hacking – Page 31 – SSL and internet security news

NSA/GCHQ Hacks SIM Card Database and Steals Billions of Keys

February 20, 2015 infossl

cellphones, databases, eavesdropping, edwardsnowden, gchq, hacking, nsa, phones, privacy, Security technology, simcards, surveillance

The Intercept has an extraordinary story: the NSA and/or GCHQ hacked into the Dutch SIM card manufacturer Gemalto, stealing the encryption keys for billions of cell phones. People are still trying to figure out exactly what this means, but it seems to mean that the intelligence agencies have access to both voice and data from … Read More “NSA/GCHQ Hacks SIM Card Database and Steals Billions of Keys” »

Database of Ten Million Passwords

February 19, 2015 infossl

databases, hacking, passwords, Security technology

Earlier this month, Mark Burnett released a database of ten million usernames and passwords. He collected this data from already-public dumps from hackers who had stolen the information; hopefully everyone affected has changed their passwords by now. News articles. Powered by WPeMatico

The Equation Group's Sophisticated Hacking and Exploitation Tools

February 17, 2015 infossl

edwardsnowden, exploits, hacking, implants, kaspersky, nsa, Security technology, vulnerabilities

This week, Kaspersky Labs published detailed information on what it calls the Equation Group — almost certainly the NSA — and its abilities to embed spyware deep inside computers, gaining pretty much total control of those computers while maintaining persistence in the face of reboots, operating system reinstalls, and commercial anti-virus products. The details are … Read More “The Equation Group's Sophisticated Hacking and Exploitation Tools” »

Understanding NSA Malware

February 11, 2015 infossl

hacking, malware, nsa, Security technology

Here are two essays trying to understand NSA malware and how it works, in light of the enormous number of documents released by Der Spiegel recently. Powered by WPeMatico

NSA Using Hacker Research and Results

February 6, 2015 infossl

edwardsnowden, gchq, hacking, intelligence, nsa, privacy, Security technology, surveillance

In the latest article based on the Snowden documents, the Intercept is reporting that the NSA and GCHQ are piggy-backing on the work of hackers: In some cases, the surveillance agencies are obtaining the content of emails by monitoring hackers as they breach email accounts, often without notifying the hacking victims of these breaches. “Hackers … Read More “NSA Using Hacker Research and Results” »

The Security of Data Deletion

January 15, 2015 infossl

datadestruction, dataprotection, dataretention, essays, hacking, Security technology, sony

Thousands of articles have called the December attack against Sony Pictures a wake-up call to industry. Regardless of whether the attacker was the North Korean government, a disgruntled former employee, or a group of random hackers, the attack showed how vulnerable a large organization can be and how devastating the publication of its private correspondence, … Read More “The Security of Data Deletion” »

Further Evidence Pointing to North Korea as Sony Hacker

January 9, 2015 infossl

attribution, fbi, hacking, northkorea, Security technology, sony

The FBI has provided more evidence: Speaking at a Fordham Law School cybersecurity conference Wednesday, Comey said that he has “very high confidence” in the FBI’s attribution of the attack to North Korea. And he named several of the sources of his evidence, including a “behavioral analysis unit” of FBI experts trained to psychologically analyze … Read More “Further Evidence Pointing to North Korea as Sony Hacker” »

Hacking Attack Causes Physical Damage at German Steel Mill

January 8, 2015 infossl

cyberattack, germany, hacking, hardware, ics, infrastructure, phishing, Security technology

This sort of thing is still very rare, but I fear it will become more common: …hackers had struck an unnamed steel mill in Germany. They did so by manipulating and disrupting control systems to such a degree that a blast furnace could not be properly shut down, resulting in “massive” — though unspecified — … Read More “Hacking Attack Causes Physical Damage at German Steel Mill” »

Attributing the Sony Attack

January 7, 2015 infossl

attribution, cyberwar, cyberweapons, denialofservice, essays, hacking, intelligence, israel, malware, nationalsecuritypolicy, northkorea, Security technology, sony, stuxnet

No one has admitted taking down North Korea’s Internet. It could have been an act of retaliation by the US government, but it could just as well have been an ordinary DDoS attack. The follow-on attack against Sony PlayStation definitely seems to be the work of hackers unaffiliated with a government. Not knowing who did … Read More “Attributing the Sony Attack” »

More Data on Attributing the Sony Attack

December 31, 2014 infossl

cyberweapons, fbi, hacking, insiders, intelligence, malware, northkorea, Security technology, sony

An analysis of the timestamps on some of the leaked documents shows that they were downloaded at USB 2.0 speeds — which implies an insider. Our Gotnews.com investigation into the data that has been released by the “hackers” shows that someone at Sony was copying 182GB at minimum the night of the 21st — the … Read More “More Data on Attributing the Sony Attack” »