Week in review: Blackhole 2.0 is out, Windows 8 users open to Flash exploits, and botnet C&Cs hidden in the Tor network
Here’s an overview of some of last week’s most interesting news and articles:
Apache HTTP Server set to ignore IE10’s Do Not Track request
Microsoft’s decision to make Internet Explorer 10 in Windows 8 have the “Do Not Track” (DNT) option turned on by default has stirred a heated discussion among browser developers, online analytics companies, privacy advocates, advertisers, and the Tracking Protection Working Group of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
11,000 Guild Wars 2 accounts hacked in ongoing attacks
The second sequel of the popular Guild Wars multiplayer online RPG by ArenaNet has been released less than two weeks ago, and player accounts are already being heavily targeted by what seems to be a dedicated account hijacking campaign coming from China.
Windows 8 users open to Flash exploits
Users who have downloaded and are using the “Release To Manufacturing” version of Windows 8 or the 90-day trial version of Windows 8 Enterprise should be aware that the Adobe Flash Player version integrated in Internet Explorer 10 hasn’t been automatically updated by Microsoft and makes them vulnerable to code execution attacks due to four separate security flaws.
Publishing firm says leaked Apple IDs came from their servers
BlueToad, a Florida-based digital edition publishing company, has announced that the recent massive Apple UDID leak originated from their own servers, and not an FBI laptop.
Mobile malware has become a profitable industry
Lookout released its State of Mobile Security Report 2012 which explains the issues that individuals faced on mobile devices this year and explores the prominent trends in mobile threats.
Millions of GoDaddy sites go offline due to alleged DDoS attack
GoDaddy, on of the biggest and most popular Internet domain registrars and web hosting companies in the world, has suffered an outage on Monday that left many of its customers’ websites temporarily available.
39% of IT staff can get unauthorized access to sensitive information
IT professionals are allowed to roam around corporate networks unchecked, according to a survey of more than 450 IT professionals by Lieberman Software. It found that 39% of IT staff can get unauthorized access to their organization’s most sensitive information – including the CEO’s private documents – and one in five has already accessed data they shouldn’t.
Pirate Bay’s co-founder deported to Sweden, Anonymous hacks Cambodian ministry
Pirate Bay co-founder Gottfrid Svartholm has been deported from Cambodia and has landed at Stockholm’s airport Tuesday morning. The formal reason behind his deportation was the expiry of his Cambodia visa, but wasn’t allowed to choose the country to which to be deported.
Etsy starts its own bug bounty program
Etsy, the popular online marketplace for handcrafted and vintage goods, has announced its own bug bounty program, which will reward researchers with money and goods for information about bugs.
Cyber security strengthened at EU institutions
EU institutions have reinforced their fight against cyber threats by establishing the EU’s Computer Emergency Response Team, or CERT-EU, on a permanent basis. This decision follows a successful one-year pilot for the team, which drew positive assessments from clients and peers.
Chip and PIN payment card system vulnerable to “pre-play” attacks
A team of Cambridge University researchers has recently discovered that a flaw in the way that the algorithms for generating unique numbers for each ATM or POS transaction are implemented makes it possible for attackers to authorize illegal transactions without ever having to clone the customers’ card.
Botnet operators hide C&Cs in the Tor network
Over the years, botnet owners have tried out different tactics for keeping their C&C servers online, in contact with the zombie computers, and hidden from researchers and law enforcement agencies.
The QR code: A new frontier in mobile attackability
We’ve already been trained to think twice before entering an unknown link we get from a stranger or even a friend, but almost anyone will scan an unknown QR code with a smartphone or a tablet, if the offer it’s embedded in looks tempting enough.
French energy company targeted with faulty malware
A researcher of Norwegian security firm Norman has recently come across and analyzed a peculiar malware sample that was likely aimed at compromising computers of employees of AREVA, a French conglomerate specializing in various energy sectors.
Five things that the private cloud is not
To help reduce the hype and identify the real value of private cloud computing for IT leaders, Gartner explains five common misconceptions about private cloud.
Blackhole 2.0 is out with new exploits and same price
A new version of BlackHole, one of the most popular exploit kits out there, has been made available by its creator, who has supposedly rewritten it from scratch.
Microsoft’s study into unsecure supply chains leads to botnet disruption
Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit has disrupted the functioning of yet another botnet by effecting a takedown of a domain which was also hosting over 500 different strains of malware and has been linked to malicious activity since 2008.
Best practices for mobile software developers
The PCI Mobile Payment Acceptance Security Guidelines offer software developers and mobile device manufacturers guidance on designing appropriate security controls to provide solutions for merchants to accept mobile payments securely.
The various spam campaigns leading to Blackhole
At any given time, there is a considerable number of email spam campaigns that ultimately lead users to pages hosting exploit kits – more often then not the extremely popular Blackhole exploit kit. Websense researchers warn about the ones that are currently hitting inboxes around the world.