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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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 »

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Feeling Vulnerable: What are Computer Security Vulnerabilities and How Could They be Putting Your Company at Risk?

You wouldn’t intentionally leave your wallet on the hood of your car in the mall parking lot. In the same respect, you wouldn’t let a child walk home from school in the dark along a busy street. The reason you wouldn’t do these things is because your wallet and your children are important to you and leaving them unattended would make them vulnerable to theft and harm. According to … Read More »

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Evolution of the Term “Hacker”

After nine months of noteworthy data breaches, from the Shady Rat Attack to the Sony PlayStation Network breach—the term “hacking” is more likely to call to mind script kiddies and self-proclaimed hactivist groups, like Anonymous, than tech-savvy geeks like Steve Jobs. However, although today “hacking” is almost synonymous with cyber crime, this wasn’t always the case. Define “Hacker” According Merriam-Webster, “hack” has a number of definitions, including 1.  “to … Read More »

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How to Get a Job at Facebook & Other Associated Hacks

To some, George Hotz may seem like just a kid, but when it comes to hacking, this 21-year-old has already made quite a name for himself. After unlocking the iPhone, allowing it to be used by wireless carriers other than AT&T, Hotz hacked the PlayStation 3 and ended up at the center of a Sony lawsuit and an Anonymous protest. Hotz might not have been the first person to … Read More »

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Cowboys, Black Hats and Web Security

If you spend even a little bit of time in the company of web security professionals, you’re likely to hear the term “black hat.” While the term has become almost synonymous with “hacking” and often refers to hacking for malicious purposes, the term has been around even longer than computers. According to Wikipedia, “a black hat is the villain or bad guy, especially in a western movie, in which … Read More »

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The Simplicity of a Phishing Scam

While I’ve written many blog entries on Phishing (perhaps enough already) – I ran across an email phishing scam so simple and elegant I just couldn’t help but share. In a rare confessional mood, I will admit my admiration for this particular scam stems from the fact that, when I first read the baiting email (below), I silently swore at my own stupidity for sending out the huge vacation … Read More »

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Famous Script Kiddies

Sometimes hackers are well-educated geeks with a specific expertise and a point to prove; other times… they’re not. Script kiddies are typically young hackers who rely chiefly on pre-made exploit programs or files to conduct their hacking. Often regarded in hacker circles as people who don’t actually take the time to learn how the programs they use work, these young hackers are also sometimes known as cyberpunks. However, regardless … Read More »

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SQL Injection 101 – A Simple Example

When it comes to your website there are a number of different areas that can be exploited. Sometimes these areas are hidden, other times the aspects of your website that are putting you at risk are in plain sight. Consider a simple search bar located anywhere on your website. A legitimate use of this search control allows a user to submit a word or a phrase that is used … Read More »

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A War that No One Bothered to Tell Us About

Though chances are you’ve used a highway from time to time– maybe even as recently as this morning on your way to work– you probably didn’t know that one of the principal reasons for building the interstate highway system was to support national defense. How the Cold War Helped Create Highways & the Internet When Congress approved the system during one of the most unstable periods of the Cold … Read More »