Security

New reports are surfacing with details of the latest and what's considered to be one of the most dangerous Internet worms, dubbed "Duqu." It's said the worm can install and spread itself due to a security loophole in Microsoft Word. As reported last ... week, Duqu's programming code is very close to that of the Stuxnet worm that wreaked havoc back in 2010 . Stuxnet was a particularly sophisticated virus which infected Windows-based PCs, and in turn, attacked computers that controlled equipment in Iran's nuclear program to the point where it caused irreversible damage to equipment. So ... (view more)

Dozens of chemical companies have been hit with a wave of online attacks. At least 48 companies are confirmed to have been hit, of which 29 were in the chemical sector. The remaining 19 companies were involved in the chemical defense sector. ... According to security researchers at Symantec, the assault ran from July until the middle of September, though the effects are still being felt. The true scale may be larger: at least 101 different locations are known to be housing computers infected by the attack, covering 20 different countries. (Source: symantec.com ) Cyber Attacks Use Low-Tech ... (view more)

Officials are set to report that hackers briefly seized control of two NASA satellite and circumstantial evidence suggests that the Chinese military may have been involved. The breaches took place in 2007 and 2008 but have only just come to light. ... They are mentioned in a report to Congress that is due to be delivered next month, though a draft copy has been leaked to news agencies. The report comes from the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission and quotes information provided to the commission by the U.S. Air Force. (Source: google.com) The hacking took place four times in total: ... (view more)

A security company says a newly discovered piece of malicious software ("malware") appears to be heavily based on the Stuxnet worm. Stuxnet, was (as of last year) dubbed the most threatening malware ever created . However, the new version of this ... worm appears to be designed for intelligence gathering to make a future attack easier, rather than causing damage. Stuxnet Virus Attacks Nuclear Reactors Stuxnet was one of the most sophisticated viruses in recent years. Although it spread around the world and infected Windows PCs, its main target was industrial control systems in Iran. ... (view more)

The IT professionals behind next year's London Olympics are to carry out two simulated cyber-attacks to test their system. However, officials say they aren't aware of any specific threats. The move follows warnings in 2009 by the United Kingdom's ... then Home Secretary (roughly equivalent to head of the Department for Homeland Security), David Blunkett. He warned that without co-ordinated defenses, the system could come under attack. Blunkett suggested this might be a case of attempted disruption of the event rather than attempts to steal money, with criminals targeting ticketing and ... (view more)

A new virus found to have infected the United States Air Force's military drone control system is nothing more than a "nuisance," the Air Force reported last week. The Air Force suggested that the problem was easily overcome. Last week the U.S. Air ... Force confirmed that it had detected malware on portable hard drives used at the Creech Air Force Base for relaying data between its various systems. Some analysts were alarmed by that news, since Creech is the main base for the Air Force's Predator drone. Although the device can target enemies all over the world, it is piloted from Creech in Clark ... (view more)

Less than a year after Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN) was nailed by a widespread security breach, it appears the online video game service has yet again been exposed by another attack by hackers. According to reports, the Japanese firm was ... recently forced to lock nearly 100,000 users accounts to prevent the breach from spreading. Back in the spring, Sony faced a massive security breach that paralyzed PSN for about a month. Hundreds of thousands of user accounts were exposed in that attack, forcing Sony to make apology after apology and even issue online credits for free games. PCWorld ... (view more)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has accused a 35 year old man of hacking Scarlett Johansson's cellphone and stealing photographs of the actress in a state of undress. Christopher Chaney, of Jacksonville, Florida, has been charged with ... several offenses after allegedly compromising the security of more than 50 people, including other celebrities. The offenses are believed to involve a string of entertainers, including singer Christina Aguilera, actress Mila Kunis, celebrity stylist Simone Harouche and jazz singer Renee Olstead. It's thought the attacks involved both direct access to ... (view more)

A group of German hacking enthusiasts says the country's government is unlawfully spying on people online. It says officials are secretly using a monitoring tool in a way not authorized by the courts. The accusations come from the Chaos Computer ... Club (CCC), a group of hackers who seek to find creative and unconventional uses for technology rather than merely causing disruption by illegally accessing data. Ironically, that's exactly what they say the German government is doing. The claims involve Bundestrojaner, a government-run application that is effectively a Trojan horse, software that can ... (view more)

Security officials have discovered a new botnet of infected computers capable of tremendous online destruction. Computers around the world have become infected in droves thanks to a steady stream of malicious email attachments that have continued to ... be released on a daily basis since August. At its most volatile, a record high 25 billion malicious attachments were sent out in a single day in August, alone. Botnet Delivers Altered Scam Those responsible for the attacks have had to alter their deceitful strategies several times to expand their list of victims. The first wave of malicious emails ... (view more)