Suspected Nintendo Hacker Nabbed in Spain

Police in Spain have arrested a man for allegedly stealing personal data from thousands of Nintendo users by hacking into Nintendo Corp.’s online user database, the BBC reported.

The alleged hacker got his hands on data of 4,000 gamers, according to Spain’s Interior Ministry. The suspect allegedly threatened to contact the country’s data protection agency, accusing the firm of negligence.

When Nintendo failed to respond, he began leaking some of…

Massive Increase in Botnet Attacks in 2010

2010 saw a dramatic increase in cyber crime and targeted botnet attacks, and at its peak around Christmas, the total number of unique botnet victims was 654 percent greater than the victim population at the beginning of the year, according to a new report.

“Prior to 2010, many people thought in terms of spam and DDoS whenever the …

Bruce Schneier: Stop ‘Battle of Metaphors’ when Discussing Cyber

The threat of cyber warfare is greatly exaggerated and using salacious phrases such as “cyber Armageddon” will only make the situation worse, according to a security expert.

Bruce Schneier, chief security technology officer for BT, told BBC News there is a power struggle going on, involving a “battle of metaphors.”

He suggested the notion…

UK’s Cyber Cops Get £63 Million Funding Boost

The U.K.’s Home Office is allocating £63 million — more than $101 million — to fight the growing threat from hackers and other cyber dangers.

Theresa May, a member of the Parliament, said the funds, spread over four years, will come from the £650 million designated in October to strengthen Britain’s…

Most Malaysians Unaware of Web Dangers

Most Malaysians do not know how to protect themselves on the Internet and fail to take necessary precaution to safeguard their personal information when banking and shopping online, according to an expert.

Criminologist and president of Malaysian Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Datuk Akhbar Satar said although citizens enjoyed the convenience of online banking and e-commerce, many failed to take measures to keep their confidential data secure.

Satar…

Cyber Criminals Exploit Minnesota Attorney General to Scam Swedes

Cyber crooks are taking advantage of Minnesota’s connection to Sweden to steal from its citizens by using state’s Attorney General Lori Swanson’s name to lure potential victims into believing they have inherited money or property from a long-lost relative in the North Star State.

According to Star Tribune, Swanson’s office says the email is written in Swedish and claims to come from Attorney General Swanson but it instructs…

Maryland High School Gets Cyber Curriculum

Anne Arundel county school officials say Meade High School will soon be the site of their first curriculum developed to meet the demand for a much-needed cybersecurity workforce, according to HometownAnnapolis.com.

Uncovering the plan last week during a forum on the regional impact on cybersecurity, county school officials said they expect to…

Cosmetics Store Lush Hacked — Again

Nearly a month after hackers went after natural cosmetics brand Lush and exposed thousands of customers’ bank details, the company was struck again by a cyber attack that compromised its Australian and New Zealand websites.

Herald Sun reported that Lush yesterday sent an email to customers, urging those who had placed an online order with the company to contact their bank to discuss canceling their credit cards.

“While…

Lynn Talks Pentagon’s Cyber Plan at RSA Conference

Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III is meeting with industry leaders today in San Francisco to discuss best practices in cybersecurity and to deliver a keynote on Pentagon’s cyber strategy at the RSA Conference.

Lynn will describe defense implications of cyber threats and the Defense Department’s strategy to…

Fresh Crop of 340 Undecillion IP Addresses Now Available

It’s official: The Internet recently ran out of IPv4 Internet addresses. But fear not, there’s a new round of addresses and it looks like they won’t exhaust anytime soon, with the introduction of 340 undecillion new, fresh addresses.

If you haven’t heard of undecillion before, it means a trillion trillion, which is notably more than the 4.3 billion IPv4 Internet…