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April 23, 2013 by

Global Malware Hackers Use Social Media to Escape Cyber Sleuths

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Malware has gone global, with Asia and Eastern Europe the two main malware hotspots, according to a new report from an online security company. The company says hackers are using new techniques, such as exploiting social media, to escape detection

According to a report published Tuesday by online security firm FireEye, there were 185 countries hosting "command and control" (C&C) servers in 2012. These servers are the central nodes that send commands to malware-infected computers. By comparison, in 2010 and 2011, the company detected C&C servers in 150 and 130 countries, respectively.

For Rob Rachwald, director of market research at FireEye, the global spread of malware is not only a byproduct of more countries going online and having a stronger infrastructure — it's also because creating malware is becoming relatively easy Read more...

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April 23, 2013 by

New Malware Hijacks Twitter Accounts for Financial Fraud

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Cyber criminals are always looking for new ways to avoid detection, escape cyber sleuths, and carry out their cyber crimes. So it shouldn't be surprising that malicious hackers are now taking advantage of social media. A newly discovered malware, designed to gain access to users' banking credentials, uses Twitter to spread itself and reach more victims

According to a blog post published by online security firm Trusteer on Monday, the malware basically uses Twitter like traditional malware uses emails — to carry out spear-phishing campaigns and spread itself to other ususpecting victims. Call it "twishing." Read more...

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April 20, 2013 by

Pentagon Discloses Budget for Hacking Operations

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The Pentagon has for the first time detailed $30 million in spending on Air Force cyberattack operations and significant new Army funding and staff needs for exploiting opponent computers.

Since 2011, top military brass have acknowledged the United States has the capability to hack back if threatened by adversaries in cyberspace. Now, the Defense Department is providing lawmakers and taxpayers with evidence of network assault programs to sustain funding, budget analysts say.

The Air Force in fiscal 2014 expects to spend $19.7 million on "offensive cyber operations," including research and development, operations, and training, according to budget documents circulated this week. Read more...

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April 20, 2013 by

Pentagon Discloses Budget for Hacking Operations

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The Pentagon has for the first time detailed $30 million in spending on Air Force cyberattack operations and significant new Army funding and staff needs for exploiting opponent computers.

Since 2011, top military brass have acknowledged the United States has the capability to hack back if threatened by adversaries in cyberspace. Now, the Defense Department is providing lawmakers and taxpayers with evidence of network assault programs to sustain funding, budget analysts say.

The Air Force in fiscal 2014 expects to spend $19.7 million on "offensive cyber operations," including research and development, operations, and training, according to budget documents circulated this week. Read more...

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April 18, 2013 by

ACLU: Carriers Leaving Android Users Susceptible to Malware

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In a world where malware targeting Android phones is used more and more everyday, security updates are fundamental to keep users away from malware and hackers. That's why the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a complaint on Tuesday, accusing mobile carriers of failing to distribute updates and fixes to their Android phones

In its 16-page complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission, the civil rights group pointed its finger at AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, accusing the companies of leaving users vulnerable by providing them with phones running unpatched and outdated versions of the Android operating system, which "rarely receive software security updates." Read more...

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April 18, 2013 by

ACLU: Carriers Leaving Android Users Susceptible to Malware

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In a world where malware targeting Android phones is used more and more everyday, security updates are fundamental to keep users away from malware and hackers. That's why the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a complaint on Tuesday, accusing mobile carriers of failing to distribute updates and fixes to their Android phones

In its 16-page complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission, the civil rights group pointed its finger at AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, accusing the companies of leaving users vulnerable by providing them with phones running unpatched and outdated versions of the Android operating system, which "rarely receive software security updates." Read more...

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April 18, 2013 by

CISPA Cybersecurity Bill Passes the House

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The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, passed the House of Representatives Thursday on a bipartisan vote of 287-127 with 18 representatives not voting. CISPA now faces the tough odds of being adopted and passed by the Democratic-controlled Senate, which favors other approaches to cybersecurity legislation.

CISPA's passage in the House comes despite a veto threat from the White House, which argued the information-sharing bill risks compromising Americans' online privacy and affords companies legal shelter should they put customers' privacy at risk. Disregarding Obama's veto, 92 Democrats voted for the bill — more than double the number which did so last year. Read more...

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April 16, 2013 by

White House Once Again Threatens to Veto CISPA

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As it did when the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, first passed the House Intelligence Committee last year, the White House on Tuesday said President Barack Obama's senior advisors would recommend he issue a veto threat on privacy grounds if the bill reached his desk in its current form

The House of Representatives, which first passed CISPA last year on a vote of 248-168 despite the veto threat before stalling in the Senate, is set to vote on the bill once again by the end of this week.

The Obama administration is particularly concerned CISPA would not require companies to take "reasonable steps" to strip cybersecurity data of personally identifiable information before sharing it with government agencies and would grant companies a "broad scope of liability limitations" in the case of privacy breaches. CISPA has been heavily criticized by privacy rights groups for failing to require such stripping and for granting legal protection to companies which potentially disclose private information about their customers. Read more...

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April 11, 2013 by

Can a Hacker Hijack a Plane With an Android App?

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Imagine the kind of havoc a malicious hacker could cause if he or she were able to take over an airplane simply using his Android phone. With a tap of his or her fingers, the hacker could arbitrarily control the plane remotely and redirect its path. If you think this is only something that could happen in a Hollywood movie, think again, because that's exactly the scenario a German security researcher laid out on Wednesday at a conference in Amsterdam.

Hugo Teso, a security researcher for the German IT consultancy firm N.Runs — he is a trained commercial pilot as well — explained at the Hack in the Box security conference that a protocol used to transmit data to commercial airplanes can be hacked, turning the hacker into a full-fledged hijacker Read more...

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April 11, 2013 by

Why You Should Care Cybersecurity Lobbying Doubled

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Lest you doubt we are entering the age of a cybersecurity industrial complex—and that such a system doesn't necessarily have the average Internet user in mind—take look at the numbers.

According to a new study by the lobbying group Center for Responsive Politics, lobbying reports that referenced "cybersecurity" more than doubled last year. Mentions jumped from 990 in 2011 to 1,968 in 2012.

And where does that money go? In part, at least, to sponsor Internet bills that much of the public doesn't want

A different report by Maplight.org recently revealed that groups that lobby for the controversial Cyber Intelligence Security Protection Act (CISPA) give far more money to members of Congress than those who oppose it. Read more...

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