Topic: Computer Security

Beyond Stuxnet: massively complex Flame malware ups ante for cyberwar

Flame is something new in cyberwar, experts say. It can take screenshots and record audio on infected computers. The malware was almost certainly made by a nation-state.

Russian security firm spots cyber supervirus that tops Stuxnet

Russian Internet security firm Kaspersky Labs says the complexity and targets of the virus – which is infecting computers in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East – imply its creator is a government.

Is State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite, but propaganda war is fierce.

Despite early reports, a State Department program to shoot down Al Qaeda propaganda online is not a hack. But the efforts are having an impact, Secretary Clinton says.

China is a lead cyberattacker of US military computers, Pentagon reports

China is especially interested in gleaning how best to defend its own computer networks from cyberattack, says a Pentagon report on cyberwar threats. But China is also improving its offensive abilities.

Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks

Cybersecurity needs are not hypothetical, as the recent DHS warning of a cyberattack on the US natural gas industry shows. Why then was a post-9/11 initiative to secure US utilities dropped?

Rebekah Brooks charged in News Corp phone-hacking scandal (+video)

Rebekah Brooks, who held various leadership positions in Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, was charged with interfering with a police investigation into the British phone-hacking scandal.

Exclusive: Cyberattacks on US natural-gas pipeline companies, evidence points to China

Those analyzing the cyberspies who are trying to infiltrate natural-gas pipeline companies have found similarities with an attack on a cybersecurity firm a year ago. At least one US government official has blamed China for that earlier attack.

Alert: Major cyber attack aimed at natural gas pipeline companies

A major cyber attack is currently under way aimed squarely at computer networks belonging to US natural gas pipeline companies, according to alerts issued by the US Department of Homeland Security.

China blamed for multi-continent cyberspying caper in 2011

For six months in 2011, cyberspies infiltrated, undetected, at least 20 commercial and industrial organizations on three continents, states a new report by a US-based cybersecurity firm. Investigators name China as 'most logical' benefactor.

How one man may have foiled a devastating cyberattack against America

Researcher Justin W. Clarke discovered a vulnerability in an industrial networking system used by American power grids and the Pentagon. Now, after public pressure, the manufacturer is promising a fix.

Cybersecurity bill (CISPA): After House passage, what will Senate do?

Sen. John McCain is pushing a voluntary cybersecurity approach, while another CISPA-type bill would require companies like electric utilities to meet federal cybersecurity standards.

House cybersecurity vote sets up Senate showdown, Obama threatens veto

Ignoring a White House veto threat, the House on Thursday approved the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, which would encourage companies and the federal government to share information collected on the Internet to help prevent electronic attacks.

House passes cyber security bill over Obama's objections

The president has threatened to veto the bill, which is designed to empower the private sector to fight electronic attacks.  The White House prefers a Senate alternative that vests that power in the Department of Homeland Security.

House passes cybersecurity bill despite veto threat over privacy protections

The cybersecurity bill seeks to protect the nation from cyberattack, but concerns over how personal information is shared with the government and corporations has sparked opposition and a veto threat from the Obama administration.

America's Stuxnet? Weakness found in systems used by Pentagon, power grid.

An amateur enthusiast has found evidence that hackers could exploit a security vulnerability in the systems of a company that serves power plants and military installations. 

Latest cyberattack on Iran targets oil export facilities

Computer servers at the government oil ministry and the National Iranian Oil Co. are the apparent target of a cyberattack via a data-deleting virus, Iranian officials have acknowledged. Previous attacks struck at Iran's nuclear program.

A 'spam filter' for your thinking

A Christian Science perspective.

Good Reads: Weighing the tactics in battles over drones, hackers, and abortion rights

A roundup of some of the week's most insightful articles from around the Internet.

Al Qaeda rocked by apparent cyberattack. But who did it?

Al Qaeda's core jihadi websites have all been hit by an apparent cyberattack. For a group in flux, it's a big blow, but the nature of the attack raises questions about who's responsible. 

Credit card hacked? Four steps to take.

Credit card hackers can send sophisticated looking e-mails and make small purchases on credit cards to test if you're watching closely. 

Secret Service probes major credit card breach

Credit card breach at an Atlanta card-processor affects Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. The number of accounts affected by the security breach is not yet known. 

EU leaders agree on need for more money - just not how much

Some European leaders want to give the permanent bailout fund as much money as possible, but others say that will do nothing to deter a repeat of the current debt crisis. 

Switching from a Mac to a PC: Five lessons from an Apple fanboy

The Internet is filled with testimonials of people ditching their PC for a hip new Mac. Where once they trudged through stodgy spreadsheets, they now write screenplays and edit flashy videos (if the ads are to be believed). But there's almost no material documenting the opposite experience. Most of the personal switching-to-Windows stories are many years out of date and center around now-obsolete "But you can't play games and none of your software will work!" arguments.

So, here are the top five things an Apple fanboy learned from two months using Windows.

Helping hackers don white hats

The FBI warns that cyberspace hacking may soon surpass terrorism as a threat. But many hackers easily give up and become useful 'white hat' security experts. Are there better ways to win over more of them?

6 men alleged to be LulzSec hackers

Tuesday saw the news that the FBI had identified and charged six men allegedly behind the hacktivist group LulzSec. Who are the men that the FBI says are behind LulzSec's mayhem?