News

Hackers and cybercrime prevention

May 17, 2010 17 May'10
Millions of internet users unaware of dangers, says Kaspersky

Around 30,000 new malicious and potentially undesirable programs appear every day, according to security researchers at Kaspersky Lab.
May 17, 2010 17 May'10
Phishing scam hits thousands on Twitter

A phishing scam is targeting thousands of Twitter users hoping to increase their number of followers. Spam messages are circulating that claim to contain links to websites that will help Twitter users to increase their number of followers for free.
May 17, 2010 17 May'10
Google says Street View cars collected WiFi data by mistake

Google has admitted that it mistakenly collected data sent over WiFi networks using its Street...
May 14, 2010 14 May'10
US military considers responses to cyber attack

The US military is to consider a military response in cases of cyber attacks against the US, according to a Pentagon official.

But there may never...

May 14, 2010 14 May'10
Fake CV spam campaign marks return on malicious email attachments

Websense says the spam blast, featuring 230 million messages, lasted just hours but if opened it could have given attackers free reign over victim machines.
May 12, 2010 12 May'10
Hackers use web servers to deliver more powerful DDoS attacks

Cyber criminals are using a new type of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack that is more powerful and elusive than any predecessors
May 12, 2010 12 May'10
Apple iPad security debated as iPad's U.K. launch approaches

As the iPad's May 28 U.K. launch approaches, experts weigh in on security issues for the iPad and other non-traditional computing devices.
May 11, 2010 11 May'10
Threatening Tweet costs man £1,000

A man was found guilty of sending a menacing electronic communication after he tweeted he would blow up an airport.

Former trainee accountant Paul...
May 06, 2010 06 May'10
Security professionals sceptical of politicians' concern for cyber security

Security professionals lack confidence that political parties will do anything to improve cyber security, according to a survey by security firm Proofpoint....
May 06, 2010 06 May'10
Facebook under fire after flaw exposes live chats

Facebook has again come under fire for not doing enough to protect personal information after a security flaw allowed users to eavesdrop on private chat sessions.

May 05, 2010 05 May'10
Cybercriminals trading in large volumes of Facebook accounts, say researchers

Cybercriminals are selling fake and stolen accounts on social networking site Facebook in bulk in the underground economy, according to security researchers.
May 04, 2010 04 May'10
More than two-thirds of IT security investment wasted, says Verizon Business

Businesses are pumping information security investment into all the wrong areas, research has revealed.
April 28, 2010 28 Apr'10
Security breaches cost UK businesses billions in worst-ever threat environment, says PwC

Security breaches cost UK businesses billions in worst-ever threat environment, says PwC A new wave of security breaches is costing UK businesses billions...
April 28, 2010 28 Apr'10
Cost of cybercrime to businesses doubles

The cost of cybercrime to businesses has doubled to more than £10bn over the past two years, research to be released today will reveal.
April 27, 2010 27 Apr'10
PwC report on security trends: be proactive or suffer

Organisations will need to take a more proactive approach to information security or suffer the consequences.

This is one of the main conclusions of...
April 26, 2010 26 Apr'10
Business spend is failing to protect against top threat to data security, study finds

A lack of protection for web-based applications means many businesses are at a high risk of cyberattack, a survey has found.

Business allocates an...
April 26, 2010 26 Apr'10
Tidal wave of ID theft fraud sweeps the UK, survey reveals

Some 44% of Londoners have been victims of bank card fraud and 42% have had their identity stolen, according to an Infosecurity Europe survey. Researchers said the average amount stolen was £1,448 per victim, and 37% did not get their money back ...
April 26, 2010 26 Apr'10
Cybercriminals step up click theft from online advertisers

Cybergangs are increasingly targeting advertisers who pay website owners for every click on their online ads, two click fraud technology suppliers have found. In the first quarter of 2010, 17% to 29% of clicks to online ads were fraudulent, up from ...
April 26, 2010 26 Apr'10
Microsoft withdraws security patch for Windows Media Services

Microsoft has withdrawn a Windows 2000 Server security patch released on 13 April to fix a flaw in Windows Media Services.
April 26, 2010 26 Apr'10
Symantec Internet threat report highlights botnet, malware trends

A new Internet threat report from Symantec indicates that botnets and malware infect a new computer worldwide as often as every 4.6 seconds.
April 26, 2010 26 Apr'10
Researchers find 1.5 million stolen social networking passwords

A recently discovered stash of 1.5 million stolen passwords and credentials for social networking sites may usher in a new wave of U.K. cybercrime.
April 23, 2010 23 Apr'10
Infosecurity Europe 2010: Trust is the next IT security nut to crack, says Lord Erroll

Working out how to trust people in the cyberworld is the next big challenge in IT security, says independent peer Lord Erroll.

This is an extremely...
April 23, 2010 23 Apr'10
Qakbot steals 2Gbytes of information a week, says Symantec

The Qakbot botnet is uploading 2Gbytes of stolen confidential information to its FTP servers each week
April 23, 2010 23 Apr'10
McAfee blames QA process change for faulty update

Companies around the world have been forced to clean up thousands of computers after the flawed...
April 22, 2010 22 Apr'10
Infosecurity Europe 2010: PwC warns business vulnerability to cyber attack greater than ever

Cloud computing and social networking are among the trends that have increased the vulnerability of UK organisations to cyber attack, a survey has found....
April 22, 2010 22 Apr'10
Google reveals UK government’s censorship and user data requests

The UK government asked Google 59 times between July and December last year for information about Google users or to censor search results delivered by the...
April 21, 2010 21 Apr'10
EU draft anti-counterfeiting deal threatens free speech, health and safety, say critics

The European Parliament has published the draft text of the controversial anti-counterfeiting...
April 21, 2010 21 Apr'10
Infosecurity Europe 2010: Data integrity attacks to become more common, say experts

Data integrity attacks are likely to become a common method of attack by cybercriminals as other systems become increasingly locked down, say IT security...
April 20, 2010 20 Apr'10
Malicious activity in emerging regions a threat to all business, says Symantec

Businesses need to take note of the increase in malicious cyber activity in emerging countries, particularly those offshore and outsourced operations, says Symantec.
April 16, 2010 16 Apr'10
Infosecurity Europe 2010: Camelot Group combines technology, policy and culture to secure IT systems

The right balance between user responsibility and technological controls is key to effective IT security.
April 16, 2010 16 Apr'10
Daily Telegraph third-party website hacked and defaced

A Daily Telegraph third-party website is the latest high-profile site to be defaced by hackers apparently unhappy about the news organisation referring to Romanians as gypsies.
April 15, 2010 15 Apr'10
China-based DDOS attack hits Australian multinationals

A China-based distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack on a financial services company has halted internet services for several hours to some customers...
April 15, 2010 15 Apr'10
Address false positives effectively to avoid cases of mistaken identity

Reputation technology can be used to address the problem of false positives, which has become a challenge for information security professionals.
April 14, 2010 14 Apr'10
Infosecurity 2010: IT defences must be comprehensive, not complex, says Ovum

Simple security can be good enough if it is approached correctly, says Andrew Kellet, senior analyst at Ovum.
April 12, 2010 12 Apr'10
Security-related social networking issues abound in organisations

Security-related social networking issues are commonplace now among individual users and organisations alike. According to two new reports, as social networking usage increases, so do social networking security challenges.
April 07, 2010 07 Apr'10
Chinese hackers attack Dalai Lama and India High Commission

Security researchers have discovered a complex ecosystem of cyber espionage which they claim systematically compromised computer networks in India, the Offices of the Dalai Lama, the United Nations and several other countries.
April 01, 2010 01 Apr'10
Twitter links safer than Google, says security researcher

Contrary to popular belief, most short links on Twitter are not malicious, according to Zscaler Security Research.
March 31, 2010 31 Mar'10
Internet attack breaks network security

Security researchers have uncovered a major flaw in the internet fabric, which could circumvent network security and allow rogue users to access any computer...
March 31, 2010 31 Mar'10
Sophos reveals defense for search engine hack attacks

Security firm Sophos has published research on the automated tools used by search engine optimisation (SEO) hackers and how companies can protect themselves.
March 30, 2010 30 Mar'10
Right sizing security is key theme at Infosecurity Europe 2010

The right security for the right reasons is a key theme at Infosecurity Europe 2010 in London as organisations seek...
March 30, 2010 30 Mar'10
Microsoft to release out-of-band patch for zero-day IE vulnerability

Microsoft is to release a patch for a critical Internet Explorer zero-day vulnerability on 30 March.
March 30, 2010 30 Mar'10
Google confirms problems with mobile service in China

Google has reported the partial blocking of its mobile internet services in China a week after the internet firm announced that it had stopped...
March 29, 2010 29 Mar'10
Report: Spam attacks targeting high-profile enterprise roles

A recent MessageLabs Intelligence Report has revealed an increase in targeted spam attacks, many of which originate in China and Romania.
March 26, 2010 26 Mar'10
IT departments in the dark as 99% of staff use unsecured internet applications

Business can no longer afford to ignore the security risk of Web 2.0 technologies, with 99% of employees using at least one internet application, a survey...
March 26, 2010 26 Mar'10
TJX hacker sentenced to 20 years in jail

A hacker who helped organise one of the largest thefts of card details in history has been sentenced to 20 years in jail.
March 25, 2010 25 Mar'10
Sans founder slams 'terribly damaging' US cyber security law

Federal guidelines on how to protect computer systems did just the opposite, a US congressional committee heard.
March 25, 2010 25 Mar'10
US computers still insecure after spending billions

Total security against cyber attacks is impossible in the foreseeable future, but secure IT systems are cheaper than insecure ones, a US congressional committee has been told.
March 24, 2010 24 Mar'10
Mozilla releases Firefox update early to fix vulnerabilities

Mozilla has released the latest version of its Firefox web browser ahead of schedule because of security vulnerabilities found in earlier versions.
March 22, 2010 22 Mar'10
New banking Trojan targets U.K. banks

A new banking Trojan, called Silon, is making the rounds in the U.K., targeting banking customers.
March 16, 2010 16 Mar'10
Wikileaks a potential 'security threat to US Army'

US Army counterintelligence staff assessed the online whistleblower site Wikileaks ...
March 15, 2010 15 Mar'10
Top five virtualisation security issues

Server virtualisation will increase businesses' exposure to hacking attacks, according to analyst Gartner.
March 15, 2010 15 Mar'10
Jericho Forum launches free online security assessment tool

The Jericho Forum, a security think-tank founded by IT security professionals, has launched a free online tool for checking the effectiveness of IT security products.
March 12, 2010 12 Mar'10
Blended threats demand new security approach, says Websense

Blended threats are the chief online security risk to enterprises and a new approach is needed to defend against these threats, says security firm Websense.
March 12, 2010 12 Mar'10
HSBC Holdings under investigation after Swiss data theft

Swiss financial sector regulator FINMA is investigating the theft of data from up to 24,000 clients of the Geneva private bank of HSBC Holdings.
March 12, 2010 12 Mar'10
Koobface worm can double command and control servers in 48 hours

The Koobface worm, which targets social networking sites, can double the number of command and control (C&C) servers in 48 hours, says security firm Kaspersky Lab.
March 11, 2010 11 Mar'10
Rootkit shows potential for hackers to wreak havoc on smartphones

Researchers at Rutgers University in the US have developed a proof-of-concept rootkit
March 11, 2010 11 Mar'10
Cybercrimals use fake Windows update to push bogus security software

Cybercriminals are using a fake Windows Update installation dialogue box to sell a bogus security product called Anti-malware Defender, security researchers have warned.
March 11, 2010 11 Mar'10
Mariposa botnet hit hardest where security awareness is low

Over 13 million users in 190 countries and 31,901 cities were affected by the Mariposa botnet...
March 10, 2010 10 Mar'10
Government seeks to debunk cyber war myth

Government seeks to debunk cyber war myth The government is seeking to quell what it claims are reactionary press reports branding network intrusions...
March 10, 2010 10 Mar'10
IT security must address business trends, says Forrester

Shifts in technology, business expectations and process ownership in organisations are inevitable and all three have security implications...
March 10, 2010 10 Mar'10
Twitter is magnet for fakes, fraudsters and celebs

Online security experts at Barracuda Labs have confirmed that Twitter is overrun with fakers and fraudsters.
March 10, 2010 10 Mar'10
Malware found on out-of-the-box Vodafone HTC Magic smartphone

Security researchers report that malware has been discovered on a Vodafone HTC...
March 10, 2010 10 Mar'10
Online bank fraud up, but total card fraud falls for first time

Online banking fraud losses rose by 14% to £59.7m in 2009, but overall card fraud dropped 28% to £440.3m - the first decrease since 2006 - according figures from bankers.
March 10, 2010 10 Mar'10
Microsoft releases eight bug fixes and warns of IE zero–day vulnerability

Microsoft's March Patch Tuesday monthly security update was relatively light, but the software maker also issued an advisory, warning of an unpatched vulnerability in Internet Explorer.
March 09, 2010 09 Mar'10
Energizer battery charger contains Trojan virus, warns Cert

Software used in a battery charger contains a Trojan that gives hackers total access to PCs, the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (Cert) has warned .
March 09, 2010 09 Mar'10
US cybersecurity efforts hindered by poorly defined roles says GAO

US cybersecurity defences are being hampered by a lack of clear definitions of the roles of the government agencies involved, according to the Government...
March 08, 2010 08 Mar'10
Businesses need new security doctrine as Trojans evolve, says RSA

Trojans originally developed to steal credentials in the financial sector have been refined and are now deployed throughout the business world, say security researchers.
March 08, 2010 08 Mar'10
Apache flaw threatens data security, say security researchers

A flaw in popular open source web server software, Apache HTTP Server, could enable hackers to access and take control of databases, say Australian security researchers.
March 04, 2010 04 Mar'10
RSA 2010: Homeland security chief urges campaign of cultural change

US secretary of homeland security Janet Napolitano says a secure cyber environment is as much about people, culture and habit as it is about machines.
March 04, 2010 04 Mar'10
RSA 2010: Countries must work together or fail on cyber security

All countries should make rapid information sharing in response to cyber attacks a top priority, according to an international cyber security panel at RSA 2010 in San Francisco.
March 04, 2010 04 Mar'10
Google China hack is just the tip of the iceberg, RSA Conference told

China-based hacks of Google and more than 20 other companies are just the tip of the iceberg, says internet security expert and crime investigator Ira Winkler.
March 02, 2010 02 Mar'10
Human factor a key focus for infosecurity

IT security policies are vital in reducing corporate liability risk under a raft of new and coming information security laws and regulations.
March 02, 2010 02 Mar'10
RSA 2010: Cloud Security Alliance lists top cloud threats

The top threats facing companies using the cloud are hacking, insecure application programming interfaces (APIs), malicious insiders, shared technology vulnerabilities,...
March 02, 2010 02 Mar'10
Older Windows exposed to VBScript hole

Microsoft is investigating a zero day attack, affecting VBScript scripting in older versions of Windows.
March 01, 2010 01 Mar'10
DarkMarket credit card fraudster jailed for five years

The man who set up DarkMarket, an online supermarket for credit card fraudsters, has been jailed for almost five years.
February 26, 2010 26 Feb'10
Hacker posts risque First Direct tweet

First Direct's Twitter account has been hacked by a spammer who used it to post a link to an adult sex site.
February 25, 2010 25 Feb'10
Twitter hit by another round of phishing attacks

Twitter users are being targeted by another phishing campaign, according to Webroot malware researcher Andrew Brandt.

Users of the social network...
February 25, 2010 25 Feb'10
Intel admits it is under constant attack from hackers

Intel regularly faces cyber attacks by intellectual property thieves and malicious hackers, the chip maker's latest report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission reveals.
February 24, 2010 24 Feb'10
Adobe fixes Download Manager flaw

Adobe has advised users of its Acrobat Reader software to download the latest update to fix a security hole in the Adobe Download Manager software.
February 23, 2010 23 Feb'10
Security must be engaging, relevant and ongoing, says The Security Company

Security policies are worthless unless employees see security as a priority, according to consulting firm
February 23, 2010 23 Feb'10
Wipro employee suicide in wake of fraud allegation

A worker in Wipro's finance department has committed suicide soon after an allegation was made that he had committed a $4m internal fraud.
February 22, 2010 22 Feb'10
Video: Twitter users targeted by Chinese phishing attacks

Twitter users are being targeted by a phishing campaign designed to steal passwords and use hijacked accounts to spread money-making spam campaigns.

The...
February 22, 2010 22 Feb'10
Video: Cyber attacks cost large enterprises £1.4m a year, study reveals

Cyber attacks cost large enterprises an average of £1.4m a year, according to the Symantec 2010 State of Enterprise Security study.
February 19, 2010 19 Feb'10
Effective security must be 'sold' to IT users, urges BT security chief

Security has to be sold to users of IT systems in the same way as consumer goods and services, says Mark Hughes, managing director of security at BT.

"Unless...
February 19, 2010 19 Feb'10
Kneber botnet should make board take notice, says PwC

The "Kneber botnet" used by hackers to gain access to data on 75,000 systems in 2,500 organisations around the world, is yet another indication of the rising level of sophistication in cybercrime
February 18, 2010 18 Feb'10
Kneber botnet steals log-ins to 75,000 companies

Security experts have discovered a dangerous botnet that targets corporate networks and users' access credentials.

The "Kneber botnet" links 75,000...
February 18, 2010 18 Feb'10
US automates cyber defences to offset skills crisis

The US military is seeking to automate its computer defences to compensate for a drastic shortage of infosecurity experts it can train as cyber warriors.
February 18, 2010 18 Feb'10
Cyber ShockWave shows US is ill-prepared for cyber attack

A simulated large-scale cyber attack has revealed the US is ill-prepared to deal with such a threat.
February 16, 2010 16 Feb'10
Internet security needs universal support, says Dell Perot Systems

Every user of the internet has a vested interest in keeping it secure as failure to do so risks losing all benefit, says Dell Perot Systems.
February 15, 2010 15 Feb'10
Security awareness still lacking in many UK firms, says PwC

Most UK companies do not understand the business value of security awareness among their staff, according to consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Although...
February 15, 2010 15 Feb'10
New Community Security Policy aims to reduce computer misuse

The ACPO has unveiled a Community Security Policy, which aims to reduce computer misuse in the police force. Learn how one police force has met the new compliance standard.
February 12, 2010 12 Feb'10
Chip and Pin 'broken', say Cambridge University researchers

Academics have raised serious questions about the security of the Chip and Pin payment system after demonstrating security flaws that allow criminals to make payments from a stolen card without the Pin.
February 12, 2010 12 Feb'10
Shell staff details revealed in security breach

Contact details of more than 170,000 Royal Dutch Shell employees and contractors have become public after a group claiming to be Shell staff concerned about the oil company's activities e-mailed them to eco and corporate activists.
February 10, 2010 10 Feb'10
Security professionals must embrace cloud or fail, says ISC2

IT security professionals must work out how to implement cloud computing securely before it is too late, according to information security professionals...
February 10, 2010 10 Feb'10
A botnet and rootkit removal 101

Stealthy botnet and rootkit attacks on enterprises are on the rise. Mikko Hypponen, F-Secure's chief research officer speaks to SearchSecurity.in about the recent botnet and rootkit attack patterns and ways to secure enterprises from such attacks.
February 09, 2010 09 Feb'10
Safer Internet Day: How children can undermine corporate security

There is no safety without security on the internet, John Colley, managing director of information security professionals' organisation (ISC)² has warned.
February 05, 2010 05 Feb'10
Microsoft Patch Tuesday equals record with 13 updates

Microsoft plans to release 13 security updates on 9 February, equalling the record set in October 2009
February 05, 2010 05 Feb'10
EU officials downplay carbon credit phishing scam

European Union officials have downplayed the seriousness of phishing attacks that enabled cybercriminals to steal carbon emissions permits worth £2.6m.
February 04, 2010 04 Feb'10
David Litchfield steps down with a final bug warning for Oracle

Security researcher David Litchfield, who has found more bugs in the Oracle database than any other security expert, has done it again.

Speaking at...
February 04, 2010 04 Feb'10
Australian judge upholds ISP's defence against piracy claims

An Australian judge has upheld a "pure conduit" defence by an internet service provider against claims by copyright holders that it should have stopped illegal...