Security News

Protecting against Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RFID data attacks

CNET - Sat Jul 19, 12:25 PM ET

NEW YORK--Using a laptop, cell phone headset, building access badge, credit cards, or even a passport can make you a walking target for data thieves and other criminals, a security expert warned at the Last HOPE hacker conference here late Friday.

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New Worm Transcodes MP3s to Try to Infect PCs PC World - Fri Jul 18, 7:30 AM ET
A new variety of malicious software could pose a danger to those who download music files on peer-to-peer networks.
Losses Likely to Rise From Latest Romanian Crime Ring PC World - Thu Jul 17, 12:00 PM ET
Losses from a Romanian cybercrime ring that was broken up on Tuesday could reach into the millions of euros.
Obama warns against 'fighting the last war' AP - Wed Jul 16, 9:56 PM ET
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Democrat Barack Obama warned Wednesday about the danger of "fighting the last war" as he pledged to focus on emerging nuclear, biological and cyber threats if elected president.
Cyber-capos: How cybercriminals mirror the mafia and businesses CNET - Wed Jul 16, 7:39 PM ET
Cybercrime, the harvesting and sale of credit card and other data for online fraud and theft, is a "shadow economy" that mimics the real business world in its practices and the mafia in its structure, according to a new report from security firm Finjan.
The iPhone 3G Gets Unlocked TechWeb - Wed Jul 16, 5:04 PM ET
InformationWeek - A group in Brazil has unlocked the phone to run on other carriers' networks, and a hacker team has enabled independent apps to run on Apple's latest handset.
Romainian Authorities Arrest Cybercrime Suspects PC World - Wed Jul 16, 5:00 PM ET
More than 20 cybercrime suspects are arrested in Romania.
Congress asks Embarq about selling customer info AP - Wed Jul 16, 4:38 PM ET
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Congress has asked Embarq Corp. about its work with a company that tracks online subscribers' Web traffic for advertising purposes, part of growing concern about Internet privacy.
Spammer Gets 30 Months for Inundating AOL PC World - Wed Jul 16, 4:20 PM ET
A 27-year-old man was sentenced to 30 months in prison Tuesday for blasting AOL subscribers with spam over a four-month...
NY spammer hit with 30-month prison sentence CNET - Wed Jul 16, 10:17 AM ET
A federal court on Tuesday sentenced a New York man to a 30-month prison term for sending unsolicited marketing e-mail to 1.2 million AOL subscribers, according to a Reuters report.
NY man gets 30 months in prison for spamming AOL Reuters - Tue Jul 15, 6:05 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Brooklyn man was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Tuesday for sending spam e-mails to more than 1.2 million subscribers of America Online in a scheme that foiled the Internet company's spam-filtering system.
Microsoft Says Yahoo-Google Deal Threatens Internet Privacy TechWeb - Tue Jul 15, 4:55 PM ET
InformationWeek - The company's complaints may have as much to do with privacy and competition as they do with its own strategic interests in Yahoo's search business.
Norton 2009 to Speed Up Malware Screening PC World - Tue Jul 15, 1:11 PM ET
Symantec has built more than 300 speed and performance enhancements into its forthcoming security products, now in public beta.
Researchers Trace Structure of Cybercrime Gangs PC World - Tue Jul 15, 7:40 AM ET
The chain-of-command of a cybercrime gang is not unlike the Mafia, an evolution that shows how online crime is becoming a...
Stolen bank data gets cheaper on Web: report Reuters - Tue Jul 15, 12:14 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Prices charged by cybercriminals selling hacked bank and credit card details have fallen sharply as the volume of data on offer has soared, forcing them to look elsewhere to boost profit margins, a new report says.
NZealand teen mastermind walks free over global cyber crime AFP - Mon Jul 14, 10:27 PM ET
WELLINGTON (AFP) - A New Zealand teenager who confessed to a central role in a global cyber-crime ring which caused millions of dollars in losses walked free from court Tuesday with police wanting to secure his skills.
ZoneAlarm Issues Fix For Problems Caused By Microsoft DNS Patch TechWeb - Fri Jul 11, 10:01 AM ET
InformationWeek - The fix applies to the ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite, Pro, Antivirus, Anti-Spyware and Basic Firewall editions of the product.
Under Your Thumb? Tiny Drives, Big Risks Investor's Business Daily - Thu Jul 10, 6:06 PM ET
Hackers always are on the lookout for the most vulnerable spot on your personal computers. These days, that weakest link might be your flash thumb drive.
Microsoft, Google back broad privacy legislation AP - Wed Jul 9, 3:51 PM ET
WASHINGTON - Microsoft Corp. and Google Inc. told lawmakers Wednesday that Congress should pass basic privacy legislation to protect information about consumers, such as the data being gathered about people's Web surfing habits in order to pinpoint Internet advertising.
Internet flaw could let hackers take over the Web AFP - Wed Jul 9, 12:43 PM ET
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Computer industry heavyweights are hustling to fix a flaw in the foundation of the Internet that would let hackers control traffic on the World Wide Web.
Congress studies how people track your online use AP - Wed Jul 9, 7:45 AM ET
WASHINGTON - Executives from major Internet players — Microsoft Corp., Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. — are due for a grilling about online privacy in a Senate committee Wednesday, but the company likely to get the most scrutiny is a small Silicon Valley startup called NebuAd Inc.
Adware Company Refines Opt-out, Notification Technology PC World - Tue Jul 8, 11:40 AM ET
Facing heat over privacy concerns, NebuAd said Tuesday it has a new notification and opt-out system for its targeted...
AVG Fixes Antivirus Software Skewing Web Site Statistics PC World - Mon Jul 7, 8:00 AM ET
AVG has upgraded the free version of a product that includes a component that scans Web sites for malware but caused Web site...
Coreflood, More Microsoft-Yahoo, IPhone Plans PC World - Thu Jul 3, 3:20 PM ET
A Trojan horse program that has been around for about six years is now being used to steal system-administrator passwords...
Sony PlayStation Site Hacked With 'Scareware' TechWeb - Wed Jul 2, 2:00 PM ET
InformationWeek - The site runs a script that pretends to do an online security scan of your computer and presents a bogus warning message that your PC is infected with malware, researchers said.
Microsoft Unveils New Internet Explorer Security Features TechWeb - Wed Jul 2, 12:20 PM ET
InformationWeek - Coming to IE8 is a set of cross-site scripting defenses to defeat hackers looking to steal cookies and browser history, logging keystrokes, stealing credentials, or just evading phishing filters.
MySpace Users Struggle to Overcome Cybervandalism PC World - Mon Jun 30, 10:00 AM ET
MySpace is facing continuing security problems that threaten to spoil many of the innovative features that make the site...
Prosecutors say peer-to-peer hacker in plea deal AP - Fri Jun 27, 4:41 PM ET
LOS ANGELES - A hacker suspected of infecting thousands of personal computers with malicious software to obtain private financial information will plead guilty to fraud under a plea agreement, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Antispam Group Outlines Defenses to Block Botnet Spam PC World - Thu Jun 26, 9:40 AM ET
A major antispam organization is pushing a set of new best practices for ISPs to stop increasing volumes of spam generated by...
Another Security Threat Aimed At Macs Found On The Web TechWeb - Wed Jun 25, 8:32 AM ET
InformationWeek - Security vendor Intego said the latest malware masquerading as a program for Mac OS X is called "PokerGame."