Security News

Short Takes 12 Nov 2007 05:05 GMT
Brief news items about IT developments.

Source: Computerworld

Salesforce.com Warns Users After Taking Phisher's Bait 12 Nov 2007 05:05 GMT
Some of Salesforce.com's users are being hit with e-mails containing fake invoices and malware after an employee at the software vendor fell for a phishing scam and divulged an internal system password.

Source: Computerworld

University sues Google over search patent 11 Nov 2007 14:00 GMT
A Boston-area university and startup are claiming that Google infringes on a 1997 patent for a distributed database system that speeds up retrieval of results by breaking the queries into fragments. They've filed their lawsuit in a Texas venue known to be friendly to patent litigation. (Why'd they wait until 2007? Yes, there's a reason.)

Source: Computerworld

MySpace problems began days before Alicia Keys hack 11 Nov 2007 14:00 GMT
The hack that disrupted singer Alicia Keys' MySpace page has been underway for nearly two weeks, according to a smaller bands whose pages have been even harder-hit by the problem (and, they say, by the company's response). And security experts say there's no end in sight.

Source: Computerworld

DRM-free music boosts online album sales 11 Nov 2007 14:00 GMT
It may be counterintuitive to some in the music industry, but sales figures released by one music-download store indicate that DRM-free tracks in MP3 format are driving sales -- and at four times the rates of other, more restrictive formats.

Source: Computerworld

'Botmaster' admits infecting 250,000 computers 10 Nov 2007 19:09 GMT
An Internet security consultant installed malicious code on clients' and others' machines, and may now face up to 60 years in prison. LOS ANGELES--A Los Angeles man on Friday admitted infecting 250,000 computers and stealing the identities of thousands of people by wiretapping their communications and accessing their...
Source: ZDNet

Update: Russian hacker gang vanishes day after moving to China 10 Nov 2007 14:00 GMT
They seek them here, they seek them there, but after just one day of operations in China, the notorious Russian Business Network has gone missing again. Security researchers suspect the spam-and-malware purveyor may be morphing into another, stealthier form.

Source: Computerworld

Infamous Russian malware gang vanishes 09 Nov 2007 19:53 GMT
Trend Micro claims the Russian Business Network suddenly dropped off the Internet, but the group may have resurfaced in Asia. A Russian gang allegedly hosting malicious software abruptly disappeared this week, according to Trend Micro. The Russian Business Network, which allegedly was heavily involved in hosting packing...
Source: ZDNet

Microsoft stands by its invite to arrested hacker 09 Nov 2007 14:00 GMT
Roberto Preatoni's arrest on charges related to an Italian spying scandal doesn't mean the WabiSabiLabi founder was a bad choice to speak at Microsoft's recent Blue Hat security conference -- quite the opposite, in fact, according to George Stathakopoulos.

Source: Computerworld

Companies fail to block music threat 09 Nov 2007 14:00 GMT
Survey shows that two-thirds of IT managers polled said they do not block employees from taking music off the Web, even though they named it as the biggest threat.