Information Security
Smartphones Increasingly Targeted By Hackers
May 20, 2013 11:48 am | by TONY WINTON,Associated Press | News | CommentsResearch involved 20 computer servers that were used to send out more than 100,000 "phishing" emails. About 2,200 of the 3,000 responses the scam artists received came from smartphones. Doug Johnson, vice president of risk management for the American Bankers Association, said he expects those numbers to get worse.
Courts Office Hacked; Judicial Data Security Reviewed
May 10, 2013 9:46 am | by RACHEL LA CORTE,Associated press | News | CommentsThe Washington state Administrative Office of the Courts was hacked sometime between last fall and February, and up to 160,000 Social Security numbers and 1 million driver's license numbers may have been accessed during the data breach of its public website, officials said. The broader information "just happened to be on a server in an area that was accessed," said Veronica Diseth, director of the courts' information services division.
Global Hacker Network Steals $45M From ATMs In Mere Hours
May 10, 2013 9:38 am | by COLLEEN LONG,Associated Press | News | CommentsThe sophistication of a network of thieves who drained cash machines around the globe of an astonishing $45 million in mere hours sent ripples through the security world, not merely for the size of the operation and ease with which it was carried out, but also for the threat that more such thefts may be in store. Seven people were arrested in the U.S., accused of operating the New York cell.
Pentagon: Chinese Government Waging Cyberattacks
May 6, 2013 2:23 pm | by LOLITA C. BALDOR,Associated Press | News | CommentsIn a new report on the Chinese military, the Defense Department goes a small step further than it has gone in the past, when it said that cyberattacks originated in China and may be linked to Beijing's use of civilian experts in clandestine attacks against American companies.
Steadfast Partners With Black Lotus To Offer New Enterprise-Grade DDoS Protection
April 29, 2013 10:18 pm | News | CommentsBlack Lotus, a leader in availability security and provider of distributed denial of service (DDoS) protection, has announced its partnership with Steadfast, a Chicago based IT Infrastructure Data Services provider. Under the terms of the partnership, Steadfast will offer Black Lotus enterprise-grade DDoS protection to its customers.
UK: Guardian Newspaper's Twitter Feeds Hacked
April 29, 2013 9:49 pm | News | CommentsThe Guardian newspaper said Monday that its Twitter accounts have been hacked, and it cited a claim of responsibility from the group calling itself the Syrian Electronic Army. The British paper reported on its website that several of its feeds on the social media site were broken into over the weekend.
U.S. Urges China Collaboration On Cyber Intrusions
April 29, 2013 4:34 pm | by CHRISTOPHER BODEEN,Associated Press | News | CommentsThe top U.S. military officer said Wednesday that he has called on China to be more transparent about cyberattacks and boost collaboration with the U.S. to tackle a common threat to their economies. Gen. Martin Dempsey said tackling cyber intrusions featured in his talks with his Chinese counterpart and other Chinese leaders during his three-day visit to China.
Army, Navy & Air Force Officers Prepare For Cyberwarfare
April 29, 2013 4:30 pm | by BRIAN WITTE & DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe U.S. service academies are ramping up efforts to groom a new breed of cyberspace warriors to confront increasing threats to the nation's military and civilian computer networks that control everything from electrical power grids to the banking system.
Google Mail & Other Services 'Disrupted'
April 18, 2013 1:21 pm | News | CommentsGoogle's mail and application services were unavailable to some users Wednesday morning. The company said it was investigating the problems, but didn't know their cause. It didn't say how many people were affected. The disruptions started affecting people worldwide around 8 a.m. Eastern time (noon GMT) but appeared to be resolved by midday.
House Passes Pro-Business Cybersecurity Bill
April 18, 2013 1:14 pm | by ANNE FLAHERTY,Associated Press | News | CommentsPro-business legislation aimed at helping companies fend off sophisticated foreign hackers sailed through the House on Thursday despite a White House veto threat and an outcry from privacy advocates and civil liberties groups that say it leaves Americans vulnerable to spying by the military.
Police Grapple With Response To Cybercrime
April 14, 2013 4:40 pm | by EILEEN SULLIVAN,Associated Press | News | CommentsIf a purse with $900 is stolen, the victim probably would call the police. If a computerhacker steals $900 from that same person's bank account, what then? Call the police? Could they even help? As it is now, local police don't have widespread know-how to investigate cybercrimes. They rely heavily on the expertise of the federal government, which focuses on large, often international cybercrimes.
NYC Students, Hackers Train For Cybersecurity Jobs
April 14, 2013 4:37 pm | by JAKE PEARSON,Associated Press | News | CommentsEvery week, a group of teenagers and 20-somethings dressed in hoodies gets together in a tiny room on a college campus and plug in their laptops. They turn up pulsing electronic funk music, order pizza and begin furiously hacking into computer networks. But they're not shadowy criminals: They're students training to become "white-hat" hackers.
Wild, Unregulated Hacker Currency Gains Following
April 12, 2013 5:31 pm | by RAPHAEL SATTER,Associated Press | News | CommentsSome may wonder whether Caldwell's coins will one day be among the few physical reminders of an expensive fad that evaporated into the electronic ether — perhaps the result of a breakdown in its electronic architecture, or maybe after a crackdown by government regulators. "Movie pirates always win the long game against Hollywood," he said. "Bitcoin works the same way."
Grocery Store Data Breach Will Likely Cost Millions
April 12, 2013 5:19 pm | by GEORGINA GUSTIN,St. Louis Post-Dispatch | News | CommentsBook stores. Banks. Even data security companies. They've all become recent targets of increasingly sophisticated, determined — some say talented — hacker gangs. The "Friendliest Stores in Town" appear to be among their latest. Last month, Schnuck Markets Inc. confirmed it had been hacked.
South Korea Says North Korea Behind Computer Crash In March
April 12, 2013 5:16 pm | by YOUKYUNG LEE,Associated Press | News | CommentsNorth Korea was responsible for a cyberattack that shut down tens of thousands of computers and servers at South Korean broadcasters and banks last month, officials in Seoul said Wednesday, noting that an initial investigation pointed to a military-run spy agency as the culprit.
Cybersecurity Experts To Discuss How To Construct A Secure Cyber Future
April 8, 2013 5:27 pm | News | CommentsCybersecurity experts from the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute (SEI) will present on April 30 a free, virtual event on current research and development aimed at securing an organization's cyber future.
Banks' Online Services Hit By Cyberattack
April 8, 2013 11:35 am | by Banks' Online Services Hit By Cyberattack | News | CommentsDutch banks say a cyberattack has affected their online services, but did not breach the security of customers' accounts. The Netherlands Association of Banks says Dutch and some foreign banks were hit by a denial-of-service attack.
North Korea's Twitter Account Hacked Amid Tension
April 8, 2013 10:34 am | by YOUKYUNG LEE,Associated Press | News | CommentsHackers apparently broke into at least two of North Korea's government-run online sites, as tensions rose on the Korean Peninsula. The North's Uriminzokkiri Twitter and Flickr accounts stopped sending out content typical of that posted by the regime in Pyongyang, such as photos ofNorth's leader Kim Jong Un meeting with military officials.
Silver Peak Releases Do-It-Yourself Software For Accelerating Offsite Replication
March 29, 2013 3:14 pm | News | CommentsSilver Peak Systems has introduced a new family of downloadable software products that are purpose-built for storage professionals to accelerate offsite data replication workloads. The new Silver Peak VRX-2, VRX-4 and VRX-8 software products combine data acceleration technology with flexible pricing.
U.S. Takes Swipe At China For Hacking Allegations
March 29, 2013 2:26 pm | by ANNE FLAHERTY,Associated Press | News | CommentsThe U.S. has taken its first real swipe at China following accusations that the Beijing government is behind a widespread and systemic hacking campaign targeting U.S. businesses. A new provision effectively bars much of the U.S. government from buying information technology made by companies linked to the Chinese government.
U.S. Drone Industry Worries About Privacy Backlash
March 29, 2013 9:23 am | News | CommentsIt's a good bet that in the not-so-distant future, aerial drones will be part of everyday life in the U.S. Far from the killing machines whose missiles incinerate terrorists overseas, these generally small, unmanned aircraft will help police departments find missing people.
Record-Breaking Cyberattack Hits Anti-Spam Group
March 27, 2013 3:37 pm | by RAPHAEL SATTER,Associated Press | News | CommentsA record-breaking cyberattack targeting an anti-spam watchdog group has sent ripples of disruption coursing across the Web. Spamhaus, a site responsible for keeping ads for bogus weight-loss pills out of the world's inboxes, said it had been buffeted by the monster denial-of-service attack since mid-March.
Lawmakers Trying To Prevent Another Massive Breach
March 25, 2013 12:37 pm | by SEANNA ADCOX,Associated Press | News | CommentsSix months after a hacker stole the personal data of millions of South Carolina taxpayers, legislators are moving past finger-pointing hearings on who to blame and focusing on how to prevent another massive breach. Meanwhile, the cost to taxpayers continues to climb.
North Korea Training Teams Of 'Cyber Warriors'
March 25, 2013 12:29 pm | by YOUKYUNG LEE,AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsInvestigators have yet to pinpoint the culprit behind a synchronized cyberattack in South Korea last week. But in Seoul, the focus is fixed on North Korea, which South Korean security experts say has been training a team of computer-savvy "cyber warriors" as cyberspace becomes a fertile battleground in the nations' rivalry.
Carnegie Mellon, NSA Seek High School Hackers
March 18, 2013 12:22 pm | by KEVIN BEGOS,Associated Press | News | CommentsBored with classes? Carnegie Mellon University and one of the government's top spy agencies want to interest high school students in a game of computer hacking. Their goal with "Toaster Wars" is to cultivate the nation's next generation of cyber warriors in offensive and defensive strategies.
