Infosecurity News
US government on Libya: We disrupt air defenses the old-fashioned way – we burn them
Prior to the NATO airstrikes in March, the US government considered launching cyberattacks to disrupt the Libyan government’s air-defense systems, but decided to disrupt them the old-fashioned way, by blowing them up.
London Gatwick Airport introduces iris biometrics “at a distance”
The world of biometric iris recognition without having to place your eye into a reader has been introduced at London Gatwick Airport, with border officials using Human Recognition Systems' Mflow track to read travelers' irises at a distance.
Hackers forums provide sense of community, information security intelligence
Hacker forums provide a sense of community for the hackers, as well as a source of intelligence for information security professionals, according to a new report by data security firm Imperva.
NIST provides guidance on information system security monitoring
The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued guidance to organizations on how to monitor the security of their information systems, which include computer networks, devices, and software.
NoScript goes mobile on smartphones and tablets
One of the most popular add-ons for Mozilla Firefox, and one that stops a lot of scripted malware from 'doing things' on your computer, has been ported to the Google Android and Maemo smartphone/tablet computing platforms.
DDoS attacks against e-commerce sites last 40% longer, says VeriSign
Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against e-commerce sites last 40% longer than average DDoS attacks, according to VeriSign research.
Class action lawsuit seeks $4.9 billion over TRICARE data breach
A class action lawsuit was filed last week in US federal court seeking a total of $4.9 billion for the data breach involving patients treated through the Department of Defense’s TRICARE healthcare system.
Who’s watching the watchdog? SEC admits to possible data breach
At the same time that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was preparing corporate guidelines for cybersecurity risk disclosure, the securities market watchdog was informing its employees that their personal brokerage account information may have been compromised by a contractor.
Sesame Street's YouTube channel hit by porn upload hack
The YouTube channel of Sesame Street – the puppet comedy series that launched the career of Jim Henson and his muppets, as well as amusing millions of kids over the years – was hit by a porn hacking attack on Sunday.
WebView system used in Android app development may be flawed says US professor
A leading US academic will shortly publish a paper highlighting potential security problems with the WebView platform, the coding system used to create many of the most popular Google Android apps.
RSA Europe: John Colley talks about the past, present and future of (ISC)²
Infosecurity got a chance to sit down with John Colley, managing director EMEA for (ISC)², at last week's RSA Europe, and we learned that one of his current aims is to encourage new members – who do not currently satisfy the membership criteria – to sign up for associate membership of the security association.
New York credit card fraud bust just ‘tip of the iceberg'
The indictments of 111 people in New York for operating a massive credit card fraud ring is just the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to credit card fraud, judged Paul Rodgers, chairman of UK payment card industry group Vendorcom.
DLL loading pops back into the malware picture
Commtouch is reporting that a new DLL hijacking technique has been spotted being used by cybercriminals in the wild, even though the use of DLL loading has been falling by the wayside in recent times.
The Undead are in the dark about Social Security data breaches
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has failed to notify close to 32,000 people that their social security numbers were mistakenly disclosed on the SSA’s death master file, a public database that provides information on deceased US citizens as a death verification tool.
Security researcher analyses shady shipping centers
Hard on the heels of last week's arrest of more than 100 people suspected of being part of a $13 million card crime ring, a leading security researcher has analysed the shady shipping centres that take a pivotal role in these types of frauds.
RSA Europe: “Basic stupidity [surrounding IT security] is unstoppable”
According to Ira Winkler, president and acting CEO of the Internet Security Advisory Group, social engineering – as a means of hacking people – is actually a far wider term than many people are aware of.
'Operation Hackerazzi' – No, it's not a new Lady Gaga song
The FBI has arrested a Florida man in an email hacking probe, codenamed "Operation Hackerazzi", that involved disclosure of personal information and photos of Hollywood celebrities, including Mila Kunis, Christina Aguilera, and Scarlett Johansson.
ATM skimmer spotted, powered by mini-MP3 player
The ingenuity of cybercriminals has reached a new level, with a leading IT security researcher reporting on the re-tasking of a mini-MP3 player as the mainstay of an ATM skimmer.
Fake Android Netflix app hoovering up user credentials
It appears that hackers are taking advantage of the interest in Netflix – the California-based IP streaming firm that offers services on specific smartphones in North and South America – by releasing a general Android edition of the software that runs – or so it claims – on any Android-powered smartphone or tablet computer.
Infosecurity writers take home more hardware
Continuing our own brand of a ‘commitment to excellence’, Infosecurity writers took home two awards at this year’s BT Information Security Journalism Awards in London.
