attack

Microsoft has warned users that yet another critical vulnerability has been found in its popular Office spreadsheet program Excel. The flaw could allow remote hackers to open and run malicious code on an unsuspecting user's computer through an ... infected spreadsheet file. The attack effects users of Microsoft Office Excel 2007 but also those using any of the older binary .XLS files. A user opening a file, probably through an email, will be asked to open a malicious spreadsheet. They'll then begin downloading at least two files onto their system, one valid, the other the malicious binary. Once ... (view more)

Many of us update our software or install the latest antivirus programs to reduce the chances of becoming the victims of a hacker. But is it possible for our hardware components to entice hackers as well? Hewlett-Packard recently issued a warning to ... select laser printer owners urging them to update the firmware of their devices or risk the prospect of leaving themselves open to a malicious attack. In a public advisory, HP warned that certain laser printers are confirmed to have been affected, including 10 different LaserJet models (ranging from the 2410 to the 9050 models), two Color LaserJet ... (view more)

A company that produces legitimate and original Internet-only television shows has fallen victim to a particularly aggressive group of anti-piracy protestors. Revision3 Corporation produces shows such as Diggnation (a talk show discussing the top ... stories from Digg.com) and PixelPerfect (which gives advice for users of Adobe's imaging software). It distributes its shows through a variety of methods, including its own website as well as iTunes, torrents, and YouTube. Over Memorial Day weekend, the Revision3 site went down, along with its email systems. It turns out it had suffered a 'Denial Of ... (view more)

Gotta get your Milwaukee Bucks score every morning? Apparently, so do hackers. MSNBC Sports' web page was recently the victim of a major hack attack, compromising more than 26,000 pages. It's set off alarm bells for legitimate web sites, and ... highlights a new trend being forged by the web's most elite hackers. The MSNBC attack was reported this past Tuesday by San Diego-based Websense Inc. The security company has been tracking the exploit for about a month, stumbling upon the MSNBC invasion while performing one of their many web scans. Other major sites that appear to be hit include TV.com, ... (view more)

The United States federal government is in the midst of unveiling their latest defense mechanism against chemical, biological and/or radiological attacks... the common cell phone. Officials at Homeland Security have revealed that these new cell ... phones are equipped with detectors that would direct emergency responders to locations where harmful toxins and other biological agents have been released. While yet to be tested, many experts believe that cell phones could change the way chemical, biological and radiation detection and response is handled. The U.S. government has invested billions of ... (view more)

" What the heck is a blended threat? " I'm glad you asked ;-) According to searchSecurity.com a blended threat is "a computer network attack that seeks to maximize the severity of damage and speed of contagion by combining methods, for example using ... characteristics of both viruses and worms, while also taking advantage of vulnerabilities in computers, networks, or other physical systems." (Source: searchSecurity.com ) Now that's a mouthful! In more simpler terms, a blended threat is an attack that combines two or more vulnerabilities or attack methods on a remote machine. Blended threats are ... (view more)