Black Hat shines light on security (roundup)

Las Vegas is the setting this week for two of the most popular annual security events. First comes Black Hat for the professional crowd, followed by the more antic Defcon gathering.

Researcher detained at U.S. border, questioned about Wikileaks

Jacob Appelbaum, who volunteers with Wikileaks, is questioned for three hours and has mobile phones confiscated on his way back to the U.S. for hacker show.
(Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills)
July 31, 2010 4:16 PM PDT

Contest finds workers at big firms handing data to hackers

Organizers of contest at hacking confab hope showing how easy it is to get data from cold calls to companies will help alert firms to the threat of social engineering.
(Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills)
July 31, 2010 10:53 AM PDT

Tighter security coming in Firefox 4

At Black Hat, a trio of security representatives from Mozilla detailed how the company plans to push the browser to be more secure for users while nudging developers toward safer coding practices.
(Posted to CNET Download by Seth Rosenblatt)
July 30, 2010 5:03 PM PDT

Can your calls be intercepted? This tool can tell

Airprobe software, combined with hardware and crypto cracker tool, allows people to test the snoop factor of their GSM mobile phones--and even intercept calls of others.
(Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills)
July 29, 2010 3:44 PM PDT

U.S. military cyberwar: What's off-limits?

Ex-NSA and CIA head tells Black Hat crowd that rules for when military can attack foreign networks might exempt power grids and financial networks.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
July 29, 2010 1:43 PM PDT

Searchable Facebook user data posted to Pirate Bay

The names and Facebook profile Web addresses for 171 million accounts are scraped from the site and posted on file-sharing site Pirate Bay.
(Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills)
July 29, 2010 12:20 PM PDT

Expert: Critical system flaws a 'ticking time bomb'

Combining legacy SCADA systems that have their own weaknesses with Internet technologies is a dangerous mix for protecting systems that provide energy, water and other basic needs, Black Hat presenter says.
(Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills)
July 28, 2010 7:46 PM PDT

Sights around Black Hat 2010 (photos)

See what CNET's reporters are seeing at this year's gathering of security professionals in Las Vegas.
(Posted to CNET Download by Seth Rosenblatt)
July 28, 2010 5:27 PM PDT

Security researcher demonstrates ATM hacking

IOActive's Barnaby Jack reveals at Black Hat how he found ways to remotely log into ATMs without a password and force them to spit out cash.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
July 28, 2010 5:04 PM PDT

DHS tries to defuse privacy criticism, asks for help

At Black Hat, Homeland Security's second in command receives mixed response when trying to downplay privacy concerns, asks attendees for help.
(Posted in Privacy Inc. by Declan McCullagh)
July 28, 2010 1:23 PM PDT

Adobe to follow Microsoft plan of sharing security info

The company will begin sharing vulnerability information early with security vendors just as Microsoft does. Plus: a new toolkit from Redmond.
(Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills)
July 28, 2010 9:00 AM PDT

Check counterfeiting using botnets and money mules

SecureWorks uncovers bizarre criminal operation that uses digital techniques to aid in old-school check counterfeiting.
(Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills)
July 28, 2010 5:00 AM PDT

App Genome Project eyes iPhone, Android security

Researchers at mobile security firm Lookout say many security issues with Android and iPhone apps result from innocent coding mistakes in third-party software.
(Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills)
July 27, 2010 8:54 AM PDT

Hackers to flock to Black Hat, Defcon this week

Researcher to give talk on ATM security holes that was canceled a year ago, but talk on Chinese cyber army is axed after Taiwan complains.
(Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills)
July 27, 2010 4:00 AM PDT

Google fixes Chrome holes, seeks security reform

Seven holes are fixed, six researchers who found them are paid bounties, and Google urges all software makers to fix serious problems within 60 days.
(Posted in Deep Tech by Stephen Shankland)
July 27, 2010 12:56 AM PDT

Researchers to demo rootkit on Android phone

Defcon demo to show rootkit running on an Android-based smartphone that could give an intruder full access to all the functions of the device.
(Posted in Security by Matthew Broersma)
June 2, 2010 11:35 AM PDT