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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: hacking

hacking stories: 27 news summaries

1 - 20 of 27 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

 Climate Skeptics: 
 Hacked Emails 
 Prove We're Right 

Scientist talks about adding a 'trick' to graph

(Newser) - Hackers have gotten their hands on a trove of emails from leading climate scientists, and global warming skeptics are rejoicing. They say the emails prove the crisis is overblown and are crowing about one in particular, from 1999, in which a scientist plans to add a "trick" to a... More »

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Brits Hold Up Hacker's  Extradition

Asperger's sufferer accused of cracking Pentagon systems

(Newser) - American authorities keen to get their hands on a man accused of the biggest military hack in history are going to have to wait. British authorities have "stopped the clock" on the extradition of Gary McKinnon while lawyers examine new medical evidence, say officials. McKinnon, who has Asperger's syndrome,... More »

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How to Avoid Becoming
a Phishing Victim

Simple precautions can keep info out of scammers' hands

(Newser) - Phishing scams are becoming a lot more sophisticated. Unwary Internet users can easily end up with their bank account and credit card details in the hands of crooks. CNET lists the best ways to avoid becoming a victim:
  • Change passwords regularly. Experts recommend that passwords be changed every three
... More »

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Hotmail Phishing Scam
Also Took In Gmail Users

Hotmail users not alone; scheme was 'industry-wide'

(Newser) - Hotmail users weren’t the only ones compromised in the huge phishing scheme that came to light yesterday. Another 20,000 email accounts and passwords have surfaced, bearing addresses from Gmail, Yahoo, AOL and other services, the BBC reports. Google has found a third list but hasn't detailed its contents.... More »

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Hackers Post 10K Hotmail Passwords Online

Operation may have thousands more; Microsoft investigating

(Newser) - Names and passwords for at least 10,000 compromised Hotmail email accounts were made public today, and Microsoft says it's investigating. A list of account names and passwords that was posted to a software development forum may only be a small part of the cache of stolen info—it consisted... More »

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ANALYSIS

 A 5-Minute Fix for 
 Your Insecure Passwords 

Twitter break-in shows how vulnerable weak passwords are, writes blogger for Slate

(Newser) - The recent hacking debacle at Twitter proved how vulnerable the company was, writes Farhad Manjoo for Slate. All of its internal communication was held in email accounts protected only by insecure passwords. And chances are your password security is also terrible—a familiar word, like your favorite album, with a... More »

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UPDATED

Scotland Yard Launches, Ends Probe of News Corp. Hacking

Unsourced report broke no new ground: cops

(Newser) - Scotland Yard, smarting from a report that it failed to inform victims of a British tabloid's rampant phone hacking, today opened and quickly closed an investigation into the potentially explosive matter, reports the New York Times. Cops reportedly had evidence of thousands of incidences of illegal activity by private investigators... More »

INVESTIGATION

News Corp Paid $1.6M to Hide Journos' Crimes

Tabloid hacked thousands of phones of stars, politicians

(Newser) - The British subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp paid out more than $1.6 million in out-of-court settlements to conceal illegal methods deployed by its journalists, including hacking cell phones, a Guardian investigation reveals. Phone-hacking charges were first raised in 2007 in a case involving Prince William, but suppressed police... More »

GOSSIP ROUNDUP

 Britney, Ellen Alive but Hacked 

Also: Is Megan Fox dating co-star?

(Newser) - Never fear: Britney Spears is alive. A post from her Twitter account claiming she had died is false, the AP reports, a result of the hacking of her Twitpic account.  Ellen DeGeneres’ account with Twitpic—a program not owned by Twitter—was also hacked. Elsewhere:
  • Rumors continue to
... More »

(Newser) - US and UK law enforcement authorities are planning a preemptive strike on hackers to protect national security, reports the Guardian. The secret plans are triggered by skyrocketing computer crimes launched from China, Russia and North Korea believed to be state sponsored. The "strikeback" attacks will target hackers' computers,... More »

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 'Hardware
 Hackers' 
 Get Handy 

Programmers leave screens for soldering irons

(Newser) - Seeking an escape from the confined world of their computer screens, programmers are applying their technological know-how to the physical world, building and tweaking an array of devices with their hands, the Boston Globe reports. “My normal job is way up in the clouds,” said a programmer at... More »

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 Hacker Tweaks Twitter Celebs 


Britney, Obama among the victims of hacker targeting high-profile accounts

(Newser) - Barack Obama, Britney Spears and CNN's Rick Sanchez were among dozens of people whose Twitter accounts were hijacked yesterday by a hacker, CNET reports. The hacker, who exploited the site's support tools to gain access, made fake updates to several accounts—including references to private parts and drug use—before... More »

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Russian Cyberattack
Hits US Central Command

Malware targeted combat systems

(Newser) - Defense Department computers have been hit by a computer virus from Russia, Los Angeles Times reports. Malware has infected large parts of the military system, including Central Command systems and computers used in Iraq and Afghanistan combat zones. The military scrambled to stop the infection and banned the use of... More »

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Ex-Anchor Gets 6 Months for Hacking Colleague's Email

Mendte apologizes for leaking gossip that got co-anchor fired

(Newser) - A former Philadelphia news anchor has been sentenced to 6 months' house arrest for hacking into a colleague's email, reports the Inquirer. Larry Mendte admitted he logged in to co-anchor Alycia Lane's email hundreds of times and leaked information about her to gossip publications. He apologized yesterday to Lane, who... More »

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Online Divorcee Jailed After Killing Virtual Hubby

Japanese woman charged with hacking

(AP) - A 43-year-old Japanese woman whose sudden divorce in a virtual game world made her so angry that she killed her online husband's digital persona has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, police said today. The woman allegedly used her digital husband's identification and password to log onto popular interactive game... More »

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 Accused 
 Palin Hacker 
 Pleads Not Guilty 

David Kernell free for now but faces up to
5 years in prison

(Newser) - A Tennessee college student has been indicted on charges of hacking into Sarah Palin's email account and posting private info online, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. David Kernell, the 20-year-old son of state Democratic Rep. Michael Kernell, pleaded not guilty. His trial is set for Dec. 16; he's free until... More »

 Palin 'Hacker' 
 Dodges 
 Charges 
 —for Now 

Grand jury to resume hearing testimony on Tenn. student

(Newser) - A federal grand jury ended its session yesterday without handing down an indictment against a University of Tennessee student accused of breaking into Sarah Palin’s email account, reports the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The panel heard testimony from schoolmates of David Kernell, the 20-year-old son of state Democratic... More »

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 FBI Raids 
 Suspected 
 Palin Hacker 

 Tennessee student's home raided

(Newser) - A 20-year-old student suspected of hacking into Sarah Palin's Yahoo email account found himself on the wrong end of an FBI search warrant while throwing a party Saturday night, reports NBC affiliate WBIR-TV in Knoxville. David Kernell, a student at the University of Tennessee, is the son of a prominent... More »

Cracking Palin's Email Was Easy, Hacker Writes

Personal details used
to trick Yahoo's password protection

(Newser) - The hacker who recently accessed Sarah Palin’s email hardly broke a sweat, reports PC Magazine, citing the alleged perp’s account: All he or she had to do was look up some personal information on the Republican VP candidate. Using Yahoo’s password-recovery service, the hacker entered easily accessible... More »

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Ex-Anchor Pleads Guilty to Hacking Colleague's Email

Philly newsman Mendte admits accessing co-anchor's account more than 500 times

(Newser) - A former Philadelphia TV anchor pleaded guilty today to hacking his colleague’s email, a felony that could land him in jail for 6 months, the Enquirer reports. Larry Mendte affirmed that he logged into former co-anchor Alycia Lane’s personal account more than 500 times between January and May.... More »

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1 - 20 of 27 Stories | 1 2 Next >>