DDoSed.com - An IT security information blog

DHS / TSA Win: Secure Flight Comes to Southwest Airlines

D1m — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:54:40 +0000

Six years ago the federal government proposed taking over the job of comparing passenger names against the terrorist watch lists. Just this week, Southwest Airlines frequent fliers are being asked to update their profiles with name, gender and date of birth information in order to let the feds try that system out.

What If Our Computers & Comm. Networks Suddenly Go Down?

D1m — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:54:39 +0000

Newt Gingrich on the ‘catastrophic threat’ of an electromagnetic pulse attack.

Cyberbullying Bill Gets Chilly Reception

D1m — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:54:39 +0000

Proposed legislation demanding up to two years in prison for electronic speech meant to “coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person” was met with little enthusiasm by a House subcommittee.

New Malware Re-Writes Online Bank Statements to Cover Fraud

D1m — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:54:38 +0000

New malware being used by cybercrooks does more than let hackers loot a bank account; it hides evidence of a victim’s dwindling balance by rewriting online bank statements on the fly. The sophisticated hack uses a Trojan horse program installed on the victim’s machine that alters html coding before it’s displayed in the user’s browser to…

Convicted Hacker Left in Charge of Prison Computer System

D1m — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:54:38 +0000

In a twist of Alanis Morrissettian irony, a man serving a six-year prison sentence for stealing millions of dollars through online credit card fraud recently succeeded in (surprise!) hacking into his prison’s computer network, effectively paralyzing the entire system.

EFF WIN: FBI Releases Domestic Surveillance Guidelines

D1m — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:54:37 +0000

EFF requested public disclosure of the guidelines under the Freedom of Information Act in December and, after more than six months passed with no response, we filed suit against the Department of Justice in June 2009. The FBI released a heavily censored version of its controversial Domestic Investigations and Operations Guidelines (DIOG).

Malware Worldwide Grows 15% in September

D1m — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:54:37 +0000

A rise in malware has caused the number of infected PCs worldwide to increase 15 percent just from August to September, says a report released from antivirus vendor Panda Security. Across the globe, the average number of PCs hit by malware now stands around 59 percent, an all-time high for the year. Among 29 countries tracked, the U.S. ranke

An Infographical Look at Olympic Security (PIC)

D1m — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:54:36 +0000

Wondering what it takes to secure an area for the Olympic games? Here’s what it would look like if we got the games in Chicago

Elite Military Hacker Squad: Stop Wars With Bits Not Bombs

D1m — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:50:04 +0000

Efforts to drag our military’s cybersecurity into the 21st century are well underway, but John Arquilla, professor at the Naval Postgraduate School, wants more: A preemptive international hacker force, which would cripple enemies before they even become a problem.

US Gov Suffers Huge Potential Data Breach Of 70 Million Vets

D1m — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:00:02 +0000

A defective hard drive containing the personal information of some 70 million U.S. military personnel was returned to a contractor for repair and recycling — without being erased first.