Security

According to a new study from Verizon, almost one in three of the world's cyber attacks originate in China. The study also revealed that Chinese attackers are more interested in cyberespionage than stealing money. The figures are part of Verizon's ... annual Data Breach Investigations Report. The report aims to bring together data from cybercrime experts from around the world. This year the data covers a total of 47,000 "security incidents," though the vast majority of these incidents appear to have been failed attacks. Only 621 cases are known to have involved an actual breach of security with ... (view more)

If you're an Android user, take note: security experts have discovered more than thirty applications on Google Play that contain malicious software known as BadNews. BadNews is just that: when installed on smartphones -- like Samsung's Galaxy phone ... or the LG Optimus -- the software racks up charges by repeatedly sending expensive text messages. BadNews is also very hard to detect: according to security experts, it can remain dormant on a device for weeks without affecting performance. Two to Nine Million Downloads So Far It's not clear how many apps containing the BadNews have been downloaded ... (view more)

LulzSec hacker Cody Kretsigner has been sentenced to one year in prison for his role in the hacking of Sony Pictures' website. Following the completion of his prison term, the 25-year-old Kretsigner faces a period of home detention. Kretsinger will ... also have to perform 1,000 hours of community service. LulzSec is affiliated with the better-known hacking (or 'hacktivist') organization Anonymous. In recent years the group has taken credit for attacks on organizations in both the private and public sectors. Kretsinger Stole, Shared Customer Data LulzSec member Kretsigner, who also goes by the ... (view more)

Do you use a Linksys, Netgear, Verizon, D-Link, or Belkin router for your home network? Then your network could be vulnerable to attack. Baltimore, Maryland-based security consultancy firm Independent Security Evaluators (ISE) says that in a test of ... popular home routers most were vulnerable to attack by hackers. ISE put routers from Linksys, Netgear, Verizon, D-Link, and Belkin to the test after having installed each firm's latest firmware updates. ISE also left each router's default configurations in place when carrying out their tests. Hackers Intercept Sensitive Information ISE found that ... (view more)

The intensity of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks is on the rise, a new report suggests. According to Florida-based security firm Prolexic, such attacks have become eight times more potent in just the past quarter. Prolexic says that the ... average attack bandwidth associated with DDoS attacks seen during the first quarter of 2013 was just over 48 gigabytes per second (Gbps). That's a huge increase from the last quarter of 2012, when average attack bandwidth was just 5.9 Gbps. A DDoS attack involves flooding a website with bogus traffic to the point that the website's server can no ... (view more)

Hackers have reportedly initiated a widespread attack on sites that use the WordPress publishing platform. Hosts using particularly weak passwords are being told to change those passwords or risk having their sites taken over. The hacking campaign ... reportedly uses a "brute force" strategy, meaning hackers use the login name "admin" and then try thousands of typical passwords to bypass security. Hackers Hoping to Create a "Beefy" Botnet The goal, according to security experts, is to build a huge and powerful botnet. "One of the concerns of an attack like this is that the attacker is ... (view more)

Last week a security researcher based in Europe revealed that, using some hardware and software available on eBay, he was able to develop an application that could be used to remotely control a commercial plane , mid-flight. That researcher was ... Germany's Hugo Teso, who demonstrated his trick by producing a special Android app that automated the process of taking control of a plane and then re-directing it. The app, which is called 'PlaneSploit,' takes advantage of security vulnerabilities in the aviation industry's communications systems. (Source: gawker.com ) Teso said he was working closely ... (view more)

A security researcher is warning that vulnerabilities in the aviation industry's communications systems could allow a hacker to take control of an airplane mid-flight. German security consultant Hugo Teso recently presented his research on the ... aviation industry's security vulnerabilities at the 'Hack in the Box' conference in Amsterdam. (Source: cnn.com ) Teso, who held a commercial pilot license for more than a decade, spent three years examining the aviation industry's security systems. He found a staggering number of vulnerabilities, particularly in a system known as ADS-B, or automatic ... (view more)

Researchers have discovered a new type of malware that uses several advanced strategies to prevent you from detecting it. Those strategies include tracking user mouse usage and hiding malicious files. The malware, which is being called ... Trojan.APT.BaneChant, was recently discovered by researchers at security firm FireEye. The malware reportedly spreads through an infected Microsoft Word document attached to emails. So far, BaneChant has mostly been seen overseas. "We suspect that this weaponized document was used to target the governments of Middle East and Central Asia," noted FireEye ... (view more)

Researchers in California say they've developed a way to use brain signals as a form of digital security. It could solve several major problems with current password systems. Existing log-in tools are limited by the ability of the user to remember a ... password. In turn, that tempts people to use simpler passwords that are easier for humans to guess or machines to figure out by trial and error. The University of California Berkeley School of Information has been working on an alternative. Staff there believe reading a person's brainwaves represents a more reliable and secure system. They've ... (view more)