Tag: hackers
Security risks plague UK schools, experts claim
Research suggests that thousands of schools in the UK could be at risk from exploitation by hackers, potentially leading to damaging data loss and a loss of public trust. A study by NGS Secure took place in a pair of schools, one dealing with secondary students and the other with younger primary pupils, in order to determine the levels of data protection and IT security in place at each establishment. …
Political hacking to define 2011, McAfee predicts
Security experts at McAfee have stated that the coming year will bring significant problems to those who are charged with protecting data and retaining the integrity of corporate systems, although this time there will be political motivations behind the actions of so-called hacktivists. In the past cybercriminals have worked purely for financial gain, but since the Wikileaks scandal and the rise of the Anonymous hacktivist group, many public and private …
Gawker suffers massive data loss and Amazon rebukes DDoS claims
The world of online security has been tumultuous over the last two weeks after the release of diplomatic cables by Wikileaks. Now major sites are coming under attack by hackers, with significant data loss suffered by gossip site Gawker and online retail site Amazon denying that recent downtime was caused by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. It is known that Amazon was a target of the Anonymous group …
Hackers supporting Wikileaks distribute phoney MasterCard details
The deepening conflict between the activists who are hacking various major corporate websites and the authorities has taken a troubling turn, as it was announced that payment card details were stolen and then published. Over 10,000 users of MasterCard were allegedly affected by the data theft, although the veracity of the published details was quickly denied by a spokesperson for the payment card firm, who claimed that the group of …
Twitter tuition suggested to minimise risks to businesses
The expansion of microblogging site Twitter has meant that millions of people around the world use it, often at work. Like any online trend, malicious groups are attempting to exploit its popularity and security firm Symantec is warning that this could put businesses at risks as employees tweet from work and risk unintentional infection of IT systems from spammers and cybercriminals. The way to best solve the problem is not …
Twenty percent of data loss originates from within, report claims
A study by KPMG has found that a fifth of data loss incidents which occurred this year were a result of internal activity, rather than third party interference, which shows a significant rise compared to statistics gathered in 2009. Three years ago this type of data loss was accountable for four per cent of the global total, with a total of 23 million people from around the world being impacted …
Leaked evidence hints that Chinese authorities hacked Google
The international furore surrounding the publishing of secret diplomatic communications by whistleblowing site Wikileaks, has revealed that Google is thought to have been hacked by the Chinese government earlier in the year, resulting in the ensuing face-off between the world’s largest country and the search giant. Media outlets from around the world, including the Guardian in the UK and the New York Times in the US, were provided with a …
Royal Navy suffers data breach after website hack
Last weekend a hacker allegedly broke into the Royal Navy’s website, gaining access to private information and data in a potentially hazardous cyber attack. The hack was carried out by a Romanian-based individual going by the alias of TinKode. He targeted the navy’s official UK site, in the process harvesting data such as passwords and usernames which could give access to administrative powers. Sophos’ Graham Cluley told SC Magazine UK, …
Businesses at risk from updated data harvesting malware
Security experts have discovered that a new strain of the Bugat malware has been developed by cybercriminals to target small and medium sized businesses with data theft attacks that can leave them exposed to financial fraud. Bugat was originally unearthed in early 2010 and was noteworthy for its similarity to the ZeuS botnet tools. However, thanks to swift action by security firms, it was neutralised before it could get a …
EU revises regulations on data protection and IT security
Cyber attack deflection and data loss prevention are key to many businesses and organisations, so the news that the EU has begun to formulate a new directive on the subject will be welcome to many. While the directive will be intended to expand the official recognition given to cyber attacks of a previously unseen scale, it will also give member states the powers to better tackle and punish those cybercriminals …
