A new report is showing that internet routers have significant security flaws that could allow a hacker to take control of your computer without ever putting a virus onto the actual computer.
Security officials have found “backdoors” in routers produced by NetGear and Linksys, two of the biggest selling router manufacturers. The security flaws allow a hacker to take control of the router and guide your web browser to fake websites that could look like Google, Facebook or a host of other sites.
The hackers would then steal personal information that you enter into the spoofed websites.
Many internet service providers give a cable or DSL modem with a built-in router that could be compromised by hackers depending on the manufacturer.
Security officials recommend placing a password on your router with an unusually long string of letters and numbers to make it unlikely a causal hacker will take the time to try and crack the long code.
A new report released by Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn is showing some shocking revelations about the security of Federal agencies, databases and websites.
The report found that almost 40 percent of breaches in security go undetected by security officials and systems.
“[The report] highlights serious vulnerabilities in the government’s efforts to protect its own civilian computers and networks,” Coburn said.
The report shows that nearly every agency has faced some kind of undetected event from the U.S. Copyright Office to the Department of Homeland Security. Even agencies that don’t seem to be major targets like the National Weather Service or NASA faced major breaches.
An example of one attack was hackers breaking into the national Emergency Alert System in February 2013 sending out a “Zombie Attack Warning” in Midwestern states.
“Civil authorities in your area have reported the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living,” the hackers sent out before being cut off. “Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies as they are considered extremely dangerous.”
The report says that hackers could enter databases regarding U.S. dams that showed which were the weakest or had security problems making them vulnerable to attack. One of the hackers obtained the technology map running the New York Stock Exchange.
The report was based on studies from 40 different audits.
Investigators looking into the massive data breach at Target and Neiman Marcus stores originated in Romania.
The total of customers whose personal data was stolen in a hacking attack on retail card machines continues to climb. The latest reports now put the total over 110,000 potential victims of the hacking attack.
The FBI and U.S. Secret Service officials say that over the last year they have been involved with numerous arrests in Romania connected to hacking attacks on U.S. computers. The rise of cybercrime has been so significant that the Council of Europe has opened an office in Romania’s capital focused on cybercrime.
The U.S. Embassy in Romania said that 80% of cyber attacks from Romania focus on American citizens. They estimate $1 billion a year is stolen by Romanian hackers.
Six people were arrested and charged Monday for stealing $45 million in a worldwide ATM heist.
The five men and one woman were accused of being members of an international cybercriminal organization that targeted prepaid debit cards issued by Middle Eastern banks. They deleted withdrawal limits from compromised accounts then sent teams of “cashers” to make synchronized withdrawals from ATMs worldwide. The six that were arrested visited over 140 ATMs in New York City and withdrew approximately $2.8 million.
“This case is another example of the ability of cybercriminals to inflict significant damage to world financial systems,” said Steven Hughes, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service New York field office.
Five of the defendants have pleaded not guilty in federal court. The sixth defendant is expected to be arraigned Tuesday. Each person faces up to 7.5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
South Africa has been struck by a massive cyber-fraud attack that experts are calling one of the biggest in the nation’s history.
A computer virus nicknamed “Dexter”, after the serial killer character in a U.S. TV show, compromised the payment card systems of thousands of businesses, restaurants and hotels.
Losses are thought to be in the tens of millions.
The Dexter code was used to make a series of attacks in the U.S., UK and other countries toward the end of 2012. It skims the information from magnetic cards in a way that allows a criminal to make a duplicate card.
Interpol and Europol believe the hackers behind the attack are based in Europe and have said their investigation is making “good progress.”
“Normal anti-virus software would probably have cleaned up Dexter but it was a particular custom-built variant, which was not detectable with the normal scanning software that everybody’s got,” Walter Volker, chief executive of the Payment Association of South Africa, told the BBC.
The Syrian Electronic Army, who support the government of Bashir al-Assad in its battle against rebels, launched a massive cyberattack Tuesday against the New York Times and Twitter.
The attack was the most severe yet for the group which in the last few months has also hit the Financial Times, BBC, CNN and the Washington Post. Continue reading →
Cybersecurity firms say that hackers who knocked out tens of thousands of South Korean computers earlier this year are now coming after U.S. and South Korean military firms. Continue reading →
Tens of thousands of computers in America will lose their internet connection ability on Monday when the FBI turns off special web servers aimed at keeping the infected computers from losing access.
The FBI worked with international groups to break an organization of international hackers who secretly infected millions of computers and used them as servers to send information and steal information from the host computers. The information was used in identify theft scams and other cyber crimes. Continue reading →