DoD Official Sees Forthcoming Change in Cyber Culture

The Department of Defense is on the verge of a change in its cyber culture, according to a senior Air Force official. During the recent Symantec Government Symposium 2010 in Washington, D.C., Air Force Maj. Gen. Suzanne Vautrinot told audience members DoD is approaching a major change in the way the department…

Scotland Yard Nabs Teen Cyber Criminals

British police have arrested two teenagers for alleged involvement in a large English-language cyber crime forum. Both were detained by appointment in London by the Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) based at Scotland Yard.

Following an eight-month investigation, police discovered the forum contained around 8,000 members who traded malware, stolen account information and cyber crime tips. Tools available for purchase included the Zeus Trojan.

Police have recovered approximately 65,000 credit card…

Hackers Go After Politicians, Internet Censorship

The message board of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) was flooded with impolite messages which appeared to emanate from Austrlian politicians, according to The Register.

A group of hackers managed to flood the message board with inappropriate messages purporting to be posted by politicians. The posting began with a post alleging to come from Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, which said: “Keep up the good work guys. I am trying…

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Hacker Poses as Bollywood Star, Tells Friends, Business Contacts She’s Pregnant

An Indian actress last week reported to Mumbai cyber crime investigators how a hacker broke into her Gmail account and while posing as her, had numerous online chats with her friends about being pregnant with a guy whose name she failed to remember.

The plot was uncovered when the scammer began chatting to actress Meghna Naidu’s ex-publicist, who sensed something was wrong.

“PRs specialize in understanding the psyche of their…

Smart Grid Cyber Markets to See $3.7b by 2015

With the increasing push towards smart grid technology, security solutions to protect the smart grid are also likely to grow, according to a recent report.

By 2015, the cybersecurity market for protecting the smart grid is likely to reach $3.7 billion, a report by Pike Research claims. Under the funding for smart grid technology through the federal stimulus…

Twitter Accounts Hacked

More than 1,000 Twitter accounts have been compromised by hackers, according to F-Secure researchers. The hacked accounts are subsequently used to tweet “Hacked By Turkish Hackers.”

The researchers are currently unclear how the hacking attack is spreading. However, it appears that significant numbers of compromised accounts are owned by Israelis. Researcher Mikko Hyponnen suggests “Perhaps there’s a Twitter phishing run in Hebrew underway?”

Twitter has seen a variety of phishing…

Hacker Charged in Malware Extortion Case

A man accused of distributing malware to user computer and blackmailing users into providing sexually explicit material is being charged with extortion by federal prosecutors.

Luis Mijangos, 31, of Santa Ana, Calif. was arrested on Tuesday and charged with extortion, according to documents filed with the court. Investigators discovered videos that appeared to be taken from infected computers showing women in various stages of undress, some of whom appeared to…

Symantec’s Gigi Schumm on Cyber 7 Award Winners

During the Symantec Government Symposium 2010, in Washington, D.C, Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) announced its 2010 Cyber 7 Awards winners. The awards recognize seven individuals who are involved in furthering government cybersecurity efforts.

“Our public servants in government IT security and management are on the front lines, protecting our critical data infrastructures,” said Gigi Schumm, vice…

Senate Looks to Combine Cyber Bills

The Senate is looking to combine the various cyber bills in an effort to pass cyber legislation this year, Senate staffers said at the Symantec Government Symposium yesterday.

There is broad consensus on what needs to be included in a cyber bill, according to Eric Hopkins, professional staff member for the Federal Financial Management Subcommittee of the Senate Committee…