From SECNAP Alerts:
First, an article regarding the weekend’s hack of an Apple website, followed by the latest recommended Java update for Apple Mac OS X.
Hackers Claim Apple Online Data Was Compromised
A list of 27 user names and encrypted passwords apparently for an Apple website was posted to the Internet over the weekend with a warning [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Hackers'
Apple: Website Hacked, plus Java Update Available for Mac OS X
July 6th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
“TDL-4″ Botnet Today’s Most Sophisticated, Indestructible Threat
July 5th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
A new and improved botnet that has infected more than 4 million PCs is “practically indestructible,” security researchers said.
“TDL-4,” the name for both the bot Trojan that infects machines and the ensuing collection of compromised computers, is “the most sophisticated threat today,” said a Kaspersky Labs researcher in a detailed analysis June 27. The director [...]
Hackers Steal Subscriber Data from Government, Military Publications
June 30th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
BOSTON (Reuters) – Hackers broke into a Gannett Co database containing personal information about subscribers to publications read by U.S. government officials, military leaders and rank-and-file soldiers, the media company said on Tuesday.
Gannett told subscribers via email that it discovered the breach of its Gannett Government Media Corp on June 7. It said it had [...]
Tags: government·Hackers·Phishing·Security
Hacker Group LulzSec Disbands
June 27th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
A prolific band of hackers said it is ceasing operations after a nearly two-month spree of electronic break-ins, though questions remained about whether the attackers would simply regroup to pursue other mischief. The group—known as Lulz Security, or LulzSec—also released a final cache of files purportedly stolen from AT&T Inc., AOL Inc., Electronic Arts Inc., [...]
Tags: anonymous·cybercrime·Hackers·hacktivism·LulzSec·Security
LulzSec Steals, Releases Sensitive Arizona Law Enforcement Documents
June 24th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
LulzSec, the recently infamous hacker group, has struck again. This time their victim was the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), whose documents were stolen and released after their systems were hacked.
As reported by The Arizona Republic:
The DPS files, posted on LulzSec’s website, include personal information about officers and numerous documents ranging from routine alerts [...]
Who Is LulzSec?
June 23rd, 2011 · No Comments · Security, Uncategorized
They take credit for hacking the websites of the CIA, PBS and the U.S. Senate, and launching at least part of an extended attack on Sony, whose PlayStation Network was brought to a grinding halt for the better part of a month. And, to hear them tell it, it’s all for a laugh.
Meet Lulz Security, [...]
NSA Allies With Internet Carriers to Thwart Cyberattacks Against Defense Firms
June 22nd, 2011 · No Comments · Security
The National Security Agency is working with Internet service providers to deploy a new generation of tools to scan email and other digital traffic with the goal of thwarting cyberattacks against defense firms by foreign adversaries, senior defense and industry officials say. The novel program, which began last month on a voluntary, trial basis, relies [...]
Tags: Cyberattacks·Hackers·National Security Agency·Security
Malware Scam Artist’s Swiss Bank Account Seized by Feds
June 21st, 2011 · No Comments · Security
From SECNAP Alerts:
Federal authorities have seized all the cash in a Swiss bank account held by a scareware mogul and scam artist who is charged with selling phony Symantec security software. The U.S. attorney’s office in New York filed for the forfeiture of $14.8 million stashed in the account by the man, who fled the [...]
ADP Hacked, Only One Client Believed to be Affected
June 17th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
From SECNAP Alerts:
Payroll firm ADP discloses data breach, says only one client affected, payroll data not involved
Payroll services company Automatic Data Processing Inc. has disclosed a data breach that it said apparently affects only one of its employer clients.
ADP said its security team discovered the intrusion during routine monitoring of its systems. The breach involved [...]
Tags: data theft·Hackers·Security
Citigroup: 360,000 Customers Affected by Hack
June 16th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
Reuters – NEW YORK – Citigroup said that about 360,000 credit card customers were affected by last month’s hacking attack, or nearly double the number previously indicated by the bank.
In a statement “to our customers” that was released by the New York-based bank late Wednesday, Citigroup said “a total of 360,083 North America Citi-branded credit [...]
Tags: data theft·Hackers·Security
‘Anonymous’ to Target Federal Reserve Today
June 14th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
From SECNAP Alerts:
The Anonymous hacker group said yesterday that it will target the Federal Reserve today, most likely with a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack designed to shut down the agency’s website.
In a YouTube video, the group calls for public protests (specifically, for viewers to “occupy a public space”) until Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke [...]
IMF Attack Another Case of State-Sponsored Hacking Espionage
June 14th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
From SECNAP Alerts:
The data theft from International Monetary Fund computers—by hackers said to be linked to a foreign government—follows incidents against companies and governments that illustrate the growth of cyber-attacks as an espionage tool.
The IMF hack resulted in the loss of a “large quantity” of data, including documents and e-mails, according to a person familiar [...]
Tags: Cyberattacks·Hackers·hacking·IMF·Security
The Hacking Industry is Booming
June 13th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
From SECNAP Alerts:
The latest get rich quick scheme to hit the net? Hacking—and it actually pays.
While the global economy continues to sputter, the burgeoning cybercrime industry is flourishing—so much that these vast criminal organizations have begun posting job listings online to meet the growing demand for malware coders. Starting salaries range from $2,000 to as [...]
Amazon Cloud Hosts Malware That Can Steal Financial Data
June 8th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
From SECNAP Network Security’s latest security alert:
Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud is host to malware that is used to steal financial data, security researchers have discovered.
According to Kaspersky Lab Expert Dmitry Bestuzhev, Amazon’s cloud features numerous pieces of malware that can pilfer financial data. The uncovering of cloud-based malware comes as cloud security remains a [...]
Tags: Amazon·cybercrime·Hackers·Malware·Security
Beware: Hackers Exploit Loopholes in Public Wi-Fi
June 8th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
Public Wi-Fi is all well and good, but its very nature makes it easy to exploit and allow hackers access into your system – unless you have the proper security protocols in place.
These days, Wi-Fi is everywhere. Airports, coffee shops, train and bus stations, malls – almost every public place you can think offers Wi-Fi [...]
Cyber-Thieves Exploit Online Banking Weaknesses
June 6th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
A recent attack by cyber-criminals has highlighted the need for many SMBs to re-evaluate the security protocols between themselves and their bank. Hackers exploit weaknesses in such systems, and when successful, can siphon tens of thousands of dollars from your accounts.
In a recent attack, cyber-thieves managed to get away with $63,000 after they exploited vulnerabilities [...]
Tags: cyber crime·Hackers·Security
Protecting Yourself After Sony’s Hacker Attacks
May 4th, 2011 · No Comments · Disaster Recovery, Managed Services, Security
On April 20th, Sony’s online gaming service – PlayStation Network, or PSN – abruptly went offline. After days of confusion, it was revealed that the service had been attacked by hackers, who had not only crashed the servers but had managed to gain access to the account information of the 77 million PSN subscribers. At [...]
Tags: Disaster Recovery·Hackers·Identity Theft·Playstation·Security·Sony
If the Internet Had a Superwoman, it would be Dawn Song
April 29th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
With hackers and electronic thieves constantly on the lookout for the latest exploits and security breaches they can take advantage of, it is comforting to know that there are also people behind bold initiatives to make our web experiences much safer.
If you think hackers are the only ones doing their research to release newer and [...]
Phishing 101
April 26th, 2011 · No Comments · Security
Online oracle Wikipedia defines phishing as: “the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.” We probably don’t need to tell you what kind of damage unscrupulous people can do with that kind of data in [...]
Beware Software Bogeymen
April 7th, 2011 · No Comments · Managed Services, Security
Malicious cyber thieves might be scaring you into buying and downloading software that may harm your computer.
Security firm McAfee has published a report early in the year showing that up to a million people worldwide fall victim to so-called “scareware” each year. Scareware, or rogueware, is software that poses as legitimate security software but in [...]