The U.S. Department of Defense in a new report covering espionage for 2009 said that attempts by foreign spies to obtain classified or restricted U.S. technology increased and that foreign governments are focusing their spying efforts on naval and marine technology that could provide the foundation for a next generation “blue water” navy.
A Kaspersky Lab research report for November 2010 showed
the amount of email based spam fell 0.06 percent to 76.8 percent from October.
The study also showed there was a .47 percent decrease in the prevalence of
phishing emails across all mail traffic and a .13 percent decrease in the frequency
of malicious files found in email.
Ever since the traditional print industry collapsed in on itself like a decommissioned ‘Vegas casino, replaced with blogs, micro blogs, social networking and other forms of Web based publishing, the end of the year has brought with it a blizzard of retrospective and prospective Top 10 lists from click hungry sites. There’s a good reason for this, of course: data says that you readers like ’em. Top 10 lists are really like editorial Happy Meals – conceptual packages that say to the reader “You don’t have to do anything – we’ve got everything you need behind this one link!”
2010 ended with dire predictions about a new age of Internet enabled hacker-activism, but the big story in 2011 will be the explosion in IP enabled, loosely secured, Internet connected stuff.
Editor’s Note: The storm of news coverage about the release of confidential diplomatic memos by whistleblower site Wikileaks may have passed, but the story is far from over. In the meantime, organizations are left to draw their own conclusions about the lessons of the Wikileaks scandal and, then, try to apply them to their businesses. In this opinion piece for Threatpost, Ted Julian, a Principal Analyst at Yankee Group, says there are four important lessons that organizations can learn from the sensational publication of classified documents and carry into the New Year.
With increasingly sophisticated exploits and well-informed adversaries targeting systems and data – fighting for more security budget is essential. Too bad, then, that management doesn’t always agree.
UPDATE: The Massachusetts Attorney General has been notified that financial data on 1,800 residents were exposed in a database breach linked to CitySights NY, a sightseeing firm. The case could set the stage for enforcement of the State’s nine month-old data privacy law.
HED: New Intel Chips Support SMS Kill SwitchDEK: Anti Theft 3 Chips Can be disabled via 3G NetworksNew computer processors from Intel Corp, due out in 2011, can be disabled using an SMS “poison pill” message sent over any 3G cellular network, according to Intel documentation.The new anti-theft feature, which Intel has dubbed “Anti Theft 3.0” will only be available for devices using Intel’s latest Sandy Bridge microprocessors. The new feature will enable organizations to remotely disable lost or stolen laptops even if those devices are not connected to the Internet. Instead Any device within range of a 3G cell tower could be disabled using what Intel describes as an “encrypted SMS” text message. The new feature comes as organizations are looking for ways to guard against data breaches that stem from lost or stolen mobile devices, one of the biggest sources of such breaches. Intel is planning to unveil the new chips at teh Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January. The addition of a 3G “kill switch” for Intel is just the latest evolution in its hardware-based anti theft technology and has been in the works for months. Intel already offers customers the ability to disable lost or stolen devices via LAN, wirless LAN and VPN connection. However, those methods require a lost or stolen device to be connected directly to the Internet first. The 3G poison pill feature would allow technicians to trigger one or more security features so long as the stolen or lost device checked in with a 3G tower. Options include disabling access to encrypted data by deliting an encryption key stored in the chipset, disabling the laptop by blocking the boot process or both, Intel said. The term “poison pill” may be misleading, however, as Intel’s Anti Theft features also allow users to re-enable the device after the anti-theft features have been enabled. Intel has made security a key investment area, as the company prepares for a post-PC world in which “pro-sumer” mobile devices running its processors increasingly operate outside of corporate firewall, carry a mixture of personal and corporate data and leverage both WiFi and 3G connections for Internet connectivity, voice, video and more. In August, Intel purchased anti malware firm McAfee for $7.68b in a surprise move. Intel said that it was interested in baking security deeper into its hardware and avoid the traditional performance slow downs that security software produces. The Sandy Bridge chip is the successor to the Nehalem architecture and is already being distributed to Intel OEMs. The anti theft features are just one improvement on the latest generation processors, along with improved performance, a boost in the capabilities of integrated graphics features. New computer processors from Intel Corp, due out in 2011, can be disabled using an SMS “poison pill” message sent over any 3G cellular network, according to published reports.
As government agencies and the military bar access to the WIkileaks documents, a poll of Web filtering providers finds most label the leak site more “newsy” than “naughty.”
The hack of blog news network Gawker dominated the headlines this week, leaving behind a trail of spammy Tweets and stolen passwords across the Internet. But Gawker was just one of a handful of data breaches in a week that saw the continuation of the Wikileaks saga and a massive patch release from Microsoft. To get the full rundown, read on for the week in security.
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 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.
