Krebs – Page 87 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 22:34:22 +0000

A newly-discovered flaw in macOS High Sierra — Apple’s latest iteration of its operating system — allows anyone with local (and, apparently in some cases, remote) access to the machine to log in as the all-powerful “root” user without supplying a password. Fortunately, there is a simple fix for this until Apple patches this inexplicable bug: Change the root account’s password now.

Independent Krebs

November 27, 2017 admin

Who Was the NSA Contractor Arrested for Leaking the ‘Shadow Brokers’ Hacking Tools?

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2017 17:01:26 +0000

In August 2016, a mysterious entity calling itself “The Shadow Brokers” began releasing the first of several troves of classified documents and hacking tools purportedly stolen from “The Equation Group,” a highly advanced threat actor that is suspected of having ties to the U.S. National Security Agency. According to media reports, at least some of the information was stolen from the computer of an unidentified software developer and NSA contractor who was arrested in 2015 after taking the hacking tools home. In this post, we’ll examine clues left behind in the leaked Equation Group documents that may point to the identity of the mysterious software developer.

Independent Krebs

November 24, 2017 admin

Name+DOB+SSN=FAFSA Data Gold Mine

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2017 12:55:03 +0000

KrebsOnSecurity has sought to call attention to online services which expose sensitive consumer data if the user knows a handful of static details about a person that are broadly for sale in the cybercrime underground, such as name, date of birth, and Social Security Number. Perhaps the most eye-opening example of this is on display at fafsa.ed.gov, the Web site set up by the U.S. Department of Education for anyone interested in applying for federal student financial aid.

Independent Krebs

November 21, 2017 admin

Correcting the Record on vDOS Prosecutions

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2017 13:11:31 +0000

KrebsOnSecurity recently featured a story about a New Mexico man who stands accused of using the now-defunct vDOS attack-for-hire service to hobble the Web sites of several former employers. That piece stated that I wasn’t aware of any other prosecutions related to vDOS customers, but as it happens there was a prosecution in the United Kingdom earlier this year of a man who’s admitted to both using and helping to administer vDOS. Here’s a look at some open-source clues that may have led to the U.K. man’s arrest.

Independent Krebs

November 20, 2017 admin

Fund Targets Victims Scammed Via Western Union

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2017 14:25:09 +0000

If you, a friend or loved one lost money in a scam involving Western Union, some or all of those funds may be recoverable thanks to a more than half-billion dollar program set up by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Independent Krebs

November 15, 2017 admin

R.I.P. root9B? We Hardly Knew Ya!

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2017 14:25:58 +0000

root9B, a company that many in the security industry considered little more than a big-name startup aimed at cashing in on the stock market’s insatiable appetite for cybersecurity firms, surprised no one this week when it announced it was ceasing operations at the end of the year. Founded in 2011, Colorado Springs, Colo. based root9B Technologies touted itself as an IT security training firm staffed by an impressive list of ex-military leaders with many years of cybersecurity experience at the Department of Defense and National Security Agency (NSA). As it began to attract more attention from investors, root9B’s focus shifted to helping organizations hunt for cyber intruders within their networks.

Independent Krebs

November 15, 2017 admin

R.I.P. root9B, We Hardly Knew Ya!

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2017 14:25:58 +0000

Independent Krebs

November 14, 2017 admin

Adobe, Microsoft Patch Critical Cracks

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2017 23:12:32 +0000

It’s Nov. 14 — the second Tuesday of the month (a.k.a. “Patch Tuesday) — and Adobe and Microsoft have issued gobs of security updates for their software. Microsoft’s 11 patch bundles fix more than four-dozen security holes in various Windows versions and Office products — including at least four serious flaws that were publicly disclosed prior to today. Meanwhile, Adobe’s got security updates available for a slew of titles, including Flash Player, Photoshop, Reader and Shockwave.