Alleged Hacker Wants ‘Do Over’ of Trial; Complains Prison Food is ‘Yuky’

A Minnesota man who pleaded guilty to sending threatening emails to Vice President Joe Biden and then attempted to frame his neighbors who had accused him of kissing their 4-year-old child last week told a court he wants to withdraw the guilty plea and act as his own lawyer, according to StarTribune.

Barry Ardolf, 45, initially pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated identity theft,…

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…

Senator Urges Implementation of Secure URLs to Thwart Wi-Fi Hackers

A senator is calling on providers of major websites in the United States to change default web addresses from the standard HTTP protocol to the secure HTTPS protocol following reports that hackers were able to access users’ private information through unsecure wireless networks found commonly at coffee shops and …

Missouri Politicos Hacked

A handful of Missouri lawmakers have reported having their Facebook accounts hacked since the beginning of the year.

Graham Cluley writes on the NakedSecurity blog some have speculated the hackers took advantage of a free, unsecured wireless network to sidejack state representatives’ Facebook accounts and post messages such as, “I love lobbyist! All the free food and stuff you get. This job is awesome!”

Since the legislative session started Jan….

FCC: Wireless Devices ‘Skyrocketing’

The number of new wireless devices is skyrocketing, and today there are nearly four times as many gadgets than compared to a decade ago, according to a report by the Federal Communications Commission’s  Office of Engineering & Technology Laboratory.

As the wireless market has grown from fewer than 100 million subscribers at the turn…

BBB Warns of Bogus Wi-Fi Hotspots

Better Business Bureau serving eastern North Carolina warns that hackers are taking advantage of travelers this holiday season by setting up fake Wi-Fi connections designed to steal personal information.

When searching for wireless connections, consumers may find an unsecured network connection available. However, that network may be a scam, and the consumer could be be surfing the web through the hacker’s computer. While…

Disgruntled Neighbor-turned-Hacker Admits Email Threats to Joe Biden

A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to hacking into his neighbors’ Wi-Fi to send a threatening email to Vice President Joe Biden.

Barry Ardolf stopped his trial to plead guilty to two counts of aggravated identity theft, possession and transmission of child pornography, unauthorized access to a protected computer and making threats to the vice president, according to TwinCities.com.

The Associated Press reported that in…

No Partrides, Pear Trees in McAfee’s ’12 Scams of Christmas’ List

Plan on doing Christmas shopping online to avoid crowds and congested roads? Be very careful to avoid falling victim to cyber crooks taking advantage of the holidays.

McAfee has revealed the 12 most dangerous online scams consumers should be aware of this upcoming holiday season, ranging from iPad offer scams to fake gift cards…

Italy to Loosen Wi-Fi Limitations

An Italian minister has announced the country will lift restrictions on public Wi-Fi access to the Internet starting next year, according to AFP.

Speaking at a press conference Nov. 5, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said the measure “allows us to lift restrictions . . . that have now been superseded by…

PayPal Patches iPhone App

PayPal has released a patch for a vulnerability in its iPhone application that could allow hackers access accounts at the online financial transactions service, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The flaw only affected users of the PayPal applications on iPhones connected to the Internet through unsecured Wi-Fi networks, and did not impact the company’s Android app or users of the PayPal.com website, according to WSJ.

A hacker…