Christmas holiday sees DDoS attacks

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, several websites were hit with a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack around the Christmas holiday. The company that provides directory service to a variety of websites was targeted in the attack, which left several of the sites inaccessible to some users.

Once the company providing the directory services noticed the spike in activity, it moved rapidly to respond…

Germans Set Up Botnet Cleaner

The German Federal Office for Information Security, along with German ISPs, are setting up a service to clean up infected computers that are used in botnets.

The ISPs will track down infected computers and notify the users by directing them to a website with helpful information and the telephone number for a call center.

Presently, Germany is in the top 10 countries hosting the most infected computers. The new…

Another Reason Not to Jailbreak Your iPhone

According to recent media reports, iPhones that have been illegally altered (know as Jailbreaking) are being targeted by malware. The malware then links the jailbroken iPhone into a mobile botnet, believed to be the first of its kind.

The worm, uncovered by security firm Intego, scans local networks for jailbroken iPhones and then copies itself onto the iPhone, adding the device to a growing mobile botnet. The worm…

Cyber Jargon YOU Need To Know

As the use of the internet and technology grows, so do its terms and definitions. Here is a rundown of today’s most frequently used cyber terms.

We left something out? Please feel free to leave a comment below to further enhance our ‘cyber jargon’ glossary.

Authentication: Confirms that a computer program or individual attempting to access a system is authorized and is not infected with malware.

Botnet: Short for…

Botnets Don’t Pay what They Used To

Botnets used for cyber attacks, particularly distributed denial of service attacks, are becoming cheaper, according to security researchers.

The number of available botnets has grown rapidly, flooding the market and driving prices down.

Botnets are constructed by hackers who infect a series of computers. They then rent out the botnet to other users for pre-set pricing based on how many days the botnet is used. The botnets are offered…

Botnet Defrauds Google

A recent botnet scam that has been defrauding Internet advertisers is also stealing revenue from Google.

The botnet produces a false Google page, with real results that are taken from the actual Google search engine, and slightly alters them to enable click fraud.

The scam is being spread through malware disguised as anti-virus scanning software. The malware then alters the infected computer’s DNS that presents the false Google web…

Independence Day Cyber Assault: Who’s Responsible?

On July 4, the websites of the Departments of Defense, State, and Homeland Security, and more than two dozen other websites in the US and South Korea experienced distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS).  This kind of brute-force attack has millions of zombie computers controlled by hackers (botnets) try to access secure content at once to overwhelm security protocols and bring websites offline.  Imagine someone installing remote controls on millions of cars…