Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • Development
    • Mobile
    • Networking

    Nokia Shuts Down Forums After SQL Injection Exposes Developer Info

    By
    Fahmida Y. Rashid
    -
    August 29, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Nokia has suspended its developer forum after a recent attack compromised member data.

      Users registered with the Nokia developer forum had their personal information, including email addresses, compromised, the Finnish phone giant said in a note posted Aug. 29 on the company Website. Other information, such as birth dates, home page URLs and instant messaging user names for AIM, ICQ, MSN, Skype and Yahoo, was also compromised for “fewer than 7 percent” of the victims. Passwords and credit card numbers do not appear to have been compromised.

      The forum at developer.nokia.com/community would be offline until “further investigations and security assessments were complete,” the statement said. No timeline was provided, but Nokia promised to post updates as often as possible.

      Taking down the site while the investigation is underway is a “sensible move,” Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos, wrote on the Naked Security blog.

      “Security flaws” in the forum’s software used for the Website allowed attackers to use SQL injection to access a database table containing member records, Nokia said. The breach was discovered while Nokia was investigating an incident Aug. 22 when users accessing the forums Website were redirected to another site. The site displayed an image of Homer Simpson saying, “D’oh!” The page also changed browser window sizes and positions, making it difficult for affected users to close the site.

      Nokia immediately removed the modified content to stop the redirect and said it was reviewing security practices for its externally maintained Websites. The company had originally thought the attacker had just put in the redirect.

      In a SQL injection, attackers enter database query statements into several input fields on the Website, such as in the comments field or log-in boxes. If the page were not coded properly, it wouldn’t strip out the database commands when the page was submitted. Instead the commands would be sent to the database to be executed, and the results returned to the Website.

      The attacker, “pr0tect0r AKA mrNRG,” believed to be based in India, accused Nokia of falling down on security. “Worlds number 1 mobile company but not spending a dime for server security!” the attacker wrote on the redirected site.

      Attackers are successfully breaching major companies using fairly basic techniques such as SQL injection. In this case, the flaw existed in the software Nokia used, which means other sites using the same software are likely to be vulnerable to the attack. Sony suffered a series of debilitating attacks this spring as attackers harvested user records using SQL injection attacks.

      It is unknown how many members had their information compromised, but Nokia said the number was “significantly larger” than first thought. The phone giant is reaching out to affected members directly via email and said the users would most likely see higher volumes of unsolicited mail, such as spam and phishing attacks.

      While the Nokia attacker referenced the AntiSec movement, where attackers break into Websites to dump sensitive information, there is no way to tell if the breach was part of AntiSec or a lone incident. The decentralized nature of the movement makes it difficult to link incidents together or identify any group behind the attacks.

      The security breach is embarrassing for Nokia. While the company remains the world’s largest maker of mobile phone handsets, it has been dramatically losing market share to smartphones running Google’s Android mobile operating system and Apple’s iPhone. Nokia recently signed a partnership agreement with Microsoft to introduce a new line of Windows Phone 7-powered phones for either later this year or early 2012.

      Fahmida Y. Rashid

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×