Robert Lemos

A sophisticated network of 25,000 compromised Linux servers has become the foundation of a massive cyber-criminal botnet capable of sending 35 million spam messages and redirecting more than 500,000 Web visitors to exploit kits every day, according to a report published by software security firm ESET. A collection of malware, dubbed Windigo by ESET, forms […]

Massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks have become more popular with cyber-criminals and hacktivists, especially those attacks that use a vulnerability in the network time protocol (NTP) to produce overwhelming floods of data, according to DDoS mitigation firm Prolexic. In an advisory released on March 12, the company warned that attacks using vulnerable NTP servers have […]

While developers are getting better about hardening their software, the 35 vulnerabilities revealed at the Pwn2Own tournament this week show that security remains a work in progress. The annual contest pits vulnerability researchers against the latest operating systems running four different browsers and vital plug-ins, with the winner taking home the compromised—or “pwned”—laptop and up […]

April 15 marks the deadline for tax season, but consumers and businesses should file their taxes as early as possible and pay more attention to their online tax accounts, as fraudsters are increasingly focused on tax identity theft, anti-fraud firm ThreatMetrix warned on March 10. As criminals gain more information on potential victims, filing for […]

Antivirus software has gotten a bad rap, even though the programs continue to help protect firms and raise the bar for attackers, according to a report released on March 11 by research firm NSS Labs. The report finds that antivirus software has largely been criticized based on two-decades-old misconceptions. The software running on users’ computers […]

As tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to heat up, security researchers and political analysts continue to search for signs of cyber-attacks. But while a few attacks have been reported, it’s impossible to credibly assign responsibility. Ukrainian officials reportedly complained last week that a Crimea-based attack had jammed cell phones of government officials in the […]

The critical-infrastructure networks that help run and administer water utilities, power plants and manufacturing are susceptible to a different set of threats than most information-technology systems, making them harder to attack when correctly configured, but also harder to defend against certain types of attacks, according to a group of security experts. While information security managers […]

Web advertising that directs mobile users to malicious download sites has become the leading vector of attacks on mobile devices, according to a report released March 5 by enterprise security firm Blue Coat Systems. Malicious advertisements, or malvertising, has been a favorite method for cyber-criminals to spread programs that compromise victims’ systems, steal information and […]

San Francisco—Manufacturers of the expanding plethora of personal electronics that have embedded software and processors, so-called smart devices, need to make some basic efforts to secure the software or face potential government scrutiny, a representative of the Federal Trade Commission said at the RSA Conference Feb. 28. A growing number of actions taken by the […]

The soaring value of the Bitcoin digital currency has resulted in increasing criminal attention, with more than 100 families of malware now attempting to steal—not only Bitcoins—but more than 40 other crypto-currencies, according to a research report released on Feb. 26 by Dell SecureWorks. So-called crypto-currency stealing malware (CCSM) searches for and steals the wallet […]

SAN FRANCISCO—Security professionals should stop tweeting their outrage concerning the National Security Agency and other attackers who penetrate networks to steal data, and instead do something about the problem, a Juniper executive said in a mid-morning speech at the RSA Conference on Feb. 25. Calling the virtual histrionics of security professionals canceling their appearances at […]

The vast majority of Android and iOS apps show risky behavior, mainly driven by third-party advertising networks, according to two reports on the mobile software ecosystem published this week. In an analysis of the top 100 paid and top 100 free apps on both iOS and Android, security firm Appthority found that free apps continued […]