Security

Security researchers have uncovered a complex virus capable of reappearing even after it is thought to have been removed from a computer system. This so-called 'Red October' virus reportedly attaches itself to Adobe Reader and Microsoft Office ... software. The virus is named after the Tom Clancy novel about a Soviet submarine crew trying to defect. It's an appropriate moniker because the majority of computers infected by the virus are located in Russia and Eastern Europe (though there are victims in at least 37 other countries). The infections mostly affect computers used by government ... (view more)

The United States Air Force (USAF) plans to add 1,000 cybercrime experts to its current workforce of 6,000 computer professionals. The reason: there is a concern that Iran may soon pose a serious threat to US Internet security. Although the Air ... Force budget as a whole is likely to be cut, observers expect extra recruits in Space Command, the unit responsible for monitoring and controlling United States Internet security, satellites, and long-range missiles. (Source: ohsonline.com ) Cyber Command: Leading, Preventing Online Attacks Space Command is a unit within the larger Air Force Cyber ... (view more)

After it suffered a number of costly robberies in Australia, McDonald's is testing a new DNA-based security system. The new system, called 'Intruder Spray,' coats thieves with an invisible substance that remains on their body even after considerable ... time has passed. UK-based SelectaDNA has been hired to install the security system in more than 750 of McDonald's Australian restaurants. In each participating restaurant, the Intruder Spray system is positioned above the doorway and connected to an alarm. Once activated, the system sprays a "non-toxic, invisible DNA solution" which can remain on ... (view more)

The group behind a collection of 'premium' hacking tools is apparently charging hackers $10,000 a month for permission to use their product. The proceeds are helping fund rewards for anyone who shares information with the hackers about previously ... unknown software vulnerabilities. According to security firm Sophos, the 'premium' hacking kit is the work of a group called 'Paunch.' This is the same group that previously offered hackers a set of tools known as the Blackhole kit, which users could access only after paying a $1,500 per year rental fee. (Source: sophos.com ) The Blackhole kit was ( ... (view more)

Hacktivist group Anonymous is reportedly seeking approval from the United States government for its politically-motivated hacking activities. The shadowy organization recently submitted a petition to U.S. President Barack Obama seeking his 'thumbs ... up' for the group's future distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Specifically, Anonymous wants President Obama to recognize DDoS attacks as a legal form of protest. Anonymous: Nothing Illegal About DDoS Anonymous claims that such attacks should not be considered illegal hacking. Instead, the group believes that kind of behavior should be ... (view more)

Internet users are now being warned about a new zero-day security vulnerability in Java software that could allow a hacker to gain unauthorized access to their computers. The vulnerability is related to a recently-discovered flaw in the popular Java ... software system, which is used all over the web to create a great many applications and associated plug-ins. Security experts say even fully-updated installations of Java are vulnerable to this new round of attacks. Only by completely disabling the Java browser plug-in can Internet users be sure their computers are safe from hackers attempting to ... (view more)

United States officials believe Iran is responsible for a string of recent cyber attacks on American banks. They say the sophistication of the attacks and the hacks' aim of disrupting services rather than stealing cash both suggest government rather ... than private activity. The attacks have been coming since September and have disrupted the online services of many U.S. banking institutions, including Bank of America, BB ... (view more)

Security researchers have recently claimed the leading antivirus products demonstrate just a 1-in-20 chance of detecting new malicious software. However, high-profile figures in the security industry have questioned the validity of this new ... research. The research was conducted by Imperva, a digital security firm based in California. It intentionally set out to collect samples of virus code. To make sure it was collecting new samples of brand new viruses, Imperva searched discussion forums for hackers offering tips on how to breach security defenses. After gathering 82 examples of malicious ... (view more)

'Hacktivist' group Anonymous is apparently waging a cyber war against the Westboro Baptist Church. The stated reason: Church members recently threatened to demonstrate their approval of the Sandy Hook, Connecticut, murders by attending the funerals ... of the victims. Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is an independent religious organization based in Topeka, Kansas. Its members have previously been known to picket the funerals of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. God Hates Gays, Church Says The Church's doctrine states that soldiers' deaths overseas and the recent Sandy Hook killings are ... (view more)

Amazon has been hit by a simple but sneaky scam involving bogus "lost item" claims that could lead to difficulty for legitimate Amazon shoppers. The problem was highlighted by web development blogger Chris Cardinal, who received several mysterious ... emails from Amazon about an order for an expensive camera. (Source: htmlist.com ) At first Cardinal assumed the messages were part of a phishing scam, which involves tricking people into providing personal information, including log-in data and passwords. However, upon logging into his Amazon account he discovered the emails were genuine. ... (view more)