Cracking spree followed 'brain snap'

An Australian has admitted causing AUS$1m in damage after hacking into the computer systems of the Northern Territory Government and deleting records of thousands of civil servants.…

Why celebrities love the micro-blogging service

A proposal to change the way online encyclopedia Wikipedia is edited has sparked a row among its many contributors.

Mega-D botnet spewing out junk mail torrent

Junk mail levels are back to 80-90 per cent of their volumes prior to the takedown of infamous junk mail-friendly ISP McColo in November 2008 last year.…

Diary of the Dead

Infections as a result of the infamous Conficker (Downadup) worm have peaked at around the 10m PC mark.…

Door to room 641A cracked open

Russell Tice has dropped another bombshell. More than two years after he leaked the existence of the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping program to the New York Times in late 2006, Tice says warrantless wiretaps specifically targeted journalists and news organizations - all day, every day.…

Millions (more) at risk

For the second time in 18 months, employment search site Monster.com has lost a wealth of personal data belonging to millions of job seekers after its database was illegally accessed.…

An encyclopaedia announces plans to let users and experts contribute to entries in the reference work.

Apple has released QuickTime 7.6, for both Windows and Mac OS X systems, to address multiple vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities may allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial-of-service condition.

US-CERT encourages users to review Apple Article HT3403 and upgrade to QuickTime 7.6.

Cisco Security Advisory cisco-sa-20090121-csm was released to address a vulnerability that occurs in Cisco Security Manager when it is used in conjunction with Cisco IPS Event Viewer. This vulnerability may allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to access the MySQL databases or IPS Event Viewer server.

US-CERT encourages users and administrators to review Cisco Security Advisory cisco-sa-20090121-csm and apply any necessary updates or workarounds to help mitigate the risks.

US-CERT is aware of public reports indicating a widespread infection of the Win32/Conficker/Downadup worm. This worm exploits a previously patched vulnerability addressed in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-067. This worm attempts to propagate via multiple methods including removable media.

US-CERT strongly encourages users to review Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-067 and update unpatched systems as soon as possible.

Additionally, US-CERT recommends that users take the following preventative measures to help mitigate the security risks:

• Install antivirus software, and keep the virus signatures up to date.
• Review the Microsoft Malware Protection Center blog entry for details regarding the worm.
• Review the Using Caution with USB Drives Cyber Security Tip for more information on protecting removable media.

Feds want him in prison

An American security consultant who stole hundreds of thousands of online bank passwords by employing a massive botnet that he often administered from work deserves at least five years in prison, prosecutors have told a federal judge.…

British hacker Gary McKinnon can seek a judicial review against extradition to the US, a court rules.

Pope Benedict XVI launches his own dedicated channel on YouTube in an effort to spread his message to a wider audience.

Everything must go

TJX, the discount retailer that was the target of one of the largest information security breaches on record, rewarded customers with a a special sale offering 15 per cent discounts in all its US and Canadian stores on Thursday.…

Gimme shelter

Judges have granted a review of the Home Secretary's decision to continue with extradition proceedings against Pentagon hacker Gary McKinnon.…

A superbotnet will rise

Security watchers are bracing themselves to respond to the activitation of the huge botnet created by the Conficker superworm.…

Makers of the first Macintosh look back at what they did

Nokia launches the 5800 XpressMusic, the company's first touch screen phone - but can it rival Apple's iPhone? Newsbeat listeners give the new device a road test.

Over 20,000 served

Malware masquerading as part of Apple's iWork 09 productivity suite is targeting unsuspecting Mac users foolish enough to install pirated software downloaded on warez sites.…