Fahmida Y. Rashid

The Duqu Trojan discovered two weeks ago exploits at least one zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Windows, according to security researchers. The vulnerability was triggered by a booby-trapped Word document, according to a post from researchers from Hungary’s Laboratory of Cryptography and System Security on Nov. 1. Microsoft is working to address the issue and will […]

Some of the biggest companies-including Apple, IBM and AT&T-were easily tricked into giving up potentially sensitive information during a contest that featured a variety of social engineering attacks. The “Social Engineering Capture the Flag” contest targeted 14 companies in five industries-retail, airlines, food service, technology and mobile services-during the DefCon conference in Las Vegas in […]

IT staff and compliance officials don’t see eye-to-eye on cloud security issues and on their organization’s policies, according to a recent report from Ponemon Institute. In a survey of more than 1,000 professionals in the areas of IT, information security, compliance and privacy, there was some disagreement over who was responsible for defining, implementing and […]

Check Point Software Technologies will acquire Israel-based Dynasec to enhance its governance, risk-management and compliance (GRC) portfolio to help customers grappling with regulatory requirements. CheckPoint’s 3D Security strategy aims to compile and publish best practices for corporate security policies and to develop products that meet those best practices. Dynasec’s GRC software will boost 3D Security’s […]

Symantec has identified a cyber-spying campaign to steal information from chemical and defense companies around the world. Dubbed “Nitro” by Symantec, the campaign began in April, according to a whitepaper released by Symantec Oct. 31. Cyber-attackers originally targeted human rights organizations and the auto industry before moving on to the chemical industry in July. At […]

Canonical is planning on throwing its hat in the increasingly crowded mobile operating system space, according to the company’s founder. Ubuntu will power tablets, phones, TVs and smart screens by 2014, Ubuntu’s founder and Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth wrote on his blog Oct. 31. The desktop interface in the latest version of Ubuntu released this […]

Security researchers have uncovered yet another Mac Trojan in the wild, this time hiding inside pirated versions of the Mac OS X image editing application GraphicConverter. The pirated copy of GraphicConverter 7.4 is being actively distributed on file-sharing networks and torrent sites like Pirate Bay and contains the DevilRobber Trojan, Sophos researchers reported Oct. 29. […]

Government officials in India seized equipment from a Web hosting company in Mumbai after Symantec said the server was communicating with Duqu-infected machines, Reuters reported. Officials from India’s Department of Information Technology seized hard drives and other components from the server suspected of being part of the Duqu Trojan’s command and control infrastructure, two workers […]

Mac malware dominated the news this week, as security researchers uncovered a new Trojan capable of hijacking Mac OS X systems and launching denial-of-service attacks on another server, downloading additional malware on the infected system and providing attackers with remote access on to the computer. The Tsunami Trojan was a version of an older backdoor […]

Cyber-attacks have already come close several times to shutting down parts of the country’s critical infrastructure, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary. The number of cyber-attacks on financial systems, transportation and other networks is growing, Secretary Janet Napolitano said at an Oct. 28 event on cyber-security in Washington, D.C. hosted by The […]