hacking

U.S. companies are being targeted by hackers at an alarming rate. And according to a new report, they're tired of doing nothing in retaliation.

Reuters is reporting today, citing sources, that some companies that have fallen victim to hacks are starting to target those that have initiated the battle. The hacked companies, Reuters' sources say, have done everything from slowing hackers down to hiring contractors to hack the attacker's own systems.

Over the last few years, companies and government organizations have become a hot target for hackers. From Sony to defense contractors, hackers have found a multitude … Read more

Apple's new Maps feature is arguably one of the most anticipated to come to iOS 6. However, its 3D integration won't work on an iPhone 4. Until now.

Anton Titkov, an iOS developer in Russia, has found a way to get 3D Maps running on the iPhone 4. Dubbed 3DEnabler, the application requires users to jump through several hoops just to make it happen, including jailbreaking iOS 6 and installing third-party software. In other words, it won't be easy.

Apple has said that 3D in Maps will only work on the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, and new … Read more

Two hacking groups have taken aim at two very distinct targets in a data dump on Pastebin.

First up, the hacking organization known as SpexSec today posted the passports and visa information of more than 200 suspected terrorists. In a posting on Pastebin, the organization said that it hopes the data will help the U.S. "close down on some investigations."

"Like we promised, our primary suspects include the U.S Government for torturous and deceptive acts on our own soil, the Educational system for exuberantly being blown-over and belligerently not patching the holes in their system, … Read more

In an international hacking case, a Dutch man appeared in U.S. federal court today and pled not guilty to stealing at least 44,000 credit card numbers, according to the Associated Press.

Apparently, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

David Benjamin Schrooten, aka "Fortezza," is being targeted by federal prosecutors for allegedly hacking into computers and stealing massive amounts of credit card numbers. Once he obtained the numbers, he allegedly sold them in bulk quantities via different Web sites. The 44,000 is reportedly from just one sale.

Police caught onto Schrooten's alleged heist … Read more

It's time to pony up for prepaid iPhones, avoid password scams and drop that mayor obsession:

The iPhone is coming to Virgin Mobile at the end of June. But you'll have to drop a hefty $650 to get the iPhone 4S, since there's no two-year contract. Plans start at $30 a month. It's cheaper in the long run to go prepaid with this plan instead of spending $200 upfront and paying for a more expensive monthly bill for two years (but you'll be limited with talk minutes). Virgin is on the Sprint network.

If Android … Read more

In today's show we're changing our passwords, talking to strangers and pretending we can fly:

Google Maps are going 3D. Google announced new features it's building into maps, and it gives the perspective of what you might see if you could fly between buildings. Multiple photos are taken by airplanes, and then it's automatically stitched together to look like a 3D model. The demo was of San Francisco, but no word on which other cities will be the first to get this feature. It is expected to cover 300 million people by the end of the … Read more

LinkedIn said today that some passwords on a list of allegedly stolen hashed passwords belong to its members, but did not say how its site was compromised.

"We can confirm that some of the passwords that were compromised correspond to LinkedIn accounts," Vicente Silveira, a director at the professional social-networking site, wrote in a blog post. It is unknown how many passwords have been verified by LinkedIn.

LinkedIn has disabled the passwords on those accounts, it said. Account holders will receive an e-mail from LinkedIn with instructions for resetting their passwords. The e-mails will not include any links. … Read more

Update, 1:23 p.m. PT: Updated with LinkedIn's confirmation.

News of millions of LinkedIn passwords leaked through a user on a Russian forum is scary enough. It's important not to let the situation get worse. Be proactive about protecting your other accounts, particularly if you have the same password for all your accounts.

If that's the case, it's time to change them, Jeremiah Grossman of WhiteHat Security said in an e-mail to CNET.

He offered a few tips, via a blog post on how not to get hacked on the Web.

"You wouldn't … Read more

Update 1:08 p.m. PT: LinkedIn confirms that passwords were "compromised."

LinkedIn users could be facing yet another security problem.

A user in a Russian forum says that he has hacked and uploaded almost 6.5 million LinkedIn passwords, according to The Verge. Though his claim has yet to be confirmed, Twitter users are already reporting that they've found their hashed LinkedIn passwords on the list, security expert Per Thorsheim said.

LinkedIn revealed through its own tweet that it's looking into reports of stolen passwords, and it advised users to stay tuned for more information.… Read more