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Many Hacks Claimed, Few Confirmed on Anon's Day of Mayhem November 06, 2012 Anonymous has been celebrating Guy Fawkes Day by engaging in various acts of mayhem online and turning out in person at sites across the globe to protest. Some of the reported hacks and other acts have turned out to be unsubstantiated. The attack claims include Symantec and ImageShack. PayPal also was reported to have been hacked, but a spokesperson says that's not true.

Facebook Welcomes Newbies With Privacy Grand Tour November 05, 2012 Facebook has rolled out a round of security features intended to better educate new users about what information they can keep private and how. Now, when new users sign up for the site, they will have the option to take an online privacy tour to get information on its privacy policies.

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.

Study: Google Play Apps Go Beyond Need-to-Know November 05, 2012 An analysis of more than 400,000 apps in the Google Play store has revealed that more than 100,000 of them pose a potential security risk to their users. The analysis of the Android apps released last week by cyber security vendor Bit9 examined the security permissions requested by the programs.

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.

EMC Grabs Silver Tail October 31, 2012 EMC has announced it is acquiring Silver Tail Systems, a provider of real-time Web session intelligence and behavioral analysis. When the acquisition is closed, which is expected in the fourth quarter, Silver Tail will be part of EMC's security division, tasked with extending RSA's enterprise security portfolio.

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.

FTC Furrows Brows Over Facial-Recognition Tech October 24, 2012 The FTC hopes to nip facial-recognition problems in the bud before things go too far. The agency offered guidelines for companies developing the technology in a staff report released this week. The purposes for using facial recognition tools range from identifying a criminal to displaying a highly customized ad.

Compete Swallows Hard to Settle FTC Privacy Charges October 23, 2012 Compete has agreed to settle FTC charges that it used its Web-tracking software to collect personal data without disclosing the extent of its information-gathering activities, and failed to honor promises it made to protect the personal data it collected. Under the settlement, Compete must obtain consumers' express consent before collecting any data.

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.

Standing Your Ground Against Cybermuggers October 23, 2012 Many people know it's a bad idea to open attachments in email received from strangers, but relatively few know they need to take the same precautions when clicking links on social media sites and even VoIP service Skype. In recent weeks, cybercriminals have been targeting individuals through Skype, and the criminals have been picking up their game and increasingly utilizing so-called ransomware.

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.

Doing the Two-Step With Google October 18, 2012 Horror stories abound of electronic lives compromised by stolen passwords. One of the problems with a password-secured life is that the password is the single element that -- when compromised -- allows access. The User ID isn't protected, nor is any hardware. Shouldn't there be better methods?

MiniFlame Drops Cyberbombs on High-Value Targets October 17, 2012 Security researchers have identified a new offshoot of the notorious Flame espionage malware. The malware, called "miniFlame," creates a backdoor in the systems that it infects. That backdoor can then be used by an attacker to gain access an infected machine. The attacker can then write files to the compromised computer, snatch files from it or snap screenshots of its display.

UK Blocks Extradition of UFO-Seeking Hacker October 17, 2012 Gary McKinnon, a 46-year-old British computer hacker who admits to accessing U.S. government computers in 2002, will not be extradited to the U.S. UK home secretary Theresa May reportedly said that McKinnon was "seriously ill" and that the extradition request should be withdrawn. McKinnon says he hacked the U.S. computers searching for evidence of UFOs.

EU Gives Google a Privacy To-Do List October 17, 2012 It appears Google is catching flak from regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. European privacy authorities have asked Google to modify its global privacy policy in order to give users a better understanding of what personal data is being collected. The move comes on the heels of rumors that the Federal Trade Commission is about to launch an antitrust suit against the company.

Stopping the PhD Cybercriminal October 15, 2012 The concept of intelligent containment of risk is an important approach to overall IT security. In today's environment, rapid and proactive containment of problems and breaches -- in addition to just trying to keep the bad guys out of your systems -- makes sense. To find out what other approaches to data security are gaining traction, listen to today's podcast featuring Kaivan Rahbari, senior vice president of risk management at FIS Global.