security

James Bamford: Connecting the Dots on PRISM, Phone Surveillance, and the NSA’s Massive Spy Center

"Physically, the NSA has always been well protected by miles of high fences and electrified wire, thousands of cameras, and gun-toting guards. But that was to protect the agency from those on the outside trying to get in to steal secrets. Now it is confronting a new challenge: those on the inside going out and giving the secrets away. While the agency has had its share of spies, employees who have sold top-secret documents to foreign governments for cash, until the last few years it has never had to deal with whistleblowers passing top-secret information and documents to the press because their conscience demanded it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJames Bamford: Connecting the Dots on PRISM, Phone Surveillance, and the NSA’s Massive Spy Center

Guardian publishes third secret NSA document, on US cyberwar plans

"The document orders various government agencies to prepare for offensive cyberwarfare operations and says the government will 'identify targets of national importance.' The article quotes an intelligence source with knowledge of NSA programs as saying the directive makes US complaints about China's state-sponsored hacking 'hypocritical,' because the US has 'participated in offensive cyber operations and widespread hacking.' Some of the talking points in the directive were declassified in January, but the emphasis on offensive hacking wasn't made public, nor was the order to create a specific target list." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGuardian publishes third secret NSA document, on US cyberwar plans

Anatomy of a hack: How crackers ransack passwords like “qeadzcwrsfxv1331”

"Nate Anderson, Ars deputy editor, downloaded a list of more than 16,000 cryptographically hashed passcodes. Within a few hours, he deciphered almost half of them. If a reporter with zero training in the ancient art of password cracking can achieve such results, imagine what more seasoned attackers can do. Imagine no more. We asked three cracking experts to attack the same list Anderson targeted and recount the results in all their color and technical detail Iron Chef style. The results, to say the least, were eye opening because they show how quickly even long passwords with letters, numbers, and symbols can be discovered." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnatomy of a hack: How crackers ransack passwords like “qeadzcwrsfxv1331”

Black Hat hackers break into any iPhone in under a minute, using a malicious charger

"Security researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have built a malicious USB charger that can inject persistent, undetectable malware onto your iPhone, iPad, or other current-gen iOS device. This USB charger, called Mactans, takes less than a minute to compromise a device once it has been plugged in. Mactans, which is named after the black widow spider’s Latin taxonomy, will be demonstrated by Billy Lau, Yeongjin Jang, and Chengyu Song at the Black Hat 2013 conference in July." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBlack Hat hackers break into any iPhone in under a minute, using a malicious charger

Microsoft joins FBI in ‘major assault’ on one of world’s largest cyber crime rings

"Microsoft Corp and the FBI, aided by authorities in more than 80 countries, have launched a major assault on one of the world’s biggest cyber crime rings, believed to have stolen more than $500 million from bank accounts over the past 18 months. Microsoft said its Digital Crimes Unit on Wednesday successfully took down at least 1,000 of an estimated 1,400 malicious computer networks known as the Citadel Botnets. Citadel infected as many as 5 million PCs around the world and, according to Microsoft, was used to steal from dozens of financial institutions. The criminals remain at large and the authorities do not know the identities of any ringleaders." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMicrosoft joins FBI in ‘major assault’ on one of world’s largest cyber crime rings

Google ordered to obey FBI’s warrantless data requests

"A federal judge has rejected Google’s request to not have to comply with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) warrantless requests for users’ data records, the Associated Press reported on Friday. In a May 28 ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston decided that the 'national security letters' issued by the bureau were not unconstitutional, as the tech company had argued, but delayed her ruling pending a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Illston ruled that after receiving sworn statements from two high-ranking FBI officials, she determined that the bureau followed proper procedure in issuing 17 of 19 letters to Google." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGoogle ordered to obey FBI’s warrantless data requests

Chinese hackers jeopardize secrecy of U.S. weapons programs

"Chinese hackers have gained access to secret designs for a slew of sophisticated US weapons programs, officials said Tuesday, possibly jeopardizing the American military’s technological edge. The breaches were part of a broad Chinese campaign of espionage against top US defense contractors and government agencies, officials said, confirming a Washington Post account of a Pentagon report. The Defense Science Board, a senior advisory group with government and civilian experts, concluded that digital hackers had gained access to designs for two dozen major weapons systems critical to missile defenses, combat aircraft and naval ships." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese hackers jeopardize secrecy of U.S. weapons programs

Mob Steals $100,000 Worth Of Jewelry From Woman On Chicago’s Mag Mile

"A 69-year-old woman was confronted on the Magnificent Mile (Rahmaland's answer to NYC's Fifth Avenue) by a mob of young men on Wednesday, who proceeded to take $100,000 worth of jewelry she was wearing, reports CBS Chicago. A Chicago police source said the woman from the Rahmaland suburb of Homewood Flossmoor was accosted by 10 to 12 men while walking in the 700 block of North Michigan around noon in front of Saks Fifth Avenue. They threatened to beat her if she didn’t give them her purse and jewelry. She took off her jewelry, valued at around $100,000, and handed it to them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMob Steals $100,000 Worth Of Jewelry From Woman On Chicago’s Mag Mile

Cannes Film Festival rocked as $1 million worth of red carpet ‘loaner’ jewels are stolen

"Jewellery worth more than $1 million due to be loaned to stars treading the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival was stolen in a pre-dawn heist on Friday but the coveted Palme d’Or trophy was safe, officials said. In a scenario itself worthy of a movie, thieves broke into the room of an American employee of Swiss bijoutier Chopard, ripped a safe off the wall and made off with the jewels, according to police reports. Last year, thieves made off with four watches worth 400,000 euros ($513,000) belonging to football stars Souleymane Diawara and Mamadou Niang who were in Cannes for the festival." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCannes Film Festival rocked as $1 million worth of red carpet ‘loaner’ jewels are stolen

In-Flight Thieves Targeting Airline Travelers’ Carry-On Bags

"Travel experts such as Hobica say theft on planes is a growing problem, with bags getting swiped, valuables stolen and pockets picked. Jewelry, money and medications are often the sought-after prizes. One of the reasons in-flight thefts are rising is because more travelers are trying to avoid checking their bags these days. 'People don’t want to pay the check-bag fee,' Hobica said, adding, 'They also know there can be a lot of theft from baggage handlers.' More passengers carrying on luggage means overhead bins are packed. Travelers often cannot use an overhead bin near their seats, putting their valuables out of sight." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIn-Flight Thieves Targeting Airline Travelers’ Carry-On Bags