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Comcast Alerts Customers to PC Infections

CNet’s Elinor Mills has the scoop on a Comcast trial of a new automated service that will warn broadband customers of possible virus infections, if the computers are behaving as if they have been compromised by malware.

For instance, a significant overnight spike in traffic being sent from a particular Internet Protocol address could signal that a computer is infected with a virus taking control of the system and using it to send spam as part of a botnet.  Read the full story [CNet]  Also see this call by a Google executive for ISPs to take the lead on botnet cleanup.

Cyberthieves Find Workplace Networks Are Easy Pickings

In a feature article in USAToday, Byron Acohido writes about porous and difficult to defend workplace networks that provide a haven for professional cybercrimals.
Acohido writes: “Overly complex IT systems are producing endless opportunities for cyberthieves, who need only to master simple hacking techniques to get their hands on sensitive data. The result: Data breaches continue to plague companies, hospitals, universities and government agencies — any entity that collects data and conducts business on a digital network.”  Read the full story.

BlackBerry, Other Smartphone Users Easy Spy Targets

iPhone lovers and other smartphone users should take heed: A security researcher showed ways to spy on a BlackBerry user during a presentation Wednesday, including listening to phone conversations, stealing contact lists, reading text messages, taking and viewing photos and figuring out the handset’s location via GPS. Read the full story [IDG News Service/Dan Nystedt]

123456 is Most Common Hotmail Password

by Ryan Naraine

A researcher who examined 10,000 Hotmail, MSN and Live.com passwords that were recently exposed online has published an analysis of the list and found that “123456″ was the most commonly used password, appearing 64 times.  Read the full story [Kim Zetter/Wired Threat Level]  More from Dancho Danchev [zdnet.com]

Inside the URLZone Trojan Network

by Ryan Naraine

Security researchers tracking the URL Zone malware/botnet have stumbled upon a new tactic being used by cyber-criminals to hide information on the money mules being used to transfer stolen funds from compromised online bank accounts.
URLZone, which targets computer users in Western Europe, is a botnet of approximately 6,000 hijacked computers that is used primarily to siphon funds from online bank accounts.  It steals between $4,000 and $15,000 from each compromised bank account and uses a nifty trick of modifying the withdrawn amount on the bank’s web site to avoid detection by the user.

Trove of Hotmail Passwords Posted Online

by Ryan Naraine

If you use Microsoft’s free Hotmail service, it may be time to change your password: Microsoft said Monday that several thousand Hotmail account credentials were posted online over the weekend. 
In a statement posted to its Windows Live Spaces blog, Microsoft said the company has determined that the data spill was not the result of a breach of internal Microsoft data, but rather was likely the haul from a phishing scheme.  Read the full story [washingtonpost.com]

Better Security Through Diversity of Thinking

by David Mortman

By David Mortman
Inspired by professional pastry chef Shuna Fish Lydon:

“You do not know what a good, bad or indifferent baker/pastry chef you are until you work alongside someone who is better/worse than you. This is not at all to say that if you are an outstanding home baker, you are deluding yourself. But as far as professional cooking & baking go, it is my experience that unless you push yourself really hard to stay away from your sweet spot comfort zone of I-Know-All-I-Need-To-Know-And-I-Feel-Very-Comfy-In-This-Job/Kitchen-Thank-You-Very-Much, and move kitchens or chefs or hire people who are much closer to your level than you feel comfortable having them, you will become stagnant in your baking skill and knowledge.”

Security Audits: Important but Rare

by Ryan Naraine

From eSecurityPlanet (Larry Barrett)

Securing data networks is important enough for the majority of companies to hire outside security firms to audit their systems but only about one in three bother to have their network audited every year, according to a new survey conducted by VanDyke Software and independent researcher Amplitude Research.

At time when enterprise companies, government agencies and Average Joes are doing everything they can to protect sensitive data, the survey reveals both an admirable willingness on the part of most IT departments to pony up for external expertise and an astonishing lack of follow through to keep data secure for the long haul. Read the full story [esecurityplanet.com]

Cybersecurity for your growing business
Cybersecurity for your growing business

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