Security

Hackers can easily breach Emergency Alert Systems

Hackers broke into several television stations' Emergency Alert Systems this week and broadcast that zombies were "rising from their graves" and "attacking the living."

While a comical hoax, security consultancy firm IOActive warns that this type of behavior is dangerous and not that hard for hackers to do, according to Computerworld. This week it's zombies, but next time it could be something that might make people really panic, such as an anthrax or terrorist attack.

IOActive says that devices used by TV and radio stations to air emergency alerts have critical vulnerabilities that make them … Read more

Anonymous fails to shut down live streams of Obama address

Despite Anonymous' vows to block Web broadcasts of tonight's State of the Union address, the hacktivist collective failed to disrupt the president's speech.

Declaring that "there will be no State of the Union Address on the Web tonight," the loose-knit group announced earlier today its intention to block live streams of the address in protest of the president not mentioning issues during his speech that are important to Anonymous.

However, live streams originating from the White House's Web site and YouTube appeared unaffected during the president's speech.

Anonymous, which is famous for using distributed … Read more

Anonymous intends to block Webcasts of State of the Union

The online hactivist collective Anonymous intends to block Webcasts of President Obama's State of the Union address this evening because of what it calls a lack of attention to issues important to the group.

"There will be no State of the Union Address on the Web tonight," the group said today in a blog post announcing the effort, which it has code named #opSOTU.

Specifically, the group says it objects to Obama not addressing the prosecution of Web activist Aaron Swartz, the long detention of alleged WikiLeaker Bradley Manning, wireless wiretapping, the targeted killings of U.S. … Read more

Microsoft delivers fixes for Windows 8, Windows RT

It's February 12, yet another Patch Tuesday. Among the security fixes aplenty that Microsoft is rolling out today are a few other non-security-specific updates for Windows RT and Windows 8.

As previously announced, the February cumulative update includes fixes designed to improve Surface Wi-Fi reliability and connectivity, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed.

Microsoft also has provided a fix for the app-store-downloading bug that a number of Surface RT and Windows RT users reported a few weeks back. The problem resulted in Windows RT systems entering "Connected Standby" while the devices were downloading new Windows Updates via Automatic Update. … Read more

Android a growing target for mobile malware -- report

The Android platform is becoming a key mobile target for cybercriminals, who are getting much more efficient with their malware, according to a report from Web-security company Blue Coat Systems.

In a mobile malware report, Blue Coat notes that Android is a popular target. Here's a look at the volume of Android malware:

Blue Coat noted:

The Android-based malware blocked by WebPulse included an Android root exploit and a variety of rogue Android software. Forty percent of Android malware was delivered via malnets, demonstrating how cybercriminals can successfully utilize embedded infrastructures to attack mobile users. In the most recent … Read more

Cyberattacks reanimate CISPA, spark move by Obama -- reports

Recent reports of cyberespionage and hacking against important U.S. targets have triggered cybersecurity rumblings in Washington, with the leaders of the House Intelligence Committee reportedly planning to bring back the controversial CISPA -- Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act -- and President Obama reportedly readying his own executive order on the issue.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and ranking member Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) say they plan to re-introduce CISPA -- unaltered -- next week during a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, according to Beltway tech blog The Hill.

"American … Read more

Hackers said to hit Bush family, exposing sensitive information

Private Bush family information, including correspondence from both President Bushes, is said to have been compromised by a hacking attack.

According to The Smoking Gun, hackers broke into several email accounts owned by members of the Bush family.

The Smoking Gun wrote:

In e-mail exchanges with the person who claimed responsibility for the hack, the individual claimed to have swiped "a lot of stuff," including "interesting mails" about George H.W. Bush's recent hospitalization, "Bush 43," and other Bush family members.

Included in the hacked material is a confidential October 2012 list of … Read more

Microsoft's next Patch Tuesday to fix 57 security bugs

Microsoft is deploying a larger bunch of bug fixes this month than usual.

Next week's Patch Tuesday will address 57 different security vulnerabilities through 12 separate updates.

The bugs stretch across a range of programs, including Windows, Internet Explorer, Windows Server, Microsoft Exchange, and Microsoft's .Net Framework.

Five of the 12 patches are rated critical, so they're designed to patch holes that could allow someone to execute malicious code on an unprotected PC. Two of the critical patches are aimed at all versions of Internet Explorer from 6 through 10. That means all current versions of Windows … Read more

Kaspersky update hoses Internet access for Windows XP users

Windows XP users who run certain Kaspersky antivirus software may find themselves offline after downloading a new update.

Released yesterday, the update causes Windows XP computers to lose their connection to the Internet.

IT administrators who use Kaspersky Endpoint Security at their organizations chimed into the Kaspersky forum yesterday and today complaining of connectivity problems. One person who manages around 12,000 computers with KES installed noted a slew of calls to the help desk from users knocked offline.

Some IT admins said they were able to restore Internet access by shutting down the monitoring of certain ports or disabling … Read more