IT SECURITY NEWS
MS preps emergency patch for Windows shortcut peril
Warning of an uptick in attacks, Microsoft plans to issue an emergency update to patch a critical Windows vulnerability that hackers are exploiting to seize control of PCs.…
Futurologist defends 'malevolent dust' warning
A futurologist has defended his controversial warning that "smart dust" is liable to become a future information stealing threat.…
Delegate hacks into Black Hat streaming video
Security shortcomings in Black Hat's newly established streaming media service allowed a security consultant to hack into the system and see presentations for free.…
Cyber Security Challenge winner announced
The UK's Cyber Security Challenge has announced the winner of its prologue crypto puzzle, as well as the solution - for anyone still struggling to find an answer.…
UK.gov sticks to IE 6 cos it's more 'cost effective', innit
Computers in Whitehall will largely continue to run Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 6, which will make web coders spit out their cheese‘n’pickle sarnies this lunchtime.…
Fake Firefox update used to sling scareware
Online con artists have developed a strain of scareware that poses as a Firefox update.…
Beware the blizzard of torrents of Starcraft 2
Starcraft 2 was released this week and at the hefty RRP of £45. Many games sites are hopping mad at this, although typically retailers are selling Blizzard's strategy game at £10 less than RRP.…
'Suspicious' Android wallpaper app nabs user data
An Android wallpaper application that collected data from users' phones and uploaded it to a site in China was downloaded "millions of times", according to mobile security firm Lookout.…
Data for 100m Facebook accounts published to BitTorrent
Underscoring the permanence of data published on the internet, a security researcher has compiled the names and URLs of more than 100 million Facebook users and made them available as a BitTorrent download.…
Fog of cyberwar: internet always favors the offense
Black Hat Fighting wars that target computer networks is fraught with risks that don't exist in traditional warfare, raising the stakes for future conflicts, a retired US general told security professionals Thursday.…
Data breaches blamed on organised crime
Cybercrooks continue to be a menace to corporate security, with hackers and malware authors collectibly responsible for 85 per cent of all stolen data.…
Turkish pranksters load Facebook Translate with swears
Facebook's attempts to crowdsource translations have gone awry in Turkey.…
Cell phone eavesdropping enters script-kiddie phase
Black Hat Independent researchers have made good on a promise to release a comprehensive set of tools needed to eavesdrop on cell phone calls that use the world's most widely deployed mobile technology.…
NoScript 2.0 beefs border patrol
NoScript daddy Giorgio Maone has released version 2.0 of his popular Firefox add-on, a means of blocking JavaScript, Java, Flash, and other plug-in or script content from untrusted websites.…
Armed with exploits, ATM hacker hits the jackpot
Black Hat A startling percentage of the world's automated teller machines are vulnerable to physical and remote attacks that can steal administrative passwords and personal identification numbers to say nothing of huge amounts of cash, a security researcher said Wednesday.…
Scareware victims seldom fight back
Victims of rogue anti-virus scams rarely attempt to claw back fraudulent credit card payments for worthless software packages, according to new research.…
Adobe fights exploits with MAPPs
Black Hat Following a path first taken by Microsoft, Adobe Systems plans to provide security partners with information about upcoming security patches to give providers of antivirus products and intrusion prevention systems a head start in warding off attacks that target the flaws.…
Tight-lipped Apple fixes Safari autosnoop bug
Black Hat Apple has fixed a flaw in Safari that exposed user names, email addresses, and other sensitive information when the browser visited booby-trapped websites.…
Smart meters pose hacker kill-switch risk, warn boffins
A leading computer scientist has warned of the security risks of using smart meters in controlling utility supplies.…
Reboot key Brit 'ready to save internet'
The Brit charged with holding one of seven digital keys necessary to re-establish a system of trust in the highly unlikely event of a collapse of the DNSSec (DNS Security Extensions) system has spoken of the practicalities of his responsibility.…