According to an email and Internet content security provider, stock âpump ân dumpâ spam has dropped significantly. Stock spam now represents 5% of all spam compared to 50% in February. âAt the beginning of the year, âpump ân dumpâ spam was very popular, peaking at 50 per cent of all spam in February,â said Bradley Anstis, Director of Product Management, Marshal.
The New York Times is reporting on preparations in the works by the US government to prep for a ‘cyberwar’. Precautionary measures are being taken to guard against concerted attacks by politically-minded (or well-paid) hackers looking to cause havoc. Though they outline scenarios where mass damage is the desired outcome (such as remotely opening a dam’s gates to flood cities), most expect such conflicts to be more subtle.
The recent MPACK-aided trojan attack is a sign that future mass-attacks may become increasingly localised, according to security researchers. The MPACK delivery device for malware was used to propagate trojan attacks this month, mostly affecting users in Italy. Dave Cole, director of Symantec Security Response, told SCMagazine.com today that MPACK-related attacks are unique both for their use of existing websites and regional nature.
Apple has released two security fixes â one to patch an IPv6 vulnerability in its Mac OS X and the other to correct a more serious flaw in its Apple TV service. Both holes could permit remote attacks, although the Apple TV buffer overflow vulnerability could be exploited to execute arbitrary code or launch a DoS condition.
A man suspected of creating and spreading a mobile phone virus has been arrested by police in Spain, according to reports. The 28-year-old was arrested in Valencia following a seven month investigation by the Spanish authorities. The man is accused of writing and distributing over 20 different versions of the Cabir and Commwarrior worms, which attempt to infect mobile phones running the Symbian operating system.
Security researchers have found PHP exploit code embedded in a GIF on a major image-hosting site. The exploit code slipped through the site’s defences with the aid of a legitimate image at the beginning of the file, according to a blog post on the Sans Institute’s Internet Storm Center. “It is a clever way to pass exploit code to others without it setting off alarms or attracting attention, all [the] while bypassing network security tools,” the blog noted.
A website advertising sexually explicit videos starring Paris Hilton â as well as personal mementos lost by the imprisoned heiress â exposed the credit card numbers and personal information of 750 subscribers earlier this month, according to an online report. According to the report on The Smoking Gun, the website was tipped off by a reader that a subscriber list on parisexposed.com could be easily accessed by changing a few numbers in the site’s URL.
More than 1500 Pentagon computers have been taken offline after a hacking attack. A spokesperson for the US defense department said the system is likely to recover soon and be back online following the attack on Wednesday. âWe obviously have redundant systems in place,â said Defense Secretary, Robert Gates. âThere will be some administrative disruptions and personal inconveniences.â
A cyber terrorism attack on the UK infrastructure will happen in the next five years, according to the Digital Security Services Manager at BP. The British energy giant will develop technology to protect the organisation and the national infrastructure against a cyber terrorism attack over the next few years, said Rob Martin at the opening of Symantecâs Security Operations Centre (SOC) yesterday.
ranksters have hijacked a Czech breakfast television program, inserting footage of a nuclear explosion into an otherwise innocuous weather broadcast. A collective of artists called Ztohoven has claimed credit for hacking a live camera feed that was broadcasting images from scenic East Bohemia. Instead of bucolic images, Sunday viewers of Czech Television’s Panorama program were treated to footage of a mushroom cloud ballooning over the countryside.