Cyberwarfare

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September 2008
- Fake Pop-Ups Dupe Most Users, Study Says
  
  Ars Technica | Sep 23, 08 7:47 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Malware makers love to create fake error-message popups, but surely those are obvious ploys that no one falls for, right? Wrong, Ars Technica reports. Psychology researchers recently tested a group of college students with a series of fake popups, each laden with what should have been warning signs. The students flunked badly, with only 9 of 42 closing the offending window. More »
- Cracking Palin's Email Was Easy, Hacker Writes
  
  PC Magazine | Sep 18, 08 4:51 PM CDT
  
  (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 biographical info—Palin’s birthday and zip code—then stumbled upon the answer to her security question. 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 »
- Pentagon Ponders Cyberspace Offensives
  
  Los Angeles Times | Sep 8, 08 11:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - US military commanders, hoping to add a page to their offensive capabilities, are pushing for the development of strategies that will allow them to assault and control an enemy’s cyberspace, the Los Angeles Times reports. An aggressive cyber-campaign could allow the Pentagon to disrupt a foe’s command-and-control center, utilities and even its computerized weapons. More »
August 2008
- Blogger Arrested in GN'R Leak
  
  Associated Press | Aug 28, 08 10:16 AM CDT
  
  (AP) - FBI agents arrested a blogger suspected of posting songs from the unreleased Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy on his website; the 27-year-old appeared in court yesterday, where bail was set at $10,000. Kevin Cogill, who reportedly admitted to streaming nine songs on his website in June, was charged on suspicion of violating federal copyright laws. More »
- Facebook Getting Aggressive With 'Wall Spam'
  
  CNET | Aug 25, 08 8:07 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - “Wall spam” has gone from minor annoyance to publicity problem for Facebook, and it seems the social-networking giant is getting more aggressive in its attempts to combat it, reports Caroline McCarthy in CNET. Within 2 hours of receiving a spam post yesterday, McCarthy found it had been deleted by Facebook. Until recently, the site has merely been disabling links in suspected messages. More »
- Cyberattack Could Easily Cripple US
  
  CNN | Aug 18, 08 4:16 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The internet infrastructure of the US may be vulnerable to a cyberattack similar to those launched against Georgia before and during the Russian invasion, CNN reports. Large-scale online attacks, meant to overwhelm and shut down internet servers from anywhere in the world, are cheap and relatively easy to execute—and would catch America underprepared, experts say. More »
- Cyber Attack on Georgia Preceded Russian Tanks
  
  New York Times | Aug 12, 08 7:06 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Russian hackers targeted Georgia’s online infrastructure weeks before the ground invasion began, the New York Times reports. Some experts say attempts to deface and overload Georgian websites began as early as July 20, though exactly who is responsible remains unclear. The Georgian government has pinned the rash of cyberwarfare on the Russian government—a charge Moscow denies. More »
- 'Every Network Is at Risk' Thanks to Bug
  
  Wired | Aug 7, 08 8:05 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Security researcher Dan Kaminsky outlined what he calls the biggest Internet security hole since 1997 to a gathering of experts yesterday, and it's a lot worse than had been understood, Wired reports. “Every network is at risk,” Kaminsky said at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas. "That's what this flaw has shown." The bug, a hole in the Domain Name Service, has wider implications than anyone realized when word of it leaked last month, Kaminksy said. More »
June 2008
- 'Spam King' Owes MySpace $6M
  
  Associated Press | Jun 17, 08 9:36 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A Colorado company accused of spamming must pay MySpace $6 million in damages and legal fees after an arbitrator ruled for the social networking site, the AP reports. Media Breakaway and its CEO, aka the "Spam King," were accused of using hijacked or "phished" accounts to send millions of advertising messages to MySpace members. The site has banned the company and its employees. More »
- Microsoft Warns Windows Users of Safari Threat
  
  ComputerWorld | Jun 1, 08 7:37 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Windows and Safari mix like virus-vulnerable oil and water, Microsoft warns, and Windows users should stop surfing with Apple’s web browser until the security holes have been patched. The “blended threat” combines a bug in Safari that downloads files to the desktop automatically and a vulnerability in how Windows XP and Windows Vista handle executable files there. More »
May 2008
- Hackers Take Over Comcast Website for Several Hours
  
  Associated Press | May 29, 08 2:55 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A message that hackers had “RoXed” the Comcast homepage took over the site for several hours last night starting a little before 11pm. Apparently hackers got control of the site’s domain name at the registrar, Network Solutions, and redirected it to servers hosting the hijacking message. A rep said the site was functioning again this morning, but not all users could access it, reports AP. More »
- Yahoo Suit Targets Lottery Scammers
  
  PC World | May 27, 08 8:50 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Yahoo is suing a group of unidentified spammers who’ve sent emails claiming to be from the "Yahoo International Lottery Organization," soliciting personal information and sometimes money from purported lottery winners. Yahoo is seeking damages for fraudulent use of its trademarks, but it might prove hard to identify the scammers, especially if they’re located outside the US, PC World reports. More »
- Open-Source Security Flaw Exposes Millions
  
  MIT Technology Review | May 22, 08 6:16 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A programming error discovered last week makes at least four open-source operating systems and 25 applications vulnerable to hacking, and a patch distributed to fix it doesn’t solve the problem. Worse, the vulnerability can extend to computers not even running the deficient code, reports Technology Review . The mistake went unnoticed for almost 2 years. More »
- NATO Girds For Cyberwar
  
  ComputerWorld | May 15, 08 4:43 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - NATO is preparing for cyberwar, ComputerWorld reports. Sparked by a cyber attack on Estonia that took some financial systems off-line for hours in 2007, the Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence will open there next year. With the center’s help, NATO will be able to "defy and successfully counter the threats in this area," a commander said. More »
- Planted on Networks, Phony Download Infects 500K PCs
  
  BBC | May 8, 08 6:27 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Almost 500,000 people have unintentionally downloaded an adware bundle from file-sharing networks in the past week, security firm McAfee says, with ugly consequences. Disguised as a music file or popular movies, the phony file is circulating on the eDonkey and Limewire networks. It asks users to install a codec to play the file, and then overwhelms them with popup ads, the BBC reports. More »
- Yahoo Partners With McAfee to Make Search Safer
  
  CNET | May 6, 08 2:20 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Yahoo search will now label risky sites, including spyware and virus hosts and spammers, thanks to an exclusive deal with McAfee SiteAdvisor, the companies said today. It also will omit sites entirely that attack visiting computers, reports CNet. Yahoo sees millions of clicks through to some such sites daily, a rep said, and expects the changes to significantly advance security. More »
- Spam, Curse of Web, Turns 30
  
  Washington Post | May 3, 08 11:06 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Spam turns 30 today, but don't break out the champagne just yet: The junk e-mail is as healthy as ever, frustrating tech experts desperate to blow out its candles. It all started on May 3, 1

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Stories

Fake Pop-Ups Dupe Most Users, Study Says

Cracking Palin's Email Was Easy, Hacker Writes

Va. Court Voids Spam Law

Pentagon Ponders Cyberspace Offensives

Blogger Arrested in GN'R Leak

Facebook Getting Aggressive With 'Wall Spam'

Cyberattack Could Easily Cripple US

Cyber Attack on Georgia Preceded Russian Tanks

'Every Network Is at Risk' Thanks to Bug

'Spam King' Owes MySpace $6M

Microsoft Warns Windows Users of Safari Threat

Hackers Take Over Comcast Website for Several Hours

Yahoo Suit Targets Lottery Scammers

Open-Source Security Flaw Exposes Millions

NATO Girds For Cyberwar

Planted on Networks, Phony Download Infects 500K PCs

Yahoo Partners With McAfee to Make Search Safer

Spam, Curse of Web, Turns 30