The attack that compromised Google’s corporate network and the systems of more than 30 other companies in recent weeks appears to be the work of smart, careful and very well-informed attackers who knew exactly whom to target and what to take once they were inside, security experts say.
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has
completed a security extension to the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
protocol that fixes a flaw affecting browsers, servers, smart cards,
and VPN products, as well as many lower-profile devices, such as
Webcams, that contain the protocol embedded in their firmware. Read the full article. [Dark Reading]
Adobe has released a mega-update for its Reader and Acrobat software products to fix a total of eight documented security vulnerabilities. The update comes with significant security improvements, including the on-by-default addition “Enhanced Security,” a feature that provides a set of default restrictions and a method to define trusted locations that should not be subject to those restrictions.
In the fall of 2009, districts in Colorado,
Illinois, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania all reported thefts of tens of
thousands of dollars. The threat continues: on January 5, 2010, the Duanesburg, New York
Central School District disclosed an attempted theft of $3.8 million,
about a quarter of the district’s operating budget. Read the full article. [Help Net Security]
New evidence indicates one of the gangs chiefly responsible for bank
attacks actually managed to hack directly into a West Virgina U.S. bank last year
and siphon off tens of thousands of dollars with the aid of unsuspecting money mules. Read the full article. [KrebsonSecurity]
Hackers have stolen the login credentials for more than 8,300 customers
of New York’s Suffolk County National Bank after breaching its security and accessing a
server that hosted its online banking system. Read the full article. [The Register]
Google said in a blog post today
that it will consider shutting down its site in China and closing its
offices, following a large scale attack on its corporate infrastructure
originating from China that resulted in the theft of Google’s
intellectual property. Read the full story [ZDNet]
Microsoft has shipped a security advisory with an urgent message for Windows XP users: Update your Flash Player immediately.The Adobe Flash Player 6 that ships by default in Windows XP is vulnerable to multiple code execution vulnerabilities that could lead to PC takeover attacks, according to the advisory.
The first Microsoft patch for 2010 is out, providing cover for a solitary vulnerability in the way Windows handles EOT (Embedded OpenType) fonts. The update is rated “critical” but Microsoft says there is a low likelihood of exploitation on its newer operating systems.
Yet another botnet has been shut down as of
today as researchers joined forces with ISPs to cut communications to
the prolific Lethic spamming botnet — a development that illustrates
how botnet hunters increasingly are going on the offensive to stop
cybercriminals, mainly by disrupting their valuable bot
infrastructures. Read the full article. [Dark Reading]
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