... (view more)