Tools
The Virtual Steganophic Library from open source software development website SourceForge is now available. It is a testbed tool for image steganography and analysis techniques. And Trusted Computer Solutions, a cross-domain solution specialist, is offering a trial version of ifs Security Blanket tool, which implements pre-configured settings to lock down operating systems. The free trial is for the standalone Linux version only.
Internet not working very well? Check out the ICSI Netalyzer network analysis tool here.
Law
Self-pronounced spam king Sanford Wallace could go to jail for criminal contempt after allegedly continuing to send spam on Facebook, four months after being sued by the social networking service. Wallace filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week in a perceived attempt to freeze civil claims against him. He has also been successfully sued for using MySpace to send spam.
BankInfoSecurity has a legal update from the first attorney to file suit against Heartland over its credit card data breach.
Techniques
Security consultant Mike Davis from IOActive promises to demonstrate security bugs in wireless smart meters next month at the Black Hat security conference. The bugs could be used to attack a modernised electrical network, making the term 'smart grid' something of an oxymoron.
The latest issue of Phrack is on the electronic shelves.
Attacks
The newspaper of the Mormons' Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints had its Twitter account hacked.
Sunbelt has found a new spam message pushing the zbot malware.
T-Mobile confirmed that it had been hacked.
Two pieces of Mac malware have been discovered in one week, which is a positive torrent in the rarified world of Apple. The company, which released the latest version of Safari this week with several security fixes, came under fire after a researcher said it was struggling with security.
Defenses
Google has updated its Chrome browser to fix some bugs in the underlying Webkit engine, while browser rival Mozilla has patched nine flaws - four of them critical - in the latest version of Firefox.
The federal Government needs 10 000 cyber-security experts, according to James Christy, director of future exploration at the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center.
Just as well, then, that Jeff Moss (aka Dark Tangent), former X.25 hacker and founder of the Black Hat security conference, has been appointed to the Homeland Security Advisory Council. One down, 9999 to go...