Fahmida Y. Rashid

Further analysis of the Duqu Trojan has revealed that the platform that was used to develop Stuxnet and Duqu may have been used to create similar Trojans, according to Kaspersky Lab. By analyzing the software drivers used by both Stuxnet and Duqu, Kaspersky researchers determined that both Trojans were built on the same platform, which […]

Cyber-criminals have been busy in the days after Christmas, targeting users with new gadgets and computers with phishing and malware campaigns. Malware infections spiked 25 percent on the day after Christmas, according to data released by SpywareRemove.com, a site that tracks malware infections by visits to its site. There was a small jump, about 4 […]

Software security flaws dominated news headlines this week, as security experts discussed the implications of a vulnerability that was found in several Web application frameworks. Microsoft issued a security advisory highlighting the flaw in ASP.NET with workarounds on how to mitigate the issue. The flaw, publicized at the Chaos Communication Club’s security conference in Germany, […]

Defense contractor Raytheon has acquired Henggeler Computer Consultants, its third cyber-related acquisition in 2011. Raytheon acquired Henggeler, based in Columbia, Md., to expand Raytheon’s cyber-security portfolio and better meet the needs of its customers in the intelligence community, the defense contractor said Dec. 29. The acquisition has been completed, but Raytheon did not disclose any […]

Dell—Secureworks Dell announced in January it would acquire SecureWorks, which specializes in managed security, risk assessment and threat management, for $612 million to add security to its cloud capabilities. The deal would give Dell the ability to provide security consulting and managed security services to customers as part of a larger IT as a service […]

A data dump containing information stolen several months ago from SpecialForces.com included user passwords and credit card numbers. The attackers stole usernames, passwords and credit card information after breaching the military and law enforcement equipment retailer in an attack that occurred several months ago, according to a post on a Twitter account associated with a […]

A security researcher has demonstrated a flaw in the WiFi Protected standard that would expose Wireless networks to brute-force attacks, prompting the United States Computer Emergency Response Team to issue a vulnerability warning.“The Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) PIN is susceptible to a brute force attack,” US-CERT warning issued Dec. 27 said. Widely used to secure […]

Mobile users have a false sense of security when it comes to their devices, according to a recent report from McAfee. About 70 percent of smartphone owners said they considered their devices to be safe from cyber-crime, according to a report from the National Cyber-Security Alliance and McAfee released Dec. 27. Even though the report […]

Internet users were startled Dec. 28 when they received an email from The New York Times regarding their home delivery service. Most of the recipients didn’t even have a subscription with the venerable newspaper, let alone home delivery. The email listed a toll-free number, which did not seem to be listed with The Times. The […]

Cyber-criminals are no longer just using Facebook for identity theft or phishing scams. Now, they are also using the social-networking platform to defraud affiliate businesses, according to security researchers. Facebook swindlers directed their victims toward affiliate marketing sites in approximately three-fourths of scams in 2011, according to Commtouch researchers. The in-depth analysis of Facebook scams […]