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China Police Arrest 15,000 Suspects for Alleged Cyber Crimes

China Police Arrest 15,000 Suspects for Alleged Cyber Crimes

Sep 07, 2015
China Police has arrested nearly 15,000 people on suspicion of cyber crimes as part of an operation dubbed " Cleaning the Internet ," according to reports. According to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS), the suspects have been arrested for their involvement in cyber crimes that " jeopardized Internet security ." In July, China launched a six-month campaign codenamed " Cleaning the Internet " to fight online criminal activities. Under the program, the police investigated 7,400 cases, including hacking, online fraud and the illegal sale of personal information, spread over 66,000 websites, the official website of the ministry stated . "For the next step, the public security organs will continue to increase their investigation and crackdown on cyber crimes," according to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. The MPS did not clear exactly when the arrests took place but said the program also took down major online
THN Weekly Roundup — Top 14 Must-Read Cyber Security Stories

THN Weekly Roundup — Top 14 Must-Read Cyber Security Stories

Sep 07, 2015
We found a high concern for cybersecurity tactics and an increased awareness of the challenges that it brings. This week, we shared lots of stories with our readers, and to help them in identifying the biggest malware threats to their online safety. We are here with the outline of our last week stories, just in case you missed any of them ( ICYMI ). We recommend you read the entire thing ( just click ' Read More ' because there's some valuable advice in there as well ). Here's the list: ➢ How Hackers Can Hack Your Gmail Accounts? Getting smarter in their phishing tactics, hackers have found out ways to fool Gmail's tight security system by bypassing its two-step verification. Hackers are now using text messages and phone-based phishing attacks to circumvent Gmail's security and take over your Gmail accounts. — Read more . ➢ Not Just Windows 10, Windows 7 and 8 Also Spy on You Laughing at controversial data mining and privacy invasion featur
Making Sense of Operational Technology Attacks: The Past, Present, and Future

Making Sense of Operational Technology Attacks: The Past, Present, and Future

Mar 21, 2024Operational Technology / SCADA Security
When you read reports about cyber-attacks affecting operational technology (OT), it's easy to get caught up in the hype and assume every single one is sophisticated. But are OT environments all over the world really besieged by a constant barrage of complex cyber-attacks? Answering that would require breaking down the different types of OT cyber-attacks and then looking back on all the historical attacks to see how those types compare.  The Types of OT Cyber-Attacks Over the past few decades, there has been a growing awareness of the need for improved cybersecurity practices in IT's lesser-known counterpart, OT. In fact, the lines of what constitutes a cyber-attack on OT have never been well defined, and if anything, they have further blurred over time. Therefore, we'd like to begin this post with a discussion around the ways in which cyber-attacks can either target or just simply impact OT, and why it might be important for us to make the distinction going forward. Figure 1 The Pu
SSL Encryption — Securing Internet of Things (IoT)

SSL Encryption — Securing Internet of Things (IoT)

Aug 06, 2015
Internet of Things (IoT) with the purpose of providing convenience to the users enabled every object in the universe to be as smart as a whip. By assigning IP address to all sorts of devices, ranging from household appliances, machines, medical devices and sensors to other day-to-day objects, and putting them all together on a standardised network is a common Internet of Things (IoT) practice. Is Internet of Things Secure? In my previous articles, I gave you a glance of the most vulnerable smart cities that are increasingly adopting devices connected to the Internet in an attempt to add convenience and ease to daily activities. By 2020, there will be more than 45 Billion Internet-connected devices that will transform the way we live and work. The bottom line: As the number of IoT enabled systems increases, the complexity of handling them increases; leading to an introduction of new risk and vulnerabilities associated with them. Security of Internet of
cyber security

Automated remediation solutions are crucial for security

websiteWing SecurityShadow IT / SaaS Security
Especially when it comes to securing employees' SaaS usage, don't settle for a longer to-do list. Auto-remediation is key to achieving SaaS security.
Hackers Could Crash Trains by Hacking Rail Traffic System

Hackers Could Crash Trains by Hacking Rail Traffic System

Apr 24, 2015
After reaching heights in cyber attacks by targeting SCADA systems , hackers are looking forward to crash trains. It isn't only assumptions; it could actually happen in real. A new hi-tech railway signalling system being tested in the United Kingdom could potentially be hacked by cyber criminals to cause oncoming trains to crash into one another at highest speeds , an Internet security expert has warned. The Loophole: The European Rail Traffic Management System , a new digital system that are designed to make train lines secure and safer… ...actually lack in security that could easily expose the systems to malware and allows malicious actors (like terrorists) to cause massacre around the UK. 'Nasty Accident is Waiting.' Internet security expert Professor David Stupple told the BBC that plans to replace old railway signal lights with new digital systems could expose the railway network to cyber attack, causing a "nasty accident" t
Hacking Air-Gapped Computers Using Heat

Hacking Air-Gapped Computers Using Heat

Mar 25, 2015
An air-gapped computer system isolated from the Internet and other computers that are connected to external networks believes to be the most secure computers on the planet -- Yeah?? You need to think again before calling them 'safe'. A group of Israeli security researchers at the Cyber Security Labs from Ben Gurion University have found a new technique to hack ultra-secure air-gapped computers and retrieve data using only heat emissions and a computer's built-in thermal sensors. WHAT IS AIR-GAPPED COMPUTERS ? Air-gapped computers or systems are considered to be the most secure and safest computer systems. These systems are isolated from the Internet or any other commuters that are connected to the Internet or external network. Air-gapped systems are used in situations that demand high security because it's very difficult to siphon data from these systems, as it requires a physical access to the machine which is possible by using removable device such as a US
Chicago Police Department Pays $600 Cryptoware Ransom to Cybercriminals

Chicago Police Department Pays $600 Cryptoware Ransom to Cybercriminals

Feb 23, 2015
Cyber criminals have started targeting government enforcement of the Ransomware in an attempt to extort money. Recently, the police department of the Midlothian Village in Illinois has paid a ransom of over $600 in Bitcoins to an unknown hacker after being hit by a popular ransomware attack. The popular Ransomware, dubbed Cryptoware , disabled a police computer in Midlothian — located south of Chicago — by making it inaccessible through its file-encryption capabilities and forced them to pay a ransom in order to restore access to the important police records. The Chicago Tribune reported that the department first encountered Cryptoware in January, when someone in the department opened a spear-phishing email that pointed to the malicious software. Once opened, the email carrying the Cryptoware ransomware immediately encrypts the files on the computer and, in typical ransomware style, displays a message demanding money in exchange for a decrypt code that could free the
Obama's Executive Order urges Companies to Share CyberSecurity Threat Data

Obama's Executive Order urges Companies to Share CyberSecurity Threat Data

Feb 16, 2015
President Barack Obama signed an executive order on Friday that encourages and promotes sharing of information on cybersecurity threats within the private sector and between the private sector companies and the government agencies as well. AREAS TO IMPROVE During his speech at the White House Cybersecurity Summit at Stanford University in California, where many tech leaders and other government officials also assembled, the President highlighted events affecting cybersecurity and the development of the Internet. The four areas that Obama believes must be improved are listed below: Development and evolution of the Internet Cybersecurity Rights of individuals in regards to the Internet Cooperation between the Government and private companies EVERYONE IS VULNERABLE - OBAMA " The cyber world is sort of the Wild Wild West and to some degree we are asked to be the sheriff ," Mr. President told a crowd at the Memorial Auditorium. " When something lik
​Facebook launches ThreatExchange for Sharing Cyber Security Threats

​Facebook launches ThreatExchange for Sharing Cyber Security Threats

Feb 12, 2015
Social Networking giant Facebook has just launched a new platform called ThreatExchange , which is designed to mount a coordinated defense against cybercrime. Many security professionals rely largely on manual methods for collecting, analyzing, and consuming information about latest cyber security threats such as malware and botnets . Whereas, Mark Zuckerberg's ThreatExchange is a unique social media platform where multiple organizations can sign up and share information about new threats to cyber security, new types of hacks, phishing attacks and malicious activities they may have experienced. COLLABORATE AND TAKE ACTION Facebook is currently using a threat analysis framework called " ThreatData " to discover and tackle scams and cybercrimes, but with the growth in the magnitude of cyber attacks, Facebook believes that better communication between companies could help stamp them out. " We quickly learned that sharing with one another was key to bea
MalDrone — First Ever Backdoor Malware for Drones

MalDrone — First Ever Backdoor Malware for Drones

Jan 27, 2015
The use of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) called Drones is rapidly transforming the way we go to war. Drones were once used for land surveillance, Delivering Pizza's, then equipped with bombs that changed the way nations conduct war and last year, these hovering drones were also used to hack Smartphones. Recently, a security researcher has found a backdoor in the Parrot AR Drones manufactured by a French-based company, that could allow a malicious hacker to remotely hijacked the radio controlled flying quadcopter helicopter. The Parrot AR Drone, revealed at the International CES 2010 in Las Vegas, is a quadricopter helicopter which you can control with your smartphone or tablet. It features two built-in cameras, is easy to fly, and can be controlled without too much danger of it flipping over or smashing into things. FIRST EVER MALWARE FOR DRONES Security researcher, Rahul Sasi claimed to have developed the first ever backdoor malware for AR drone ARM L
Las Vegas Sands' Casino Network hit by Destructive Malware

Las Vegas Sands' Casino Network hit by Destructive Malware

Dec 12, 2014
Sony Pictures Entertainment hack that started at the end of the last month and so far has caused a severe damage to its reputation as well as resources, from internal system shutdown to upcoming movies and scripts leak. Now, a similar cyber attack against Casino operator Las Vegas Sands Corp has been revealed that occurred on February 2014. The cyber attack occurred on this year's February but the details of damages to the casino was not publicized until Bloomberg Businessweek exposed it in a story on Thursday. Hackers crippled thousands of servers and computers across the network of the giant Las Vegas Sands Corp. by wiping them with highly destructive malware. The hack attack was believed to be in response to the statement given by the chief executive officer and largest shareholder of Las Vegas Sands Corp., Sheldon Adelson . On October 2013, the billionaire made a statement at the Manhattan campus of Yeshiva University that Iran should be bombed to get the country to
'The Hacker News' Celebrating its 4th Anniversary

'The Hacker News' Celebrating its 4th Anniversary

Nov 01, 2014
Dear THN Readers, ' The Hacker News ' is celebrating its 4th Anniversary today and we would like to thank every single Hacker, Researcher, Journalist, Enthusiast who has contributed to our phenomenal growth. When we began our journey 4 years back as a Small Local Community of few Hackers and Security Researchers, we had a dream of providing the Hacking Community with World's not first but best Hacking and IT Security News Platform. We wanted to gift hacking community members and security researchers their own trusted and an unique News platform, which is run by Hackers and dedicated to Hackers, a platform which is free from Censorship, Conventions, Governments and Borders. Now, we have been Internationally recognized as a leading news source dedicated to promoting awareness for cyber security experts and hackers. We are happy to announce that this project is now Supported and endorsed by thousands of Security Experts, administrators and members of vario
Koler Android Ransomware Learns to Spread via SMS

Koler Android Ransomware Learns to Spread via SMS

Oct 25, 2014
Users of Android operating system are warned of a new variant of Android malware Koler that spreads itself via text message and holds the victim's infected mobile phone hostage until a ransom is paid. Researchers observed the Koler Android ransomware Trojan , at the very first time, in May when the Trojan was distributed through certain pornographic websites under the guise of legitimate apps. It locks the victim's mobile screen and then demands money from users with fake notifications from law enforcement agencies accusing users of viewing and storing child pornography. ANDROID SMS WORM Recently, researchers from mobile security firm AdaptiveMobile has discovered a new variant of the rare piece of mobile malware – named Worm.Koler – that allows the malware to spread via text message spam and attempts to trick users into opening a shortened bit.ly URL, turning Koler into an SMS worm. Once the device is infected by the Koler variant, it will first send an SMS mess
Chinese Hackers Stole Blueprints of Israel's Iron Dome Missile Defense System

Chinese Hackers Stole Blueprints of Israel's Iron Dome Missile Defense System

Jul 29, 2014
Chinese hackers infiltrated the databases of three Israeli defense contractors and stole plans for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, according to an investigation by a Maryland-based cyber security firm ' Cyber Engineering Services Inc. (CyberESI) '. Not just this, the hackers were also able to nab plans regarding other missile interceptors, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, ballistic rockets and the Arrow III missile interceptor which was designed by Boeing and other U.S.-based companies. The intrusions were thought to be executed by Beijing's infamous " Comment Crew " hacking group – a group of cyber warriors linked to the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) – into the corporate networks of top Israeli defense technology companies, including Elisra Group, Israel Aerospace Industries, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, between 10 October 2011 and 13 August 2012. The three Israeli defense technology companies were responsible for the developmen
India to Host 3rd Annual 'The Hackers Conference' this Year in August

India to Host 3rd Annual 'The Hackers Conference' this Year in August

Jun 25, 2014
A crowd of Cyberspace experts along with the best minds in Indian hacking community, leaders in the information security community, policymakers and Government representatives will come together at a common platform to join their efforts in addressing the most critical issues of the Internet Cyberspace. The Groups of Researchers from Information Security and Hacking Community are hosting the 3rd Annual THE HACKERS CONFERENCE (THC) 2014 , on 30th August in the Gulmohar Hall of the India Habitat Center, Delhi. COMMON PLATFORM FOR HACKERS AND GOVERNMENT In its endeavor to secure the cyber-ecosystem, The Hackers Conference will bring both hackers and government officials together on a common platform with a theme of "Building a secure and resilient cyberspace ". " The conference objective is to provide a common and unique platform to the hackers along with the government officials and policymakers wherein both can showcase their expertise, " says the organizers
Hacker's Dome - Gamification the Information Security

Hacker's Dome - Gamification the Information Security

Mar 28, 2014
When it comes to Information Security, there's a great way to learn, train and keep sharp your skills. This can be done using gamification mechanics to speed up the learning curve and improve retention rate. Capture The Flag competitions use gamification mechanics and represent one of the best ways to learn security hands on. The Infosec team behind Capture The Flag platform  CTF365  has created a place for hackers to play weekend CTFs with great prizes, called  Hacker's Dome . In order to access the Hacker's Dome, you need is a registered and confirmed CTF365 account.  At Hacker's Dome CTF Platform users can deploy their own CTFs and can invite web developers, system administrators and security professionals to take hard challenges. Think RackSpace, of CTF Competitions. Hacker's Dome - First Blood:  First Blood is the first CTF and will start on May 17 2014 15:00 UTC and winners will win more than $6000 in prizes . If Information Security  gamific
Twitter enables StartTLS for Secure Emails to prevent Snooping

Twitter enables StartTLS for Secure Emails to prevent Snooping

Mar 14, 2014
TWITTER is taking users' privacy and security very seriously and in an effort to prevent Government snooping, the company has secured your Twitter emails with with TLS (Transport Layer Security). Twitter emails were previously using a plain text communication protocol, that now has been upgraded to an encrypted (TLS or SSL) connection using STARTTLS . In a blog post, Twitter announced : " Since mid-January, we have been protecting your emails from Twitter using TLS in the form of StartTLS. StartTLS encrypts emails as they transit between sender and receiver and is designed to prevent snooping. It also ensures that emails you receive from Twitter haven't been read by other parties on the way to your inbox if your email provider supports TLS. " " These email security protocols are part of our commitment to continuous improvement in privacy protections and complement improvements like our securing of web traffic with forward secrecy and always-on HTT
'The Hacker News' Magazine - Relaunching New Editions

'The Hacker News' Magazine - Relaunching New Editions

Feb 04, 2014
Dear Readers,  After publishing 15 informative editions of ' The Hacker News ' magazine in past 2 years; we at THN are again planning to relaunch the new Chapters of ' The Hacker News Magazine '. The Hacker News (THN) Monthly Magazine is the most comprehensive and informative collection of IT Security, Hacking and innovative technological notions since about 2011. THN Magazine is a free monthly magazine designed to spread awareness and knowledge about cyber security. Now on the demand of our readers, we are going to launch our new Monthly editions of the THN Magazine with some new sections, innovative themes in addition with some interactive interview sessions, from the month of March this year. We cordially invite IT adepts and specialists to contribute as Authors with their new researches and knowledgeable articles, as the goal of our Free Hacking Magazine is to provide the most up-to-date information on a wide variety of topics that relate to hackers
Hacker fined with $183,000 for just one-Minute of DDoS attack

Hacker fined with $183,000 for just one-Minute of DDoS attack

Dec 12, 2013
Eric Rosol , A  38-year-old hacker who joined an Anonymous hacker attack for just one minute has been sentenced to two years of federal probation and ordered to pay $183,000 fine. Yes you read right! $183,000 fine  for just 1 Minute of DDoS attack. In 2011, Eric participated in a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack organized by hacker collective Anonymous against the servers of Koch Industries. The DDoS attack was organized in opposition to Koch Industries' reported weakening of trade unions. He used a software called a Low Orbit Ion Cannon Code , LOIC is a popular DDoS tool used by anonymous hackers and other hackers to perform the DDoS attack. Rosol pleaded guilty and was agreed to direct pay for the losses as a result of the attack on the company website i.e. around $5,000 only, but Koch Industries had argued that it hired a consulting group to protect its web sites at a cost of approximately $183,000. Unfortunately, the company website was knocked offline for just 15
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