hackers

Unknown hackers recently targeted the website of the second largest Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the US, which resulted in the temporary shutdown of Comcast.net. The attack took place around 11pm on May 28, and prevented customers from ... accessing their Comcast web mail as well as other services provided on the website. Instead of the website, visitors were greeted by a message reading "KRYOGENIKS EBK and DEFIANT RoXed COMCAST sHouTz To VIRUS Warlock elul21 coll1er seven." (Source: cnet.com ) A spokesperson from the company has confirmed that an unauthorized change was made in Comcast's ... (view more)

Hackers have often carried hidden agendas ranging from self-satisfaction to illegal monetary gain through identity theft. A new research project recently conducted in the U.S. shows that hackers have the power to cause much more damage to everyday ... people...including murder. Oh my gosh! How so? It's because many people walk around with heart defibrillators and pacemakers. If hackers really wanted to, they could gain wireless access to both of these devices. The research team was successful in reprogramming a combination defibrillator/pacemaker to shut down and deliver jolts of electricity that ... (view more)

Hackers have already found a way into the newest iPhone software, just three months before it's officially launched to the public. The new edition of the software is officially titled version 1.2, though will get the snazzier sounding '2.0' tag on ... its formal launch. Hackers got hold of the software because it's included in Apple's new Software Development Kit (SDK). The main gripe between Apple and the hackers is that, while the firm encourages independent development of features to run on the phone, it wants tight control over how this is done. Apple is demanding they become the exclusive ... (view more)

Most of us consider the world of hacking strange and foreign. Although many of us are techies and follow technology news closely, few would say they are close friends with that guy who recently cracked this government database or that banking web ... site. However, this could soon be the case as one group has decided to release a Do it Yourself, or DIY, hacking tool. The original web site designed to distribute the open hacking program was recently discovered by security firm Facetime. The tool is meant especially for the purpose of cracking social networking pages, like Facebook. However, it ... (view more)

Although it's getting a little late for top 5 lists, Darkreading recently released their five coolest hacks for 2007. The stories were chosen for their ingenuity and ability to surprise an unsuspecting public. I've agreed with them on a few of these ... hacks, but we also found some other stuff that was just a little bit quirkier or a little more appealing to the average user. 5. Navigation systems: A vulnerability was discovered that let hackers insert fake messages or shut a nav device down. The weakness was found in the primary satellite system for all traffic information. An attack on the ... (view more)

Own a blog? Like your domain name? Granted, it's hard to believe anyone would really want the first and last name of the average American for a domain, but that's exactly what happened to David Airey and davidairey.com. Hackers recently fudged a ... domain transfer on Airey's behalf, and then demanded a ransom for its return. Airey is a web designer and, like many in the tech biz, takes his blog somewhat seriously. Not long ago, he decided to take a break from the stress of work, jetting with his girlfriend to India on an exotic vacation. Unfortunately for Airey, he returned to find that his blog ... (view more)

Talk about 'An Inconvenient Spoof'; the website for Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth has been breached by hackers. The blog page of climatecrisis.net has been altered to include links to more than eighty pages, each named after a ... different product from an online pharmacy. The products include Viagra, Vicadin and Prozac. (Source: theregister.co.uk ) The links only appear in the page's source code (which tells the computer what to display). They aren't ordinarily visible on-screen to site visitors, so it seems likely the hackers are not intending to lure people directly to their site ... (view more)

Hackers are now hiding viruses in the last place you'd expect to find them: anti-spyware software. The elaborate scam allows hackers to get access to users computers. And for added measure, they even take credit card details on the way. The scam ... works by posting adverts on big-name websites. A random selection of these ads produce a pop-up window with a fake warning that the user's computer is infected, and offers a download of an anti-spyware program, paid for by credit card. The download, which comes under more than 40 different names such as Spyshredder, is actually a Trojan virus. The ... (view more)

Money makes the world go 'round. That's hardly surprising to anyone, although for a long time it seemed Internet hackers were more interested in simple, wanton destruction than the almighty dollar. According to security guru Symantec, that's all ... changed. At one time, many viruses were created just to cause trouble. These were largely referred to as "nuisance" attacks, not much different than "teepeeing" mean old Mr. Anderson's house down the street. It seems that web hackers have discovered being loud and destructive doesn't exactly pay well, and have instead turned to more subtle ... (view more)

Microsoft Corp. released an emergency security patch to plug a hole recently found in several versions of Windows, including the company's brand-new operating system, Vista. Microsoft is receiving some ridicule from industry analysts, since the ... company has invested months of promotion, claiming that Vista is the most secure operating system ever. Many have said that the hole has the company so worried, that Microsoft put their critical security fix one whole week ahead of their regularly scheduled update. (Source: itpro.co.uk ) The hole allows hackers to break into personal computers and ... (view more)