News

• 'Flame' cyber-weapon went undiscovered for at least four years

  By John E Dunn | 01 June, 2012 13:17

  The Flame‘super-malware’ must have been infecting computers for as long as four years and was less invisible to antivirus software than assumed, an analysis by security company AlienVault has concluded.

• Microsemi denies existence of backdoor in its chips, researchers disagree

  By Lucian Constantin | 01 June, 2012 19:27

  Semiconductor company Microsemi has issued a statement denying that one of its products, a popular silicon chip called ProASIC3, has a backdoor built into it.

• Flame's Bluetooth functionality could help spies extract data locally, researchers say

  By Lucian Constantin | 01 June, 2012 14:40

  The Bluetooth functionality of the Flame cyberespionage malware could potentially be used to pinpoint the physical location of infected devices and allow local attackers to extract data if they get in close proximity to the victims, according to security researchers from antivirus vendors Symantec and Kaspersky Lab.

• Report: Obama ordered Stuxnet attacks on Iran

  By Grant Gross | 01 June, 2012 13:46

  U.S. President Barack Obama ordered the Stuxnet cyberattacks on Iran in an effort to slow the country's development of a nuclear program, according to a report in The New York Times.

• Online services increased their effort to protect user data, EFF says

  By Loek Essers | 01 June, 2012 12:13

  While some online services are stepping up their efforts to protect private user data from government requests, there is plenty room for improvement, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said on Thursday. It is time for all companies that hold private user data to make public commitments to defend their users against government overreach, the foundation said.

• Browser feature can be abused to misrepresent download origin, researcher says

  By Lucian Constantin | 31 May, 2012 21:43

  Legitimate browser functionality can be abused to trick users into believing that a trusted website has asked them to download a file, which is actually being served from a rogue server, Google security engineer Michal Zalewski demonstrated on Tuesday.

• Samsung targets enterprises and consumers with Galaxy S III

  By Hafizah Osman | 31 May, 2012 17:40

  Samsung Electronics is not only targeting the newly launched Galaxy S III at consumers but also enterprises, Samsung Australia vice-president of telecommunications, Tyler McGee, claimed.

• Germany taken to court for failing to implement data retention

  By Jennifer Baker | 31 May, 2012 14:35

  European authorities have taken Germany to court for failing to implement the E.U. Data Retention Directive.

• GameReplays invites hackers to probe site following data breach

  By Lucian Constantin | 31 May, 2012 13:59

  The owner of GameReplays.org has invited ethical hackers to probe the website for vulnerabilities after a recent compromise that resulted in 10,000 member accounts being exposed.

• Mobile leads in malware resurgence for 2012

  By Taylor Armerding | 30 May, 2012 13:38

  McAfee finds PC malware back after hiatus, but mobile malware shows biggest percentage gain -- and Android is the target

• Development timeline key to linking Stuxnet, Flame malware

  By Gregg Keizer | 30 May, 2012 20:13

  Nailing down a timeline for the development of Flame, the super-cyber spying malware recently found infecting PCs in Iran and other Middle Eastern nations, will be critical to connecting it to Stuxnet and Duqu, experts said.

• White House launches coordinated effort to battle botnets

  By Grant Gross | 30 May, 2012 15:14

  The U.S. government has launched a coordinated effort with several trade groups and private companies to combat botnets and educate affected computer users, the White House announced Wednesday.

• Copies of anti-censorship software used in Iran and Syria contain keylogger

  By Lucian Constantin | 30 May, 2012 15:11

  Rogue copies of Green Simurgh, an Internet proxy software application used in Iran and Syria, have been found to contain malware that records users' activities and keystrokes.

• Juniper packs 30 new features into Web security software

  By Jim Duffy | 30 May, 2012 10:33

  Juniper Networks this week unveiled enhancements to the Web security software it obtained via the acquisition of Mykonos Software in February.

• Sophos partners with Distribution Central

  By Mike Gee | 30 May, 2012 09:35

  IT security and data protection company, Sophos has inked a distribution agreement with Firewall Systems to deliver its security solutions across Australia.