Infosecurity News
US Counterintelligence Executive Says NSA Doesn’t Have Adequate Resource to Monitor All Communications
Presenting the keynote at the 2013 SINET Innovation Summit in New York, August 6th 2013, Frank Montoya Jr., National Counterintelligence Executive, assured the audience that "we don't have the resources" to monitor and evaluate information on all communications when asked about the NSA surveillance programs.
Did the FBI Use CIPAV Against Tor?
Following the arrest of Eric Eoin Marques last week, websites in the darknet hidden services began to go down. A piece of javascript malware was found and posted to the internet. Researchers are now wondering if this is the first live sample of the FBI's fabled CIPAV malware.
Feds Seek Extradition of Child-Porn Dealer – Darknet Compromised
On Friday the Irish High Court denied bail to Mr Eric Eoin Marques, arrested the day before on an extradition warrant issued in Maryland charging him with distributing and promoting child pornography on the internet.
Colin Powell's Emails Tapped by Hacker
The hacker known as Guccifer, who makes a habit of hacking the rich and powerful – the 'Illuminati' in his own terms – has struck again, this time forcing former US Secretary of State Colin Powell to deny an affair.
Rodecap – a New Spam Bot in Town
Just over a week ago Symantec published a note on a new spam bot that it was and is currently investigating. A Swiss researcher, however, was already on it, having trapped the first instance in his sandnet two days earlier.
Comfoo – the APT RAT that Ratted on RSA
The Comfoo trojan has been in continuous development since at least 2006. It has more than 200 variants and has been used in at least 64 different campaigns, including the RSA SecurID breach in 2010 – but little has been known about it.
Black Hat 2013: Researchers Demo How Smart TVs Can Watch You
Two different presentations at Black Hat Las Vegas on August 2nd 2013 called new attention to the risks posed by smart TVs increasingly found in homes and offices around the world. Researchers demonstrated how vulnerabilities in these systems can be used to steal online credentials, sensitive data and even turn device cameras against users to record them illicitly. Ericka Chickowski reports.
BSides Las Vegas: How to Find Fame as an Information Security Professional
Self-promotion through social media is the key to improving your visibility in the information security industry Javvad Malik told an engaged audience at BSides Las Vegas on August 1st 2013.
VERIS: A New Database for Sharing Security Incident Information
A new community database has been launched by Verizon to help bridge the uncertainty gap in data breach information: what we know and what we need to know. Based on VERIS, it is designed to facilitate the secure sharing of incident information for the good of all.
XKeyscore – the Front End that Queries the NSA Databases
The Guardian has released the latest of its Edward Snowden leaks – NSA training material for a system called XKeyscore that allows analysts to search through vast databases of emails, online chats and browsing histories.
Black Hat 2013: Responsible Disclosure on Increase through Bug Bounty Program
Responsible zero-day vulnerability disclosure is on the increase, according to Brian Gorenc, manager of HP’s Zero Day Initiative.
What is the Syrian Electronic Army?
As the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) continues its hacking spree across largely Western organizations, it is worth pausing to question: what is the SEA, how does it operate, and what are its motivations?
83% of Mobile Apps Exhibit Risky Behavior
iOS apps are worse than Android apps, and free apps are worse than paid apps – but in a study that has implications for both personal and BYOD use, as many as 83% of all apps exhibit at least one form of risky behavior.
UK's Porn Surfing Filter Continuing to Create Waves
It's a question of where to start: TalkTalk's filter provided by Huawei; more than porn will be blocked; UK's 'pornification' MP Claire Perry hacked and now sued; at least one ISP in open rebellion; and Anonymous launches op PornStorm.
Google's Chromecast Video Streaming Product Hacked Already
Google's Chromecast, a $35 device for streaming internet video to the TV, has been rooted within days of its launch.
Twitter Troll Arrested
Caroline Criado-Perez successfully campaigned for the inclusion of women on British banknotes. But from the moment it was announced she had succeeded and that Jane Austen will appear in 2017, she has received a barrage of abuse and threats via Twitter.
Lenovo Computers Banned by the 'Five Eyes' Spy Agencies
A new report claims that computers from the world's largest PC manufacturer, China's Lenovo, have been banned from use within the interconnected intelligence networks of the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
ATM Hacker Barnaby Jack Dies at Age 35
Well-known “ATM hacker” Barnaby Jack died on Thursday in San Francisco. He passed away just ahead of the Black Hat conference where he was planning to speak on “Hacking Humans,” including a man-killing compromise of heart implants.
US Authorities Indict 5 Men for Largest Ever Data Breach Conspiracy
Four Russians and one Ukrainian were yesterday charged with conspiracy in a worldwide hacking spree that stole 160 million credit card numbers and cost the victim companies hundreds of millions of dollars.
Major French Web-hosting Company Hacked
French web-hosting company OVH has admitted that it was hacked when the internal network at its offices in Roubaix was compromised. Customers in Europe and North America are affected.
