Last year, security firms identified Stuxnet, a disabling virus that appeared aimed at Iran’s nuclear facilities but then spread around the world. Stuxnet pointed up a well-known vulnerability in industrial control systems, which often have little or no security. READ MORE
The press and public reaction to many high profile hacks–think Sony, or the Pentagon–is that the breaches are embarrassments at best or setbacks at worst. But hacks can have grievous real-world consequences for companies, as Dutch certificate authority DigiNotar proved this week when it filed for bankruptcy after finding itself unable to recover from the consequences of a massive hack it suffered this summer. READ MORE
The money involved in cyber crime last year, about $388 billion, comes out equivalent to the illegal drug trade, a cyber crime report commissioned and released by Symantec, an anti-virus software company. READ MORE
To help anyone dealing with leaked online information, the Consumer Federation of America has launched a new website and bills it as all-in-one location for information on virtual crime. READ MORE
“Are we really protecting users and companies?” That’s the question McAfee recently asked the security industry in its second-quarter threat report—and it’s a fair and relevant question given the flood of malware, hacking incidents, and spam that has hit everyone from major corporations to small developer shops to individuals. READ MORE
A couple of weeks ago, CNET’s Rick Broida invited readers to name their favorite freeware and 400 of them did. He says he’s still checking out some of those suggestions, but in the meantime he decided to share five of his own tried-and-true favorite free downloads for Windows. READ MORE
Oddly enough, maybe they can. Charlie Miller, a researcher from Accuvant demonstrated at the Black Hat Conference last week that he can hack into the microprocessors that live inside of laptop batteries and make them believe whatever he chooses. He can easily “brick” the battery, he said, boasting, “I’m a pro at that.” But he also believes it might be possible to convince the battery it still needs charging when completely full, causing it to overheat and possibly catch fire. READ MORE
If you’ve got an Android device you are 2.5 times more likely to encounter malware on it today compared to six months ago, while mobile users have a 30 percent chance of clicking on a malicious link, writes Elinor Mills for CNET, referring to a report released this week from mobile security firm Lookout at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. READ MORE
The Federal Bureau of Investigation says it has clamped down on scareware gangs that are said to have stolen more than $74 million from computer users and netted $2 million in losses. The FBI’s Operation Trident Tribunal has charged two Latvians and seized more than 40 PCs, servers, and bank accounts in several European countries, including Lithuania, Sweden and Germany. READ MORE
From the “dislike” button to the fake Bin Laden death video, Facebook is overrun by spam and malware, much of it geared to “phish” users’ passwords. Now two enterprising students at the University of California at Riverside are fighting back with the MyPageKeeper app. READ MORE
