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IT Security News Headlines
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.
eHarmony confirms breach, about 1.5 million passwords stolen
- eHarmony has confirmed that nearly 1.5 million of its users have had their passwords -- or more specifically, hashed passwords -- stolen by hackers. The popular match-making site may have fallen victim to the same hackers who compromised LinkedIn's password database…
LinkedIn password database leaked, company confirms intrusion
- LinkedIn may have suffered a serious blow in terms of the security and safety of its users today. Hackers claim to have leaked over 6.5 million password hashes originating from the career-focused social networking site. Although the hash values appear…
Google will begin warning users of state-sponsored attacks
- Internet search giant Google has announced it will begin alerting Gmail users if they are being subjected to what it calls "suspected state-sponsored" attacks as well as offering advice on how to have additional layers of security to prevent unauthorized…
Flame malware subverts Windows Updates, infects networked PCs
- Flame or Flamer, an admittedly sophisticated piece of malware, appears to have more tricks up its sleeve than security researchers had initially believed. Security firm Kaspersky has discovered that the virus turns infected PCs into Windows Update servers which may…
China not responsible for US "military chip" backdoor
- A research paper by PhD candidate Sergei Skorobogatov at the University of Cambridge has been circulating in the media that highlights a backdoor in Microsemi/Actel ProASIC3 chips allegedly used by the US military. Many outlets have been reporting that China…
Iran targeted by Flame malware in 'most complex' cyber-attack yet
- The Duqu and Stuxnet malware heralded in a new era in cyber warfare, and brought cyber-espionage to the forefront of security experts minds. In many ways this has also resulted in the general public becoming increasingly sensitive to the almost…
Exploit allows command prompt to launch at Windows 7 login screen
- An unpatched exploit in Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 8 Consumer Preview allows a user to launch an elevated command prompt by manipulating the sticky keys function. The hack requires very little knowledge and can be exploited…
Google warns users infected with DNSChanger malware, provides help
- Google has begun providing a warning to visitors who appear to be infected with DNSChanger, a malware which attempts to redirect users to various websites by modifying their DNS settings. The notification is a highly visible alert which tells the…
Yahoo Axis launch marred by security flaw within Chrome extension
- Just hours after unveiling its pseudo-Web browser "Axis," which serves as a visual search tool on desktop and mobile devices, Yahoo was forced to disable the Chrome version on the desktop due to security concerns. Turns out the company accidentally…
IBM bans Siri from the workplace, cites privacy concerns
- Siri can be an invaluable assistant to some iPhone users, allowing for quick web searches and setting up reminders, among other stuff. But with the rise of “bring your own device” (BYOD) policies in businesses, some are also starting to…
Blizzard: Battle.net account theft increase normal, hacking not issue
- Blizzard has responded to the recent upswing of stolen Battle.net accounts since the release of Diablo 3. Although critics might be tempted to point the finger at Blizzard's security, the game company says that every complaint it has investigated has…
ZTE admits Score M smartphone has backdoor, promises fix
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ZTE has confirmed that one of its Android-based smartphones contains a backdoor that could allow an intruder to gain full control of the device. Revealed through Pastebin on May 10, the Score M has a built-in hole to supply root access with a hardcoded password, which is readily available online...
Flashback Trojan maker missed out on fraudulent ad click payout
- At the height of the Flashback Trojan, experts say it spread to more than 600,000 Macs worldwide. Aside from being a pain in the rear end of those who were infected, it was estimated that the author could be generating…
DDoS attack sidelines The Pirate Bay, Anonymous to blame?
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In what can only be described as a bit ironic, The Pirate Bay has been taken down not by court order of ISP blockades but by a DDoS attack of unknown origin. The popular torrent sharing site has been sidelined for the better part of...
Apple releases OS X 10.7.4, patches plain text password bug
- Apple has released a minor update to OS X Lion that patches a security concern that was brought to the general public’s attention earlier this week. OS X 10.7.4 also includes an updated version of Safari that is said to…
Twitter plays down hacker breach, 55,000 accounts posted online
- Twitter has launched an investigation after the popular micro-blogging service was breached and details of 55,000 accounts were published on the Internet by hackers. Despite this, it appears that the spoils were spammer accounts with the published usernames and passwords being of…
New malware freezes computer until ransom is paid
- The latest trend in malware doesn’t just flood your computer with annoying advertising or attempt to steal your banking information. Instead, it quite literally locks a system down and prevents the user from doing anything on it unless a ransom…
OS X Lion security blunder exposes login passwords in plain text
- Security researcher David Emery has exposed what it claims is a major security bug in the currently shipping version of OS X Lion (10.7.3), which causes login passwords to be stored in a plain text file. The flaw specifically affects…
Religious websites are three times riskier than porn sites for malware
- Religious and ideological web pages are more dangerous than pornographic sites with regard to malware infection according to the latest Internet Security Threat Report (PDF) from Symantec. In fact, pages featuring adult content didn’t even make the top five most…
Flashback malware generated $10k per day in fraudulent ad clicks
- People usually speculate as to why someone would create a virus or piece of malware that seemingly does nothing more than cause harm to someone they don’t even know. Are these social outcasts, still living in their mother’s basement with…
SOCA, FBI and DoJ take down 36 credit card fraud sites
- British police arrested three people and shut down 36 criminal-owned web domains on Friday, as part of a two year long international anti-fraud investigation by the UK's Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), the FBI and the US Department of…
Microsoft patches zero day password reset bug in Hotmail
- Microsoft has rushed out a fix for a critical zero day bug on their popular Hotmail service after it was discovered by a security researcher earlier in the month. Although it was reported to Microsoft in a timely manner, details…
VMware source code stolen by hacker, published online
- VMware just became the latest victim of hackers, with the firm acknowledging a breach that resulted in source code for their ESX virtualization products being stolen and posted online. The attack is reportedly the work of a hacker known as…
Kaspersky CEO says Mac security is 10 years behind Microsoft
- Eugene Kaspersky of Kaspersky Lab security firm has said that in terms of computer security, Apple’s Mac is at least 10 years behind Microsoft. The CEO feels that Cupertino could learn a lot from Microsoft and will have to revise…
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