Network Security: Archive: March 2010

Data Theft Trojans, Black Market Cybercrime Tools on the Rise

Panda Security's latest report says banker Trojans represent more that 60 percent of new cyber security threats, while traditional viruses are making a comeback.

Data Theft Stings Student Loan Guarantor

More than 3.3 million people with student loans had their names, social security numbers, and other personal information stolen last week after a portable media device was swiped.

IBM Teams With FAA in Cybersecurity Push

Big Blue lands partnership with FAA to develop novel cybersecurity monitoring systems while it aims to broaden collaboration with the government.

Apple Fixes 53 Security Vulnerabilities in Mac OS X

New Mac 10.6.3 update addresses a long list of security and stability issues.

Microsoft Issues Out-of-Band Internet Explorer Security Patch

Microsoft fixes a gaping security hole in Internet Explorer 6 and 7, plus tosses in fixes for nine other critical security flaws in the same out-of-band patch.

Secure Wi-Fi Video On The Battlefield

Network security can be a life or death proposition in a war zone. A new product provides secure wireless HD video in a walkie-talkie-sized device for just those scenarios.

IE8, Firefox, Safari, and iPhone Fall to Pwn2own Hackers

As expected, security researchers found exploits in all of the targeted platforms in a contest that put browser security to the test.

Pwn2Own Hackers Try to Take Down Browsers

This year's hacking contest will put Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Mozilla Firefox on the firing line. Should we be worried?

U.S. Faces Cyber Security Gap Without Training, Education

Homeland Security's cybersecurity director, Richard Marshall, warns that universities aren't turning out enough cybersecurity experts and urges greater scholarship funding.

Mozilla Scrambles to Close Firefox Vulnerability

Mozilla patches a critical flaw that a few weeks ago it doubted even existed.

FBI Underboss Says Cyber Criminals the New Mafia

Deputy Assistant FBI Director Chabinsky describes growing professionalization, specialization in cyber crime that has led to emerging class of "career criminals."

Are Virtual Servers Less Secure Than Physical Servers?

Research firm Gartner argues in a new report that servers that are virtualized end up being less secure than before when it comes to network security.

Editor's Pick: The Do-It-Yourself Security Audit

Security breaches can be very costly--but so can a full, professional-grade security audit. In this Internet.com eBook, learn how to conduct your own comprehensive security tests.

Google May Soon Quit China Over Cyber Attack, Censoring

Prompted by claims of hacking and a policy of censorship, the search giant's battle with the Chinese government may be headed for closure.

Google Hardens Browser Ahead of Critical Hacker Test

Google patches Chrome for eight vulnerabilities that could have left users at risk.

Cybersecurity Bill Returns to Senate

Landmark Internet security legislation returns with 'kill switch' provision dropped and scales back the potential privacy incursions outlined in the original version.

Feds Crack Hackers' Stock Manipulation Cybercrime

The SEC convinced a U.S. federal judge to freeze the assets of a Russian company accused of using investors' stolen passwords and usernames to game equity trades on some 38 stocks.

7 Cool, Free Security Applications

Eric Geier offers an interesting list of free security apps, including biometric logins, encrypting flash drives, and locking down public workstations.

Ask Not What Cybersecurity Can Do for You...

The government extends its dialog with industry and citizens on the vital topic of cybersecurity.

Microsoft Offers IE Exploit Workaround, Promises Patch

On the heels of a researcher releasing an exploit for a newly discovered security hole, Microsoft has vowed to deliver a speedy patch and to help out worried users.

Twitter Launches Geo-location Feature

Presenting potential risks to businesses and a new realm of privacy challenges to individual users, Twitter takes its geotagging feature live.

Apple Updates Safari for 16 Flaws

More than half the Apple browser's security flaws are in the WebKit rendering engine, which is also used by Google's Chrome.

Improve Windows Security with Smart Cards

Security authentication and single-sign on are among the benefits to enterprises using Vista and smart cards.

IBM Best in Privacy Among Tech Firms

IBM was ranked the most trusted company for privacy among IT companies, fending off the likes of HP and eBay for the coveted top spot. But Facebook wasn't as fortunate.

HSBC Confirms Massive Database Security Breach

The bank came clean this week, admitting that data stolen by a former IT specialist exposed a lot more clients to possible identity theft than it previously suspected.

Hacker Releases Metasploit Exploit for IE Zero-Day Hole

What started as 'targeted' attacks may now expand into a full-blown pandemic, since a hacker figured out how to turn hints into a Metasploit exploit module.

Vodafone HTC Smartphone Ships With Malware

Panda Security discovered Confiker, Mariposa, and Lineage password stealing malware samples installed on a recently purchased Vodafone HTC Magic smartphone.

Increase Laptop Security with BitLocker

If your laptop is running either the Ultimate or Enterprise editions of Windows 7 or Windows Vista, you can take advantage of the BitLocker feature to encrypt the hard drive. Here's how.

Arkansas National Guard Loses Hard Drive

More than 35,000 Arkansas National Guard soldiers are learning that their names, social security numbers and other personal data are at risk after an external hard drive vanished.

Cisco Enhances Network Security

Cisco recently announced the expansion of TrustSec to help create identity secured networks.

Review: Apricorn Aegis Padlock

For secure, portable external storage needs, the Apricorn Aegis Padlock combines hardware encryption with a built-in numeric keypad and PIN that stop unauthorized data access.

Wyndham Hotels' Networks Hacked--Again

For the second time in two years, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts says hackers accessed its computer systems, stealing sensitive information, including customer payment card data.

Symantec Offers New Approach to Mobile Security

Security software firm shows prototype system designed to help carriers weed out bad apps, as well as security risks.

Microsoft Patch Tuesday: Two Bug Fixes, IE Warning

Besides patches for Microsoft Excel and Windows Movie Maker, Patch Tuesday includes a warning about zero-day attacks on some users via Internet Explorer 6 and 7.

PC Security: Energizer DUO Software Carries Trojan

Government security experts are warning consumers that using Energizer's DUO USB battery charger could leave their Windows PCs open to attack from hackers.

FBI to Private Sector: Cybersecurity Joint Effort

Successful busts, such as the Mariposa botnet, require international and private sector cooperation, said FBI director Robert Mueller at RSA.

Security Vendors Show Innovation at RSA

At the RSA Conference this week in San Francisco, some small vendors stood out for their innovative security solutions.

Phishers Targeting More (And Bigger) Fish

Hackers and e-crooks have moved beyond the low-hanging fruit of online banks and eBay as primary targets for their elaborate phishing schemes, according to a new report.

Windows Security Gets Boost from ClamAV

Open source antivirus comes to the Windows desktop with a little help from a new cloud backend to accelerate security.

Homeland Security Chief Details Cyber Threats

At the RSA conference this week, DHS chief Janet Napolitano calls for quicker action in securing the U.S. from a growing number of cyber threats.

Cybercrime Challenges National Security, Civil Liberties

RSA panel of experts says the U.S. is under daily cyber attacks by China, Russia, and their proxies. What can we do to protect our key systems and privacy?

White House Declassifies Cybersecurity Plan

Obama's Internet security advisor tells RSA crowd they need to secure their data, but his big news was the disclosure of a White House initiative.

Database Security Lacking at Financial Services Firms

New research from the Ponemon Institute and Compuware details sloppy data practices that pervade the financial services sector and outlines the potential consequences of a breach.

How to: Set Up TrueCrypt Disk Encryption, Part 2

In the second and final part of this series, we cover more advanced methods of configuration and mounting of this open source tool.

Crackdown on Mariposa: Botnet Infected 13 Million PCs

Internet security experts say massive botnet attack impacted computers in more than 190 countries and more than half of the world's 1,000 largest companies.

Cloud Computing Takes Center Stage at RSA 2010

At RSA, most heads are in the cloud with everyone from Symantec to IBM delivering new cloud-based security solutions.

Microsoft Warns: Don't Press "F1"

A new zero-day vulnerability threatens to use Windows help files against users, if they can be convinced to press F1, the traditional key for help. ("It's a trap!")

Citrix Improves Security with Web Application Firewall

Making sites go faster isn't enough for Citrix. Now it wants to make site delivery both faster and more secure.

IBM Pitches Code, Network Security

At RSA, IBM announces it will expand its security portfolio with new static code analysis and secure Web services.

Symantec Chief Says Cloud Security the Next Step

Information is gold and cyber villains are getting more aggressive in their attempts to steal it. Data theft requires new ways of thinking, says Symantec CEO Enrique Salem at RSA.

Is the U.S. Planning Its Own Cyber Attacks?

Gerry Blackwell looks into Gen. Alexander's statement that his responsibility is to "plan, coordinate, and conduct offensive...cyberspace operations."

Editor's Pick: Protecting Your Sensitive Information with Encryption

Learn the basics of encryption, including e-mail options and public key cryptography for enterprise users.

Network Security: Archive: March 2010

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