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The latest developments in IT security: your rights online, securing your systems via timely patching, updates on anti-malware tools, and relevant stories on hacking and system vulnerabilities.
Cybercriminals targeting online gamers, by the thousands
- Phishing sites and emails designed to look like official bank notifications are nothing new, but perhaps you should look closer next time you get a suspecting email for your favorite online game. Kaspersky Labs is reporting that during 2012 they…
Adobe issues emergency Flash update, warns of active exploits on Windows and OS X
- Adobe has released a patch for two Flash player vulnerabilities that are being actively exploited against Windows and OS X users to install malware on their systems. The first of them, CVE-2013-0633, works by tricking Windows users into opening a…
Facebook glitch temporarily breaks the web
- Yesterday, an untold number of Internet surfers experienced a glitch which abruptly redirected them from the sanctuary of their favorite websites to a Facebook error page. Websites essentially taken down by this snafu included Hulu, Lifehacker, Washington Post, ESPN, CNN,…
Microsoft and Symantec kill Bamital search hijacking botnet
- In partnership with Symantec, Microsoft has disrupted yet another botnet, marking its sixth takedown in the three years since starting Project MARS (Microsoft Active Response for Security). Called "Bamital," the malware network has evolved into several variations since Symantec began…
Anonymous reveals personal information of 4,000 U.S. bank executives
- Members of the loose knit hacker collective Anonymous have published a spreadsheet that claims to contain personal information on more than 4,000 US bank executives as part of an ongoing campaign called Operation Last Resort. The group’s latest efforts are…
Android malware steals data, records audio via PC microphone
- Two newly-discovered Android apps found on Google Play were designed to spy on their users, claim security experts at Kaspersky. The apps, SuperClean and DroidCleaner, posed as innocuous Android clean-up utilities; however, each app could quietly copy photos, contacts and…
The New York Times believe Chinese military hacked their computers
- A new report from the New York Times claims hackers infiltrated their network for approximately four months, compromising multiple systems and targeting at least one journalist in the process. The paper believes the attacks were politically motivated and may have…
UPnP flaws place millions of networks in danger
- Several security vulnerabilities found within common UPnP implementations have prompted experts at Rapid 7 to recommend the public disable UPnP entirely. Research spanning several months in 2012 revealed that over 2 percent -- or about 50 million -- of all…
Pentagon to quintuple cyber defense personnel
- Although yet to be formally announced, a report by the Washington Post reveals plans by the Department of Defense to bolster its Cyber Command unit. The Pentagon's cyber defense force is currently comprised of roughly 900 military and civilian personnel,…
Skype calls purportedly being tapped, Skype-based malware spreads
- In terms of security, privacy and trust, it looks like 2013 is shaping up to be a tough year for Skype. The latest ding against the Microsoft-owned company comes from Reporters Without Borders' online censorship project leader Grégoire Pouget, who…
Dawson student expelled for exposing software security flaw
- A student from Montreal Dawson College has been expelled from the school with failing grades after exposing a security flaw in a computer system used by a number of Quebec general and vocational colleges. The “sloppy code” found by Ahmed…
Microsoft Security Essentials fails AV-Test certification... again
- Microsoft Security Essentials has once again failed to make the grade for certification at AV-Test, an independent but non-required honor that most anti-virus programs enjoy. By extension, Windows 8's built-in virus protection, Windows Defender, likely suffers the same shortcomings as…
Sprint and T-Mobile issue OTA updates to address Exynos vulnerability
- Two major wireless carriers in the US are now rolling out a patch to fix a security hole in select smartphones and tablets powered by Samsung’s Exynos mobile processor. The exploit is said to create opportunities for attackers to introduce…
USB drives responsible for infecting two US power plants with malware
- The latest quarterly report from the U.S. Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) reveals that control systems at two different power plants in the US were found infected with malware last year. The organization didn’t name which plants…
New zero-day Java exploit selling in online forum for $5,000
- Earlier this week Oracle rushed out a fix for a critical bug in Java that was reportedly being widely exploited by malicious sites to remotely execute code on a victim’s machine. Well, it only took one day after the patch…
Kaspersky uncovers five-year cyber espionage campaign, Red October
- Kaspersky has uncovered an advanced cyber espionage network that rivals the sophistication of last year's infamous Flame malware but is perhaps more devious, as each attack is handcrafted for its victim to help ensure its success. Referred to as Operation…
New zero-day vulnerability in Java being widely exploited (Updated)
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Three days after a critical Java vulnarability was widely reported, Oracle has issued an update to shut down the potential exploit and secure browsers using Java. You can update to Java SE 7u11 to secure your PC (or disable Java altogether). The security hole made browsers vulnerable to remote exploits when visiting a malicious website.
Banking sites crippled by Iran-sponsored DDoS, US officials claim
- Iran is being blamed for a recent wave of cyberattacks, namely a series of Distributed Denial of Service attacks launched against major financial institutions. Affected financial institutions include, but may not be limited to, Bank of America, Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo,…
Anonymous seeks to make DDoS attacks a legal form of protest
- The loose knit group of hackers that call themselves Anonymous have petitioned the White House in an effort to get distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks recognized as a legal form of protest. The hackers argue that DDoS attacks are not a…
Hole in W3 Total Cache WordPress plugin exposes site database info
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Security researcher Jason A. Donenfeld has revealed a security hole in a popular WordPress plugin that could be used to obtain sensitive data from an affected site. The flaw was discovered in W3 Total Cache, which has been downloaded over a million times and is used by...
Android botnet turns infected handsets into SMS spam generators
- A new Trojan called SpamSolider that infects Android devices is to blame for an increasing number of spam text messages in the US. The malicious software is bundled alongside free versions of popular mobile games like Angry Birds Space and…
AVG and Yahoo enter into agreement to protect you from malware
- There used to be a time where one would only run the risk of contracting malware by installing questionable software on their computer. Those days are of course long behind us as it’s now possible to pick up an infection…
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