Infosecurity News
Future of SSL in doubt? Researcher Marlinspike unveils alternative to certificate authorities
Noted security researcher and hacker Moxie Marlinspike slammed the certificate authorities at last week’s Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, just before he introduced his own alternative for authenticating secure web communications.
Trojanised Android app seen checking for keywords in text messages
A threat analyst with Trend Micro claims to have spotted a trojanised Android app in the wild that checks for keywords in text messages, and relays the data back to remote hackers.
Dell SecureWorks says 60 families of APT malware traced back to China
After researching the growing problem of APTs (Advanced Persistent Threats) – a security issue first discovered by StoneSoft late last year - Dell SecureWorks claims to have revealed around 60 different types of families of custom malware that use APTs as their infection vehicle.
DefCon 19: 10-year-old code cracker reveals zero-day smartphone gaming security flaw
A 10-year-old code cracker taking part in the first Defcon kids event over the weekend – part of the DefCon 19 event that has just taken place in Las Vegas – has reportedly discovered a zero-day flaw in the way the iOS and Android smartphone/tablet operating systems rely on the system clock.
US standards body issues warning to energy suppliers over cyber attacks
A US energy industry standards body has warned suppliers to improve their defences against cyber attacks.
Anonymous hacker group publishes data stolen from US police departments
Hacktivist group Anonymous and its offshoot LulzSec have published information stolen from rural US police departments in revenge for recent law enforcement actions.
California adopts nation’s first privacy and security rules for smart grid customer data
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has adopted the first privacy and security protections for customer data on smart grid electricity networks in the US.
Trusteer claims to have wiped banking malware from 1.6 million users' PCs.
In-browser security specialist Trusteer is reporting that, a year after adding malware removal to its Rapport software, it has successfully removed banking trojans and similar malware from around 1.6 million users' PCs.
Black Hat 2011: Google Android as vulnerable to drive-by downloads as PCs claims Dasient Research
Dasient Research claims that mobile apps running on the Android platform are as vulnerable to drive-by download security attacks as the software loaded onto desktop PCs.
Black Hat 2011: Busting a security myth – Macs more vulnerable to network attacks
With organizations off all stripes seeking to defend against advanced persistent threats (APTs), a team of researchers from iSEC Partners put the Mac OS X operating system head-to-head with Windows to see how each performs in the realm of enterprise security.
New Android botnet Identified
The world of security threats is changing, as the smartphone is now entering the frame as a vehicle for security attacks. That's the underlying message from the latest Fortinet threat landscape report, which claims that a new Android botnet has been seen in the wild.
NIST seeks help in testing iPad, iPhone security for government use
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is launching a pilot program to test the security of the Apple iPad and iPhone for government use.
Webroot offers free mobile banking security to Android users
Webroot has extended its mobile security applications to its partners in banking in order to protect their customers who use tablets and smartphones to conduct mobile banking.
Fake AV software is fading in profit and frequency says researcher
A leading security researcher claims that the volume - and profitability - of fake anti-virus software is now on the wane. But, he adds, there is still a lot of activity in the market, so users cannot breathe that easily just yet.
Sun website hack: ICO investigates whilst News International apologises
Following on from the hacking of the Sun newspaper's website last month, in which false news stories were posted, it appears that thousands of customer's details were downloaded during the hack.
CA researcher spots Android trojan that records user's phone calls
A Computer Associates researcher has spotted a trojan for the Google Android platform that quietly records user's phone calls for later possible cybercriminal usage.
New Mac trojan spotted hidden inside fake Flash updater
F-Secure's research team claim to have spotted a fake FlashPlayer.pkg installer for the Apple Mac. When executed, the 'installer' reveals itself to be a Bash/QHOst.WB trojan.

Facebook to offer bug bounties for security researchers
Late last week Facebook unveiled its new security bug bounty program whereby the social network will offer security researchers payment for reporting certain vulnerabilities.
10 days to track down a stolen iPhone in Australia
A 19-year-old sales clerk in Australia has successfully retrieved her iPhone 4 after it was stolen from a cash register at work. What makes the case unusual is that the handset was sold on by the original thief, yet it was still traceable using the onboard GPS-driven software.
Windows XP is operating system of choice for rootkit infections
Although it may be two steps behind in terms of Windows releases, a study by AVAST Software indicates that Windows XP is still the main vector for rootkit infections.



