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Opera releases monthly data generated by its users. In November 2010, Opera reported significant increases in unique users, pages viewed, and data consumed via its Mini browser. Around 80 million people used the Opera Mini browser in November, viewing 44.6 billion pages. According to Opera, its server-side compression reduced 6.3 petabytes of data. Year-over-year, Opera Mini's page views grew by 103.1%. The number of unique users increased by 28.4%, with the average user viewing 422 web pages per month. Each user consumed about 10MB of data, with the average web page size being just 2KB. In 2009, Facebook was the most visited mobile site, according to Opera. This year, Google regained the top spot globally. The top 10 websites globally, as ranked by Opera, are: Google Facebook Vkontakte.ru YouTube Odnoklassniki.ru Yandex.ru Yahoo My.opera Mail.ru Getjar In the U.S., the top 10 websites are more familiar: Google Facebook YouTube Wikipedia Yahoo My.opera Accuwe...

An exploit exploiting an unpatched vulnerability in Internet Explorer (IE) has gone public. Security researcher Shahin Ramezany announced in a Tuesday tweet that he successfully exploited the flaw, which involves how IE handles CSS style sheets on Windows 7 and Vista machines. Offensive Security, a provider of security tools and training, posted a video demonstrating the code execution on Monday. On Wednesday, the exploit code was added to the open-source Metasploit hacking toolkit. This flaw can bypass two built-in Windows security features: Data Execution Prevention (DEP) and Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), according to Ramezany. Microsoft has not yet confirmed the vulnerability. "We're currently unaware of any attacks trying to use the claimed vulnerability or of customer impact," said Dave Forstrom, director of trustworthy computing at Microsoft, in an email to SCMagazineUS.com on Wednesday. "Once we're done investigating, we will take appropriat...

CitySights NY, a company that organizes New York City tours on double-decker buses, has experienced a significant data breach. The personal information of 110,000 customers, including names, addresses, email addresses, credit card numbers, expiration dates, and Card Verification Value (CVV2) codes, was stolen. The breach likely occurred on September 26, when attackers used an SQL injection to upload a malicious script to the web server. The intrusion was discovered on October 25 by a web programmer who found the unauthorized script. According to a breach notification letter sent to and published by New Hampshire's attorney general, Twin America, CitySights NY's parent company, confirmed the compromise. In response to the breach, Twin America has taken several steps to enhance data security, including: Changing all administrative-level passwords to more complex ones. Restricting access to the administration panel and server to a few pre-approved IP addresses. Patching scri...

PandaLabs, the antimalware laboratory of Panda Security, has predicted several major cybersecurity threats for 2011. These include hacktivism, cyber warfare, profit-driven malware, social engineering, and adaptive malicious codes. Additionally, there will be increased threats to Mac users, new attacks on 64-bit systems, and more zero-day exploits. Here is a summary of PandaLabs' top ten security trends for 2011: Malware Creation : In 2010, PandaLabs observed significant growth in malware, identifying 20 million new strains, more than in 2009. Currently, Panda’s Collective Intelligence database contains over 60 million classified threats. Although the year-on-year growth rate has peaked, it was 50% in 2010, down from over 100% in previous years. Cyber Warfare : Incidents like Stuxnet and the WikiLeaks cables, which suggested Chinese government involvement in cyber-attacks on Google, marked a turning point in cyber conflicts. Stuxnet targeted uranium centrifuges in nuclear pl...

A new computer worm is denying Facebook users access to their accounts. The worm, named "W32.Yimfoca" by the security company Symantec, spreads through Yahoo! Messenger and specifically targets Facebook users. It forces them to complete surveys before they can log into their profiles. The worm begins by sending an instant message containing a corrupted link. When a user clicks the link, the worm installs malware on their system. Later, when users visit Facebook, they see a message stating, "Your account is suspended. To make your account active, you need to complete one of these surveys," followed by a list of options like "Test Your Celebrity IQ here" and "Win a FREE iPhone 4." If users choose to fill out a survey, another message appears: "You have only 3 minutes to fill out the selected survey or you will not have access to your account." Each time a survey is completed, the creators of the worm earn $1, according to Symantec. The ...

Checking the mail in December is typically a pleasant experience, filled with holiday cards and packages. Then comes January. Besides the Christmas bills, mailboxes begin to overflow with W-2s, 1099s, statements from financial institutions, and IRS forms. It's no wonder John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education for Smartcredit.com, calls January the most dangerous month for mail. “January is a high-value month for thieves,” he said. It's particularly easy for thieves to dip into someone’s mailbox, take the envelopes, and gain all the information needed to steal someone else’s identity. How to best protect mail, short of meeting the mail carrier at the mailbox each day, is a significant challenge. You shouldn’t stop your mail because many items are time-sensitive. Creating an alternative delivery destination, like a P.O. box, could cause more trouble than it’s worth, said Ulzheimer. The first step is to know what tax-related statements you s...

Microsoft Corp., feeling pressure from popular products like Apple Inc.'s iPad, is developing a new operating system that marks a departure from the company's traditional reliance on Intel Corp.'s chip technology. This information comes from sources familiar with Microsoft's plans. Next month, Microsoft plans to demonstrate a new version of its widely used Windows operating system. This version is designed for low-power devices and will support chips based on designs from ARM Holdings PLC, in addition to the x86 chip technology provided by Intel and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Microsoft will unveil the software at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January, though it isn't expected to be available for another two years. Representatives from Microsoft, Intel, and ARM declined to comment on these developments. Microsoft, headquartered in Redmond, Washington, has struggled to replicate its success in the PC operating system market within the smartphone and tabl...

Your mailbox may be filling up with Christmas cards from friends and family, and so might your email inbox. But, as the song says, 'you better watch out,' because some of those merry emails could be from an internet Grinch looking to steal your peace of mind. Christmas cards are a great way to send holiday wishes to those you love. However, many of us are opting to send our cards electronically using e-cards. "One of the big problems around Christmastime is everyone sends out Christmas cards. That's great, and it's great to see one in your email inbox. The problem is, about half of them that you're going to get are actually links to viruses and Trojan horses that will infect your computer," explained News 4 WOAI Web Expert Bob Gambert. Some of these malicious emails will attack your email address book and flood your friends' inboxes with spam. So, how do you know which e-card is safe to open? Our computer expert says don't open any of them. Inst...

Network security is on everyone's mind as 2010 comes to an end. Adam Powers, CTO of Atlanta-based Lancope, offers insights into expected trends for 2011. IT Consumerization and Internal Threats The introduction of consumer devices into corporate networks is reshaping security strategies. Traditional perimeter defenses like firewalls and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) are no longer sufficient. Companies must address security for smartphones, MiFi devices, and other consumer mobile devices. Rise of Social Media The growth of social media platforms like Facebook has created new attack surfaces for cyber threats. This development demands heightened awareness and security measures. Utilities as Targets The Stuxnet virus has alerted utilities, particularly those under NERC-CIP compliance, to the need for improved security as SCADA systems transition to IP. This shift demands a significant upgrade in security measures. Information Leakage and Reputation Damage The Wiki...

Future Group's plan to boost online sales has encountered a cyber obstacle. Its flagship e-commerce portal, FutureBazaar, was hacked and has been non-functional for the past two days. FutureBazaar CEO Rajiv Prakash described the incident as a "denial of service attack." He stated, "The website has been down for the last couple of days and has been blocked to consumers." The company is addressing the issue internally and pursuing legal action against the hackers. "We have filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Branch in Mumbai. Internally, we are working to get the site up and running, and it should be fine soon," Prakash assured. To minimize business losses, the company has kept its phone commerce active, allowing consumers to make purchases through this channel. Prakash did not comment on the potential daily losses due to the problem. However, the portal is one of the group’s emerging business verticals. Future Group aims to have at least 10% of ...

In what has become a yearly tradition, it’s now time for us to present 10 of the most noteworthy incidents on the Internet from this past year. As you’ll see, 2010 has been very interesting. Just like previous years, we have included problems ranging from website outages and service issues to large-scale network interruptions. If you’re an avid Web user, you are bound to recognize several of them. Let’s get started! The major incidents on the Internet in 2010 were… Wikipedia’s Failover Fail Wikipedia has become so ubiquitous that it can’t go down for a minute without people noticing. According to Google Trends for Websites , the site has roughly 50 million visitors per day. In March, servers in Wikimedia’s European data center overheated and shut down. The service was supposed to fail over to a US data center. Unfortunately, the failover mechanism didn’t work properly and broke the DNS lookups for all of Wikipedia . This effectively rendered the site unreachable worldwide. It took...

Computer hackers and unauthorized informants could face up to 10 years in prison under a proposed state law designed to protect South Carolina military installations from WikiLeaks-type scandals. Charleston Republican Rep. Chip Limehouse announced on Monday that his bill, which will be considered when the legislature reconvenes next month, aims to strengthen the state's laws against computer crimes. The bill also seeks to complement federal laws by imposing additional penalties if classified or confidential information from Shaw Air Force Base, the Marine Corps' Parris Island, or other South Carolina military sites is disclosed. "It will essentially give South Carolina the means to pursue computer criminals," Limehouse said. "Our laws need to keep pace with the evolving digital landscape." Limehouse's bill builds on existing legislation that makes online fraud a felony, punishable by up to a $50,000 fine and five years in prison. Unauthorized public r...