Security

Online deviants have released malware that's disguised as a legitimate version of Angry Birds Space, the popular strategy puzzle game released a few weeks ago. As you probably know, Angry Birds is a popular video game available for a number of ... platforms. Angry Birds Space is an extension of that original game that recently recorded 10 million downloads within its first three days of availability, followed by another 10 million downloads in the first week. (Source: pcmag.com ) Unfortunately, says security software company Sophos, a malicious program is already masquerading as a legitimate ... (view more)

Doctor Web, a Russian antivirus company, recently announced its discovery of covert, zero-day-exploiting Trojan Horse malware which it believes has infiltrated more than 600,000 Macintosh systems worldwide. A number of other security companies later ... confirmed that staggering figure is probably accurate. "Flashback" Trojan Largest Mac Botnet Ever Doctor Web originally estimated that more than half a million machines were infected with "Flashback." This particular instance of malware gets installed on an unsuspecting user's computer during a visit to a previously-compromised website. Once ... (view more)

The international hacking group Anonymous has targeted the British government with a recent string of attacks. As a result, websites for both the United Kingdom's Home Office and for Downing Street were disabled. Anonymous , which is a loose ... collective of hackers from locations around the world, has become quite renowned in recent years. Members of the group, who call themselves "hacktivists" rather than straight-up hackers, have targeted credit card companies, copyright protection agencies, and even the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). They prefer the term "hacktivists" because their ... (view more)

Security experts at Kaspersky Lab, one of the leading anti-virus and computer security firms, recently announced they were able to take control of a hacker-built botnet containing more than 100,000 compromised computers. Unfortunately, less than 24 ... hours after the successful takedown, Kelihos, the cybercriminal gang behind the botnet, has already started building a new, large-scale collection of compromised computers to replace the one taken down. To stop the initial botnet, Kaspersky specialists used a method called "sinkholing." This technique involves direct infiltration of the botnet's ... (view more)

A new hacking group has emerged under a familiar name: LulzSec. Infiltrating dating and communications sites, its activity has led experts to fear that more copycat hacking organizations will emerge this year. The new group calls itself LulzSec ... Reborn, a clear rip-off of the LulzSec name made infamous last year. That rather unique moniker came from a combination of hacker lingo for "laughing out loud" with a short-hand name for "security." First Target of 'LulzSec Reborn' Attack: Single Soldiers The new group's first target was MilitarySingles, an online dating site for soldiers and other ... (view more)

According to a new report from Verizon, the majority of data stolen last year was the work of "hacktivists," many of whom were hoping to send a political message. According to security experts, this means that attacks by hackers seeking financial ... gain were, for the first time ever, overshadowed by other motivations for breaching security systems. The report, called "Data Breach Investigations," details examinations by Verizon of 855 security breaches. Ninety of the attacks were found within the ranks of Verizon's own customers, and 765 came from law enforcement agency ... (view more)

A new study conducted by Trustwave, an IT research firm, is providing a startling look at the security vulnerabilities and hacking trends within computer systems used in the business world. For example, the Global Security Report for 2012 shows that ... the most popular computer password selected by business users is "Password1". Of the 2.5 million passwords Trustwave studied in total, about 5 per cent contained the word "password." (Source: slashgear.com ) According to Trustwave, "Password1" is so popular because "it satisfies the default Microsoft Active Directory complexity setting," ... (view more)

Members of the hacking group Anonymous have apparently been duped into installing malware on their own machines. The malicious software was disguised as an update to one of the main tools used by the group. Anonymous has little or no formal ... structure; it's often described as an idea rather than an organization. Members generally take action as a form of protest rather than in pursuit of financial gain, portraying most of their victims as opponents of Internet freedoms. The most common tactic used by Anonymous is the distributed denial of service attack. This involves using a network of ... (view more)

According to NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration), in recent years, it has become an increasingly popular target for high-tech hackers. In 2007 and 2008, China was suspected to have hacked into NASA satellites , though no formal ... evidence linking China to the attacks has been brought forward. The agency says its systems were hacked approximately thirteen times in 2011 alone. "The threat to NASA's information security is persistent and ever-changing," noted Congressman Paul Braun at a recent meeting of the House Science, Space and Technology subcommittee. "Unless NASA is ... (view more)

Members of the international hacking group LulzSec ("Lulz Security") have discovered their worst nightmare may have come true. It appears that one of the group's leading figures was working as an undercover FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) ... informer for the past nine months. The news emerged this week with the arrest of five suspects in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. All those arrested are said to be members of the LulzSec group, which emerged last summer and quickly made a name for itself as a leading organization of highly proficient hackers ... (view more)