SecurityWeek

In late November, news surfaced that researchers from Columbia University had discovered vulnerabilities in upgradeable firmware in HP laser printers that could be compromised and modified by an attacker, enabling them to do anything from overheating the printer, to compromising a network, with some saying that the devices could even be set up in flames.

Strategic Forecasting Inc. (Stratfor), a Texas-based intelligence firm that delivers paid briefings on a wide range of topics, suffered a pre-Christmas breach at the hands of those supporting the current incarnation of the AntiSec movement. The fallout has been devastating thus far, but according to comments from those familiar with the breach, this is only the beginning.

Instead of passively waiting for an intruder to trigger a trap you set, consider adding a truly proactive component to your SIEM strategy.Aren't IDS and Log Collectors great? Not so long ago, the problem that most security professionals had was a lack of information. Not any more! Now, many of us have more information than you can throw SQL queries at.

 Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

KOOBFACE Gang Upgraded Botnet Framework With a Sophisticated Traffic Direction System (TDS) that Handles Traffic Referenced to Affiliate Sites. The Koobface crew is at it again, and this time may be branching out into a new business.

Next year you'll be able to do all your holiday shopping without ever opening a physical wallet—or so Google hopes. The previously announced Google Wallet is comfortably into beta. Google is betting that by 2014 half of all smart phones will ship with compatible NFC chips installed. They hope that Google Wallet will be on most if not all of them.

Cyber-Ark Software, a provider of enterprise security solutions that help companies secure and manage accounts, sessions, critical applications and data, this week announced that it has signed an agreement for a $40 million investment round led by Goldman Sachs and Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP).

2012 IT Security Predictions: What Will the Threat Landscape Look Like in the New Year?Very soon, 2011 will come to a close. It has been quite a year for hackers and security companies alike.

New Service Matches Data from WHOIS domain registries, IP geo-location to Other Sources to Identify Non-compliant Organizations.Software intelligence solutions provider V.i. Labs has launched a new service that will allow independent software vendors (ISVs) to match license infringement records to named entities, enabling them to deal with the problems associated with the unlicensed use of their software.

Hackers from China have breached computer systems at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, resulting in access to operational data and information on its 3 million members, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

There are some things that the best CIOs and IT managers can’t prevent entirely as they depend on other people. An example of this is the employee who leaves a laptop open in a coffee shop and walks away “just for a few minutes.” There are some things which every CIO has control over, however. When these are overlooked, and a breach occurs, I have to shake my head at how easy it would have been to prevent. Here are...

A report is circulating about a new Windows 7 bug that could be leveraged by attackers to run malicious code.

FishNet Security announced today that it has acquired Logic Trends Inc., a provider of identity and access management solutions.Founded in 2002, Roswell, Georgia-based Logic Trends offers identity and access management solutions including Simplified Sign-On, Strong Authentication, and more, and provides strategic guidance, implementation and support services.

With all the attention on SCADA and Industrial Control Systems cyber security in the year following Stuxnet, ENISA, Europe’s cyber security agency, has issued the results of a study that describes the current situation on Industrial Control Systems (ICS) security and proposes recommendations for improving it.

Sophos today announced the release of Sophos Mobile Control 2.0, the latest version of its mobile device management product.