Brian Prince

Some security vendors are raising the question whether the browser-based version of the Google Android market could open up opportunities for attackers. Google recently launched a new version of the market that allows a device owner to search for, buy and install applications on their mobile device remotely over the Web from a desktop computer. […]

Six months ago, the HP TippingPoint Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) made a decision – it was going to cap the amount of time it gave vendors to patch before releasing vulnerability information to six months. The move, Aaron Portnoy, manager of Security Research for TippingPoint, blogged at the time, was meant to force vendors to […]

Two U.S. Congressmen are seeking answers from Facebook about the company’s plans to allow third-party developers to access users’ mobile phone numbers and address information. In a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Congressmen Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) requested information regarding the company’s plans to allow developers to access a user’s mobile […]

“Anonymous” launched an attack against security firm HBGary Federal, taking down its Website and stealing corporate e-mail in retaliation for the company’s efforts to track down “hacktivists” tied to cyber-attacks conducted in support of WikiLeaks. The attack followed claims by HBGary Federal that it had gathered information on hackers who are part of Anonymous. In […]

This past week in IT security ended with some big news -Nasdaq OMX, the company that owns and operates the Nasdaq Stock Market, has been hit with malware during the past year. According to reports, the United States Secret Service and FBI are investigating the attack, which failed to compromise Nasdaq’s trading platform. Nonetheless, malware […]

Federal authorities have arrested an Arizona man on suspicion of fraud and computer tampering for allegedly interrupting the live broadcast of Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 with a clip from an adult film. Frank Tanori Gonzalez, 38, of Marana, was arrested at roughly 5:30 p.m. Feb. 4, according to reports. He stands accused of taking […]

A recent audit from the office of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Inspector General painted a not-so-rosy picture of efforts to secure the nation’s power grid. But it also highlighted something of a conundrum in the world of compliance-how to take a truly risk-based approach when organizations have an incentive to underreport risk. Inside the […]

Microsoft is contending the botnet other researchers have tied to the theft of FTP server credentials is not Waledac but a close relative. Microsoft is calling the botnet Kelihos. According to the company, the botnet shares large portions of its code with Waledac, and may be the result of collaboration. “Microsoft researchers and security community […]

Hacktivists in the loosely affiliated group “Anonymous” painted a bull’s eye this week on Websites belonging to the governments of Yemen and Egypt. Members of the group launched DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks against a number of sites, including the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the country’s Ministry of Interior. “Welcome […]

The annual Pwn2Own contest always claims a number of victims, from the Apple iPhone to Microsoft Internet Explorer. But Google, whose Chrome browser emerged untargeted and unscathed last year, is feeling confident. How else to explain their decision to offer a $20,000 reward for the researcher who can exploit the Chrome browser? “Kudos to the […]

Mozilla is taking a more proactive approach to secure its applications against attacks. The company is calling this approach “attack aware.” The idea, explained Mozilla Web security specialist Michael Coates, is to make applications able to identify unusual actions by the user that are deliberate attacks on applications. The goal is to detect attempts to […]

Microsoft may have started 2011 slowly in regards to Patch Tuesday fixes, but this month will be the exact opposite. Next week, Microsoft plans to release 12 security bulletins, including three that are rated “Critical.” All totaled, the bulletins will address 22 vulnerabilities spanning Windows, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, Visual Studio and IIS. “As part […]