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In January 2012, Microsoft confirmed to PC manufacturers that they must enable Secure Boot by default on PCs to be “Certified for Windows 8”. The purpose of Secure Boot is to put an end to computer viruses that sneak between the hardware and the operating system. These viruses, also known as bootkits, work by getting themselves loaded before the operating system, then they make changes to the operating system while it lies defenseless on disk, and then they load the now defenseless operating system and have their way with it. Secure Boot counters the bootkit by ensuring the hardware verifies the identity and authenticity of the software that sits between the hardware and the operating system - the bootloader, and also the software embedded in hardware devices like network and graphics adapters. Secure Boot sounds like a smart solution to the bootkit problem doesn’t it? Who wouldn’t want a secure boot? Proponents of alternative operating syst...

Bulgarian Hackers Group arrested Bulgarian authorities say that after months of investigation they have busted the “most powerful hacker group” in the country, the Cyber Warrior Invasion. The operation was conducted by Bulgaria’s Sector for Computer Crimes, Intellectual Property and Gambling and the territorial units of the Chief Directorate for Fight with Organized Crime in the municipalities of Pleven, Shumen, Plovdiv, Burgas, Haskovo, Stara Zagora and Kyustendil. Using cyber “terrorist” methods, the group had attacked more than 500 websites worldwide, including those of financial institutions, web-based companies, and governmental and non-governmental organizations. On the confiscated computers, police discovered databases with large amounts of stolen emails, social network profiles and associated passwords, as well as stolen credit card data. The site www.cwi-group.org was used by the members of the group to coordinate their activities. Constantly changing its location and ...

Microsoft to patch three critical vulnerabilities on Tuesday When Patch Tuesday rolls around next week, Three critical vulnerabilities , as well as six Important issues will be addressed by Microsoft . Only three of the nine security bulletins are ranked Critical, while the remaining six are rated as Important. Although all three of of the Critical vulnerabilities center on Windows, one of them also includes Internet Explorer 9. Interestingly, the flaw does not extend to previous versions of the browser, so it appears it's something new. The two other critical bulletins could allow malicious users to remotely execute code on Windows operating systems, including all supported server and client versions. "Many are expecting a patch for CVE-2012-1889: a vulnerability in Microsoft XML Core Services, which is currently being exploited in the wild," says Marcus Carey, a security researcher with Rapid7. Get the full details when the security bulletins are officially release...

Thousands May Lose Net Access On July 9th July The warnings about the Internet problem have been splashed across Facebook and Google. Internet service providers have sent notices, and the FBI set up a special website. Thousands of Canadians could be among the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who might lose Internet access on July 9.That's the day the FBI will shut down all the "clean servers" it set up to combat a massive hacking operation. Last November the FBI arrested and charged six Estonian men behind the malware as part of Operation Ghost Click. These hackers were able to make a fortune off their project, raking in millions for ads placed on their fraudulent websites.On the eve of the arrests, the FBI hired Paul Vixie, chairman of the Internet Systems Consortium (ISC) to install two temporary Internet servers that would prevent infected users from losing access to the Internet once the DNSChanger botnet was shut down. DNS (Domain Name System) is a...

Android Clickjacking Rootkit Demonstrated Mobile security researchers have identified an aspect of Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and earlier models that clickjacking rootkits could exploit. Researchers at NC State in the US have developed a proof-of-concept prototype rootkit that attacks the Android framework and could be used to steal personal information. What is clickjacking? It is a malicious technique that tricks users and is often used to take over computers, web cams, or snag confidential info that is revealed by users who thinks they are on an innocent webpage. Like most Android malware, the rootkit can be distributed as a malicious app, opening up a host of potential vulnerabilities on any device on which it is installed. However, it functions in a different way. The rootkit, which could be bundled with an app and is said to be undetectable by anti-virus packages, would allow an attacker to replace a smartphone's browser with a version that logs key strokes to cap...

Anonymous Arab Hacker post hundreds of Israeli email addresses and passwords Islamic Anonymous hackers on Sunday revealed hundreds of Israeli email addresses and their passwords on the website of Anonymous Arab. Most of the addresses and passwords listed are active accounts. It is yet unclear what website was hacked to obtain the information published on the website of Anonymous Arab. Roni Bachar, the manager of the cyber-attack department at Avnet, said in a statement, " There was apparently penetration of an Israeli site which cannot be determined at this stage, a site that requires identification by email address and a password, as is usual at forum, content and commercial sites. " Bachar added that he doesn't believe that Facebook itself was hacked, " since the attack revealed only a small number of addresses, about 300, and passwords were determined through estimates and guesses of the brute force type. " There are what look like numerous identity ca...