Air Force Space Command Official: Cyber Threat is ‘Real, It’s Significant, It’s Persistent’

In a “DOD Live” bloggers roundtable yesterday, Maj. Gen. Michael J. Basla, vice commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., stressed how the United States is under constant attack by adversaries who use the Internet to launch attacks.

“There’s a great…

Survey: 1 in 3 Americans Would Risk Downloading Malware if Tempted by Intriguing Website, Link

Despite frequent media reports highlighting the dangers about phishing scams and harmful viruses, nearly one in three Americans would be willing to risk downloading a harmful virus, spyware…

Two of FBI’s ‘Most Wanted’ Cyber Crooks Captured

The FBI has nabbed two fugitives in Wisconsin for their alleged involvement in a global scheme to steal millions of dollars from dozens of U.S. accounts that were compromised by a Zeus Trojan and other malware attacks.

Last week, Dorin Codreanu and Lilian Adam were arrested in Portage, Wis., by FBI agents from the Madison, Wisconsin Resident Agency. The two suspects have been on the…

Owner of Illegal Internet Pharmacy Pleads Guilty in California

The owner of an illegal Internet pharmacy has pleaded guilty to distributing controlled substances outside the scope of professional medical practice.

Robert Smoley, the owner of United Mail Pharmacy Services, admitted he and others distributed $48 million worth of controlled pharmaceutical substances. Smoley said these distributions were done without a legitimate medical purpose. Smoley pleaded guilty to …

Web Users Get Paid to be Big Brother, Fight Crime

Crime never sleeps, and now thanks to a new surveillance project, neither do the crime fighters.

A company in Devon in southwestern England has launched a new website that pays citizens to monitor live commercial CCTV footage online in an effort to catch would-be criminals. Internet Eyes will pay up to…

Accenture Selected Prime Contractor for CDC IT Contract

Accenture has been selected a prime contractor on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity CDC Information Management Services contract to provide IT services and solutions that support CDC’s global public-health efforts.

Under the 10-year deal, Accenture will compete for work information management services and IT infrastructure services with ceiling…

Harris Scores $15 Million IT Services Deal from US Air Force

Harris Corporation has been awarded a $15 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for its Headquarters Air Force Information Management Enterprise Business Solutions Software Development Services Support program under the Network-Centric Solutions contract vehicle.

Under the contract, which includes one base year…

Turkish Hacker Takes Down Kenya’s Government Website

Kenya’s Finance Ministry’s website was hacked last week, possibly by the same individuals who brought down the Kenya Airways website in 2008, AllAfrica.com reports.

Visitors to www.treasury.go.ke encountered a black screen with the words “Hacked by ReisBEY Muslim Turkish Hacker” written in red and white.

There has been a dramatic spike in websites being hacked in Kenya, including Statehouse.co.ke, Kenya’s administration police, and Kenya’s government portal, among others.

Security standards…

Woman Pleads Guilty to Illegally Accessing Celebs’ Passport Files

A State Department employee has pleaded guilty to lying to department officials about her alleged involvement in the unauthorized access of hundreds of confidential passport application files.

Brooke E. Reyna worked in various roles at the National Passport Center in Portsmouth, N.H., most recently as a passport specialist. She admitted to having access to official State Department computer databases in the regular course of…

Aussie Cyber Crime Fighters Lack Skills, Says University Professor

Lack of cyber-forensics skills and expertise hinder many of Australia’s cyber crime incidents from being investigated, says a Swinburne University professor.

Speaking to Computerworld Australia, Leon Sterling, Swinbrune University’s faculty of information & communication technologies, said while Australia did have cyber forensic skills, they were often only available in high-profile…