10 Coolest Movie Hackers

Hackers have been a part of Hollywood’s movie-making tradition for decades, and while real-life ones tend to have bad reps, Hollywood counterparts are often depicted as heroes whose valiant efforts save the world and humankind. To get in touch with your inner geek and to celebrate the release of “TRON: Legacy,” here is a top 10 list (in no…

Cyber Pros Go Gov: OPM to Create Cyber Career Track?

The Office of Personnel Management is considering creating a separate career track for federal cybersecurity professionals, according to a report on Federal News Radio.

Now, most government cyber workers are under the auspices of a career track for IT management, the 2210 series, because a separate classification for cybersecurity doesn’t exist.

But, OPM’s Chief Human…

Study: DDoS Often Used as Tool for Protests, Civil Disobedience

Security evangelist Sean-Paul Correll called the phenomenon “the future of cyber protests,” and a new report seems to substantiate his prediction of distributed denial of service attacks becoming a method frequently used by protesters and civil disobedients.

Historically associated with extortion, DDoS has morphed into an instrument used for various nonfinancial reasons,…

FCC Passes First Rules for Fair Play on the Internet

The Federal Communications Commission voted today to approve its controversial first-ever Internet access regulation, which would enshrine into law the idea that all web traffic be treated equally.

The Washington Post reported FCC’s three Democratic members comprised a majority of votes favoring the net neutrality regulation, which FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski introduced more…

Rodney Joffe: In 2011, Look Out for Web Traffic Hijacking

Businesses should brace themselves for Internet traffic hijacking and sophisticated attacks on computerized control systems in 2011, according to a cybersecurity expert.

In an interview with ComputerWeekly, Rodney Joffe, senior vice president and senior technologist at Neustar, said those two trends are indicated by the discovery of Stuxnet and China’s…

Cyber Crime Thrives on Underground Black Market

They say everything can be bought online, and that includes your identity. Exactly how much is your personal information worth on the online black market?  The answer might shock you.

With organized crime in cyberspace becoming an increasingly widespread problem, surfing the web has become a risky business–and a lucrative one for online crooks.

“In 2004, the…

Richard Stiennon: Cyber War Has Already Happened

Don’t call Richard Stiennon a cyberwar alarmist. While his new book, Surviving Cyberwar, is the latest in a series of recent books about the global online threat, he told The New New Internet he’s not just another voice in the “sky is falling” cyber chorus. Instead, Stiennon, who serves as…

FBI Memos Reveal Cost of Hacker Attacks

A hacker attack on a company’s website can be expensive, but exactly how much money it takes to recover from one is rarely disclosed by impacted parties. Now, however, internal FBI memos obtained by The New York Times through a Freedom of Information Act request provide a glimpse into how much…

The Evolution of the Whistle-Blower: From Civil War to WikiLeaks

Think whistle-blower, and you’ll more than likely conjure up an image of a government worker who wants to shed light on an internal problem or a moral dilemma. These days, however, the whistle-blower has morphed from a one-man band to an orchestra of many, sounding the horn about everything from classified information to embarrassing communications concerning world leaders.

In 1863,…

Vivek Kundra’s Fix for Broken IT: ‘Stop Throwing Good Money after Bad Money’

Outlining his plan to reform federal IT, U.S. Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra had one favorite expression he used repeatedly to illustrate the underperforming, overbudget projects exemplifying government waste: throwing good money after bad money.

Kundra and Office of Management and Budget Chief Performance Officer Jeffrey Zients last…