hackers

iTunes customers reportedly under threat from digital thieves

A number of iTunes users are reportedly receiving refunds after having their iTunes Store accounts cleaned out by thieves, with the underlying issue of how it happened remaining unresolved.

The firsthand stories are a little disturbing to say the least. Users posting on Apple's Support Community have been reporting that their iTunes accounts and information have been hacked, resulting in gift card and other purchases and changes to their personal information.

According to a report from The Global Mail, Apple's iTunes accounts have been susceptible to hacker attacks for some time. Users have been complaining for more than … Read more

Apple supplier Foxconn hit by hackers

Apple supplier Foxconn now has another crisis on its hands.

A group of hackers known as Swagg Security is taking credit for a breach of Foxconn network security, resulting in the theft of usernames, passwords, and other private information.

In a series of Twitter posts yesterday, the group boasted that it publicly released the information on the Pirate Bay Web site as well as on Pastebin. The attack grabbed the credentials of every Foxconn employee, according to 9to5Mac, including Terry Gou, CEO of parent Hon Hai Industries.

Beyond damaging Foxconn internally, the stolen information could also create trouble for some … Read more

Keeping up with the hackers (chart)

Editors' note: This story was originally published June 17, 2011.

The number of hacking events of late is making our heads spin at CNET. There were scores of computer attacks, network intrusions and data breaches in 2011 and the trend shows no signs of abating in 2012.

In previous coverage, we've noted that it seems to be open hacking season, written about some of the hackers and groups who are behind the attacks,and speculated on their motives, so we thought we'd provide a chronological chart listing the attacks so we could all keep up on them. We … Read more

Hackers release source code for Symantec's PCAnywhere

A group of hackers has released the source code for Symantec's PCAnywhere product.

The public release of the code yesterday came as no surprise as the hackers had been threatening such an action in a series of e-mail negotiations with what they thought were representatives of Symantec. The group, known as Yamatough but operating under the umbrella of Anonymous, had been demanding a $50,000 payoff from Symantec to keep the source code private.

Yamatough was actually negotiating with law enforcement officials posing as Symantec representatives in an attempt to draw out the group. But a "spokesperson" … Read more

Anonymous targets Oakland city officials

Oakland city officials, meet Anonymous.

In response to what it claims is a series of community-busting moves by the California city's leaders and police, such as Occupy Oakland-related arrests and crackdowns, budget cutting and school, park, and library closings unaccompanied by City Hall salary cuts, the hacktivist group today released a document containing personal data on a number of officials.

"Anonymous has been watching," the group wrote on Facebook. "Since the inception of Occupy Oakland, we have been actively monitoring your behavior and exposing the identities and sensitive information of Officers of the Oakland Police Department; … Read more

Relive computing's green-screen glory days in The Hacker for iOS

If you're old enough to remember green-screen monitors, bulletin-board systems, and the 1983 movie classic "War Games," you need to check out The Hacker for iOS.

It's a game, yes, but also a kind of love letter to fans of DOS, text adventures, ASCII games, and old-school hacking.… Read more

Hackers wanted $50,000 to keep Symantec source code private

As part of a sting operation, Symantec told a hacker group that it would pay $50,000 to keep the source code for some of its flagship security products off the Internet, the company confirmed to CNET this evening.

An e-mail exchange revealing the extortion attempt posted to Pastebin (see below) today shows a purported Symantec employee named Sam Thomas negotiating payment with an individual named "Yamatough" to prevent the release of PCAnywhere and Norton Antivirus code. Yamatough is the Twitter identity of an individual or group that had previously threatened to release the source code for Norton … Read more

Mystery and mayhem surrounding MegaUpload (roundup)

Charges of Web piracy are at the center of a legal battle embroiling the hosting site MegaUpload and its founder, the colorful Kim DotCom. Hackers get into the fray, too, early on.

Bail denied again for MegaUpload's Kim DotCom The founder of the cyberlocker service will remain in jail at least until his extradition hearing is held on Feb. 22. MegaUpload founder: Police punched and kicked me (Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval) February 3, 2012 3:22 a.m. PT

Nobody wanted MegaUpload busted more than MPAA All the recent talk that the FBI cracked down on … Read more

Hackers stole data from VeriSign in 2010

Attackers repeatedly hacked VeriSign's network and stole information in 2010, the company revealed in a quarterly regulatory filing.

The Internet infrastructure provider did not disclose what information was stolen or other details of the attacks in its 10-Q report filed in October with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that was reported on by Reuters today.

"In 2010, the Company faced several successful attacks against its corporate network in which access was gained to information on a small portion of our computers and servers," the company wrote. "Information stored on the compromised corporate systems was … Read more

Romanian arrested on Pentagon, NASA hacking charges

A 20-year-old Romanian has been arrested on charges of hacking into Pentagon and NASA servers, stealing confidential data, and posting it on his personal blog, according to a statement today from the Romanian prosecutors office.

Razvan Manole Cernaianu, an information technology student who allegedly used the online alias "TinKode," offered a software program for sale on his blog and also showed a video that demonstrated how he compromised the servers, officials said.

Romanian officials said they were working with the FBI and NASA representatives on the case. An FBI spokesman in Washington, D.C., did not immediately have … Read more