security

Tue
07
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Clear Shutdown Leaves More Than 250,000 IDs in Limbo

The company responsible for creating a database containing thousands of identities collected at U.S. airports has shut down. And so, the question remains: what happens to your personal information when a government-sponsored National ID scheme like ... 'Clear' suddenly shuts down? The fate of more than a quarter million people whose fingerprints, social security numbers, home addresses and other revealing personal information allegedly designed to help hasten traveler clearances at airports is hanging on that question, and even the government doesn't know the answer. (Source: yahoo.com ) Who ... (view more)

Mon
25
May
Dennis Faas's picture

Alive and Well: Conficker Infecting 50k PCs Daily

Although it's been quiet in recent weeks, the dreaded Conficker worm is far from done its reign of terror. In fact, never before has this virus caused so much havoc than when the news mediums stopped printing urgent warnings about its dangers. Now, ... as the reports of countless victims come pouring in, security officials are getting a clear sense of just how many computers are infected on a daily basis. According to one security expert, Conficker infiltrates as many as 50,000 new PCs every day. International Incident What makes matters worse is that the virus has no specific target area, as all ... (view more)

Wed
20
May
Dennis Faas's picture

Trojan Alert: Windows 7 RC1, FIFA World Cup Virus

Cybercriminals are continuing to target major news stories and global events such as the recent release of Windows 7 release candidate (RC) and results of the FIFA World Cup. It has been reported that thousands of Windows 7 builds downloaded on ... Torrent and P2P sharing sites contain a malicious Trojan designed to target personal information and has the potential to cause system failure and identity theft. Phishing attacks have targeted the 2010 FIFA World Cup Tournament and evidence suggests that the attacks will continue to escalate, as demonstrated during the previous FIFA World Cup which ... (view more)

Mon
11
May
Dennis Faas's picture

Spam All You Want, Undetected, for $700 Bucks

Web hosting services in China are allowing anyone to pay about $700 to send out an unlimited amount of spam worldwide. The service, also called "bulletproof hosting," is nothing new in the tech world. The actual intent of bulletproof hosting is to ... allow leniency in the kinds of material that users may upload. Unfortunately, spammers , gambling websites and porn pushers have constantly abused this system to the point where deviant behavior is almost expected. The Ministry of Public Security in China has been cracking down on online gambling sites and Internet pornographers for some time now, ... (view more)

Mon
27
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Cybercriminals Buy Captcha-Codes for Pennies

Security specialists who monitor the behavior of cybercriminals are now reporting a disturbing trend among online scammers: paying "captcha-breakers" to solve random blocks of text, to supersede anti-fraud and anti-spam measures. Humans Versus ... Computer Programs Catpcha stands for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. Captchas are most prevalent online blogs that require a user to enter a series of numbers or letters in order to post a comment online. While sometimes an inconvenience, websites and online forms that require captchas are critical ... (view more)

Wed
22
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Homeland Security Seeks Ethical Hackers to Defend US

If you're a computer hacker, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wants to hire you to help secure the nation's networks. Millions of digital attacks occur each day -- one of the most recent of which involves a breached fighter-jet project -- ... and has caused the DHS to put out ads looking for those who understand hackers. Ethical Hacking The DHS wants to hire so-called 'ethical hackers' to analyze threats and keep constant watch over government networks such as the Einstein program (PDF) and to develop ways to reduce vulnerabilities. In addition to hiring ethical hackers requested by the ... (view more)

Fri
03
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Conficker Stats: Vietnam Worst, Worm Still Dormant

Security experts have put together some intriguing statistics about the Conficker virus, including the total spread of the worm and the worst-hit country. It seems Vietnam has seen the most serious invasion, while four per cent of all computer ... infections are related to Conficker. The figures come from OpenDNS, a firm which offers DNS (Domain Name System) resolution services. This is the process of mapping a website name (such as www.infopackets.com ) to the actual IP address where the website physically exists. Because Conficker interferes with this process, the firm has plenty of data to ... (view more)

Fri
03
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

U.S. Gov't Seeks Unprecedented Control Over Internet

According to reports, U.S. senators drafted legislation aimed at giving the federal government unprecedented authority over the nation's critical infrastructure, including the power to shut down or limit traffic on private networks during ... emergencies. The draft of the proposed legislation is allegedly intended to establish cyber-security standards to be imposed on both the government and the private sector, including companies providing software, IT work, or other services to networks deemed as 'critical' infrastructure, as well as mandating licenses for any and all individuals who administer ... (view more)

Wed
01
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

New iPhone App Reduces ID Theft by Unique Password

With the Conficker worm spreading worldwide and social malware figures expected to quadruple in the near future, there is perhaps no greater time to maintain and protect your online identity than right now. In response to these concerns, a new ... iPhone application is set to be released, hoping to make it virtually impossible for someone to infiltrate and steal your personal information. The complex application will generate an additional password for most AOL, eBay and PayPal accounts. To access these protected accounts, users must now input their user ID, password and a six-digit number unique ... (view more)

Mon
30
Mar
Dennis Faas's picture

China Implicated Over Conficker Virus

China is receiving a double dose of blame for the Conficker virus, as reports suggest that the country may either be the source of the virus, the reason why it spread so quickly, or both. The Conficker virus is due to update itself on Wednesday . ... China has already been in the news recently for security issues. It's been blamed for a widespread network of spy computers which have allegedly infected computers including those of the Dalai Lama. Origins may reach as far back as 2001 Vietnamese security firm BKIS says it has analyzed Conficker's coding and believes there are some unmistakable ... (view more)

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