ITworld - Security

Legitimate online services enable DDoS-attacks-for-hire sites

paulfroberts — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:17:17 +0000

A recent expose shines a light onto the strange world of "booter" or "stressor" web sites which offer DDoS-attacks-for-hire.

Social media steps up in wake of Boston Marathon blasts

paulfroberts — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:20:12 +0000

As chaos reigned in the hours after twin explosions at the finish line of the storied Boston Marathon, social media outlets became a lifeline between runners, spectators and the outside world.

IRS's big data play built on shaky foundations

paulfroberts — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:04:59 +0000

The IRS is scaring taxpayers silly this season with boasts about its Big Data prowess and 'robo audits.' But recent reports suggest the agency is struggling to keep its IT operations afloat.

Crowdfunded lock lets car owners secure their data

paulfroberts — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:04:24 +0000

With the federal government proposing airplane style "black boxes" in every automobile, a crowd-funded project wants to design a lock that will allow car owners to secure their data from snooping and tampering.

Android: The IT community's latest problem child

paulfroberts — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:44:28 +0000

Microsoft's Windows operating system spent close to two decades as the 'problem child' of the IT world - ubiquitous, buggy and easy to hack. But this week brought more evidence that Google and its Android mobile operating system may be taking that mantle from the folks in Redmond, Washington.

DARPA looking for way to spot attackers on wireless networks

paulfroberts — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:44:36 +0000

The U.S. military relies heavily on distributed, wireless networks to communicate in combat zones. Now DARPA is looking for ideas on how to keep enemies off these networks.

PC cleanup scammer calls Microsoft Malware Protection Center expert. Hilarity ensues.

paulfroberts — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:28:39 +0000

What's a bad day for a scammer selling bogus Windows PC clean up services? How about accidentally dialing a guy who works in Microsoft's Malware Protection Center!

Five more holes reported in Java

paulfroberts — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:35:40 +0000

A security researcher claims to have found five, new vulnerabilities in Oracle's Java technology that could allow a malicious hacker to bypass safety features in the latest version of the Java technology.

Cyber's Strangelovian moment?

paulfroberts — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 02:03:22 +0000

A steady drumbeat of news about sophisticated cyber attacks against our government and leading institutions has attendees at this year's RSA conference in a fever. And that may be bad for security.

Antivirus's star fades, letting new technologies shine

paulfroberts — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:54:47 +0000

As if you didn't know it already: antivirus software isn't doing its job, even though it sucks up around 30% of IT security budgets. But where can companies turn next? Two firms think they have an answer.

Security stories to watch: Security firm Bit9 hacked. Also: Microsoft megapatch and identity management

paulfroberts — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:20:11 +0000

The hack of security firm Bit9 reminds us that application whitelists work great at stopping malware ... until they don't. And: Microsoft prepares a mystery 'double patch' of the Internet Explorer web browser, fueling speculation.

The security week ahead: Hacking the media, Plus: more encryption woes

paulfroberts — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:25:51 +0000

Last week's revelations about hacks of prominent media outlets continues. Plus: new questions about the security of encrypted communications will dominate the news this week.

The security week ahead: Let the Cyber Cold War begin!

paulfroberts — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:43:52 +0000

D.C. wonks warm up to a new Cold War: this one fought with computers. Plus: Death of Aaron Swartz inspires Anonymous back to action.

The security week ahead: Mega's mind, and when stuff attacks!

paulfroberts — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:58:23 +0000

Plan on hearing a lot more about the world's most famous (and audacious) Internet tycoon: Kim Dotcom this week, following the launch of his new cloud-based storage service: Mega. And: more stories about the computer security threat posed by things you didn't even know were computers.

Holes in common component could leave office printers open to attack

paulfroberts — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:55:01 +0000

Forget "PC LOAD LETTER," a vulnerability in a standard component of modern office printers may make hardware from a wide range of vendors vulnerable to denial of service attacks and data theft, according to a researcher for security firm ViaForensics.