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Symantec has identified multiple publisher IDs on the Android Market that are being used to push out Android.Counterclank. This is a minor modification of Android.Tonclank, a bot-like threat that can receive commands to carry out certain actions, as well as steal information from the device. Source What started out as a way to provide a cheaper phone is now becoming a headache. Licensing is a heavy hitter in the cost of a phone. Manufactures pay serious money to use propitiatory software by Apple [...]

The talk presented the findings of “Project Basecamp,” a volunteer-led security audit of leading programmable logic controllers (PLCs). The audit found that decrepit hardware, buggy software and pitiful or nonexistent security features make thousands of PLCs vulnerable to trivial attacks by external hackers that could cause PLC devices to crash or run malicious code. Source This opens a whole new field of malware attack area of opportunity. It’s been coming for a long time with [...]

Tokyo, we have a problem Japanese space engineers have admitted one of their computers has been infected by a Trojan that may have leaked sensitive data, including system login information, to hackers. Data exposed by the breach may have included emails, technical specifications and operational information as well as login credentials. The space agency has reset potentially exposed passwords while it continues to investigate the scope of the breach. Source It’s often in today’s connected [...]

Viruses stole City College of S.F. data for years Personal banking information and other data from perhaps tens of thousands of students, faculty and administrators at City College of San Francisco have been stolen in what is being called “an infestation” of computer viruses with origins in criminal networks in Russia, China and other countries, The Chronicle has learned. “Given the outright mismanagement of our networks, if someone’s information is stolen, are we liable for [...]

Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, and Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, are complaining Facebook is not answering questions about how the company tracks its users via cookies. Source In my mind, security and privacy are two sides of the same coin. To have privacy means you must have security to obtain it. Should security demand access to your data for security reasons, then privacy is invaded. A good demonstration of that in practice, is laws on the books involving sexual harassment, the [...]

This infographic in the source link provides clues to why Facebook is such a prime target. Source It all has to do with numbers; who has the most to have malware target. Why turn to a small community when you have millions of folk to target for the same effort. Microsoft battled all comers during the days of DOS to become the over-all winner. The results of that winning the battle of the Operating Systems has resulted in what is called the computer monoculture. According to Wikipedia, during [...]

Israel vows to retaliate after credit cards are hacked “Israel has active capabilities for striking at those who are trying to harm it, and no agency or hacker will be immune from retaliatory action,” he added, without giving further details. Source Interesting. Hacking started as a sort of way to see what was out there. It evolved to what it is today as a way to attempt to get money from people as a criminal activity. It’s been the driving force behind a lot of the malware. [...]