The Day the SoapBlox Network Died

Blogs using SoapBlox but hosted elsewhere are, for the moment, still up. However, I’m hearing that the software has been irretrievably hacked: security can no longer be guaranteed, for anyone. If true, this means that hackers have private information — including passwords and IP addresses — from supposedly anonymous accounts on some or all of the blogs using the software. [BlogPi] ›

Wage Cyberwar Against Hamas, Surrender Your PC

A group of Israeli students and would-be cyberwarriors have developed a program that makes it easy for just about anyone to start pounding on pro-Hamas websites. But using this "Patriot" software, to join in the online fight, means handing over control of your computer to the Israeli hacker group. "While you're running their program, they can do whatever th ›

'Cybergeddon' fear stalks US: FBI

"Cyber attacks pose the greatest threat to the United States after nuclear war and weapons of mass destruction -- and they are increasingly hard to prevent, FBI experts said Tuesday. Shawn Henry, assistant director of the FBI's cyber division, told a conference in New York that computer attacks pose the biggest risk "from a national security perspective, ot ›

Minecode execs face prison terms for computer intrusion

"The government said that Vinado had hired Minecode to design some features for the wine seller's website, including a “virtual gift shop.” After the dispute, authorities said that Samal directed Verma to disable the gift shop, causing a $5,000 loss to Vinado. In January 2007, Samal went further, the government said, deleting Vinado’s website, email se ›

Patch for critical Windows vulnerability coming

Microsoft will issue a patch on Tuesday for a critical vulnerability that could allow a hacker to gain control of a computer remotely, the company said in an alert on Thursday. Microsoft also plans to host a Webcast at 11 a.m. PST as part of Patch Tuesday, which comes the second Tuesday of every month. There will be just one security update. [CNET] ›

TJX Maxx hacker banged up for 30 years

"The TJX hack will go down as the first major disclosed commercial hack in history, after US-based hackers were able to 'wardrive' their way into a poorly-protected Wi-Fi system used for point-of-sale traffic. Forty-five million customer credit cards were said to have been exposed, leaving parent company. TJX Maxx, owning up to potential liabilities of at least $118 millio ›

Weak Password Brings 'Happiness' to Twitter Hacker

An 18-year-old hacker with a history of celebrity pranks has admitted to Monday's hijacking of multiple high-profile Twitter accounts, including President-Elect Barack Obama's, and the official feed for Fox News. The hacker, who goes by the handle GMZ, told Threat Level on Tuesday he gained entry to Twitter's administrative control panel by pointing an au ›