hacker

Pricey protection

Kaspersky Anti-Virus does a better-than-average job of keeping your PC safe, but it lacks the robust feature set of its more-expensive sibling. Several new features have made it into this version along with expected upgrades to the anti-virus engine, but one of the best--the Safe Run program sandbox--is sorely missed.

New features in the 2010 edition include a behavioral-based detection system called the Urgent Detection Sytsem. The UDS uses the anonymous data Kaspersky customers who choose to participate in submitting their system scans for analysis. In fact, the UDS must be opted-out of--there's a check box and data collection … Read more

BOL 1043: Nobody wants gummi gas

A caller wonders what happens to the Chevy Volt if you have the gas in there too long. Does the gas go bad? Well, it could get gummy. And nobody wants gummy gas. or gummi gas either. Not tasty. We also take the SEC conference to task for trying to ban Twitter and photos during their football games. Seriously? Also China got a Dell phone. But will they want it?

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1043

For SEC, tech-savvy fans might be biggest threats to media exclusivity http://www.tampabay.com/news/article1027680.ece… Read more

Hacking the Defcon badges

Most badges from conferences and trade shows end up in the trash. Not so the badges from the Defcon security show, which are stylized, mysterious, and highly customized electronics equipment designed to be hacked.

Instead, they end up as collector's items. Bidding on eBay for a Defcon 17 badge from last weekend had reached $81 on Tuesday with three days to go, while a 2007 badge was at $33.99.

The Defcon badges and badge hacking contest, both highly anticipated at the conference each summer, not only give the hackers a mental challenge to figure out what the devices … Read more

At Black Hat and Defcon, hackers talk shop

This week's gatherings in Las Vegas are for those who know how to hack--and for those who want to stop them.

Hacking the Defcon badges Defcon badges, designed to be hacked, get turned into a polygraph, blue box dialer, sound sensitive blimp navigator and a device for defeating facial recognition systems. Photos: Defcon badge inspires hacks (Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills) August 5, 2009 4:00 AM PDT

Hanging with hackers can make you paranoid Compromised ATMs, virus-infected USB drives, badges with built-in microphones and security experts getting hacked--no wonder it's scary going to Black … Read more

Denial-of-service attack downed Gawker Media

Hackers launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attack that sporadically downed popular blog network Gawker Media over the weekend and on Monday, the company confirmed in a blog post early Tuesday morning.

When CNET News spoke to Gawker Media representatives on Monday, they were not yet sure what was causing the outages but had not ruled out malicious behavior.

The attacks appear to have been launched at Consumerist, a blog that Gawker sold to Consumer Reports last year but which is still hosted on the same servers. The motivation behind them is not yet clear.

The New York-based Gawker Media has … Read more

Defcon: What to leave at home and other do's and don'ts

Attending Defcon and Black Hat can make you feel a bit like a deer in a forest full of hunters.

With virus-infected USB drives, Wi-Fi network sniffing, badges with built-in microphones and even security experts getting hacked, it seems like it's only a matter of time until your number comes up if you're not careful.

I asked some security experts for suggestions on what they do to protect themselves at the events and here is what they said.

Do's: Have minimal software on your laptop, such as only the operating system and necessary applications.

Make a backup … Read more

Hanging with hackers can make you paranoid

At a hacker conference no one is safe.

When I first went to Defcon in 1995, the halls were mobbed with teenagers and attendees seemed more concerned with freeing Kevin Mitnick and seeing strippers than hacking each others' computers.

Jump forward to Defcon 17 this year, which was held over the weekend in Las Vegas, things certainly have changed. The attendees are older and wiser and employed, most of the feds aren't in stealth mode, and even the most savvy of hackers is justifiably paranoid.

"Welcome to the hacker world," said Defcon founder Jeff Moss.

The evolving … Read more

NASA hacker loses bid to avoid extradition

Gary McKinnon has lost his high court bid in the U.K. to avoid extradition to the U.S. for hacking into military systems.

McKinnon had tried to argue that former home secretary, Jacqui Smith, was legally wrong to push for the extradition despite his diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome and that the director of public prosecutions was also wrong to opt for extradition despite having sufficient evidence to prosecute McKinnon in the U.K.

However, Lord Justice Stanley Burnton and Justice Alan Wilkie dismissed both claims on Friday. McKinnon now has 28 days to launch an appeal at the … Read more

Security experts' sites hacked on eve of Black Hat conference

LAS VEGAS--Web sites of a handful of security experts and groups were hacked and passwords, e-mails, IM chats and other information was posted on the Internet on Tuesday, the eve of the Black Hat security conference.

Targeted were Dan Kaminsky, known for his discovery of a high-profile flaw in the domain name system last year; Kevin Mitnick, one of the first hackers to be prosecuted for computer crimes; and the PerlMunks programmer community, among others.

A long treatise was posted to Kaminsky's Web site with the data and criticisms accusing the victims of hyping security threats to advance their … Read more

From iPhones to smart grids at Black Hat, Defcon

My favorite security show each year is one at which there are no sales pitches, the speakers favor black T-shirts and dyed hair over suits and ties, and the talks tend to be controversial enough to prompt legal threats and even arrests.

I'm talking about Defcon, which starts Thursday and runs through Sunday. The event turns part of the Las Vegas strip into a geek equivalent of "Animal House" for a three-day weekend every summer.

Started in 1993 by Jeff Moss, aka Dark Tangent, Defcon brings together some of the top security experts from around the world, … Read more