A hacker has pleaded guilty to infecting hundreds of thousands of computers with malware in order to steal money from Paypal accounts. He could spend 60 years in prison and face a US$1.75 million fine. John Schiefer, 26, admitted that he and some associates developed malware that allowed them to create botnet armies of as many as 250,000 computers. Schiefer was able to collect information sent from the infected computers, including usernames and passwords for Paypal accounts. He and his associates were then able to make purchases using the Paypal accounts. They also shared the password information with others.
Read more…
It seems unlikely to think about a prowler trying to sneak into Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. But every day, people try to gain unseen entrance to the base by remotely probing its computer network, sometimes by accident and others times with nefarious intent. It happens 2.8 million times a day, the near equivalent of every Chicago resident trying once daily.
Read more…
New York (NY) – Myspace appears to be a popular new vehicle for spreading malware, as professional artists find their profile pages being hacked. Exploit Prevention Labs has released a report, claiming that hackers have gained access to the Myspace pages of French funk band Freements of Fortune, Irish rock band Dykeenies, and US R&B singer Alicia Keys.
Read more…
A Los Angeles man is facing up to 60 years in prison and fines of up to $1.75m (ÂŁ839,000) after admitting to infecting at least 250,000 PCs with information-stealing malware. By day, 26-year-old John Kenneth Schiefer worked as a security consultant for the company 3G Communications. By night he operated a 250,000 PC botnet, which US federal prosecutors are claiming he used to steal information and money from users of eBay’s online banking service, PayPal.
Read more…
A strain of malware disguised as anti-spyware has become the latest double-agent in multi-step “convergence” crime online. The scam, which prompts users to download malware by posing as an anti-spyware demo, has proliferated dramatically. Reported incidences of its distribution have increased by 1,000 percent in the last month, according to Don Jackson, senior analyst at SecureWorks.
Read more…
A convicted AOL junk mailer, who tried to strike a spam business deal over instant messenger with a confidential informant, was sentenced on Friday to 27 months in prison. Todd Moeller, 28, of New Jersey was found guilty of helping to send spam to more than 1.2 million AOL subscribers. His accomplice, 26-year-old Adam Vitale of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty in June and faces up to 11 years in prison when he is sentenced next week. The two men delivered spam to more than 1.27 million AOL subscribers between Aug. 17 and Aug. 23, 2005, authorities said.
Read more…
Symantec has plunged into the data-loss protection (DLP) market via the acquisition route, announcing on Monday that it has agreed to purchase partner Vontu for $350 million. The acquisition, rumored for several weeks, further validates the hot DLP sector, where a number of large players, including EMC and Websense, already have snatched up similar companies. Symantec took a similar approach. “The big guys are gulping these companies up, basically,” Chenxi Wang, the principal security and risk management analyst for Forrester Research, told SCMagazineUS.com today.
Read more…
Hackers and Greenpeace protestors are both promising to do their bit to undermine the UK iPhone launch this week. Apple will ship iPhones in the UK with new software designed to block iPhone hackers from unlocking the iPhone, or breaking into the device in order to add additional applications. Hackers aren’t happy, and have sworn to unlock the device “within hours” of the launch, according to a report in The Guardian.
Read more…
UK IT professionals are more concerned about internal system failures than hacker attacks, according to new research. The study by training company Firebrand Training asked 601 UK IT workers to rank their greatest concerns. System failure ranked the highest with 63 per cent of those questioned more concerned about interrupted IT services than the 24 per cent who ranked external threats as their key worry.
Read more…
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) A hacker broke into the Web page of Chile’s presidency and planted the flag of neighboring Peru, leaving the site inoperable for about 18 hours until it was restored Monday. The intruder left a message – “Long live Peru,” followed by an expletive – as well as the flag around midday Sunday. Officials took the site down a few minutes later, leaving a notice: “Because we want to give a better service, we are working for you.”
Read more…