Scammer Sentenced to 151 Months in Prison for $1.3 Million 419 Scheme

A Nigerian man has been sentenced to more than 12 years in U.S. prison for masterminding a 419 scam that siphoned more than $1.3 million from victims.

Okpako Mike Diamreyan was sentenced to serve 151 months in federal prison and pay a little more than $1 million in restitution to the 67 victims he scammed from 2004 and 2009. The conviction was the result of his relocation to the United…

UK Boy Sends Angry Email to Obama, Gets Banned Forever from US

A teenager from Bedfordshire, England, has been banned from ever entering the United States after sending a “threatening” email to the White House.

BBC News reports how a 17-year-old male was investigated after he expressed his dislike of President Barack Obama and the American government. Bedfordshire police, who paid a visit to the boy, said the email contained abusive and threatening language.

“He was told that he wouldn’t be…

Report: Aussie Businesses Cautiously Optimistic about Web 2.0

Although many Australian organizations embrace Web 2.0 and believe it can help advance their businesses, many are reluctant to use these new technologies of fear that they will impact productivity and security, according to a new report.

Published by McAfee and Purdue University, the “Web 2.0 – A Complex Balancing Act” report examines…

McAfee CEO Dave DeWalt: Taking McAfee to the Next Level

McAfee CEO and President Dave DeWalt kicked off an annual customer conference in Sydney, Australia, by addressing the one issue on everyone’s mind: the proposed acquisition by Intel.

Although he was unable to provide details on the deal that is yet to close, DeWalt told customers and partners…

Mexican Twitter-Controlled Botnet Detected

Security researchers have discovered another botnet that uses Twitter as a command and control channel, The Register reports.

Malware-infected drones in the Mehika Twitter botnet take instructions from a Twitter account maintained by hackers instead of conventional command and control servers. The use of Twitter as a botnet command channel was first discovered in August 2009 before similar methods were used to abuse Facebook profiles as …

Cybersecurity, National Defense Luminaries Slated to Appear at Security Symposium

Top experts in cybersecurity, homeland security and national defense are scheduled to appear at this year’s National Symposium on Homeland Security and Defense, held Oct. 27-29 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Among others, experts include Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; U.S. Northern Command Commander Adm. James Winnefeld, Jr.; Black…

Facebook Users Post Whereabouts, Get Burglarized

Police in Nashua, N.H, have nabbed a trio of men suspected of burglarizing the homes of Facebook users who had posted updates on their pages about being away from home.

According to local news reports, between $100,000 to $200,000 of stolen property has been recovered so far after 50 homes in the city were broken into in August. Police arrested Victor Rodriguez, Mario Rojas and…

Wyle Nabs Piece of $450M Award to Support USAF with Cyber Architectures, Training, Defense

Technology company Wyle Information Systems has been awarded a share of a $450 million contract to support the USAF Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colo., with cyber architectures, formal cyber training and cyber defense.

“This award is a logical extension of the services and solutions Wyle provides to Space Command,” said Tom…

William J. Lynn, NATO Discuss Cyber Defense

Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III is meeting with NATO leaders in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss the U.S. defense cybersecurity initiative, said Bryan Whitman, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs.

“It’s an opportunity to convey the importance of cybersecurity to our NATO allies, as well as…

GTEC Bolsters Cyber, Intelligence Capabilities with Zytel Purchase

Global Defense Technology & Systems, Inc. has announced it is acquiring Zytel Corporation for $26.8 million.

Maryland-based Zytel provides cybersecurity and mission systems in support of the critical intelligence, counterterrorism, and cyber-warfare missions of its national-security clients. All the company’s work is classified and all employees are cleared at …