Recent Cyber Security News

June 23, 2008

South Africa: Internet, Cyber Crime to take Center Stage at Conference AllAfrica.com, June 17, 2008
The role of the internet and the effects of cyber crime in the 21st Century will be investigated during the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Ministerial Conference in Korea this week.  Communications Minister Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri will represent South Africa at the second OECD three-day conference, taking place on Tuesday.

Mobile Threat Still Low but Will Grow
ZDNet Asia, June 17, 2008
As mobile data usage grows and Internet connectivity increases, more security incidents are likely to occur on mobile platforms, say experts.

Fighting Cyber Terrorism
Computer Crime Resource Center, June 17, 2008
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has approved a US$13 million grant to lay the foundation of IMPACT, a not-for-profit global organisation, to rally efforts from governments, the private sector, and academia worldwide, against the growing threat of cyber terrorism. IMPACT, or International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Terrorism, is the first global public-private initiative against cyber terrorism. It drives collaboration among governments, industry leaders and cyber security experts to enhance the global community’s capacity to prevent and respond to cyber threats.

Why Global Hackers Are Nearly Impossible to Catch
Live Science, June 19, 2008
They're in our computers, reading our files. The Chinese government, that is, according to two U.S. Congressmen who recently accused Beijing of sending hackers to ferret out secret documents stored on Congressional computers. The Chinese deny any involvement, but if they were lying, would we be able to prove it?  The answer, according to computer and security experts, is probably not.

Staff Ignore Data Security, Surveys say
IT Pro, June 19, 2008
Both corporate and IT staff are paying little regard to their data security responsibilities, according to two separate surveys. 

France Prepares to Fight Future Cyber Wars
Xinhua, June 19, 2008
By expanding the range of weapons arsenal in terms of computer warfare, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who this week announced major military reforms involving an in-depth change in strategic priorities, is gradually preparing France for the fights of future, according to observers.

June 16, 2008

Canadian Government Victim of Cyberattacks
Technaute, June 9, 2008
The Canadian government was the victim of massive cyber attacks in June and July 2007.  In all, some twenty ministries have been hit, show documents by the press through the Access to Information Act.

Cyber-crooks sting South Africa for £13m
Vnunet.com, June 11, 2008
A cyber-crime syndicate is believed to have defrauded the South African government of more than £12.8m in a series of spyware frauds.

Beef-Related Cyber Attacks Target Public Agencies
The Chosun Ilbo, June 10, 2008
The websites of major public agencies, including a TV station, a political party and a police agency and corporations have been attacked, apparently by opponents of U.S. beef imports.  A computer security expert said the cyber attacks “are primary-level 'script kiddings.' They are so easy that even high school students can download hacking tools and attempt such attacks."

Cyber-crooks hit one in five Europeans
Vnunet.com, June 9, 2008
Over one in five European computer users have fallen victim to cyber-crime, according to new research.  Italians fared worst with 32 per cent of users affected, closely followed by the UK with 31 per cent.

Security hole exposes critical utilities to Internet attack
San Jose Mercury News, June 11, 2008
Attackers could gain control of water treatment plants, natural gas pipelines and other critical utilities because of a vulnerability in the software that runs some of those facilities, security researchers reported today.

Social networking spam on the rise
Vnunet.com, June 10, 2008
Four out five social network users have received unwanted 'friend' invitations, messages or postings over the past year, new research suggests.  Messaging security firm Cloudmark said that this rise in 'spam' threatens growth and membership retention at the popular networking sites.

Lawmaker Says Chinese Hacked Capitol Computers
Top Tech News, June 12, 2008
A congressman said Wednesday the FBI has found that four of his government computers have been hacked by sources working out of China. Separately, U.S. authorities are investigating whether Chinese officials secretly copied the contents of a government laptop computer during a visit to China by Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez and used the information to try to hack into Commerce Department computers.