Data Thieves Smarten Up, Branch Out

Firm is responsible for delivering people to more than half of all websites

(NEWSER) - Hackers managed to break into the servers of a crucial web company responsible for delivering users to more than half the websites in the world. VeriSign doesn't believe the attackers infiltrated its Domain Name System network—which is responsible for directing traffic to .com, .net, and .gov addresses on the Internet—but it can't rule it out. The attacks occurred in 2010, but only came to light today, when Reuters spotted them in an October SEC filing. More»

Private data lying around in plain view on Internet

(NEWSER) - Last year the number of identity theft victims in the US jumped 12%, while the number of Internet-related fraud cases went up 23%. But the problem isn't just hackers, say experts: In many cases, we're exposing our private data to anyone and everyone who knows where to look. Atlanta officials recently found names, Social Security numbers, and home phone numbers of 1,000 of the city's firefighters online, for instance. More»

Symantec aims to raise cybercrime awareness

(NEWSER) - A rising number of cybercriminals make their living selling other people's online identities to thieves. Now a new security tool helps you calculate what yours is worth on the black market—and your risk of losing it, IT World reports. The Norton Online Risk Calculator aims to raise awareness of cybercrime. The bad news: "It's shocking how little value criminals place on your credit card," said a spokewoman, even though it often costs the victim a fortune. More»

(NEWSER) - The results of Time’s online “world’s most influential person” poll have fallen victim to shenanigans, TechCrunch reports. Moot, leader of the devious web forum 4Chan, sits atop Time’s leaderboard, above Barack Obama and other usual suspects. And the first letters of the top 20 spell out “Marblecake Also the Game”—"marblecake" being both “lewd sexual reference” and online shorthand. More»

Former Microsoft employees run startup Haute Secure

(NEWSER) - A new free system designed to protect Web surfers from dangerous code is taking on the software security giants, reports the Wall Street Journal. Developers say Haute Secure, the brainchild of ex-Microsoft security experts, blocks Web pages embedded with malicious code. The public can download the program free, and companies who want their Web sites scanned for problem code will pay a fee. More»