Cryptography

Hacktivism: From Here to There

The current controversy regarding WikiLeaks and the attacks against the organizations that have opposed the group has sparked a large and complex conversation about the meanings of free speech, freedom of the press and online activism. As new as all of this may seem to some, this is by no means the first time these issues have been brought to the fore. The term “hacktivism”, which is being thrown around quite a bit in the current discussion, was first coined nearly 15 years ago by a member of the venerable Cult of the Dead Cow hacking think tank. Oxblood Ruffin, one of the cDc’s members, presented the following paper on the origins of hacktivism and what it is and is not at Yale Law School in 2004. It holds a lot of lessons that apply in the current climate of hyperbole and rhetoric.

Wikileaks Roundup: Assange Arrested, Visa, MC Cut Ties

OK. It’s been just over a week since information leaking Web site Wikileaks released the first installment of leaked U.S. diplomatic cables, with each day bringing new documents from the purported hoard of some 250,000 pages, and new developments from a range of very pissed off Western governments.

Under Attack, Wikileaks Appeals for Help From Mirror Sites

Information leak Web site Wikileaks put out a call for volunteers willing to help the organization host its controversial documents. Claiming that the site was “under heavy attack,” Wikileaks posted an appeal on its Web site looking for individuals willing to help mirror the contents of Wikileaks now infamous Cablegate documents on a physical or virtual server. Within hours the site’s content was being mirrored at over 500 locations, according to a list provided by Wikileaks.

Enterprises Riding A Tiger With Consumer Devices

by George Hulme
1

Like the old adage that ‘he who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount,’ enterprises today are bounding along on the back of a particularly large and fearsome tiger. It’s called “consumer technology” and its shape is outlined by the myriad of devices and services that modern information workers are bringing to work and using – or want to use – to get their jobs done.

New GpCode Variant Demanding Cash For Decryption Key

by Dennis Fisher
2

There’s a new version of the venerable GpCode ransomware attack making the rounds right now, demanding payments of $120 in order to decrypt files on infected PCs. This version, which has been active for several days now, is different from previous variants in that it overwrites the original files, preventing recovery of the data.

Chinese DNS Tampering A Big Threat To Internet Security

by Paul Roberts
3

China has long used the Internet’s Domain Name Service (DNS) to censor Web sites and information that the ruling Communist Party deems threatening. But now security experts warn that the government’s censorship is in danger of spilling over China’s borders: suppressing the ability of those living outside of China to find information online.

The Cloud Makes Short Work Of Strong Encryption

by Paul Roberts
6

A German security researcher who used a new kind of hosted offering on Amazon’s EC2 to decipher password data encrypted using the SHA1 algorithm said that cloud computing is likely to upset long held assumptions about security: putting the tools required to crack encrypted passwords and data into the hands of the masses.

PGP Disk Encryption Bricks Upgraded Macs

by Paul Roberts
6

Some Apple Mac users who rushed to upgrade their systems with the company’s latest security patch were left to scramble for help after a conflict with disk encryption software from PGP rendered the upgraded Macs un-bootable. Reports of users who were unable to boot their Macs after upgrading their Mac OS X systems to the 10.6.5 version began appearing in PGP support forums on Wednesday.

Cybersecurity for your growing business
Cybersecurity for your growing business

Topics

Show all

Authors

Threatpost

InfoSec Insider

Infosec Insider Post

Infosec Insider content is written by a trusted community of Threatpost cybersecurity subject matter experts. Each contribution has a goal of bringing a unique voice to important cybersecurity topics. Content strives to be of the highest quality, objective and non-commercial.

Sponsored

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is paid for by an advertiser. Sponsored content is written and edited by members of our sponsor community. This content creates an opportunity for a sponsor to provide insight and commentary from their point-of-view directly to the Threatpost audience. The Threatpost editorial team does not participate in the writing or editing of Sponsored Content.