Security

Florida Hack 1st Election Cyberattack to Hit US, Say Pros
March 19, 2013

Florida has again made election-related headlines -- this time for an attempted hacking of online election systems during voting last August in Miami-Dade County. It is the first certified case of an online election attack in the U.S. Fraudulent requests for about 2,500 absentee ballots were sent to the election system from various IP addresses, but they were detected by system software and rejected by election workers.

Bribery Investigation Rumors Haunt ZTE
March 19, 2013

Chinese telecom ZTE may have ended 2012 in the red, but a new report alleges there was enough in the coffers for bribes. ZTE's Mongolia office is being investigated for bribery, according to China's IT Business News. The outlet is also reporting that Mongolian anti-corruption officials have already unearthed proof of bribes doled out for that country's national digital education project.

Judge Throws the Book at AT&T Hacker 'Weev'
March 18, 2013

Andrew Auernheimer, a hacker known as "Weev," was sentenced Monday to 41 months in prison for obtaining the personal data of more than 100,000 iPad owners from AT&T's publicly accessible website and sending the information to the media. The ruling immediately sparked an outcry from a digital rights group that claims the punishment does not fit the crime.

National Security Letters' Constitutionality Likely a Matter for the Supreme Court
March 18, 2013

A U.S. District Court judge from the Ninth Circuit found that the government's controversial use of so-called National Security Letters violates the First Amendment and the concept of separation of powers. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ordered the government to stop issuing the National Security Letters and to stop enforcing the gag order. Illston then stayed her order for 90 days so the government could petition the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Spam Boom Prompts Call for Businesses to Ditch Email
March 18, 2013

Just when we thought the spam scourge was over, it appears it's making a comeback. After four straight quarters of decline, spam volumes on the Internet rose 92 percent in February, according to security firm Eleven Research Team.Phishing emails jumped 69.8 percent.

RIP Android: Google Loses Its Steve Jobs
March 18, 2013

Andy Rubin was Google's Steve Jobs, and with him now booted off the Android product, that platform in its current form will pass. It is kind of funny to see the spin on this, which suggests this was Andy's decision. Yeah right, and I'll be buying that bridge in Brooklyn shortly.

Chrome OS and the Cloak of Unhackability
March 18, 2013

Once upon a time there was a modest young operating system named "Chrome OS." It tried to live a quiet life helping others, but its ancient roots made some in the mainstream computing world wary. Not only was it one of the first examples of a new type of OS, focused as it was on the browser, but it was also descended from Linux, the very name of which was still widely misunderstood among the masses.

Feds' Case Against Journo Spurs Crime-and-Punishment Uproar
March 16, 2013

The case of a journalist charged Thursday with aiding the hacker group Anonymous is sending up red flags in two camps: employers who must worry about security threats from disgruntled ex-workers; and a digital rights group that is finding troublesome parallels with the prosecution of the late Aaron Swartz.

5 In-Demand Skills for Landing a Dream IT Job
March 16, 2013

There is no denying it -- the technology sector is on the rise and jobs are ripe for the taking. Demand has shifted from the mainframes of 30 years ago to virtualization, opening up ample opportunity in the field. Today, it's all about optimization and collaboration, and IT decision makers are investing heavily in these new infrastructures.

SimCity Mod Gives Gamers a Glimpse of What Could Have Been
March 14, 2013

Since it was announced months before its official release that SimCity would require an online connection to play, fans of the urban planning game have voiced their frustration. Their angst only intensified after this month's launch, which was plagued by crashes and server connection issues. However, a game modder has just released a demo that suggests the game can be played in an offline setting.

Cyberthreats No. 1 on US Threat Matrix
March 13, 2013

A busy week on the U.S. cybersecurity front is pointing toward a renewed emphasis on the nation's digital defenses, a shift underscored by Tuesday's Senate testimony from a top security official that ranked hackers and cyberattacks as greater threats to the country than Al Qaeda and terrorism.

Netflix, Facebook Integration Brings Back the Water Cooler
March 13, 2013

Movie and TV buffs will soon be able to share what they've watched on Netflix more easily, the service announced Wednesday. Users in the United States will be able to take advantage of "frictionless sharing" with their friends on Facebook in the coming days. The sharing will be available only on Netflix by default. Users will be able to allow their friends to see which titles they viewed and to see their friends' ratings.

Feds Probe Hack of First Lady, Biden, Celebs
March 13, 2013

Police in Los Angeles have teamed with the FBI to investigate Russian hackers suspected of stealing and posting sensitive information about Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, law enforcement officials and Hollywood celebrities. The material in question was posted on a website using .su as a suffix -- reportedly a tip-off that the perpetrators have a Russian connection.

Google Hit With $7M Fine at the Privacy Tollbooth
March 13, 2013

Google has settled its Street View privacy case with 38 states and the District of Columbia. As part of the settlement, the company will destroy the personal information it collected under the project, train its employees on privacy issues for a 10-year period, launch a campaign to educate consumers on WiFi security, and pay a $7 million fine.

Likes Can Tell the Story of Your Life
March 12, 2013

It is possible to predict intimate personal characteristics such as sexual orientation by studying a person's Facebook Likes, according to findings released Monday by University of Cambridge researchers. Just by studying Likes, the team was able to determine a person's race, age, IQ, personality type, level of substance use and political views with a surprising degree of accuracy.

Japan Offers Springboard Over Great Firewall
March 12, 2013

Researchers at Japan's University of Tsukuba grad school have launched a virtual private network that could allow Chinese netizens to get around the country's zealous Internet police. The VPN is free and utilizes volunteers who have different Internet service providers around the world.

China Suggests Setting Rules for Cyberwar Games
March 11, 2013

As it continues to deny accusations that its army is involved in serial computer hacking, China is now also asking for worldwide rules and cooperation on Web-based espionage. China cited the lack of international definitions and regulations on cyberespionage as part of its first round of denials against the landmark report by security firm Mandiant.

Judge Orders Apple to Quit Pussyfooting Around
March 11, 2013

A judge gave Apple until the end of last week to produce details about how it would provide documents and other evidence requested in a privacy lawsuit. U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal issued the order in San Jose, Calif., on March 6, following claims from the plaintiffs' lawyers that Apple was withholding documents it had been ordered to produce.

Phishers Cast Longlines to Hook More Victims
March 11, 2013

Phishing and spear phishing have long been thought to be mutually exclusive hacking tricks, but cybercrooks have found a way to combine the two in a technique called longline phishing. "The technique allows you to hit a lot of people very quickly and largely go undetected," said Dave Jevans, founder and CTO of Marble Security.

Hackers Escalate Reign of Malware Terror on Android
March 08, 2013

Android has become a mobile malware magnet, according to F-Secure. A whopping 79 percent of all mobile malware targeted the Google OS in 2012, based on a new report from the firm. That was up from 66.7 percent in 2011 and just 11.25 percent in 2010. The fourth quarter of 2012 was particularly bad, it said, with attacks on Android spiking to account for 96 percent of all mobile malware.