Security

If you're an Android user, make sure you avoid clicking on any message that says you've just won a free video game or a $1,000 Target gift card. Failing to heed this advice could lead to your device becoming infected with a nasty Trojan virus. This ... new Trojan virus is spreading so rapidly, according to one report, that it has already been offered to Android users roughly 500,000 times. Problem Starts with Malicious SMS Texts Here's how the scam works: Owners of mobile devices running Google's Android operating system (OS) receive a Short Message Service (SMS) text inviting them to download a ... (view more)

The man who hacked into the email accounts of more than 50 Hollywood celebrities has now been sentenced to ten years behind bars. Christopher Chaney was arrested last year by the FBI after a lengthy investigation the agency dubbed "Operation ... Hackerazzi." Chaney was tried and found responsible for accessing and publishing explicit photographs of Scarlett Johansson, along with a number of other Hollywood stars. Johansson agreed to let officials publicize her name in order to draw attention to the case. Another actress and singer whose bare pictures were leaked by Chaney told the court the ... (view more)

Facebook has helped the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) track down the cybercriminals whose "botnet" is said to have caused losses worth more than $850 million. A total of 29 local FBI offices and departments worked on the case, along with a ... half dozen foreign police and crime agencies. Ten people have now been arrested in the United States, the United Kingdom, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, New Zealand, and Peru. (Source: fbi.gov ) Those accused of participating in the botnet scheme allegedly helped spread a worm virus called 'Yahos.' This virus reportedly self-replicated ... (view more)

A security researcher says he's found a major vulnerability in Samsung's new high-definition Smart televisions that could transfer control of a TV from the person with the remote control to an unknown, distant hacker. Smart TVs are, arguably, the ... most advanced HDTVs on the market right now. They provide viewers with a high-resolution Light Emitting Diode (LED) screen capable of displaying two- and three-dimensional video, and they also give users access to downloadable applications, including Facebook, Twitter, and Google Maps. These capabilities have made Smart TVs hot items with the deep ... (view more)

A newly-unveiled password-cracking system can reportedly guess billions of unique passwords every second. At that rate, it's entirely practical to have the device attempt every possible eight-character Windows password. The password-cracking system ... is a Linux-based graphical processing unit (GPU) 'cluster' that uses a special type of virtualization software which allows it to use not one, not two, but 25 Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Radeon graphics cards. 350 Billion Passwords Guessed Each Second That kind of GPU power enables the cluster to guess passwords at an astonishing rate: 350 billion ... (view more)

A group of hackers has gained access to an Australian medical center's electronic patient records. Until they receive a cash payout, the hackers say they won't relinquish control of the information. It's relatively common for hackers to access ... sensitive data and then threaten to expose it unless a victim pays up. There have been several cases where scammers have remotely installed viruses on computers, then threatened to wipe the hard drive of all its stored data unless they receive hefty payments. But this case, involving the Miami Family Medical Center (MFMC), is different. Rather than ... (view more)

Leading security firm Sophos has revealed that Google's Android operating system (OS) -- and not Microsoft's Windows -- is now the favorite operating system for hackers to target. Sophos revealed that finding in its newly released 2013 Security ... Threat Report. The firm says that during a three-month time frame, one in every ten Android-based devices was the target of some kind of malware attack. By comparison, only six per cent of Windows devices were targeted by hackers and other purveyors of malware. (Source: forbes.com ) This is the first time since the 1990s that Windows has not been the ... (view more)

According to recent reports, the number of 'ransomware' scams being used to scare computer users into giving up some of their money is increasing. Security experts believe at least sixteen different organizations are using sophisticated schemes like ... this to extort money from people in Europe. The number of groups trying the same basic scam stateside also appears to be growing. A ransomware scam involves installing malicious software on a targeted computer and then blocking access to that computer until the victim agrees to pay a substantial sum of money. In many cases, victimized PC users ... (view more)

During the past twelve months, malicious software known as 'Eurograbber' was apparently used to steal $47 million in Europe alone. According to reports, the software took advantage of a popular security measure. The security researchers who ... discovered Eurograbber are now warning Internet users that the malware could easily spread from Europe to the rest of the world. (Source: checkpoint.com ) Eurograbber is a modified form of a previously known botnet called 'Zeus.' A botnet is a network of computers controlled by malicious software under the direction of a particular individual or gang of ... (view more)

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free antivirus software tool, which makes it a tempting download for many Internet users. However, a new report suggests it will protect computers only from two in every three or so worm, virus, or Trojan horse ... threats. An independent computer security lab based in Germany recently carried out tests of Security Essentials' effectiveness in detecting and removing security threats affecting Microsoft's popular Windows 7 operating system (OS). The lab is affiliated with AV-Test, an independent security institute that performs tests of security products every ... (view more)