Cybercrime

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November 2008
- Russian Cyberattack Hits US Central Command
  
  Los Angeles Times | Nov 28, 08 5:01 AM CST
  
  (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 flash drives. More »
- Spammers Bounce Back After Host Shutdown
  
  CNET | Nov 27, 08 8:57 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Spammers are surging back onto the Internet again, 2 weeks after being dealt a body blow by a server shutdown, CNET News reports. Spam volumes dived 80% after the California-based McColo hosting firm was pulled offline. They remained flat until a few days ago but have now risen to around a third of their former levels as spambots reactivate. More »
- Court Pokes Facebook Spammer for $873M
  
  San Francisco Chronicle | Nov 25, 08 7:09 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Facebook has won an $873 million judgment against a man accused of hijacking user profiles to spew spam, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The award—the biggest ever under federal spamming laws—was made against a Canadian citizen who Facebook accused of stealing login details to send more than 4 million messages; the spam advertised products like marijuana and male enhancement pills and appeared to be endorsed by the user. More »
- Ex-Anchor Gets 6 Months for Hacking Colleague's Email
  
  Philadelphia Inquirer | Nov 25, 08 6:40 AM CST
  
  (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 sat in the courtroom, her lip quivering, and told the judge he was ashamed. More »
- Miley Cyrus Is Alive and Well
  
  E! Online | Nov 17, 08 9:56 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Miley Cyrus is alive, and a report of her death was the work of a hacker, E! Online reports. A video claiming Cyrus had been killed by a drunk driver went up on the teen sensation's own YouTube page over the weekend, using her new single “Goodbye” as background music and featuring a message supposedly from BFF Mandy Jiroux. Jiroux reassured fans of Cyrus' wellbeing via MySpace, and said the video has been removed. More »
- Nigerian Scamsters Want to Be Your Friend
  
  Ars Technica | Nov 12, 08 6:53 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Nigeria's notorious cybercriminals are looking for some buddies, Ars Technica reports. The conmen have infiltrated social networking sites like Facebook by filching passwords and contacting users in the guise of a friend who suddenly, urgently needs funds. Internet security experts fear the new tactic could prove a lot more effective that the standard scamming emails, as it hijacks the identity of someone the target knows. More »
- Malware Hijacks Obama Emails
  
  CRN | Nov 6, 08 7:40 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Malicious hijackers have hitched a ride on the Barack Obama bandwagon, ChannelWeb reports. "Obama Trojan" emails offer a link to an amazing Obama speech or election results, but when the link is opened, it infects computers with malware that sends the user's personal data to a command center and turns the machine into a spam-spewing zombie. More »
October 2008
- Hackers Hit Sarko's Bank Account
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Oct 19, 08 11:50 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Small amounts of money began disappearing from Nicolas Sarkozy's bank account in September, and prosecutors now confirm that an ongoing investigation has not yet identified the "swindlers." The hackers are thought to have obtained the French prez's account information and password, reports the Telegraph . The theft comes at an awkward time for Sarkozy. More »
September 2008
- FBI Raids Suspected Palin Hacker
  
  WBIR | Sep 22, 08 5:34 AM CDT
  
  (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 Democratic state legislator. More »
- Hackers Break Into O'Reilly's Website
  
  The Register | Sep 20, 08 6:40 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hackers have broken into Bill O'Reilly's website and posted subscriber data online in an apparent act of retaliation, The Register reports. The hackers put screen shots of subscribers' names, passwords, and email addresses on Wikileaks, which reported that O'Reilly's condemnation of an attack on Sarah Palin's email inspired the break-in. More »
- Hackers Breach Palin's Email
  
  Associated Press | Sep 17, 08 7:12 PM CDT
  
  (AP) - Hackers broke into the Yahoo! email account that Sarah Palin used for official business as Alaska's governor and posted some content on the Internet. The group Anonymous claimed credit but did not explain its motives. The FBI and Secret Service are investigating. Palin has taken criticism for using private email to conduct government business, which some critics charge is a way to circumvent public record laws. More »
- Va. Court Voids Spam Law
  
  Richmond Times Dispatch (VA) | Sep 12, 08 1:32 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Virginia’s anti-spam laws are unconstitutional because they prohibit behavior shielded by the First Amendment, the state’s supreme court ruled today. The ruling overturns the conviction of Jeremy Jaynes, who received the nation’s first felony spam conviction in 2004, the Richmond Times-Dispatch says. Prosecutors alleged Jaynes sent up to 10 million emails a day from his North Carolina home. More »
- Hacker Cops to Role in $400M ID-Theft Ring
  
  Boston Globe | Sep 12, 08 11:28 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A 23-year-old man with an eighth-grade education pleaded guilty yesterday to a role in stealing more than $400 million via identity theft, the Boston Globe reports. Damon Patrick Tooey was part of an 11-man ring, with members from China to the Ukraine, which brought laptops into retail stores like Barnes & Noble to steal credit-card data from their poorly secured networks. More »
August 2008
- Federal Informer Was Behind Massive Credit Card Theft
  
  New York Times | Aug 12, 08 8:40 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Federal agents struggling to crack the biggest data-theft ring in history discovered that one of their own informants was orchestrating the syndicate's US operations, the New York Times reports. The supposedly reformed hacker had turned Secret Service informant to escape a prison sentence in 2003 but secretly continued his criminal activities. More »
- Suit Stops Hackers From Showing Subway Flaw
  
  Boston Globe | Aug 10, 08 7:28 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Boston’s mass transit system has blocked three MIT students from revealing a flaw in its electronic fare system, the Boston Globe reports. Most Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority customers use the CharlieCard, which allows them to store fares. By cracking it, the students vowed to give attendees at a Las Vegas computer conference “free subway rides for life." More »
- Tips for Candidates on Cyber Security
  
  Wired | Aug 7, 08 4:23 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Noting that both candidates have plans to ensure our collective cyber security, Bruce Schneier, in Wired , lays out some essential policy advice for the next president: Use the government’s enormous purchasing power to make security software producers do better. Make security requirements for government software high, and those improvements will be included in the security products offered to the public. More »
- Feds Nab 11 Cybercrime Masterminds
  
  Boston Globe | Aug 5, 08 3:49 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - An international crew of hackers who reportedly stole more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers from nine US companies were indicted today in what Attorney General Michael Mukasey is calling "the single largest and most complex identity theft case that's ever charged in this country." The ring grabbed hundreds of millions of dollars, officials told the Boston Globe . More »
July 2008
- Cybercrime Getting Organized
  
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Stories

Russian Cyberattack Hits US Central Command

Spammers Bounce Back After Host Shutdown

Court Pokes Facebook Spammer for $873M

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

Miley Cyrus Is Alive and Well

Nigerian Scamsters Want to Be Your Friend

Malware Hijacks Obama Emails

Hackers Hit Sarko's Bank Account

FBI Raids Suspected Palin Hacker

Hackers Break Into O'Reilly's Website

Hackers Breach Palin's Email

Va. Court Voids Spam Law

Hacker Cops to Role in $400M ID-Theft Ring

Federal Informer Was Behind Massive Credit Card Theft

Suit Stops Hackers From Showing Subway Flaw

Tips for Candidates on Cyber Security

Feds Nab 11 Cybercrime Masterminds

Cybercrime Getting Organized