Infosecurity News
Google adds phishing and malware levels to Transparency Report
Google, which flags 10,000 unsafe websites each day, has expanded its Transparency Report to add a section that will shed more light on the sources of malware and phishing attacks.
(ISC)² kicks off Women in Security mentoring program
Women in Security (WiS), a special interest group led by (ISC)²'s London Chapter, is launching a mentoring scheme to help women interested in information security to explore the profession and the opportunities its offers.
'Hidden' SOCA Report Shows UK Businesses Regularly Hack Rivals
The Independent has claimed that a report produced and suppressed by the Serious Organized Crime Agency demonstrates that law firms, telecoms giants and insurance companies routinely hire criminals to steal rivals' information.
Fake anti-virus jumps from PCs to Android
A fresh ransomware scheme is plaguing Android users by way of the well-known FakeAV malware, which has now made the leap from computers to mobile devices.
ATM-like cryptology aims to banish IDs and passwords
Finding a clever way to eliminate the use of passwords and user IDs entirely in a way that offers airtight security is, naturally, an identity technologist’s Holy Grail. CertiVox is the latest security Parsifal, debuting the open-source M-Pin Strong Authentication System for banishing the use of credentials.
Bitcoin Foundation told to cease and desist
The Bitcoin Foundation has received a cease and desist letter from the California Department of Financial Institutions, alleging that it may be engaged in money transmissions without the requisite state license.
(ISC)² launches Cyber Warrior Scholarship for veterans
To help combat the widening of the gap between demand for and supply of cybersecurity professionals, the (ISC)²’s nonprofit arm has launched the U.S.A. Cyber Warrior Scholarship program, aimed at providing cybersecurity career training to qualified veterans who served in the US military.
The effect of PRISM on Europe's General Data Protection Regulation
PRISM is the US surveillance program that allows the NSA to gain access to the accounts of major US cloud services providers, including the accounts of non-US citizens. The GDPR is the proposed data protection law for the EU. The two are, on the surface, incompatible.
Chrome Vulnerable to Camjacking
Camjacking is clickjacking aimed at taking over the PC’s webcam – and although Adobe fixed the Flash vulnerability that allows it back in 2011, it lives on in the Flash implementations of Chrome and (not verified) IE10.
Google Glass privacy questioned by six countries and the EU
Led by Canada's privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart, and enjoined by 36 provincial and international colleagues, Google has been invited to enter a dialogue with data protection authorities over the privacy issues around Google Glass.
Malware swarming on P2P networks
For all of their benefits when it comes to enabling consumer communication, peer-to-peer networks have been notorious hideouts for pirated content and other things that wish to elude detection. They’re providing cover now for something else: malware.
Manchester City’s Scouting Database Compromised
75% of the UK’s Premier League football clubs, and 50% of clubs in the major European leagues use the services of Scout7 to provide solutions in player scouting, recruitment and information management. Manchester City’s private database has been breached.
Big Data causes big problems for security
For enterprises, the ability to detect data breaches within minutes is critical in preventing data loss, yet only 35% of firms stated they have the ability to do this. The culprit? An ever-escalating array of data sources stemming from virtualization, anywhere, anytime work habits and an explosion of end-user devices and applications. In short, organizations around the world are finding themselves unable to harness the power of Big Data for security purposes.
Opt-out porn filters in the UK by the end of the year
UK ISPs will have porn filters operational before the end of 2013 said David Cameron’s ‘pornification’ advisor Claire Perry at a Westminster eForum last week.
Blank media levy extended to smartphones and tablets
The ‘blank media levy’ is effectively a tax on blank media (originally tape cassettes) designed to compensate content creators for illegal copying of copyrighted works. Over the years it was extended to include CDs, DVDs, hard disks – and is now making its first forays into devices that include solid state memory.
Fortune 500 security policies are a mixed bag
A research effort into the security practices of Fortune 500 companies has found that while a majority of the largest US public companies are following the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Guidelines by providing some level of disclosure regarding data breaches, some companies that have had exposures have chosen to remain silent. And, companies may be underestimating certain risks, like state-sponsored cyber-espionage.
Sweden effectively bans government use of Google
An announcement from the Swedish Information Commissioner enjoins Salem Municipality ‘to either remedy the shortcomings of the agreement [to use Google’s cloud services] or to stop using the cloud service.’
Gartner analysts drop the bomb on cyberwar hysteria
In a talk this week’s Gartner Security and Risk Management Summit near Washington DC, two industry analysts from Gartner examined the hype and reality behind the idea of ‘cyberwar’ – defining what it is, what it is not, and what organizations should do to prepare.
MBR-wiping malware targets German victims
Master boot record wipers have been cropping up lately, most notably in a widespread attack on South Korea media properties. A new MBR-based hack is now targeting German users, who are at risk of having their systems rendered unusable by malware being sent via spam messages.
Worldwide reaction to NSA/PRISM surveillance – an overview
When the NSA's surveillance program was first revealed by Edward Snowden last week, initial reaction was that it was a US issue. But with the realization that the greater part of the world's internet traffic is at some point routed via the US, the worldwide ramifications are becoming better understood and questioned.
