hackers

Security researchers are warning the Twittering world that their credentials may be vulnerable to hackers. The most disturbing news, however, is that the problem, which exploits Adobe System's Flash programming language, was first discovered almost ... four years ago. Mike Bailey, a senior security analyst with Foreground Security in Orlando, Florida has informed Twitter of the flaw. However, all warnings seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Most website operators have downplayed the severity of the situation, even though it could compromise many users. No Restorative Actions to Date Frustrating ... (view more)

A range of security experts say the crusade by search engines to include "real-time" results from social networking sites will undoubtedly make life easier for hackers. Such word comes hot on the heels of a report suggesting sites like Facebook and ... Twitter now pose a risk to businesses. As we reported last week, Google is trying out a new feature which lists results for a search term in real time . That means that for popular topics there's no longer a lengthy waiting period while web pages are scanned and indexed: instead they are constantly monitored and appear in a special results section ... (view more)

One of the most malicious computer viruses ever created has been launched against unsuspecting users. Rather than jeopardize the financial well being of an individual, however, this new form of malware looks to ruin reputations by suggesting that ... innocent people are pedophiles. In this twisted practice, hackers are now unloading dozens of prohibited photographs into computers worldwide. Virus Payload Not Random Acts of Chaos The motivation for doing something so sinister is baffling, to say the least. While many would believe that hackers are engaging in this practice for the purpose of ... (view more)

A recently released security report from Microsoft warns that cyber crooks are digging deeper into computers in order to steal and control data. The Security Intelligence Report reveals that rogue security software ("scareware") was the biggest ... threat during the first half of this year. Worm Activity on the Rise In a recent report, Jeff Williams, Microsoft's Malware Protection Center principal architect noted that rogue security software is no longer the primary tool for hackers and that worm activity, particularly the Conficker and Taterf worm, are on the rise. Scareware usually ... (view more)

In an effort to raise awareness, three professional hackers are attempting to prove that trusted web sites make you just as vulnerable to attack as known malicious web sites. At the recent Black Hat and Def Con security conventions, three presenters ... brought light to a new wave of Internet attacks that operate in a similar manner to that of a telephone tap in the shared communication between computers and trusted web sites. "Man-in-the-Middle" Attack This type of computer infiltration, known as "man-in-the-middle" attacks, occur when an online deviant steals the data that is intended to be ... (view more)

Hackers have reportedly infiltrated restricted computer databases at the University of California Berkeley, putting the private data of 160,000 students, alumni, and others at risk. According to UC Berkeley, computer administrators determined that ... electronic databases in University Health Services had been breached by overseas criminals on April 21, 2009. UHS electronic medical records, including details of patients' diagnoses, treatments and therapies were not affected in this breach because they're stored on a separate system. (Source: http://datatheft.berkeley.edu ) Social Security Numbers ... (view more)

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is behind new-age systems the Highway E-Z Pass and the MasterCard PayPass bank card. Unfortunately, it now seems hackers are trying to take advantage of this convenient technology, and security experts are ... facing a serious challenge in keeping people safe. To participate in the Highway E-Z Pass, a person must first install a RFID tag in their windshield prior to traveling on a toll highway. When the driver approaches the stretch of the road that requires payment, their account is electronically debited. MasterCard PayPass bank cards work in a similar ... (view more)

A Canadian surveillance project has discovered that 1,295 computers in 103 countries have been the victims of an international band of hackers. If that isn't scary enough, there is now circumstantial evidence that suggests the Chinese government may ... have played a role. The 53-page report, submitted by the Information Warfare Monitor, a joint venture shared between the SecDev group of Ottawa and the University of Toronto, classified almost 30 percent of the infected machines as being of "high value", namely the databases of international embassies, ministries of foreign affairs and other ... (view more)

eBay buyers are being asked to take extra precautions when conducting their online shopping after security specialists warned that a string of hackers had infiltrated the popular auction site. The hackers exploited several unpatched vulnerabilities ... in Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers to create false listings and entice people to bid on fraudulent items. Details of the Stealth Attack Analysts believe that it was an XSS (cross-site scripting) attack that implemented unauthorized java script elements stored on third-party websites. This allowed eBay pages to contain outside email links and ... (view more)

Kaspersky Lab, one of the most prominent antivirus companies on the web, has admitted that its web site was breached by hackers for almost eleven days. Despite the Moscow-based company's claim that its software is the most secure on the web, it ... reportedly didn't know its own site had been breached until the Romanian hackers behind the attack told them so. Knowledge of the hack was made public on the weekend when the hackers, who are at this time only rumored to be Romanian, bragged about it in a blog posting. They claimed to have used an SQL injection attack to access Kapersky's United States ... (view more)