No (Tax) Break from Cyber Crooks

Death and taxes are commonly said to be two facts of life. But as more people file their taxes online, there is a third certainty to consider: cyber crooks.

With tax season in full effect, cyber crooks have crafted legitimate-looking websites and emails with IRS-related content designed to lure hapless consumers into clicking a malicious link or downloading an…

CyberCom Blocks Access to Streaming Video; YouTube No Go for DoD Workers

The U.S. Cyber Command has restricted Defense Department workers’ access to  streaming-video websites such as YouTube, Amazon and Googlevideo, according to The Associated Press.

Officials say the overwhelming demand to see the Japan earthquake is using up the much-needed bandwidth already weakened by Internet problems in that region of the world.

Cyber Command has directed…

Rwanda Police Warn of Hike in Cyber Crime

Police in Rwanda have warned that cyber crime is growing, cautioning citizens to be cautions of scammers and online fraud, according to Rwandan newspaper The New Times

The Commissioner for Criminal Investigations Christophe Bizimungu said the crime rate has generally dropped over the past six years, mostly because of concentrated law-enforcement efforts and help from citizens.

Despite progress, certain crimes have increased, although not at an alarming rate. In this…

Report: Negligence Most Common Cause of Data Breaches

Malicious or criminal cyber attacks are the most expensive cause of data breaches, and organizations have kicked up their efforts to better protect themselves from web assaults, according to a study by the Ponemon Institute.

One of the study’s top findings reveals that nearly one-third of all cases in the study involved a malicious or criminal attack,…

Twitter Settles with FTC, Must Create ‘Comprehensive’ Cybersecurity Program

The Federal Trade Commission has agreed on a settlement with Twitter stemming from allegations that the micro blog  deceived consumers and put their privacy at risk by failing to safeguard their personal information, resulting in a breach that allowed hackers to take over Twitter twice in 2009.

At the time of the attacks, FTC said Twitter’s privacy…

DoD Works to Prevent another WikiLeaks, Insider Threat

On the heels of the WikiLeaks debacle and growing concerns about the insider threat, the Defense Department has taken steps in preventing another massive leak of its classified information, a senior official told a Senate committee last week.

After thousands of classified military documents were leaked and distributed online last summer, DoD launched an…

Anonymous Releases BofA Emails

Anonymous this morning released a series of emails it obtained from a former Bank of America employee who claims they reveal how a division of the bank sought to hide information on foreclosures, according to media reports.

In the emails dating from November 2010, individuals who appear to be employees of Balboa Insurance, a BofA insurance unit, discuss removing documents from loan files for a group of insured properties,

Iranian Hackers Cyber Attack Foes

Iranian hackers linked to the Revolutionary Guard’s paramilitary volunteer militia Basij have launched a series of cyber attacks on websites of the “enemies,” a state-owned newspaper reported today. According to The Associated Press, Gen. Ali Fazli, acting commander of the Basij, was quoted by state-owned IRAN paper as saying university teachers, students and clerics comprise Iran’s cyber army. He said the attacks were in retaliation for similar attacks…

NATO Defense Ministers Tackle Cyber Threat

In a meeting yesterday in Brussels, Belgium, NATO defense ministers agreed on a policy to improve the alliance’s defenses against growing cyber threats, according to Defense News.

A NATO official said the concept is the first step toward the approval of a new cybersecurity policy to update the existing  one, which was created in 2008….

Achy, Breaky Bank Account: Scamming Romeos Lure Women out of Cash

Women, if you are into online dating instead of meeting a potential Romeo in a bar, take note: FBI’s cyber complaint center IC3 is warning about a scam in which certain web Lotharios are after much more than just your heart.

Generally, romance scams entail a fraudster asking potential victims to wire funds for various reasons. In this new, updated version of the ploy, scammers are claiming affiliation with…