Employing sophisticated tools such as memory-scraping malware and unique packet sniffers, organised crime led a record assault on databases in 2008
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News Security
Stealthy Mebroot Rootkit Drills Into Windows
The new variant hooks itself deep within Windows to thwart efforts at spotting it
RSA Conference Offers Help To Jobless
In a nod to the economic climate, the conference offered laid-off security pros scholarships to attend the event in 2009, and there will be a special workshop for job seekers and employers.
EC To Sue UK For Inaction Over Phorm
The UK Government failed to respond to privacy issues raised by BT's secret trials of the Phorm behavioural ad targetting system, according to Brussels
Microsoft Tries To Patch Hacker Holes
The latest security bulletins address issues being targeted by hackers in the wild, including vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Excel and WordPad
Report Shows Spam’s Massive Carbon Footprint
Spam wastes enough energy to run 2.4 million homes, says a report designed to give more ammunition to anti-spam action
Job Cuts – The Biggest Security Risk Of All?
The recession is creating an army of disaffected ex-employees - many of whom will still have access to their former company's IT systems, warns Matt Hines
Twitter Worm Evolves Over Four Attacks
A 17-year old hacker is reportedly backing off after exposing vulnerabilties on the microblogging site
Trend Aims To Simplify Endpoint Security
New Endpoint Platform and Client-Server suite should take out some of the legwork, company promises
Amazon Rejects Hacker Glitch Claims
An Amazon.com glitch reduced the sales rankings of 57,000 titles - but something isn't right about the story of the hacker who claimed to have caused the problem
Adobe Is Web Hackers’ Top Target
Adobe's Flash player and Acrobat software were the top targets for hackers attempting to install malware on Europe's PCs during 2008, according to security researchers at Symantec.
IT Security Must Enable Business, Not Disable It
Security professionals should try to add value to business and make new business models possible, instead of focusing on restricting users, says Mike Small of CA.
US Power Grid Hack “No Surprise”
Experts contend the simple ability to map the electrical infrastructure is not the same as knowing how the system is operated or controlled
Microsoft Infringed Patents – In The Name Of Anti-Piracy!
A court has ruled that Microsoft's piracy-busting Product Activation system used technology patented by someone else. Meanwhile it was fined in Germany over pricing
Conficker Worm May Have Finally Turned
The hackers behind the infamous Conficker worm are making their move, roughly a week after many people expected
Symantec’s New Boss: Stop Buying Storage
Storing and securing data more efficiently is the way IT managers are going to have to go during the recession
US Power Grid Hacked: Is The Smart Grid Safe?
Foreign spies placed malware on the US electricity grid. Where does this leave government security, and the Green Grid?
Microsoft’s XP Support Still Beats The Competition
From next week, Microsoft Windows XP and Office 2003 support and fixes will cost money. But that is much better than competitors' offerings, says Larry Seltzer - and that includes open source
Start-up Takes On Virtualisation Security
The HyTrust Appliance is designed to give IT administrators greater control over their virtual environments and ensure greater security and compliance
UK Reveals £650m ID Card Contracts
The government has awarded contracts to CSC and IBM to upgrade biometric passports and other systems that will pave the way for ID Cards
Sun Targets Growing Healthcare Sector
Creating a more efficient and secure way to exchange such medical information will lead to better patient treatment and improved public health, supporters say
Hackers Target PowerPoint Vulnerability
If successfully exploited, the PowerPoint bug could enable hackers to take control of the victim's computer
Security Expert To Demo SQL Injection At Black Hat
If successfully exploited, the attacks give the hacker complete control over the database server operating system, file system and the rest of the internal network machines.
More Wi-Fi In Smartphones = A Security Risk
Wi-Fi has become an essential feature of smartphones, and more apps are using it. But they may not be secure, warns Andrew Garcia
Conficker – No Big Outbreak, But Threat Remains
April 1 has come without major trouble from the worm, but users should remain vigilant, apply the existing defences - and beware fake patches
EC: Major Cyberattack Could Cost £179bn
There is a 10 to 20 percent risk of a major failure in communications networks within the next 10 years, according to the European Commission.
Security Researchers Open New Front In Conficker War
Security vendors are taking advantage of a discovery by two members of the Honeynet Project who uncovered a new way to detect the Conficker worm on infected PCs.
Why Hackers And Regulations Cost The Earth
Security threats like Conficker, along with the regulations and measures to combat them, are a nightmarish waste of resources, says Peter Judge
Conficker: How Scared Should We Be?
A major update is due for Conficker on Wednesday. But should we fear such a well-understood piece of malware?
Psyb0t – The First Linux Botnet
Psyb0t exposes router and broadband vunerabilities.