April 28, 2006

British hacker fears US extradition (SC Magazine)
Gary McKinnon, the US government's most wanted IT geek spoke out at Infosecurity Europe yesterday against his possible extradition to the states where he will face charges of hacking into the US Military's computer systems.

Web users blind to spyware (SC Magazine)
Internet users who think websites with clean, appealing graphics and national advertisers on their home pages are always safe need to think again as such seemingly respectable sites often harbor malware, security watchers have warned.

UK government squeezes BlackBerry security (SC Magazine)
CESG - the Information Assurance arm of the UK Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) yesterday granted approval for UK government employees to use BlackBerry devices from Canadian vendor Research In Motion (RIM) to handle restricted data.
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April 27, 2006

Security Advice From a Wanted Hacker (PC World)
British hacker tells security conference that easy steps bolster IT security.

Vista To Handcuff Firewall (TechWeb)
Microsoft plans to turn off half the firewall in Windows Vista when the new operating system ships later this year because it doesn't think most users need all the firewall's functionality or can handle its management.

Trojan Demands $10.99 Ransom To Free Files (TechWeb)
A new Trojan horse demands a $10.99 ransom payment to stop erasing files on the infected PC's hard drive, a security firm said Thursday.

NCSA launches IT security campaign for small businesses (SC Magazine)
The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) today unveiled the latest initiative in its on-going campaign to educate small businesses about cyber security issues.

E-crime experts warn of the ‘enemy within’ (SC Magazine)
A new survey revealed today that almost half of global e-crime experts believe the biggest threat to organizations’ data comes from “the enemy within”, rather than external hackers.
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April 26, 2006

97 Percent Fail Spyware Sniff Test (TechWeb)
Just 3 out of 100 Internet users are able to sniff out sites ready to drop spyware or adware onto their computers, a security firm says.

Is VoIP the Next Target? (NewsFactor)
Although there has yet to be a recognized instance of a VoIP-coordinated denial-of-service attack, at least one organization says it is only a matter of time.

Simple passwords put firms at risk, survey (SC Magazine)
Simple passwords are putting companies at risk, according to a new survey unveiled at the Infosec Europe 2006 show in London.

IT security top of the agenda for three quarters of UK execs (SC Magazine)
Three-quarters of UK businesses rate security as a high or very high priority for their senior management or board of directors, according to the latest Government-sponsored survey of information security breaches in the UK released at Infosec in London yesterday.

Oracle Locks DBAs in the Vault (eWeek)
Oracle's new Database Vault technology restricts data access rights of even powerful users, while its new encryption technology, Secure Backup, encrypts data to tape.

Spam evolves into a dangerous time waster (SC Magazine)
Security firm Panda Labs has hit out at spam, warning that it has become an increasingly dangerous threat going beyond the traditional perception of it being nothing more than a nuisance.
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April 25, 2006

Phishers Snare Victims With VoIP (TechWeb)
Phishing comes to VoIP. A security firm has found a phishing scheme in which the scammers used Internet telephony to copy a bank's automated voice system in order to steal customers' passwords, account numbers and other personal information.

Microsoft Unveils Repatched Patch (TechWeb)
As promised, Microsoft releases an updated edition of its April 11 MS06-016 security bulletin.

Novell's eSecurity acquisition highlights trend toward consolidation (SC Magazine)
Novell is aiming to boost its integrated security management capability with its recent purchase of e-Security, Gartner noted today. According to the analyst firm, the move highlights a growing industry trend of a vendor of security information and event management technology being acquired by broad-scope vendors.

Spam Slayer: Biggest Spam Hassles Solved (PC World)
Our Spam Slayer cracks open the mailbag to answer readers' most pressing questions.

U.K. governments and industry join forces to tackle online abuse (SC Magazine)
New guidance to protect children using chatrooms and search engines was published yesterday by the U.K. Home Office, which is also preparing to launch a new Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).
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April 24, 2006

Hacker 'Smartbomb' Toolkit Attacks Unpatched Computers (TechWeb)
A dirt-cheap, do-it-yourself hacking kit sold by a Russian Web site is reportedly being used by more than 1,000 malicious Web sites.

Symantec Tunes Up IM Monitoring (NewsFactor)
With Release 8.0 of its IM Manager software, Symantec is adding tools to apply security policies to VoIP and videoconferencing and is expanding its ability to do the same to instant messaging.

Half of business travelers worried by hotspot security (SC Magazine)
More than half of all business travelers are still concerned about security levels offered by wireless, according to a global survey.

Easter eggs on U.K. identity thieves (SC Magazine)
Research carried out this Easter outside Victoria Station in London has found that 81 percent of people were willing to part with all the personal information needed to steal their identity for the chance to win an Easter egg.

Security firm warns of fake blog ‘virus’ (SC Magazine)
Security firm PandaLabs has issued a warning about a false virus for blogs that is causing confusion among blog writers and readers.
 

April 21, 2006

OECD calls for global action to combat spam (SC Magazine)
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has launched a global campaign that aims to step up cross-border law enforcement cooperation to combat spam.

Demand ramps up for all-in-one integrated security solutions (SC Magazine)
The complexity of managing security technologies is the third-highest challenge organizations will face over the next year, according to IDC.
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April 20, 2006

Microsoft To Release Fixed MS06-015 Patch Next Week (CRN)
Microsoft plans to re-release a Windows patch next week to fix problems related to HP devices and NVIDIA cards.

ISPs Look to New Spam-Fighting Tech (NewsFactor)
E-mail providers are bolstering their defenses against the onslaught of spam and phishing attacks through the adoption of new e-mail-authentication technologies.

Feds Issue Security Alert On Firefox  (TechWeb)
People are being advised to upgrade to the latest versions of the Firefox Web browser and the Thunderbird email program to plug numerous critical security holes.

'High risk’ malware poses as Symantec update (SC Magazine)
Security watchers yesterday warned internet users to be on their guard against a “high risk” malicious email which appears to be a Symantec Virus advisory, but which actually contains a payload designed to disable anti-virus updates.

Novell pays $72m to acquire e-Security (SC Magazine)
Novell yesterday announced that it has paid $72m to acquire e-Security, a developer of real-time event monitoring, response and reporting software.
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April 19, 2006

One-third of companies don't know if they've been hacked (SC Magazine)
A third of senior managers do not know if their company has been hacked, according to new findings.

Microsoft touts Sender ID to can spam (SC Magazine)
Microsoft yesterday promised to increase efforts to combat spam by pushing adoption of its Sender ID framework for email authentication.

BigFix Broadens Appeal of Patch Management Suite (eWeek)
The security configuration management company prepares a new release of its Big Fix Enterprise Suite with new software distribution and asset management functions.

FTC cans two U.S. spammers (SC Magazine)
Two spammers who hijacked consumers’ computers and turned them into spam spewing zombies have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges. The individuals admitted sending illegal emails hawking mortgage opportunities, a device for improving gas mileage, and other products and services.
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April 18, 2006

Oracle Plugs 36 Holes in Critical Patch Update (eWeek)
The database vendor patches multiple security flaws, including one that was at the center of a debate on disclosure at the Black Hat Federal briefings.

Microsoft to Unveil New Patch Management Software (PC World)
Next version of Windows Server Update Services is on the way.

Half of companies not completely protected against vulnerabilities (SC Magazine)
Nearly half of IT professional believe their infrastructure is not completely protected against vulnerabilities, new research found.

Holographic breakthrough boosts data encryption and storage (SC Magazine)
Japanese scientists have predicted a bright future for holographic data encryption and storage, promising that holographic technology could be developed to allow massive amounts of encrypted data to be accessed at very high speeds.

Experts warns of the rise of the rootkit (SC Magazine)
The use of rootkits to conceal both malware and commercially viable Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) is on the rise, new research warned today.
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April 17, 2006

Beware Bagels Updating (TechWeb)
A new round of Bagle worm updates are going out to already-infected PCs.

McAfee: Massive increase in rootkit use (SC Magazine)
The number of malicious programs employing stealth technology to make them virtually undetectable by PCs is rapidly increasing, giving rise to more sophisticated Windows-based attacks, according to new research conducted by McAfee AVERT Labs.

Hacked PCs Receive Updated Spam Tool (PC World)
Computers infected with the Bagle virus began downloading new malware over the weekend.

Symantec Intros Integrated Gateway Security (eWeek)
The security applications giant is pulling together its anti-spam, anti-virus and content filtering applications for internal Internet e-mail gateways.

Rootkits, Smarter Hackers Pose Growing Security Threats (eWeek)
IT security is under attack from increasingly sophisticated programs and a collaborative community of malware authors, according to research by anti-virus companies McAfee and Kaspersky Lab.

ISP snooping gaining support (CNET)
States getting behind idea of requiring records to be kept of customers' online activities for police access.
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April 13, 2006

Mozilla Plugs Firefox Code Execution Hole (eWeek)
A new version of the open-source Firefox browser ships with "significant security and stability improvements."

Rootkits, blackmail scams on the rise (SC Magazine)
Online blackmailing grew in frequency during the first quarter of 2006, according to a study by one security vendor.

Fear of viruses, spyware cut down illegal downloads (SC Magazine)
The amount of illegal downloading by U.S. residents between 8- and 18-years-old has dropped by 17 percent in the last two years, due mainly to growing fear of viruses and spyware, new research has claimed.

Symantec CEO Ready To Fend Off Microsoft Challenge (VarBusiness)
Acquisitions, a recent reorganization, and increased spending on marketing will help Symantec fend off challenges the company's CEO said.
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April 12, 2006

Microsoft Updates Worm Killer (TechWeb)
Microsoft also updated the Windows Malicious Software Tool, a free utility that detects and deletes a limited number of worms, viruses, Trojans, and rootkits.

Czech police collar phishing gang member (SC Magazine)
Czech police have arrested a man suspected of involvement in a gang which stole from the bank accounts of innocent internet users.

U.K. firms put customers’ data at risk (SC Magazine)
UK businesses are failing to adopt the security controls needed to protect their customers' information, according to the data released today from the 2006 Department of Trade and Industry's biennial Information Security Breaches Survey.

Microsoft warned of RDS Windows XP bug (SC Magazine)
Security researchers have informed Microsoft of a bypass and cross zone scripting vulnerability in Windows XP which could allow hackers to gain full control over and remotely execute code on user's machines using Internet Explorer.
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April 11, 2006

Microsoft Releases Three Windows Patches (AP)
Microsoft Corp. released three critical patches Tuesday for its Windows operating system, including one to fix an Internet Explorer browser flaw that had already been exploited in some Internet attacks.

Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer Vulnerabilities (US-CERT)
Microsoft has released updates that address critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer. Exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service on a vulnerable system.

Political ‘hackers’ accused of targeting Amazon (SC Magazine)
Politically motivated "hackers" have been accused of tricking Amazon into sending a message "to possibly hundreds of thousands" of its customers drawing attention to a controversial book, "Samson Blinded: A Machiavellian Perspective on the Middle East Conflict". The message was phrased in terms designed to irritate its recipients.

MySpace.com hires child safety czar from Microsoft (Reuters)
News Corp. is set on Tuesday to name a security czar to oversee child safety measures on MySpace.com, the popular teen dating and music site that has provoked an outcry among parents who fear they have not done enough to thwart sexual predators.

'Fat Spaniard' hacker faces 40 years in jail (SC Magazine)
An individual suspected of hacking hundreds of thousands of euros from bank accounts has been extradited from Argentina by international authorities.
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April 10, 2006

IBM unveils new processor encryption technology (SC Magazine)
IBM announced today that it is changing the way security can be built into devices and consumer products.

McAfee Unveils Threat Center Portal (PC World)
Security software maker offers free information on security topics.

MXI Security Locks Down Storage on Portable Devices (eWeek)
The new stand-alone MXP product offers devices and tokens featuring integrated digital identity, authentication and cryptography capabilities.

Web fraud costs victims $180M (SC Magazine)
Victims lost more than $180 million in web fraud incidents reported by the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) last year, according to the IC3’s fifth-annual Internet Crime Report.

IM, P2P Attacks Up 700 Percent (TechWeb)
Malicious software attacks across instant messaging (IM), chat, and peer-to-peer (P2P) were up more than 700 percent over the same quarter last year.

Virus Targets Linux or Windows (PC World)
Hackers have released code for a virus that could threaten both Linux and Windows PCs.

Readying for Microsoft Patch Tuesday (SC Magazine)
Tomorrow will be one of the busiest days of the month for IT security professionals updating their anti-malware protection.

April 7, 2006

U.S. adults demand better web banking security (SC Magazine)
Almost 90 percent of U.S. bank account-holders would like their financial services providers to monitor online banking sessions for signs of irregular activity in the way they currently scrutinize credit card transactions, recently released research has found.

Court filings tell of Internet spying (CNET)
Former AT&T technician said company cooperated with NSA to install equipment capable of "vacuum cleaner" Net surveillance.

Malicious e-greeting spam conceals keylogger (SC Magazine)
Security watchers have identified a new batch of malicious e-greeting spam which conceals keylogging spyware designed to steal online banking passwords and other sensitive information. 
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April 6, 2006

Nigerian E-Mail Scam Price Tag: $5K Per Victim (Security Pipeline)
Half of victims of the fraud admit losing $5,000 or more, far more than any other online scam, a government report reveals.

Four in ten execs think they will be cybervictim (SC Magazine)
Nearly four in ten executives believe their company will be the victim of a successful cybercrime attack, according to a new survey.

Rogue anti-spyware app knocks out antivirus systems (SC Magazine)
Security experts warned today of a newly detected rogue anti-spyware application, UnSpyPC, which falsely identifies popular security products and well-known file system tools as spyware.

Vicious emerging threats fuel security support spending boom (SC Magazine)
Ill-prepared global IT organizations are trying to cover up after being "sucker-punched" with a vicious combination of emerging security threats, IDC warned yesterday.
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April 5, 2006

Cyber criminals count on sudoku to infect victim PCs (SC Magazine)
Security experts yesterday warned that a growing number of maliciously coded web pages are downloading spyware programs onto computers without the consent of the sites' visitors.

Tech.gov: Data Protection, the Federal Way (PC World)
Congress wants to protect your data and make sure you're notified when there's a problem. Will the latest bills do the job?

P2P network users targeted in European piracy clamp down (SC Magazine)
Illegal P2P file-sharers across the world faced a fresh wave of legal actions yesterday as the recording industry announced an escalation of its campaign against digital music piracy. The latest actions come with a new warning to parents to check what their children are doing online as they could face financial penalties if their children access illegal material.
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April 4, 2006

OS X firmware flaw fixed (SC Magazine)
Apple this week issued its third security update of the year, this one correcting a flaw in firmware that could allow some Mac OS X user passwords to be bypassed.

Bug Spoofs Internet Explorer Addresses (TechWeb)
Microsoft's Internet Explorer, already stunned with a bug currently being used by hackers to infect PCs with spyware, suffers from yet another vulnerability, a researcher said Tuesday.

Microsoft revamps hosted security offerings (SC Magazine)
Microsoft has revamped its hosted security offerings with the launch of Exchange Hosted Services (EHS), formerly known as FrontBridge Technologies. The move sees the software giant offering four key products in its software as a service strategy including Hosted Filtering, Hosted Archive, Hosted Continuity and Hosted Encryption.

Web 'neighbourhood watch' launched to combat phishers (SC Magazine)
An IT security firm has unveiled an online "neighbourhood watch" scheme in a bid to clamp down on phishers.
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April 3, 2006

Payment processor fears credit card crooks (CNET)
Authorize.Net says its service was used in an attempt to charge money to stolen credit and debit cards.

New IE flaw has faster payload (SC Magazine)
Hackers now are employing new software to more quickly exploit a highly critical Internet Explorer zero-day vulnerability.

Users Fail To Spot Phishing Sites (NewsFactor)
Web users largely ignore the browser warning signals that could allow them to verify the authenticity and trustworthiness of a Web site, research has claimed.

How Common Is Identity Theft? (PC World)
ID theft affects millions of households and costs billions of dollars, government says.

One in 33 homes experience ID theft (SC Magazine)
About 3 percent of the nation’s households were victims of identity theft during a six-month period in 2004, losing about $3.2 billion to fraudsters, the U.S. Justice Department announced Sunday.

Symantec Addresses IM Security, Compliance (Security Pipeline)
Symantec released Monday a new version of its IM Manager designed to shore up vulnerabilities in instant messaging networks and address compliance issues.