Hacker Duo Raided Pop Stars' Computers

Terror group compares US cybersecurity to pre-9/11 aviation

(NEWSER) - Al-Qaeda compares flaws in America's cybersecurity to gaps in aviation security before the 9/11 attacks in a chilling video released by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security. In the video, which was obtained by the FBI last year, an al-Qaeda operative calls for "electronic jihad" against the US with attacks on government and infrastructure networks, ABC reports. More»

Virus may allow hackers to create 'botnet' from infected machines

(NEWSER) - Are you a smug Mac user who assumes you can't possibly get a virus? Well, think again. A Russian anti-virus firm believes that about 600,000 Macs around the world have been infected with the Flashback Trojan virus—and about half of those are expected to be in the US. The virus may allow cybercriminals to take over infected computers en masse and use them as a "botnet," the BBC reports. More»

Hack indicates that hackers have access to bureau's email

(NEWSER) - Anonymous thumbed its nose at the FBI today, posting a 16-minute recording of a recent conference call between its cybercrime investigators and their counterparts at Scotland Yard. The conversation isn't heavy on revelations or details, but the fact that Anonymous released it indicates that the hackers have access to FBI emails—indeed, they even posted the email containing the conference call's login information online, the Atlantic reports. More»

Music, social media, augmented reality, and more get major attention

(NEWSER) - More than just Oscars and Grammys, becoming a big star today requires mastering the world of online and social media. So it's no surprise that many of today's brightest glitterati are also eager to become leading digerati, investing in a wide range of startup tech companies. Mashable presents eight stars making a splash with their online investments:

• Lady Gaga. Along with Kanye West, Gaga contributed to the $7.5 million financing raised in July by Turntable.fm , a music rating and deejaying site.

The hacking is real but not all that surprising: security experts

(NEWSER) - McAfee says it's uncovered the biggest hack in history with Operation Shady RAT, in which at least 70 governments and businesses around the world were breached. At Naked Security , expert Graham Cluley isn't quite ready to join the frenzied coverage. "To be honest, there's nothing particularly surprising in McAfee's report to those of us who have an interest in computer security," he writes. (Ditto for Dan Rowinski at ReadWriteWeb .) One big caveat is that the McAfee report doesn't say "precisely what information was stolen from the targeted organizations, and how many computers at each business were affected," writes Cluley. It's tough to call it the "biggest hack ever" without knowing that. As for blaming China: Probably not a bad bet, but what government isn't spying via the Internet? More»