trojan
Hack of Google, Adobe Conducted Through Zero-Day IE Flaw
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a link to a Microsoft advisory about the new vulnerability as well as a Microsoft blog post discussing ways for users to reduce their risk of attack. The recent hack attack on Google, Adobe and other companies occurred through exploitation of a zero-day vulnerability that affects many versions of Internet Explorer, according to Microsoft and a security researcher with a leading anti-virus firm. Microsoft learned about the vulnerability only Wednesday evening, said the researcher, who asked not to be identified because he’s not authorized to speak with the press.
Continue reading »Google Hackers Targeted Source Code of More Than 30 Companies
A hack attack that targeted Google in December also hit 33 other companies, including financial institutions and defense contractors, and was aimed at stealing source code from the companies, say security researchers at iDefense. The hackers used a zero-day vulnerability in Adobe Reader to deliver malware to the companies and were in many cases successful at siphoning the source code they sought, according to a statement distributed Tuesday by iDefense, a division of VeriSign. The attack was similar to an attack that targeted other companies last July, the company said.
Continue reading »Mossad Hacked Syrian Official’s Computer Before Bombing Mysterious Facility
Agents of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service hacked into the computer of a senior Syrian government official a year before Israel bombed a mysterious facility in Syria in 2007, according to Der Spiegel . The intelligence agents planted a Trojan horse on the official’s computer in late 2006 while he was staying at a hotel in the Kensington district of London, the German newspaper reported Monday in an extensive account of the bombing attack . The official reportedly left his computer in his hotel room when he went out, making it easy for agents to install the malware that siphoned files from the laptop.
Continue reading »P2P Leak Hits Congress
Junior staff member accidentally leaks “Committee on Standards Weekly Summary Report” that details ongoing ethics panel investigations of 33 lawmakers. People involved with sensitive govt information still just can’t seem to realize the importance of keeping it away from contact with file-sharing software. Earlier this year it was reported how a US Defense contractor employee had inadvertently leaked classified military information about Marine One, President Barack Obama’s helicopter, by using a P2P program without realizing that it would allow outside access to top secret data.
Continue reading »Nuclear Plants Cautiously Phase Out Dial-Up Modems
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is asking the operators of America’s 66 nuclear power plants to voluntarily upgrade the on-site monitoring systems that report plant conditions to the government. That upgrade to the 16-year-old Emergency Response Data System? Replacing telephone dial-up modems with VPN appliances.
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