Latest spam report from Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) now includes data from European users. More than half (57%) of survey adults
have responded to spam in such a way that it supports the perpetrators
of the spam. This includes opening attachments to an email, forwarding
an email or clicking on links. Read the full article. [The H Security]
A new invention developed by Dr. Jacob Scheuer of Tel Aviv University’s
School of Electrical Engineering promises an information security
system that can beat today’s hackers — and the hackers of the future —
with existing fiber optic and computer technology. Transmitting binary
lock-and-key information in the form of light pulses, his device ensures
that a shared key code can be unlocked by the sender and receiver, and
absolutely nobody else. Read the full article. [ScienceDaily]
On Thursday, investigators in France arrested an unemployed 25-year old man who appears to have been responsible for the spectacular attacks on Twitter accounts that included those of US President Barack Obama and pop singer Britney Spears. Read the full article. [The H Security]
A computer security professional who sold Internet Explorer exploit
code to credit card hacker Albert Gonzalez was sentenced Tuesday to three years probation and a $10,000 fine. Jeremy Jethro, 29, was paid $60,000 by Gonzalez for a zero-day
exploit against Microsoft’s browser, “the purpose and function of which
was to … enable the conspirators to unlawfully gain access to, and
redirect, individual’s computers,” according to court records. Read the full article, [Wired]
Malware that exploits holes in popular applications is being delivered
by big ad delivery platforms including those run by Yahoo, Fox, and
Google, according to researchers. Read the full article. [CNet]
Researchers from Indiana University and Microsoft were able to
infer sensitive data by analyzing the distinct size and other
attributes of each exchange between a user and a website interaction. Using man-in-the-middle attacks, they could glean the
information even when transactions were encrypted using the Secure
Sockets Layer, or SSL, protocol or the WPA, or Wi-fi Protected Access
protocol. Read the full article. [The Register]
Criminal hacker organizations are operating with increasing corporate-life efficiency, specialization and expertise, said the FBI at FOSE conference. Here are the top ten operational positions in a cybercrime group. Read the full article. [Computerworld]
Mozilla has fast-tracked a patch for a critical vulnerability affecting its flagship Firefox browser.
The patch, which was originally slated for release on March 30,
fixes a vulnerability that could allow remote code execution attacks.
The flaw was originally released
into the VulnDisco exploit pack in February but Mozilla’s security
response team did not get the details until the middle of March.
Days before the start of Pwn2Own, Mozilla has patched its flagship Firefox browser. The Firefox 3.6.2 update fixes a critical bug in a font decompression routine that could be exploited to “crash a victim’s browser and execute arbitrary code on his/her system,” Mozilla said in a security advisory. Read the full article. [Computerworld]
With tax time rapidly approaching, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service still has not sealed up all of the holes that could allow insiders or external hackers to access taxpayer data, according to a new report. The Government Accountability Office states that the IRS has corrected less than one-third of the 89 security weaknesses identified in its audit of the tax agency last year. Read the full article. [Dark Reading]
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