Threats
The latest cybersecurity threats and news to help you protect your data, networks, applications, and devices.
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Anonymous Hackers Target Pedophiles
Members of Anonymous recently announced the launch of OpPedoChat, which targets Web sites used by pedophiles. “Lately, there has been a surge of websites dedicated to pedophiles for chat, picture sharing, etc.,” the group’s Pastebin statement reads. “These sickos openly advocate concepts like ‘man-boy love’ with statements such as ‘If the boy [in this case…
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Understanding the Flame Malware
While most Americans enjoyed a long holiday weekend, researchers in the security community were working around the clock to unravel the mysteries of one of the most intimidating pieces of malware code ever found. Known by the names Flame, Flamer, and sKyWIper, the malware is significantly more complex then either Stuxnet or Duqu — and…
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How to Become a Certified Ethical Hacker
As security breaches continue to grow both in frequency and in the amount of damage they cause (according to Symantec, the average organization incurred $470,000 in losses from endpoint cyber attacks in 2011), penetration testing is becoming increasingly important for organizations of all sizes. For IT professionals seeking to expand their knowledge in that…
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Symantec: More Malware on Religious Sites Than Porn Sites
According to Symantec’s annual Internet Security Threat Report, religious and ideological Web sites have far more security threats per infected site than adult/pornographic Web sites. “We hypothesize that this is because pornographic Web site owners already make money from the Internet and, as a result, have a vested interested in keeping their sites malware-free —…
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Anonymous Hackers Launch Pastebin Alternative
Members of Anonymous and the Peoples Liberation Front (PLF) recently announced the launch of the AnonPaste service for the uploading and sharing of data. “Paste services have become very popular, and many people want to post controversial material,” the groups wrote in a joint statement. “This is especially so for those involved in Information Activism.…
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FBI Used Metadata to Catch CabinCr3w Hacker
According to an FBI affadavit, alleged CabinCr3w hacker Higinio O. Ochoa III was caught by FBI agents after posting a photo of his girlfriend online. “Higino O. Ochoa III was charged with illegally hacking into U.S. law enforcement websites and releasing personal information of several U.S. police officers under the online name ‘w0rmer,’” writes Digital…
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Heather Morris Hacked
Nude photos of “Glee” star Heather Morris were recently posted online. “The naked pictures are alleged to have been stolen by hackers from the 25-year-old actress’s mobile phone,” writes Sophos’ Graham Cluley. “In November 2011, Christopher Chaney of Florida pleaded not guilty to hacking into the email and cellphones of some 50 people, including Scarlett…
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Buy a Botnet: THOR for Sale for $8,000
A new botnet coded by TheGrimReap3r is currently nearing completion, and will soon be offered for sale on hacking forums for $8,000. “THOR does not use a central [command and control server],” Infosecurity reports. “It has a decentralized architecture based on peer-to-peer (P2P) technology. P2P botnets are the latest innovation in the battle between whitehat…
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Digital Playground Porn Site Hacked
The porn site Digital Playground was recently hacked by The Consortium, exposing 72,794 customers’ user names, e-mail addresses and passwords, as well as more than 44,000 credit card numbers. “They did not dump the 44,663 credit card numbers that they claim to have acquired, but note that card numbers, card expiration date, cvv and all…
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Hiring Hackers and Buying Malware is Easy
In the earlier days of computers, virus writers and hackers were viewed as fame-seeking and adrenaline-hungry teens with nothing better to do. But as PC usage and the Internet grew, the amount of potential victims grew exponentially and money became the hacker’s greatest motivator; spawning a whole new cyber-lexicon that now includes the term criminal.…
