CY.TALK®: Security blog

Microsoft says it freed millions of computers from criminal botnet

Miranda — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:01:36 +0000

Microsoft Corp said that an assault it led earlier this month on one of the world’s biggest cyber crime rings has freed at least 2 million PCs infected with a virus believed to have been used to steal more than $500 million from bank accounts worldwide. “We definitely have liberated at least 2 million PCs [...]

2013 Mobile Malware Forecast Shows Ominous Growth

Miranda — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 07:00:37 +0000

Cyberattacks exploded in number during 2012, and it’s unlikely that the trend will stop at the end of the year. Numerous new reports predict that 2013 will be worse then 2012, although the degree of the problem varies by the predictor. Two new reports out this week focus on the problems coming to the mobile [...]

Silicon Valley at front line of global cyber war

Miranda — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:54:59 +0000

Chinese President Xi Jinping and American counterpart Barack Obama will talk cyber-security this week in California, but experts say the state’s Silicon Valley and its signature high-tech firms should provide the front lines in the increasingly aggressive fight against overseas hackers. With China seeking to grow its economy and expand its technology base, companies such [...]

Meet Eugene Kaspersky: the man on a mission to wage war against – and kill – the computer virus

Miranda — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 09:57:03 +0000

He’s helped protect enemies of the United States, yet counts the FBI as a client. Monica Attard meets Eugene Kaspersky, the former communist youth-wing member turned computer-security giant. He’s a virus killer whose name can be found inside tens of millions of computers worldwide – and he sees vistas of cyber-warfare everywhere he looks. The [...]

Philippine proposed changes to cybercrime law criticized

Diana Baker — Thu, 30 May 2013 12:13:55 +0000

"How online libel is treated is just one of the many fundamental flaws of [the cybercrime act]. Any half-baked proposal that does not address the fundamentals of information and communications technology should be rejected outright, as it can and wil put people's property and lives at risk,"

India launches Aadhaar verification services, enrolment centers

Paul Kopolevsky — Tue, 28 May 2013 14:33:23 +0000

For residents using the iris authentication method, they will have to provide both their Aadhaar number along with a scan of the eye. The iris scan will then be matched with the image stored in the Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR) to verify the person's identity, the planning commission said.

Apple’s iMessage encryption trips up feds’ surveillance

Diana Baker — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:25:59 +0000

When Apple's iMessage was announced in mid-2011, Cupertino said it would use "secure end-to-end encryption." It quickly became the most popular encrypted chat program in history: Apple CEO Tim Cook said last fall that 300 billion messages have been sent so far, which are transmitted through the Internet rather than as more costly SMS messages carried by wireless providers.

Anonymous hacks North Korea’s social media in net freedom bid

Diana Baker — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:25:16 +0000

Hacking collective Anonymous has apparently selected its next high-profile target, in the shape of any sites or social network accounts related to North Korea, seizing control of Flickr and Twitter pages in the process. The activists cracked the Uriminzokkiri accounts and uploaded images of their own, which still remain online at time of writing, in addition to claiming to have extracted 15,000 usernames and passwords from the site, the BBC reports. Anonymous’ goal appears to be loosening the restrictions on internet access North Koreans face from their government.

Microsoft details global police data requests

Diana Baker — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:51:51 +0000

In most cases, Microsoft only handed over basic information such as login names and IP addresses. The transparency report from Microsoft follows similar efforts by Google, Twitter and others to let users know who is seeking data about what people do online.

Google wants to ditch the password – sounds lovely

Paul Kopolevsky — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:50:31 +0000

Yubikey is a small USB-compatible security stick that draws power from your PC (no battery) to generate and send a one-time-use random authentication password on your behalf. Eventually, Google wants to go wireless with the technology, implanting it in cellphones or specially equipped rings.

CCTV hack takes casino for $33 MILLION in poker losses

Diana Baker — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:58:59 +0000

A sophisticated scheme to use a casino's own security systems against it has netted scammers $33m in a high-stakes poker game after they were able to gain a crucial advantage by seeing the opposition's cards.

Evernote says security has been breached by hackers

Paul Kopolevsky — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:30:53 +0000

"This means that, in an abundance of caution, we are requiring all users to reset their Evernote account passwords."

LulzSec’s ‘Sabu’ has sentencing postponed – but could face 124 years

Paul Kopolevsky — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:30:27 +0000

He also hacked computers belonging to an auto parts company and had four vehicle motors worth $3,450 sent to his address in New York for free.

Police hold 11 over ransomware scam ‘affecting thousands’

Jane Smith — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:24:03 +0000

By dressing the ransomware up to look as if it comes from a law enforcement agency, cybercriminals convince the victim to pay the 'fine' of 100 euros [$130; £85] through two types of payment gateways - virtual and anonymous - as a penalty for the alleged offence.

St. Valentine’s Day Promotion: Double each Cubacel mobile recharge

John Bosworth — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 13:17:11 +0000

From www.cysend.com send money online to Cubacel prepaid mobile in Cuba and double your recharge. Send 20/30/50 CUC Get 40/60/100 CUC. St. Valentine’s promotion will run from 12 to 15 February (Cuba time) 2013.

It’s a bad time to be a hacker in the United States

John Bosworth — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 11:01:20 +0000

To many, a hacker is anyone who does something with a computer that is not trivially understood. To law-enforcement and the criminal justice system, a hacker is someone who commits a computer-involved crime. But in the eyes of the Hacker Ethic, a kind of best practices guide for hackers, Aaron Swartz was a hacker’s hacker. [...]

How Computer-Hacking Laws Make You a Criminal

John Bosworth — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:48:49 +0000

In 1970, a 14-year-old boy dialed into a nationwide computer network, uploaded a virus he had written and caused the entire network to crash. That boy was Bill Gates. Five years later, he founded Microsoft. A few years later, two young men went around college dorms in California selling boxes of wires that let students [...]

Vietnam: 50% bonus credit on each prepaid MobiFone mobile recharge

Samuel Turner — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 03:05:07 +0000

MobiFone promo active now: 50% bonus for each mobile recharge (9-11.01.2013).

New Year Cubacel promotion (7-10.01.2013)

John Bosworth — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 03:17:49 +0000

Recharge your Cubacel mobile phones and mobiles of your friends through Internet from www.cysend.com and receive double credit for each recharge (7-10.01.2013)!

Anonymous targets Ohio football team accused of rape

John Bosworth — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 12:48:55 +0000

At least 11 high school football players have been targeted by Anonymous hackers after two of their teammates were charged with the rape of a 16-year-old Ohio girl. Steubenville High School football players Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond, both 16, were arrested on Aug. 22 for allegedly raping a girl from a nearby Ohio private [...]

Viettel: 50% bonus to your recharge

Samuel Turner — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 04:34:31 +0000

Send money online to prepaid Viettel mobile in from www.cysend.com Vietnam and your receiving party will be added 50% of face value (26-28.12.2012).

Viettel: 50% bonus to your recharge

Samuel Turner — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 00:26:49 +0000

From www.cysend.com send money to prepaid Viettel mobiles and receive 50% bonus. Promotion will run from 13.12.2012 to 15.12.2012 (Vietnam time)

Arrests over $850m Facebook botnet crime spree

John Bosworth — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 23:45:34 +0000

An alleged cybercrime ring said to be responsible for losses of $850m (£530m) looks to have been foiled by the FBI – by using Facebook. In a statement, the US authority said 10 suspects had been arrested globally, including from the UK and US. Facebook users were targeted over two years beginning in October 2010. [...]

Christmas Cubacel Promotion (11-14.12.2012)

John Bosworth — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 01:29:16 +0000

Recharge your Cubacel mobile phones and mobiles of your friends through Internet from www.cysend.com and receive double credit for each recharge (11-14.12.2012)!

Vietnam: 50% bonus credit on each prepaid MobiFone mobile recharge

John Bosworth — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 13:32:43 +0000

MobiFone promo active now: 50% bonus to your mobile recharge (5-7 December, 2012).

Anonymous declares war on Syrian government Web sites

John Bosworth — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:09:31 +0000

Online hacktivist group blames Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the Internet blackout blanketing the country and vows retaliation. Concluding that the Syrian government was responsible for the country’s Internet blackout, the online hacktivist group Anonymous has announced a campaign against Syrian government Web sites hosted outside the country. The Middle Eastern country began experiencing an [...]

Viettel: 50% bonus to your recharge

John Bosworth — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 03:15:25 +0000

From www.cysend.com send money to prepaid Viettel mobiles and receive 50% bonus. Promotion will run from 29.11.2012 to 01.12.2012 (Vietnam time)

Vietnam: 50% bonus credit on each prepaid MobiFone mobile recharge

John Bosworth — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 01:35:56 +0000

MobiFone promo active now: 50% bonus to your mobile recharge (27-29 November, 2012).

Anonymous declares ‘cyberwar’ on Israel

Samuel Turner — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 10:10:22 +0000

In the digital age, war isn’t contained to the ground. The Israeli government on Sunday said it has been hit with more than 44 million cyberattacks since it began aerial strikes on Gaza last week. Anonymous, the hacker collective, claimed responsibility for taking down some sites and leaking passwords because of what it calls Israel’s [...]

Risk profiling software tackles the terrorist threat

John Bosworth — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 18:21:35 +0000

The UK branch of an American company has developed a hi-tech software programme it believes can help detect and prevent potentially dangerous passengers and cargo entering the UK using the technique known as “risk profiling”. Executives at SAS Software, based in Buckinghamshire, say the use of such a programme could well have prevented the so-called [...]

For Sale: Cheap access to corporate computers

Kevin Taylor — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:30:43 +0000

Cybercriminals are openly selling illegal access to the computer networks of many of the world’s biggest companies. For only a few pounds or dollars, fraudsters and scammers can get the log-in details for a server sitting on the network of a Fortune 500 firm. Those renting access can use the machine to carry out their [...]

Viettel: 50% bonus to your recharge

Alicia Vance — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 09:15:03 +0000

From www.cysend.com send money to prepaid Viettel mobiles and receive 50% bonus. Promotion will run from 14 to 16 November, 2012 (Vietnam time).

Vinaphone Bonus credit for each recharge

Alicia Vance — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:07:10 +0000

Vinaphone promo: add 50% to your recharge from 14 to 16 November, 2012

Vietnam: 50% bonus credit on each prepaid MobiFone mobile recharge

Alicia Vance — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 20:35:24 +0000

MobiFone promo active now: 50% bonus to your mobile recharge (13-15 November, 2012).

Twinings Tea Hacked

Samuel Turner — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 16:00:17 +0000

More than 1,600 customers’ names, genders, mailing addresses and e-mail addresses were compromised. Following a recent Cyber War News report alleging that a hacker called @D0ct0r_Inj3ct0r had stolen customer data from Twinings, the company has now confirmed the breach. “The attack is on the Twinings USA website (www.twiningsusa.com) and contains very basic database information as well as [...]

UK Man Arrested Over Government Cyber Attacks

Alicia Vance — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:22:45 +0000

Police seized computers, telephones and storage devices from the suspect’s home. Scotland Yard recently announced that a man has been arrested over his alleged involvement in DDoS attacks on the Web sites of UK Home Secretary Theresa May and the Home Office. “The Met said today the Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) worked alongside officers [...]

Hackivists set up Guy Fawkes protest

Samuel Turner — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:01:04 +0000

A series of website hacks over the past 24 hours has been attributed to the online hacktivist group Anonymous. The websites of US broadcaster NBC, pop singer Lady Gaga and the Australian government have all been attacked. Some of the hacked websites displayed a rhyme about 5 November, when Guy Fawkes’s attempt to destroy Parliament [...]

Would You Put a Tracking Device on Your Child?

Samuel Turner — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 19:35:28 +0000

What’s your “lost in the grocery store” story? Everyone has one. The day you lost sight of your mother while gaping at the candy selection at Albertsons, or were tempted away by the lure of the museum gift shop, only to discover that your family had apparently gone the way of the dinosaurs and was [...]

Experts warn about security flaws in airline boarding passes

John Bosworth — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:41:03 +0000

Security flaws in airline boarding passes could allow would-be terrorists or smugglers to know in advance whether they will be subject to certain security measures, and perhaps even permit them to modify the designated measures, security researchers have warned. The vulnerabilities center on the Transportation Security Administration’s pre-screening system, a paid-for program in which the [...]

Feds Reject Legalizing DVD Cracking, Game Console Modding

John Bosworth — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:58:32 +0000

Copyright regulators rejected on Thursday proposals to make it lawful for people to copy DVDs for personal use or to jailbreak videogame consoles to run custom software. The ruling hands yet another loss to digital rights groups who are waging an ongoing campaign to chip away at the scope of a law that limits citizens’ [...]

More piracy sites faced with blocking as BPI contacts UK ISPs

John Bosworth — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:09:36 +0000

The UK’s major internet service providers have been asked to block three more file-sharing websites. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), which acts on behalf of rights holders, wants ISPs to prevent access to Fenopy, H33t and Kickass Torrents. The BPI alleges that the sites are illegally distributing music. The ISPs told the BBC they would [...]

U.S. Suspects Iran Was Behind a Wave of Cyberattacks

Samuel Turner — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:07:05 +0000

American intelligence officials are increasingly convinced that Iran was the origin of a serious wave of network attacks that crippled computers across the Saudi oil industry and breached financial institutions in the United States, episodes that contributed to a warning last week from Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta that the United States was at risk [...]

Kaspersky builds its own antimalware OS — but not for you

Alicia Vance — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 06:12:02 +0000

The operating system is meant to protect industrial systems from cyberattack by preventing any third-party code from executing. The folks at Kaspersky Lab are aiming to create their own secure operating system, but this one would run on industrial systems rather than your average home PC. In blog posted today, company CEO Eugene Kaspersky confirmed [...]

Cyberthieves steal $400,000 from Bank of America

Alicia Vance — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 14:17:14 +0000

The account — now frozen — is used to pay city government workers in Burlington, Wash., via direct deposit. Residents and city workers in Burlington, Wash., have been told to check their accounts after $400,000 was stolen from a city bank account. City officials believe that the security breach resulted from the infiltration of a [...]

India is world leader in spam output (top spam-relaying countries)

Alicia Vance — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:37:47 +0000

A new report shows that computers based in India now send out more spam than ever before, with some having “been turned into spam-spitting zombies in botnets. India has surpassed the U.S. and taken the lead as the greatest spam-sending country in the world. One out of every six junk messages that litter users’ e-mail [...]

Facebook account hijacked? Get a little help

Samuel Turner — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 07:25:03 +0000

Social network to let you set passwords for apps on Facebook and enlist friends to help log into blocked accounts. Facebook is set to announce new security features today that will let people set passwords for third-party apps and get help from friends when they can’t get into their account. When hackers hijack accounts, the [...]

Google awards $60,000 prize for Chrome hack

John Bosworth — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:13:31 +0000

Google is one of a growing number of companies to offer a “bug bounty” to hackers who can find security issues in its products — and on Wednesday, a teenager scored the top $60,000 prize for uncovering a vulnerability in the Chrome browser. It’s the second time that the hacker, a teenage male who goes [...]

How to keep personal information secure online

Alicia Vance — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:30:58 +0000

Stop for a moment and consider – how much of your life has already been digitised? A few simple facts: According to Online Banking Report, 44 million households now pay at least some bills online. Also according to OBR, that number should jump by almost 30%, to 56 million, within the next two years. The [...]

US prepares first-strike cyber-forces

Alicia Vance — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 07:31:45 +0000

Cyber-attacks could inflict as much damage on the US as the physical attacks on 11 September 2001, the US defence secretary has warned. Leon Panetta said the country was preparing to take pre-emptive action if a serious cyber-attack was imminent. He said US intelligence showed “foreign actors” were targeting control systems for utilities, industry and [...]

CY.TALK®: Security blog

Microsoft says it freed millions of computers from criminal botnet

2013 Mobile Malware Forecast Shows Ominous Growth

Silicon Valley at front line of global cyber war

Meet Eugene Kaspersky: the man on a mission to wage war against – and kill – the computer virus

Philippine proposed changes to cybercrime law criticized

India launches Aadhaar verification services, enrolment centers

Apple’s iMessage encryption trips up feds’ surveillance

Anonymous hacks North Korea’s social media in net freedom bid

Microsoft details global police data requests

Google wants to ditch the password – sounds lovely

CCTV hack takes casino for $33 MILLION in poker losses

Evernote says security has been breached by hackers

LulzSec’s ‘Sabu’ has sentencing postponed – but could face 124 years

Police hold 11 over ransomware scam ‘affecting thousands’

St. Valentine’s Day Promotion: Double each Cubacel mobile recharge

It’s a bad time to be a hacker in the United States

How Computer-Hacking Laws Make You a Criminal

Vietnam: 50% bonus credit on each prepaid MobiFone mobile recharge

New Year Cubacel promotion (7-10.01.2013)

Anonymous targets Ohio football team accused of rape

Viettel: 50% bonus to your recharge

Viettel: 50% bonus to your recharge

Arrests over $850m Facebook botnet crime spree

Christmas Cubacel Promotion (11-14.12.2012)

Vietnam: 50% bonus credit on each prepaid MobiFone mobile recharge

Anonymous declares war on Syrian government Web sites

Viettel: 50% bonus to your recharge

Vietnam: 50% bonus credit on each prepaid MobiFone mobile recharge

Anonymous declares ‘cyberwar’ on Israel

Risk profiling software tackles the terrorist threat

For Sale: Cheap access to corporate computers

Viettel: 50% bonus to your recharge

Vinaphone Bonus credit for each recharge

Vietnam: 50% bonus credit on each prepaid MobiFone mobile recharge

Twinings Tea Hacked

UK Man Arrested Over Government Cyber Attacks

Hackivists set up Guy Fawkes protest

Would You Put a Tracking Device on Your Child?

Experts warn about security flaws in airline boarding passes

Feds Reject Legalizing DVD Cracking, Game Console Modding

More piracy sites faced with blocking as BPI contacts UK ISPs

U.S. Suspects Iran Was Behind a Wave of Cyberattacks

Kaspersky builds its own antimalware OS — but not for you

Cyberthieves steal $400,000 from Bank of America

India is world leader in spam output (top spam-relaying countries)

Facebook account hijacked? Get a little help

Sponsored Study Finds Cybercrime Costs Rising

Google awards $60,000 prize for Chrome hack

How to keep personal information secure online

US prepares first-strike cyber-forces