SecurityWeek

Among the everyday news of security breaches, there is one recent incident that brought to light a certain vulnerability we often take for granted because it’s considered “standard” –encrypted data.

In a public address from hacking crew Team GhostShell, the group said that they are taking the rest of the year off, but not before dumping 1.6 million records – taken from various government, and private sector organizations.

Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab on Monday released its annual security bulletin, a report that reveals statistics on malware and cyber-threats detected by its Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) throughout the year. Kaspersky’s 2012 summary proved to be another report validating the explosive growth in malware targeting mobile devices running on Google’s Android platform, and the increase in threats targeting Mac OS users.

WASHINGTON - US regulators have launched a series of probes on whether mobile apps targeted at children violate privacy laws by collecting and sharing data which can be used for detailed profiles, officials said Monday. The Federal Trade Commission said its latest review of mobile apps available on Apple's App Store and Google Play found that many collect personal data, and often share this with developers or marketers without disclosing this fact to parents.

A security researcher at North Carolina University has found that the app verification service used by Google to determine whether a particular Android application is malicious is "fragile and can be easily bypassed."

Facebook users are being targeted by a Christmas-themed scam that hijacks the reputation of well-known companies such as Walmart, Visa and Best Buy.

IBM Report Says Security is a Top Barrier to Adoption in Business Analytics, Mobile, Social Business and CloudAs business demand for mobile, cloud, social business, and business analytics rises, enterprises have to deal with security concerns and severe IT skill shortages, IBM said in its latest Tech Trends Report.

Shortly after a few Pakistani websites were defaced, the Pakistan Cyber Army (PCA) responded with a massive defacement campaign focusing on China, less than 24-hours after taking out 26 Bangladeshi government domains. As is the case with most defacements from the PCA, or similar groups, the motive is mostly entertainment – unless there is a chance for political propagandizing. According to messages left by the PCA, it would see that propaganda was the aim this time around.

In February of 2008, two backup tapes containing data maintained by the U.S. Secret Service were left behind on a DC Metrorail. Now, nearly five years after the fact, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG) is launching an investigation into the incident.

Researchers from Rapid7 and the Shadowserver Foundation discovered something unique last week. While browsing files on USENET, they discovered a botnet that has thousands of endpoints, and was able to operate without detection for months. To make matters worse, the botmaster took to Reddit earlier this year in order to brag about it.

Even after various compliance requirements and regulations went into effect, the healthcare industry has not had much success in reducing data breaches, according to an analysis of data breaches from 2009 to 2012.

Rapid7 on Friday released Metasploit Pro 4.5, the latest version of its flagship penetration testing and security risk assessment tool. The new release brings capabilities that let organizations simulate social engineering attacks and help understand just how vulnerable they may be to phishing attacks.

Dhahran - Oil giant Saudi Aramco said on Sunday that an August cyber attack on its computer network targeted not just the company but the kingdom's economy as a whole.

When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey, the basement in our older family home would flood several times a year. It was on a concrete slab and usually dried out after a few days, so it was okay. I came home from college one weekend and upon hearing my mom say she was going to carpet the basement, I reminded her of the periodic floods. She looked me in the eye and said, "Dammit Alan, I’m doing...