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Judge Throws the Book at AT&T Hacker 'Weev' March 18, 2013 Andrew Auernheimer, a hacker known as "Weev," was sentenced Monday to 41 months in prison for obtaining the personal data of more than 100,000 iPad owners from AT&T's publicly accessible website and sending the information to the media. The ruling immediately sparked an outcry from a digital rights group that claims the punishment does not fit the crime.

Feds' Case Against Journo Spurs Crime-and-Punishment Uproar March 16, 2013 The case of a journalist charged Thursday with aiding the hacker group Anonymous is sending up red flags in two camps: employers who must worry about security threats from disgruntled ex-workers; and a digital rights group that is finding troublesome parallels with the prosecution of the late Aaron Swartz.

Feds Probe Hack of First Lady, Biden, Celebs March 13, 2013 Police in Los Angeles have teamed with the FBI to investigate Russian hackers suspected of stealing and posting sensitive information about Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, law enforcement officials and Hollywood celebrities. The material in question was posted on a website using .su as a suffix -- reportedly a tip-off that the perpetrators have a Russian connection.

China on Cyberattacks: US Is Pot Calling the Kettle Black March 04, 2013 After taking it on the chin for its alleged attacks on U.S. media outlets -- and for its army reportedly backing hackers engaged in cyberespionage around the world -- China returned fire. The government claimed its defense and military ministries' websites are being bombarded with 144,000 hacking attacks a month from the U.S.

Joint Effort Snares Gang of Cyberthugs February 14, 2013 Europol announced Wednesday the breakup of a gang of cybercriminals who allegedly ran a ransomware scheme to extract money from online users in 30 countries. Spanish police, working alongside Europol's European Cybercrime Center, made 11 arrests in an action dubbed "Operation Ransom."

Europol Cybercops Take Down Ransomware Ring February 14, 2013 The European police agency, Europol, announced Wednesday that it had dismantled a Russian-led, Spain-based cybercrime organization. The organization reportedly extorted millions of euros across more than 30 countries, mostly in Europe. The group's plan was to convince Internet users to pay fines, supposedly to authorities, for trumped-up infractions.

Attack on Fed Exposes Weak Patch Maintenance February 11, 2013 While many Americans watched the wrap-up of the Super Bowl Feb. 3, the band of hackers called "Anonymous" broke into a Web-facing server at the Federal Reserve and pilfered a list of some 4,000 people who work in the banking industry -- many of them ranking executives at banks and credit unions. Later in the week, the Fed acknowledged the break-in.

EU's Cybersecurity Plan Requires Members to Report Attacks February 07, 2013 The European Union on Thursday announced a strategic plan designed to prevent and respond to cyberdisruptions and attacks. The heart of the plan: a requirement that all member states and key Internet enablers -- including some U.S.-based companies -- must report attacks. These actions are part of the EU's overall cyber security strategy for a free and open Internet.

Brace Yourself for the Post-PC Threat Era January 28, 2013 It was inevitable. As computing has evolved, so has its nemesis: malware. "2012 is truly the year we entered the post-PC era as cybercriminals moved to embrace Android, social media platforms, and even Macs with their attacks," Trend Micro declared in its annual Security Roundup last week. A characteristic of the post-PC threat landscape is the accelerated growth of malware.

2012's Most Notable Computer Crimes January 16, 2013 Users of the Internet and electronic gear are vulnerable to criminals near and far, but we don't always hear about what happens at court and whether the alleged criminals are convicted or acquitted. Here is an update on some those crimes for consideration. After an 11-day jury trial in Denver, members of the management of Executive Recycling were convicted of illegally disposing of e-waste overseas.

100 Million Systems Vulnerable to Java Flaw January 14, 2013 A zero-day flaw in Oracle's Java programming language could make as many as 100 million computers connected to the Internet vulnerable to attack by cybercriminals. The threat posed by the Java vulnerability was considered so serious that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security urged computer users to turn off Java on their machines.

Bogus Google Certificate Exposes Broader Problem January 07, 2013 Google spotted an impostor certificate on Christmas Eve and took quick action, but the event is calling into question the reliability of Secure Socket Layer security. Turktrust, a Turkish Web certificate authority, acknowledged it gave two entities the power to create certificates when it shouldn't have.

After the Breach: Culture of Honesty Restores Confidence November 05, 2012 The culture of security -- and the openness and responsiveness that make security systems work properly -- can have a huge beneficial impact on organizations. This is illustrated by the example of Heartland Payment Systems, which moved rapidly after allowing a massive security breach.

Big US Banks Under Active Attack, Napolitano Warns November 01, 2012 Hackers are actively attacking some of the largest banks in the nation, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned this week. Napolitano declined to go into detail about the types of breaches or what kind of information -- if any -- had been taken. She brought up her concern about attacks on U.S. financial institutions at a cybersecurity event.

Russian Hacker Gets a Taste of His Own Malware October 31, 2012 After a persistent series of attacks on its government computers by a Russian hacker, the Republic of Georgia got mad and refused to take it anymore. In a reversal of roles, members of the country's Computer Emergency Response Team suckered the cybermiscreant into downloading a file infected with his own spyware that allowed CERT to photograph the alleged hacker with his computer's webcam and ransack its hard drive for files.

Legacy Applications a Threat to Windows 8 Security October 29, 2012 Windows 8 finally made it to prime time last week. This version of Microsoft's operating system makes significant improvements in its security stance, said Alex Balan, a senior product manager at Bitdefender, but some of them are likely to be undermined by users wedded to old programs. The way the Windows 8 user interface handles applications is a significant security improvement.

Hacking by the Books: Barnes & Noble PIN Pads Bugged October 27, 2012 Barnes & Noble revealed this week that PIN pad devices at 63 of its stores nationwide were hacked, putting some of its customers at risk. The company discovered the hacking in September, and for the past month, the FBI has been investigating the case. Fewer than 1 percent of Barnes & Noble PIN pads reportedly were affected, but those who were could have had important data stolen.

Icelanders Give Crowdsourced Constitution Warm Reception October 23, 2012 Voters in Iceland have responded favorably to the government's offer to let them participate in drafting the nation's new constitution. The idea to let citizens chime in online, namely via Facebook and Twitter, was hatched by 25 people on the Constitutional Council, which was tasked with devising a new constitution.

Open Source Ammo for the SMB Security Arsenal October 20, 2012 Technology professionals who work in and around SMBs know that sometimes bringing up information security in a smaller IT shop can be a tough sell. In many cases, SMBs feel that they don't present an attractive or large enough target for hackers to be interested in them.

Report: SMBs Overconfident on Cybersecurity October 18, 2012 Small businesses in the United States are generally confident about their cybersecurity status, but they're wrong, according to a survey of 1,015 companies conducted for the National Cyber Security Alliance and Symantec. Apparently, SMBs aren't doing enough to keep their businesses safe and secure.