The RSA Breach – Back in the News

As you may remember RSA, the vendor the SecurID authentication tokens, was hacked in March 2010. The  resulting data breach affected many of RSA’s 25,000 global customers who use over 40 million of these devices. The SecurID is one half of a “two-factor” authentication method. “Two-factor” indicates the user must successfully login using a memorized password or PIN, as well as a six-digit code found on the SecurID; with … Read More »

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Hacker Payback: Dox

The world of computer security is full of slang. And while the media has made a number of different hacker terms, such as “hacktivism” and “malware,” more mainstream, there are still a number of terms that remain relatively unused by the average reporter. As a result, though being “doxed” is nothing new, you may have never heard the term. Doxed, or being doxed, is Internet slang for releasing personal … Read More »

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Origins of Hacktivism: Anonymous, Lulz Security and WikiLeaks

While today’s hacktivism is undoubtedly much broader than media reporting would lead us to believe, the public appears to focus on three organizations: Anonymous, Lulz Security (LulzSec) and WikiLeaks, as the core of hacktivism in the United States, if not the world. So who are these self-proclaimed hactivists? Where did they come from? And how are they making their mark on cyber security, corporate business and how we conduct … Read More »

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The Anatomy of Hacktivism

As I discussed in my previous post “Hacktivism: An Introduction,” the term “hactivism” recently gained visibility as the result of media reports of attacks on major corporations and organizations including Sony, Lockheed and PBS. Individuals and loosely associated organizations are also now defining themselves as “hacktivists.” The public actions of groups under this title have only added familiarity to the term and Anonymous, Lulz Security (LulzSec) and WikiLeaks have … Read More »

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Official Hacker of the Stars

Is it just me, or do the rest of you feel just a twinge of disappointment when you don’t make Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” each year? To add insult to injury, Christopher Chaney of Jacksonville, Florida was just arrested for hacking into computer accounts belong to more than 50 people—primarily celebrities like Scarlett Johansson, Christina Aguilera, Mila Kunis, Simone Harouche and Renee Olstead—but once again, this time … Read More »

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Typosquatting – Another Great Web Scam

If nothing else, the world of web security is remarkable for the creativity of its scams and the names the names given to these scams. Where else could you expect to find names like typosquatting and Doppelganger Domains? In fact, the actual meanings of these scam names are just as interesting as the names might imply (well… at least for us hard-core geeks). What is Typosquatting? Typosquatting is the … Read More »

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Hacktivism: An Introduction

Internet attacks on highly visible corporations and government agencies have flooded the media over the past year. These attacks are often sensationalized (as is the goal of the media) and just as often misunderstood by the public because of the reasons for and methods of attack. Media reports of attacks on major corporations such as Sony, Lockheed and PBS, as well as government entities like the Department of Defense … Read More »

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Twacked: The Trend of People Being Hacked on Twitter

In January 2010, Twitter banned 370 password combinations for being too obvious, however that hasn’t stopped hackers from tapping into the accounts of some of the world’s biggest celebrities and some of the United State’s most trusted news sources. It probably comes as little surprise, that the Twitter accounts with the greatest number of followers are celebrities. Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Barack Obama, Katy Perry and Kim Kardashian make … Read More »

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Cyber Crime: How Hackers Stole $13 Million in One Day

Every time I buy a lottery ticket, one of my friends reminds me that the lottery is a tax on stupidity. When I win, he will not be on my ‘generous to friends’ list. I know he’s right, just unfeeling. Though I find the $1 investment to be a short-lived dream, I also feel like it’s worth every penny. After all, life as in instant multi-millionaire – what could … Read More »