Security

A leaked document shows the National Security Agency (NSA) is trying to use adult websites to discredit people suspected of participating in terrorism campaigns targeting Americans. However, critics suggest it's a flawed approach that could hurt ... innocent civilians. The document was leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. It refers to agents gathering together evidence on "radicalizers" whose "private and public behaviors are not consistent". In other words, in private these radicalizers do things they would not want other people to know about. The suggestion is that releasing this ... (view more)

A new report suggests that the cybercriminals behind the now infamous CryptoLocker ransomware scam are making huge profits. The main factor driving that revenue: the rapidly rising value of bitcoins . CryptoLocker is a form of Trojan horse known as ... ransomware. After being installed on a system -- usually following the opening of a malicious email -- it takes control of a user's system. Those behind the scam then demand the victim pay up if they want to regain control of their computer. The usual ransom: between $300 and $600 in bitcoins, a relatively new type of Internet-based currency. So, ... (view more)

Millions of North Americans will take to the Internet in search of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals this coming weekend. But experts warn that cybercrooks are using a number of schemes to catch unsuspecting shoppers in their web. Avira security ... expert Sorin Mustaca says it's imperative Internet shoppers take extra caution when opening emails with attachments (like those featuring PDF or HTML sales flyers), clicking on links in emails, and visiting sites that offer bargains that may be too good to be true. "All these things have something in common: social engineering and greed," Mustaca ... (view more)

Six people have been arrested in connection with a massive, worldwide ATM fraud scheme that raked in an estimated $45 million. The banks affected were based in the Middle East, though all of the suspects recently arrested hail from Yonkers, New ... York. According to reports, early this year a team of cybercriminals used "sophisticated intrusion techniques" to hack into the financial systems of at least two Middle East banks, including the National Bank of Ras Al-Khaimah (in the United Aram Emirates) and the Bank of Muscat (in Oman). The latter was hit hardest. Investigators estimate that $40 ... (view more)

The new 'CryptoLocker' ransomware scam has been causing havoc online for the past few weeks. But you should also be aware of a similar scam being carried out over the phone instead of through emails. Here's how the scam works: first, targets get an ... unexpected call from an unknown caller located within their area code. If the call is answered, the caller tells the target that they're from a reputable tech firm, such as Microsoft or Dell or even a security company like McAfee or Sophos. Usually the caller claims to be "working with" (rather than for) the named firm, often in the tech support ... (view more)

Against the advice of security experts, a police department has paid a $750 ransom to cybercriminals who corrupted its file system using a 'ransomware' attack. The Swansea Police Department in Massachusetts was hit by a virus called 'CryptoLocker' . ... It's not yet known how the virus got onto the police department's system, though the most likely explanation is that somebody opened an email attachment laced with the virus. Many previous CryptoLocker infections have come through bogus emails claiming to carry a delivery note from a courier company. The good news was that the virus didn't affect ... (view more)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering several huge rewards for information that helps them arrest some of the world's most wanted cybercriminals. A tip leading to the arrest of crooks like El Salvador's Carlos Enrique Perez-Malara could ... net you $50,000. Perez-Malara is accused of creating a special type of malware known as "Lover Spy". It was designed to help users catch their cheating lovers by collecting information on an infected computer. Systems were infected using an electronic greeting card. While Perez-Malara is originally from El Salvador, the FBI says he sold his product ( ... (view more)

Google has already patched a security flaw exposed by a public hacking contest. Chrome and Internet Explorer were both hacked at the Tokyo event, though contestants said doing so is getting tougher all the time. The contest is called "Pwn2Own," and ... the idea behind it is that the first person to successfully hack a computer or mobile device wins the compromised hardware and a cash prize. But winning is really about gaining prestige in the security community. Similar contests have concentrated on desktop computers, but this event focused on mobile devices. One participant successfully ... (view more)

A hacker who carried out cyber-attacks on behalf of Anonymous and then shared stolen information with WikiLeaks has been sentenced to ten years in prison. The sentence was handed down in a New York City courtroom late last week. Jeremy Hammond may ... be one of the world's best-known hackers. For years he worked with both Anonymous and WikiLeaks to expose what he believed was government and big business corruption. One of his most famous (or infamous) attacks involved acquiring millions of emails sent between global intelligence company Stratfor and its many big-name clients, such as Dow Chemical ... (view more)

The number of malware infections targeting banking information has reached its highest level in more than a decade. A new report finds that there were more than 200,000 of these kinds of infections between July and September 2013. The report, which ... is called the Q3 2013 Security Roundup and comes from security firm Trend Micro, says that this three-month infection rate is the highest seen since 2002. U.S. Bears Brunt of Malware Attacks It's important to note that the infections are not uniformly distributed around the world. The United States, which comprised 23 per cent of new infections, ... (view more)