Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Alert

NEWS - February 15, 2015

Feb 15, 2015 7:09AM PST
Hackers Steal Up To $1 Billion From Banks

A hacking ring has stolen up to $1 billion from banks around the world in what would be one of the biggest banking breaches known, a cybersecurity firm says in a report scheduled to be delivered Monday.

The hackers have been active since at least the end of 2013 and infiltrated more than 100 banks in 30 countries, according to Russian security company Kaspersky Lab.

After gaining access to banks' computers through phishing schemes and other methods, they lurk for months to learn the banks' systems, taking screen shots and even video of employees using their computers, the company says.

Continued : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/15/bank-hack_n_6688268.html

Related :
Bank Hackers Steal Millions via Malware
Online Bank Robbers Steal Up to $1 Billion: Researcher
Up to $1bn stolen from 100 banks by cyber criminals, claims Kaspersky

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Obama: "Everybody's online and everybody's vulnerable"
Feb 15, 2015 7:16AM PST

President Barack Obama signed an executive order on Friday that encourages more cybersecurity threat-related data sharing between the private sector and the government.

Speaking at Stanford University in California, where many tech leaders and other government officials also assembled, the president acknowledged that federal authorities are in a bind.

"I have to tell you that grappling with how government protects the American people from adverse events while at the same time making sure that government itself is not abusing its capabilities is hard," he said.

Continued : http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/02/obama-everybodys-online-and-everybodys-vulnerable/

Related:
Obama signs executive order on sharing cybersecurity threat information
Obama at Stanford: Industry, government must cooperate on cybersecurity

- Collapse -
16 million mobile devices infected by malware
Feb 15, 2015 7:26AM PST

Security threats to mobile and residential devices and attacks on communications networks rose in 2014, threatening personal and corporate privacy and information.

Alcatel-Lucent's Motive Security Labs estimates 16 million mobile devices worldwide have been infected by malware - used by cybercriminals for corporate and personal espionage, information theft, Denial of Service attacks on businesses and governments, and banking and advertising scams.

The report also found that consumers who avoid shopping online out of fear their credit or debit card information may be stolen are actually exposing themselves to greater risk: a rash of retail cyber-security breaches in 2014 were all the result of malware infections on cash registers or point-of-sale terminals, not online stores. This is largely because stolen cards from online retailers are not as valuable to criminals because they can only be used for online purchases.

Continued : http://www.net-security.org/malware_news.php?id=2963

Related : 16 Million Mobile Devices Infected With Malware in 2014: Alcatel-Lucent

- Collapse -
Microsoft's patchwork falls apart ... AGAIN!
Feb 15, 2015 8:15AM PST

"PowerPoint patch pulled after freezing out users"

One of the patches Microsoft released this month, KB2920732, has been withdrawn because it breaks PowerPoint.

The patch was billed as improving the stability of PowerPoint 2013 in a handful of ways, most pertaining to video playback. But once installed, the patch improved nothing, at least for the manu users who report that PowerPoint refuses to open after the update is installed.

Microsoft's response to those reports has been to say the update is "is being revised to address an issue that is under investigation."

Continued : http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/15/microsofts_patchwork_falls_apart_again/

- Collapse -
Fake PayPal lookalike phishing websites taken offline
Feb 15, 2015 8:15AM PST

PayPal has always been a target for cybercriminals in fake campaigns to steal money from users. Sometimes PayPal fake emails or phishing links trick users to login with their financial details.

To get rid of such fake sites, PayPal has joined forces with OpenDNS, an IT security company that keeps an eye on suspicious domain name registrations.

As a result several PayPal lookalike websites (Some were nearly identical copies of PayPal's website), developed with intention to steal user's login credentials have been shutdown.

OpenDNS reports that the more convincing phishing sites in this latest batch may have been created using a custom software kit rather than merely copying and pasting code from PayPal's real site. [...]

Continued : http://www.hackread.com/fake-paypal-lookalike-phishing-websites-taken-offline/

- Collapse -
Fuel Station Skimmers: Primed at the Pump
Feb 15, 2015 8:15AM PST

I recall the first time I encountered an armed security guard at a local store. I remember feeling a bit concerned about the safety of the place because I made a snap (and correct) assumption that it must have been robbed recently. I get a similar feeling each time I fuel up my car at a filling station and notice the pump and credit card reader festooned with security tape that conjures up images of police tape around a crime scene. [Screenshot]

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who feels this way. A reader named Tyler recently shared the above image, along with his experience.

"I had my first encounter with tape across a gas station's card reader the other day," Tyler said. "I must say it led me to believe there was some sort of skimming device installed, as I have never seen this before. Further inspection showed it was actually a real attempt by the gas station to let consumers know if the device has been tampered with."

Continued : http://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/02/fuel-station-skimmers-primed-at-the-pump/