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Cologne security expert used an Amazon cloud-based service for hacking purposes on the cheap. He plans on making his software public and will describe it more fully at a hacker conference in the US later this month. On Friday, Thomas Roth, a Cologne-based computer security expert told the Reuters news agency that the single password encryption method used by most WiFi network administrators is not as foolproof as they would like to think. By running specialized software on a cloud-based computer he leased from Amazon, the security researcher said he had been able to hack into WiFi networks secured under the Wireless Protected Access (WPA) protocol, which had been previously considered very hard to penetrate. While that might have been true until very recently, Roth has now found an easy and inexpensive way in. His method is via Amazon, from whom it is currently possible to hire cloud-based computers for just 28 cents per minute. By contrast it would cost tens of thousands to bu...

A prominent security researcher said he doubts Microsoft's take down of the Waledac botnet would have any impact on spam levels, as the company claimed. "Waledac just is not a hugely prolific spammer," said Joe Stewart, director of malware analysis at SecureWorks and a noted botnet researcher. "So I don't think it's going to affect spam [volume]. What it does do lately... what it's used for, is to install rogue antivirus software." The UK-based anti-spam service Spamhaus echoed Stewart today. "If [Microsoft's take-down] did affect spam, we haven't noticed," said Richard Cox, the chief information officer at Spamhaus. Like Stewart, Cox also dismissed Waledac's threat as a spam engine. "Waledac was not a high threat, it's less than 1% of the spam traffic," Cox said. "What we're worried about is Zeus, which is a far more damaging botnet, which is creating a substantial amount of spam." Postini, t...

How safe is your cell phone? Thieves are coming up with new ways to hijack the most popular smartphones. ABC Action News investigative reporter Michael George enlisted the help of a hacking expert to find out how these programs work, and how to beat them. Droids, iPhones, and BlackBerries are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to smartphones. The phones are wildly popular right now. USF student Marilyn Rodriguez says her whole life is on her phone. “I love my phone. It gets me through classes. I keep track of my schedule, my homework assignments,” she said. More and more consumers are using their phones for things they used to do on their home computers. That includes tasks that require private, financial information, like online banking and shopping. The problem is, hackers are starting to figure this out, too. Stratum Security consultant Justin Morehouse is an expert in the methods used by hackers and identity thieves. It’s his job to anticipate what the bad guys will ...

The Data Protection Commissioner is investigating the attack on the Fine Gael website yesterday, after an Evening Herald journalist claimed he was sent data of 2,000 users of the site after the hack occurred. The Data Protection Commissioner said Fine Gael contacted him after their site was attacked by those using the "Anonymous" banner. On Twitter, Kevin Doyle, an Evening Herald journalist claimed the commissioner was informed the data of 2,000 users of the site was stolen by those who attacked it. He previously said it was almost 4,000, however, this was due to repeat posters on the database. Doyle also said the database he received of the site's users contained phone numbers, IP addresses and email addresses. Fine Gael recently revamped its site, letting the public post comments and register their mobile numbers and email addresses in order to receive information on the political party’s upcoming election campaign. However, the site was taken offline and repl...

The government of Tunisia may have chosen an odd way to combat protesters: Hacking into their Facebook accounts.  This appears to have gotten the attention of the hacker group Anonymous, which is siding with the protests. The past month has seen many large-scale uprisings in the North African nation, as protesters gripe about the dictatorship goverment plus economic problems and unemployment. The Tunisian government has responded by partnering with hackers to infiltrate the accounts of dissidents deemed to be inciting riots, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The group said: Based on reports of users in the country, Tunisian authorities appear to be modifying web pages on the fly to steal usernames and passwords for sites such as Facebook, Google and Yahoo. Unknown parties have subsequently logged onto these sites using these stolen credentials, and used them to delete Facebook groups, pages, and accounts, including Facebook pages admin...