Around The Horn vol.1,16

Alerts

Jan 20, 2009 (15 hours ago)
TA09-020A: Microsoft Windows Does Not Disable AutoRun Properly

from US-CERT Technical Cyber Security Alerts
Microsoft Windows Does Not Disable AutoRun Properly

Security News

Jan 20, 2009 (14 hours ago)
Payment Processor Breach May Be Largest Ever

from CGISecurity - Website and Application Security News by Romain Gaucher
The Washington Post reports today a new breach: "A data breach last year at Princeton, N.J., payment processor Heartland Payment Systems may have led to the theft of more than 100 million credit and debit card accounts, the company said today." More info on the article.

Jan 20, 2009 (16 hours ago)
The McAfee 2009 Threat Predictions

from McAfee Avert Labs by David Marcus
Today, we at McAfee Avert Labs released our 2009 Threat Predictions. Amongst the findings are:
Threats Hide in the CloudMiscreants have also transitioned to the Internet “cloud” as their main delivery vehicle and take advantage of the attractions of Web 2.0. McAfee expects this trend to continue throughout 2009, eventually displacing more traditional vectors of malware distribution.

Jan 20, 2009 (20 hours ago)
Fake antivirus and a real threat

from McAfee Avert Labs by Lokesh Kumar
Fake alert malware prey on innocent victims by displaying misleading scan alerts. They trick the user into buying fake antivirus, to fix such falsely exaggerated scan reports. This class of “scareware” software depends on extreme social engineering tactics and comes bundled with Backdoors, Password Stealers, Downloaders, Droppers, Browser Helper Objects, etc.

5:09 AM (1 hour ago)
China's anti-censor software pimps user data

from The Register - Security
Dissident data for sale
Harvard researchers have accused the developers of tools for dodging the Great Firewall of China of selling data harvested by the software, potentially giving the authorities in Beijing an easy way to identify dissidents.…

8:21 PM (10 hours ago)
New OS X research warns of stealthier Mac attacks

from The Register - Security
In-memory code injection covers tracks
A computer security researcher has discovered a new way to inject hostile code directly into the memory of machines running Apple's OS X operating system, a technique that makes it significantly harder for investigators to detect Mac attacks using today's forensics practices.…

Jan 20, 2009 (15 hours ago)
US credit card payment house breached by sniffing malware

from The Register - Security
Suspicious activity in the Heartland
Heartland Payment Systems - a payments processor that serves more than 250,000 US businesses - warned consumers Tuesday that their card data may have been compromised following a security breach of the company's payment system.…

Jan 20, 2009 (17 hours ago)
Call centre manager in the frame over ID scam

from The Register - Security
Alleged two-year dodginess using British identities
An Indian call centre manager is under investigation over allegations he used the identities of Brits to run an insurance fraud scam.…

Jan 20, 2009 (20 hours ago)
McKinnon wins extradition delay

from The Register - Security
All hold pending UK prosecution decision
Gary McKinnon has been granted a delay in his long-running fight against extradition to the US on hacking charges.…

Jan 20, 2009 (21 hours ago)
Conficker Autoplay ruse gets teeth into Windows 7

from The Register - Security
VXers still ahead of the game
Social engineering autoplay tricks work on early versions of Windows 7 as well as Vista, according to tests by security researchers.…

Jan 20, 2009 (23 hours ago)
Conficker seizes city's hospital network

from The Register - Security
Network-wide update ban invites worm infection
Exclusive Staff at hospitals across Sheffield are battling a major computer worm outbreak after managers turned off Windows security updates for all 8,000 PCs on the vital network, The Register has learned.…

Jan 20, 2009 (17 hours ago)
Debit-card processor claims data breach part of global fraud operation

from Network World on Security by Ellen Messmer
Heartland Payment Systems, the Princeton, N.J.-based provider of credit and debit processing, payroll, check management and payments services to more than 250,000 business locations across the country, Tuesday disclosed it was the victim of a security breach.

Jan 20, 2009 (17 hours ago)
Detecting Internet routing "lies"

from Network World on Security by Carolyn Duffy Marsan
Australian Geoff Huston is one of the foremost authorities on Internet routing and scaling issues. We sent Huston a few questions about the U.S. government's plan to bolster R&D to secure the Internet's core routing protocol, the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). Here are excerpts of from what Huston had to say.

Jan 20, 2009 (17 hours ago)
Embarrassing Insider Jobs Highlight Security, Privacy Holes

from Network World on Security
Officials in San Francisco last summer found out just how easy it can be for one person to hold the city, or at least critical parts of its IT network, hostage for several days. In July, a disgruntled network administrator for the city locked up a multimillion-dollar municipal computer system that handles sensitive data. The employee, Terry Childs, refused to give up the password to the FiberWAN system, which he had helped design. Childs eventually gave the password to San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, but not before a lockout that lasted almost two weeks and cost the city close thousands of dollars to fix.

Jan 20, 2009 (17 hours ago)
Microsoft issues patches for 'nasty' Windows bugs

from Network World on Security
Microsoft last week patched three vulnerabilities in the Server Message Block (SMB) file-sharing protocol in Windows, including two that could make "Swiss cheese" out of enterprise networks, according to one researcher.

Jan 20, 2009 (18 hours ago)
Brief: Payment processor warns of network breach

from SecurityFocus News
Payment processor warns of network breach

Jan 20, 2009 (13 hours ago)
Malware infestation responsible for credit card data breach

from Ars Technica by jhruska@arstechnica.com (Joel Hruska)
Heartland Payment Systems announced today that it may have exposed up to 100 million credit and debit cards to theft late last year. This revelation doesn't just set a data breach record, it may explain the surge in credit card fraud we saw last December.

7:44 PM (11 hours ago)
Hackers Imperil 100 Million Credit Card Accounts

from Wired Top Stories by Kim Zetter
Heartland Payment Systems, a company that processes debit- and credit-card transactions for 250,000 businesses, reveals it was hacked late last year and that intruders may have compromised more than 100 million accounts.

Jan 20, 2009 (15 hours ago)
Massive Theft of Credit Card Numbers Reported

from PC World Latest Technology News
Heartland Payment Systems, a payment processor for hundreds of thousands of businesses, disclosed today that it has been hit by what may be the largest credit card data theft to date.

Jan 20, 2009 (18 hours ago)
Smartphone Security Measures

from PC Magazine Tips and Solutions
Even the simplest cell phones carry enough data to be dangerous in the wrong hands.

Jan 20, 2009 (13 hours ago)
Safeguard Your PC Against the Downadup Worm

from PC World Latest Technology News
How to protect your PC from the biggest worm in years.

Jan 20, 2009 (18 hours ago)
A High-Tech Agenda for President Obama

from PC World Latest Technology News
Here's one editor's prescription for high-tech investments, priorities, and -- yes -- legislation.

-- Aurora Report says lions and tigers and bears, oh my!