DARPA Wants to Build Computer Systems Modeled after Human Brain

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has introduced a new program called SyNAPSE, which aims to develop computer systems that simulate important functions of the human brain.

Currently, computer systems can only process information according to their programming. SyNAPSE’s goal is to make unmanned systems and electronic devices more efficient, flexible and enable them to understand,…

Proposed Cybersecurity Policy in India Stresses Local IT Products

The Indian government has released a draft of a proposed national cybersecurity policy that identifies indigenous development of IT goods vital for fighting threats from imported high-tech products, according to The Economic Times. 

The draft also calls on government to identify the most dangerous cybersecurity …

Hacker ‘Fdf’ Takes Credit for Barracuda Networks SQL Injection Attack ‎

A hacker broke into a Barracuda Networks database and obtained names and email addresses of some of the company’s employees, channel partners and sales leads.

The hacker, who called himself Fdf, yesterday posted online evidence of his hacks, showing email addresses of company employees and names, company affiliations and phone numbers of sales leads registered by the Barracuda’s channel partners, PCWorld reported.

Barracuda confirmed the breach yesterday and…

Napolitano, Attorney General to Attend European Cyber Crime Forum

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano are this week making a transatlantic trip to Hungary to attend a forum on cyber crime, UPI reported.

 

While in Budapest for the European cyber crime forum Wednesday and Thursday, the two also will attend the biannual U.S-European…

Report: Email-borne Malware Surges 400% after Rustock Takedown

Malware delivered via email grew by 400 percent in the last week of March 2011, with the spike detected two weeks after the takedown of the Rustock botnet, according to a quarterly report by Commtouch.

The Internet Threats Trend Report, which covers spam, phishing, malware and web …

Commerce Department Introduces NSTIC to Protect E-Commerce Industry

Point, click, buy has become somewhat more complicated as online commerce has transformed into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. And the White House is actively working to ensure the cyber safety of e-commerce through its recent initiative, the National Strategy for Trusted Identities…

Sony, Hacker ‘GeoHot’ Settle in PS3 Jailbreaking Case

Sony announced today it has reached a settlement with PlayStation 3 hacker George “GeoHot” Hotz, who agreed to a permanent injunction, Ars Technica reported.

“Our motivation for bringing this litigation was to protect our intellectual property and our consumers,” Sony’s general counsel Riley Russell said in a statement. “We believe this settlement and the permanent injunction achieve this goal.”

“It was never my intention to cause any users trouble or…

Last Year Saw 60 Million Malware-infected PCs in Vietnam

Approximately 160,000 computers a day in Vietnam got slammed with malware last year, with most PCs being infected at an alarming rate by the Conficker virus, according to the Vietnam Informatics Department.

According to Vietnamese news source VietNamNet, the Ministry of Public Security said Vietnam now ranks among the 10 nations that have the highest risk of information vulnerability. Additionally, the domain .vn also ranks third on the list of…

Hacker Blackmails S. Korean Company over Leaks of Stolen Customer Info

A hacker stole customer names and home addresses from a major South Korean financial lender then blackmailed the company to not release the information online, according to UPI.

Hyundai Capital, an affiliate of South Korea’s top automaker, said critical financial information was not released. Investigators were unsure if the hacker obtained cellphone numbers and email addresses for the 420,000 people whose data was accessed.

Yonhap news agency…

FCC Seeks Citizens’ Input on Strengthening Communications Networks

The Federal Communications Commission last week moved closer to adopting the recommendations in the National Broadband Plan by implementing a Notice of Inquiry seeking public comment on how to further bolster the reliability and resiliency of the nation’s communications networks.

“The recent devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan are a stark reminder of how…