Blackjack, a hacker working from an internet cafe in London, is about to launch an attack on a major government agency. His aim is to cause maximum disruption and embarrassment. And, according to security experts, his job is going to be worryingly easy.
Anatomy of a hack attack
January 9th, 2008 · Comments Off
Viruses to infect Wi-Fi networks in 2008?
January 9th, 2008 · Comments Off
Researchers at Indiana University have warned of the increased opportunity for hackers resulting from the spread of Wi-Fi. The researchers were specifically talking about the new breed of city-wide Wi-Fi networks where thousands can be logged on simultaneously, but the principle can also be applied to smaller-scale public hotspots.
Hacking for a Good Cause
January 9th, 2008 · Comments Off
This is Part Three of a Series. Brad Willman was installing networking equipment out of an emergency van in British Columbia when a policeman showed up and asked for him. Willman knew the officer from a case he was involved with a couple of years earlier, so he didn’t worry–until he arrived at the police [...]
The easy way to avoid a Wi-Fi virus
January 9th, 2008 · Comments Off
It’s flu season—for you and your wireless router. A study by Indiana University proves that a virus can quickly spread among unsecured or WEP-encrypted routers in densely populated urban areas. But networks secured by the WPA protocol were impenetrable, and that gives you one more good reason to really secure your network.
Detecting Credit Card Numbers in Network Traffic
January 4th, 2008 · Comments Off
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS for short) requires that credit card numbers are not transmitted in clear and are not presented to users unmasked. Naturally a network monitoring systems such as an IDS or an IPS seems like a natural enforcement system to ensure that such information is not sent against the [...]
Computer Forensics Faces Private Eye Competition
January 4th, 2008 · Comments Off
The Internet is boundless and cybercrime scenes stretch from personal desktops across the fiber networks that circle the globe. Digital forensic investigators like Harold Phipps, vice president of industry relations at Norcross Group in Norcross, Ga., routinely slip across conventional geographic jurisdictions in pursuit of digital evidence and wrongdoers.
Anti-botnet vendors plug in
January 4th, 2008 · Comments Off
A small group of IT security startups are hoping to cash in on the rise of the botnet scourge as businesses — telecommunications carriers and Internet service providers, in particular — seek new methods for stopping the attacks.
Protecting Your Systems
January 4th, 2008 · Comments Off
Anyone who tells you that your IT network is ‘100% secure’ is either a fool, or greatly mistaken. Security is a moving target, and unfortunately, this target is being manipulated by the bad guys. With 2007 behind us, I reflect on the struggle enterprises and governments face in cyber security.
Using leak tests to evaluate firewall effectiveness
December 29th, 2007 · Comments Off
One function of today’s integrated security systems is enabling the user to control network traffic, i.e. data sent and received over the network by applications that are running on the user’s computer. A component that offers such control is called a firewall. There are software and hardware firewalls
ARP spoofing HTTP infection malware
December 29th, 2007 · Comments Off
This year, we’ve seen many ARP spoofing viruses, also known as ARP cache-poisoning viruses. This type of malware comes in many variants and is widely spread in China. Recently, we uncovered an ARP spoofing virus that exhibits several new features. The new ARP spoofing virus inserts a malicious URL into the session of an HTTP [...]