Cyber Attack Hits Federal Websites

(NEWSER) - In a possible first for Twitter, a malicious attack shut down the service entirely today, Wired reports. The denial-of-service assault flooded the site's server with requests, overloading it and blocking legitimate users from gaining access for about three hours; Tweeters are now slowly regaining access. More»

Ability to launch attack is still a few years off, though

(NEWSER) - Hacking collective Anonymous has taken on the FBI and the CIA , among others—and soon the group could be making its presence known in your living room. The National Security Agency director warns that within the next one to two years, Anonymous could launch a cyberattack that results in a limited power outage, the Wall Street Journal reports. Gen. Keith Alexander did not air his concerns in public, but in private meetings including some at the White House, sources say. Other officials are similarly concerned, but some think the possibility is more like three to five years off. More»

Russia blamed for water pump shutdown

(NEWSER) - It's an unlikely story, but we appear to have the first successful case of foreign hackers attacking a US industrial facility, and it involves the shutdown of a water pump in Illinois. FBI and Homeland Security are investigating the recent shutdown, the Guardian reports, which has been blamed on Russian hackers who apparently got access to the supervisory control and data acquisition (Scada) software. Turning the Scada system on and off reportedly burned out the water pump. No supply issues resulted, but, "This is a big deal," says one cybersecurity expert. More»

Most spam removed, says spokesperson

(NEWSER) - You can go back on Facebook: The social networking site says it has “eliminated most of the spam”—otherwise known as graphic, disturbing images —caused by a recent attack, a spokesperson tells CNN . "We are now working to improve our systems to better defend against similar attacks in the future," he adds. Facebook’s security team has been investigating the cause of the problem. It appears some users were tricked into pasting malicious script in their URL bars, the spokesperson says. More»

Graphic, violent images flood news feeds

(NEWSER) - Forbes has a warning for you: "You may not want to check Facebook at work today." Why? Because, as numerous outlets are reporting , your news feed may have been inundated with porn and disturbing images thanks to a huge spam attack. One tweet sums it up: "I saw a dead dog, Justin Bieber sucking a d***, and a naked grandma. Time to delete Facebook." More»