CSO - Security Feed

PC World: Sites’ Personal Questions May Pose Security Risk

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:08:28 EST

(CSO)What did your maternal grandfather do for a living? What was your high school mascot’s name? Your first pet’s name? If you have an online account at a retailer like Amazon.com, you’ve probably run into such questions when opening an account or when trying to recover one of...

Hacker Super Bowl Pits Mac OS vs. Linux, Vista

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:07:03 EST

(CSO)It’s the most anticipated matchup in the hacker world: Linux versus Mac OS X versus Vista. Who will get hacked first? That’s what organizers of the CanSecWest security conference hope to discover this week as they give show attendees a shot at hacking into the three laptops...

BLACK HAT : Ethical Hacker Group to Counter ‘Black PR’

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:05:30 EST

(CSO)A self-styled ethical hacker group plans to counter moves by companies that attempt to bury security vulnerability information in order to protect their businesses. Companies spend a lot of money on crisis management teams that try to keep a lid on situations that could alarm their customers,...

Google to Push Privacy Initiatives in U.S.

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:25:08 EST

(CSO)Google is working with other companies to push consumer privacy legislation in the U.S. Congress and will work with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to fine-tune online advertising principles the agency proposed in December, the company’s top privacy executives said Wednesday. In...

Techworld: Supermarket for Stolen Credit Cards Found

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:23:36 EST

(CSO)If you’ve ever wondered where stolen credit card numbers end up, Finjan might have part of the answer. The security company-cum-cybersleuthing outfit has uncovered a Web site supermarket for stolen card data. The ’SellCVV2’ Web site, as it is called, was found to be trading...

Hackers Seize on Excel Vulnerability

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:07:26 EST

(CSO)Researchers at Symantec said late Tuesday they’ve spotted a Web site that tries to exploit computers lacking one of the recently issued patches for versions of Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheet program. The vulnerability involves a malicious Excel file that when opened can allow a...

CW: Agilent Warns Workers of Potential Compromise in Wake of Laptop Theft

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:06:00 EST

(CSO)In what is becoming an increasingly familiar story these days, the theft of a laptop PC containing unencrypted confidential data has prompted yet another organization to issue a warning notice to tens of thousands of people. In the latest incident to come to light, the data breach notification...

Computerworld: Washington Agency Moves to Plug Flash Drive Security Gap

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:44:58 EST

(CSO)Workers in the state of Washington’s Division of Child Support are getting state-owned USB flash drives as part of a move to eliminate the use of unsanctioned thumb drives. External flash drives used by field workers hold the names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers of children...

FBI Looks at Chinese Role in Darfur Site Hack

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:43:27 EST

(CSO)The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into a possible China connection in the hack of a nonprofit group created to draw attention to the ongoing genocide in western Sudan’s Darfur region. The Save Darfur Coalition called in the FBI earlier this week after discovering that...

Microsoft Warns of New Word Attack

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:41:42 EST

(CSO)Be extra careful when opening documents in Windows, especially if they are Word files. Microsoft on Friday warned that cyber criminals may be taking advantage of an unpatched flaw in the Windows operating system to install malicious software on a victim’s PC. The reported attack, now...