cybercrime – News Stories About cybercrime - Page 5

Credit Card Hacker
Gets 20 Years in Prison

Mar 26, 2010 5:00 AM CDT

Credit Card Hacker Gets 20 Years in Prison

Albert Gonzalez stole 90 million credit, debit numbers

(Newser) - Albert Gonzalez, the man who stole more than 90 million credit and debit card numbers from American retail giant TJX, was sentenced to 20 years in prison yesterday. It is the longest-ever sentence for a computer crime in America. Prosecutors hope the sentence will serve as a deterrent. “What...

Password-Stealing Malware
Targets Facebook

Mar 18, 2010 3:44 AM CDT

Password-Stealing Malware Targets Facebook

Phony email tells users passwords have been reset

(Newser) - An email that appears to be from Facebook telling users that their passwords have been reset is a dangerous scam. The email contains an attachment that will trigger password-stealing malware if clicked on, Reuters reports. The email has likely been sent to tens of millions of Facebook users and recipients...

Massive Cyberattack Hits 75K Computers

Feb 18, 2010 5:42 AM CST

Massive Cyberattack Hits 75K Computers

Sophisticated attack targeted health, tech firms in 196 countries

(Newser) - One of the largest cyberattacks ever discovered has hit more than 75,000 computers worldwide, targeting email, credit card information, corporate data and logins at health and tech companies in 196 countries. The attack, originating from a crime ring based in Eastern Europe, shows that criminal groups are becoming as...

Cyber Crooks Hiring Online

Feb 4, 2010 1:46 AM CST

Cyber Crooks Hiring Online

Sites openly advertise for help spreading malware

(Newser) - Exciting work-from-home opportunities are being offered to tech geeks happy to break the law serving the scum of the Internet. Cyber crooks seeking to steal bank and credit card details are openly advertising for people to help spread malicious code by linking it to something people will click on, according...

Smartphone Scammers
Recycle Dial-Up Tricks

bogus phone calls

Jan 15, 2010 5:00 AM CST

Smartphone Scammers Recycle Dial-Up Tricks

Trojan diallers call premium lines, racking up huge charges

(Newser) - Criminals have revived an old trick dating from the days of dial-up Internet access to target smartphone users. Trojans known as "diallers" that hijack a line to dial dozens of premium-rate numbers or send premium SMS messages are on the rise again, according to security experts. The diallers—generally...

Facebook Hands Out
Free Security Software

mcafee for the masses

Jan 13, 2010 8:45 AM CST

Facebook Hands Out Free Security Software

Site partners with McAfee to battle rampant cyber attacks

(Newser) - Battered by a recent wave of cyberattacks, Facebook is offering its 350 million users a free six-month trial of McAfee's Internet Security Suite. Hoping to protect users from viruses and other threats, it also announced yesterday that it's partnered with McAfee to develop an online tool to scan and clean...

Obama Picks
New Head of
Cybersecurity

Dec 22, 2009 8:17 AM CST

Obama Picks New Head of Cybersecurity

Howard Schmidt is a veteran of eBay, Microsoft, FBI

(Newser) - Howard Schmidt, a former security official for eBay and Microsoft, will be named White House cybersecurity chief, the Wall Street Journal reports. Schmidt, who is president of a nonprofit computer security group and has worked in the past for the White House, FBI, and Air Force, was picked for his...

FBI Probes Massive
Hacker Theft at Citi

Dec 22, 2009 2:30 AM CST

FBI Probes Massive Hacker Theft at Citi

Bank denies being victim of Russian cyberattack

(Newser) - The FBI is investigating a cyberattack on Citigroup that cost the bank tens of millions of dollars, according to government officials. The theft—which Citi denies ever happened—was aimed at Citigroup's Citibank subsidiary and was carried out by hackers linked to a Russian gang, officials tell the Wall Street ...

Spam King Ordered to
Pay Facebook $711M

Oct 30, 2009 4:53 AM CDT

Spam King Ordered to Pay Facebook $711M

Sanford Wallace may face jail time

(Newser) - "Spam king" Sanford Wallace has been slapped with a $711 million judgment for spamming Facebook users. A California judge found that Wallace, who used phishing techniques to access Facebook accounts, violated a law against sending "false and misleading" marketing emails. The judge permanently banned Wallace from accessing Facebook...

Security Expert: Time
for Internet Passports

ideas

Oct 16, 2009 3:08 PM CDT

Security Expert: Time for Internet Passports

(Newser) - The Internet has a big problem, argues one of the big names in online security—anonymity. With that weapon, cybercriminals will always have the advantage. And the best solution is to introduce "Internet passports," Russia's Eugene Kaspersky tells ZDNet in an interview. All countries would have to play...

Security Site Tots Up What You're Worth
to Hackers

Sep 11, 2009 9:02 AM CDT

Security Site Tots Up What You're Worth to Hackers

Symantec aims to raise cybercrime awareness

(Newser) - A rising number of cybercriminals make their living selling other people's online identities to thieves. Now a new security tool helps you calculate what yours is worth on the black market—and your risk of losing it, IT World reports. The Norton Online Risk Calculator aims to raise awareness of...

Hacker Sends Confidential Twitter Files to Blogs

Jul 15, 2009 5:53 PM CDT

Hacker Sends Confidential Twitter Files to Blogs

Cyber-scoundrel also hacks Twitter CEO's Gmail, Paypal accounts

(Newser) - A hacker who gained access to a Twitter administrative account two months ago has been sending confidential files to bloggers, InformationWeek reports. Most of the documents sent to blogs such as TechCrunch have been only mildly embarrassing internal correspondence, but some contain security passwords. The hacker, who goes by “...

Legendary Hacker: It Was
'a Huge Game'

interview

Jun 22, 2009 12:00 PM CDT

Legendary Hacker: It Was 'a Huge Game'

Mitnick reflects on the road from 'computer terrorist' to consultant

(Newser) - Tagged a “computer terrorist,” Kevin Mitnick served jail time after eluding the FBI for 3 years; today, he’s a security consultant. The best-known hacker ever tells CNET his infiltration of firms like Motorola and Sun “was like a huge game”: “thrilling, adventurous,” and “...

Music Gang Busted
in iTunes Royalties Scam

Jun 11, 2009 2:08 AM CDT

Music Gang Busted in iTunes Royalties Scam

Group boostsrankings, bank accounts by buying their own music with stolen cards

(Newser) - A group of ten British DJs have been arrested for allegedly using stolen credit cards to download their own music from iTunes and Amazon, the Times of London reports. The gang is believed to have made $300,000 in royalties from the $750,000 they spent buying 19 compilations they...

US, UK Plan Cyber Strike
on Foreign Hackers

Jun 4, 2009 5:07 AM CDT

US, UK Plan Cyber Strike on Foreign Hackers

(Newser) - US and UK law enforcement authorities are planning a preemptive strike on hackers to protect national security, reports the Guardian. The secret plans are triggered by skyrocketing computer crimes launched from China, Russia and North Korea believed to be state sponsored. The "strikeback" attacks will target hackers' computers, disrupt...

Hackers Bidding 5 Figures for Old Phone Raises Eyebrows

ANALYSIS

Apr 21, 2009 3:05 PM CDT

Hackers Bidding 5 Figures for Old Phone Raises Eyebrows

(Newser) - Phonemaker Nokia is flummoxed as to why hackers are offering more than $32,000 in underground forums for old handsets, NetworkWorld reports—though bank fraud is a distinct possibility. “We have not identified any phone software problem that would allow” misuse, the company said. But a 2003 model manufactured...

McCartney's Web Site Hacked

Apr 10, 2009 2:49 AM CDT

McCartney's Web Site Hacked

Malware allowed hacker access to fans' computer data

(Newser) - Paul McCartney's official web site was infected with malware that allowed hackers to access computer data of fans who logged on, reports the Telegraph. An internet security surveillance firm spotted the LuckySpoilt invasion early this week and purged the site. It's unclear how many users may have been affected. Hits...

In Japan, Sun Sets
on Yakuza Mob Scene

Feb 28, 2009 5:24 AM CST

In Japan, Sun Sets on Yakuza Mob Scene

Japan's criminal gangs are losing their semi-legitimate status

(Newser) - The role of the yakuza in Japanese society has always been hard for Westerners to understand. Since the 1950s the mafia-like organization has been tolerated by government and the public, trusted to run gambling and prostitution rackets with a modicum of respect for social order. But as a tough economy...

Visa, Mastercard Warn
of New Data Breach

Feb 24, 2009 5:36 AM CST

Visa, Mastercard Warn of New Data Breach

Alerts issued after malware infects another payment processor

(Newser) - Mastercard and Visa have alerted financial institutions about another serious data breach at a payment processor, Wired reports. The breach, like the massive fraud unveiled at Heartland Payment Systems last month, is believed to have occurred through malicious software. The credit card issuers are refusing to name the processor involved...

Microsoft Offers $250K
to Catch Worm Creators

Feb 12, 2009 6:40 PM CST

Microsoft Offers $250K to Catch Worm Creators

(Newser) - Microsoft has offered a $250,000 bounty for the creators of the dreaded Conficker worm, which has infected 10 million computers worldwide, PC Magazine reports. The software giant is working with security firms and domain name administrator ICANN to find the culprits, whose virus exploits a vulnerability in Windows. Microsoft...