The disclosure in The Washington Post that Flame, a powerful piece of malicious software circulating around the Middle East, was developed by the United States and Israel highlights an unexpected reality about the high-stakes world of computer security. If hacking...
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Photograph by Mike Harrington
The fact that Flame is an older piece of technology doesn’t mean it’s outdated. The most effective attacks are often older ones.
In Computer Hacking, the Latest Isn’t Always the Greatest
Photograph by Ronald Grant/Lucasfilm/Everett Collection
C-3PO is fluent in more than 6 million forms of communication.
As CAPTCHAs Go Audio, Robots And Humans May be Blocked
Listen up, Web surfers: The next time you comment on a blog or check e-mail, you just might get an earful to determine if you’re a human. That’s because CAPTCHAs, those tests where users must identify distorted letters in order...
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Photograph by Scott Eells/Bloomberg
LinkedIn said it disabled the passwords of affected accounts, a move that likely makes the value of the stolen data worthless.
Stolen Passwords to Sites Like LinkedIn Can Go for as Little as $1
(This post was updated with a comment from LinkedIn.) Worried that your password might be among those stolen from LinkedIn, eHarmony or CBS’s Last.fm in the hacking attacks uncovered last week? If the paltry prices such data fetches in the...
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Photograph by George Frey/Bloomberg News
Symantec says the largest attack on Mac computers didn't net the criminals anything in the end.
Biggest Attack on Apple Computers Didn’t Pay Off, Symantec Says
Symbolically, last month’s news of a hacking attack on more than 600,000 Mac computers sent a loud message: Apple products are now vulnerable to the same kind of mass infections that Microsoft Windows computers are. Financially, however, it was the...
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Photograph by Bloomberg
Omar Khan, a former executive at Samsung Mobile and Citigroup, was hired to help lead NQ Mobile’s international expansion.
Will China Connection Help or Hurt NQ Mobile’s Security Pitch in U.S.?
NQ Mobile, China’s biggest mobile-phone security company, wants to expand in the U.S. But its success will hinge on a delicate question: Will American businesses and consumers be comfortable using security software designed in one of the world’s hacking hot...
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Photograph by Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
Security researchers have discovered new malware targeting Android devices that doesn’t take the usual route of embedding itself in an app.
Hacking Android Devices: It’s Not Just Apps You Need to Worry About
It’s not just malicious apps you need to be wary of infecting your smartphone. Now, navigating to poisoned websites are a threat, too. Security researchers have discovered a new malware targeting Android devices that doesn’t take the usual route of...
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Photograph by Michael Blann
Hackers' favorite security hole last year was a Windows vulnerability from four years ago, according to Symantec.
Hackers’ Favorite Target Last Year Was a Blast From the Past
If you need more proof that users are a weak link in computer security, look no further than today’s report from Symantec, which showed that hackers’ favorite target in 2011 was a security hole fixed about four years ago. The...
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Photograph by Pete Oxford/Minden Pictures
Bug-brokers are willing to pay potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars for the most destructive software flaws.
Where Did the Bugs Go? Check the Gray Market, HP Report Says
On its face, it seems like a good sign in the battle against hackers: The number of known software vulnerabilities fell by nearly 1,700 last year. Not so. A new report from Hewlett-Packard said the drop — to 6,843 last...
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Photograph by Gustoimages/Photo Researchers
Some security experts have questioned whether Apple reacted quickly enough to protect its users from a known security hole in Java.
Are You Among 600,000 Whose Mac Was Hacked? Law Isn’t on Your Side
Earlier this month, Apple closed a serious security hole. It was too late. More than 600,000 Mac computers were infected with malicious software that hijacked Google results, replacing them with spam links. This was no run-of-the-mill hacking attack: The target...
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Man on boat relaxing with laptop computer
The 3-Day Workweek: Hacking Gang Breaks in, Punches Out
You’ve heard of bankers’ hours. How about hackers’ hours? Criminal hacking gangs may have the wrong idea about what constitutes an honest day’s work, but at least one appears to have the right approach to keeping a good work-life balance....
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