The information security community must stop giving away the roadmap to its defense, said Art Gilliland, HP, at the RSA conference in San Francisco, February 28 2013.
Phase 3 of the Op Ababil DDoS attacks on US banks commences
al-Qassam Cyber Fighters announced the resumption on Tuesday. By Wednesday, customers of PNC Bank, Wells Fargo, Citibank, Bank of America and a number of other major banks were reporting difficulties to the sitedown.co website.
Raspberry Pi got DDoS’d
Starting late on Tuesday the Raspberry Pi Foundation was taken down by a massive SYN flood attack. The Foundation is behind the credit card-sized Raspberry Pi computer, originally designed to promote the teaching of computer basics in schools.
New botnet found in Latin America
A new botnet, AlbaBotnet, has been discovered in Latin America. It appears to be still in development and has not yet been used in anger. Currently it is designed to target two specific banks in Chile.
Oracle patches two Java zero-day exploits
Oracle has released an out-of-cycle emergency patch for Java to address two zero-day vulnerabilities, including a recently reported issue that allows hackers to download the McRAT remote access trojan. This is the fifth Java update so far in 2013.
Samsung Android devices vulnerable to lockscreen bypass
Hard on the heels of Apple iPhone lock screen bypass woes, it turns out that Samsung devices running Android version 4.1.2 have a similar bug, which allows someone to get around the screen lock.
Trolling – academics look at an online sub-culture that verges on bullying
A new study by Nottingham Trent University suggests that nearly 60% of online gamers have at some stage indulged in activity described by the university as ‘intentionally provoking or antagonizing users in an online environment’ – that is, trolling.
Essential Security Steps For iPhone Fanatics
This is a guest post by Claudia.
For being an iPhone owner, chances are quite bright that you may be obsessed with the same. You will also never be bored from the same, given a range of cool apps that are available on iPhone.
However, attractive as they seem, iPhone are a big threat too and the chances of these getting stolen are very high. However, taking some security measures will ensure that the iPhone is safe and secure.
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Have an Auto Lock and a Password: One of the basic security measure that can be taken is to have an auto lock for the iPhone. Though this may not prevent the phone from being stolen, having an auto lock and a password will ensure that all the important data within the iPhone will never fall in wrong hands. In an incident that took place in 2012, an iPhone belonging to a top political leader in India was stolen while he was travelling by a train. However, as per the information given by the leader in media, no vital data was lost as the iPhone had auto lock mode on. Having this basic security measure ensures that your iPhone will never fall in wrong hands, as the data will be secure all the while.Real Life Example: Recently the media in India was abuzz with speculations that iPhone belonging to a senior political leader was stolen when he was away on a tour of his home constituency in Rai Barelly in the state of Uttar Pradesh. However, much loss was prevented as the iPhone had auto lock feature that prevented data loss.
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Using Wi- Fi Wisely: Wi-Fi is the most important feature on an iPhone and most iPhone users relish having this feature on the phone. However, unmindful to your knowledge, the Wi-Fi facility on your iPhone can be a security concern too.
If you are using Wi-Fi facility on your iPhone, ensure that your home network is encrypted so that the iPhone cannot be used without your knowledge. Though, this feature might not be limited to iPhone only but using the iPhone on non encrypted network can have security concerns and you should avoid the same.Real Life Example: Wi- Fi facility needs to be used wisely, else the same can lead to data theft too. Top ranking IT companies as Wipro and IBM have caught some mischievous employees who were in the habit of proliferating data on a regular basis causing numerous losses to the establishment. -
Have an Insurance Package for your iPhone: One of the biggest security concerns for your iPhone is the risk of it being stolen. Though you might be able to protect the data in your iPhone by enabling the auto lock feature, the physical loss of the iPhone can cost a lot. The best and viable method of getting your iPhone protected is to get an insurance for the same.A range of iPhone insurance services are available. Use your instinct and choose a compatible insurance plan for the iPhone that covers iPhone loss due to theft, fire or data damage.Real Life Example: Having an insurance package for the iPhone can help recover losses, in case the phone is stolen. Leading insurance companies as Bajaj and HDFC have some plans that have been specially prepared for iPhone users who wish to have insurance for their prized possession.
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Data Wiping: You can ensure an additional protection layer for the iPhone by having data wiping facility for the iPhone. This feature is especially useful if someone accesses the passcode of your iPhone. All the data gets wiped off automatically ensuring that no vital information stored in the iPhone lands in wrong hands.However, this has risks associated too. Small children in your home might access the iPhone and lay seize to vital data in the iPhone. This will lead to wiping of the data in the iPhone and you might end up in unnecessary trouble.Real Life Example: Data wiping is a critical issue that needs to be addressed. A range of software are available online that will help you recover the data in case it is wiped unintentionally. This facility is of special use to intelligence agencies who usually need to crack codes and recover data that might help them solve a case.
Technology comes with its flaws too and safety of your iPhone is one such concern. Pay attention to the above listed facts and your iPhone will be safe.
About the author:
Claudia is a writer/blogger. She loves writing, travelling and reading books. She contributes to Dr. Keith Ostrosky.
Claudia is a writer/blogger. She loves writing, travelling and reading books. She contributes to Dr. Keith Ostrosky.
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