We've been hearing about this for a while already, but Sophos is warning that scammers, particularly of the 419 variety are using LinkedIn to send their messages.

The trick is that using LinkedIn allows scammers to bypass corporate spam filters.

May 22, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new botnet which specialises in sending out phishing spam has prompted security experts to call for enterprises to review their security protection.

The Asprox botnet uses a SQL-injection attack tool to hack websites and add yet more hijacked PCs to its army.

May 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Security experts have confirmed a suspected vulnerability in the Debian and Ubuntu Linux operating systems.

Application vulnerability specialist Fortify Software confirmed the findings of a research posting to the Debian security list last week, which details a critical security vulnerability in the OpenSSL packages within Debian and Ubuntu.

Fredrick Lee, a researcher with Fortify, said that the posting actually understates the potential seriousness of the flaw, which affects the Open Secure Sockets Layer.

"We're calling this vulnerability `insecure randomness' since it allows an attacker to predict the SSL cryptographic keys used for supposedly secure online transactions," he said.

May 20, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's been plenty of high profile cases recently where cyberbullying has been identified as the cause of injury and even death. Bullying on the internet and mobile phones is an increasingly common problem among today's youth, according to new research.

A recent study by the US National Crime Prevention Council and research firm Harris Interactive found that more than 43 per cent of US citizens aged 13-17 have experienced cyber-bullying in the past year.

Just last week, a US woman was indicted on federal charges of fraudulently using a MySpace account to pose as a teenaged boy. Prosecutors allege that her actions ultimately caused a 13 year-old girl to commit suicide.

May 19, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

With blurry faces apparently.

European Union regulators have warned Google that its controversial Street View application could contravene EU privacy laws. The service generated controversy when it was found that the photos often displayed individuals on the street and inside buildings.

Street View is protected from litigation under US laws, although Google allows homeowners to request that photos of their dwellings be taken down from the service.

May 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new global botnet menace dubbed Kraken is taking over from the once huge Storm malware network.

The new botnet has usurped Storm as the largest on the web, and there are suggestion that even Storm's operators are moving on to the new piece of malware for their operations.

The Storm botnet has shrunk to a twentieth of its previous size, according to security firm MessageLabs.

May 5, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Gamers desperate to get their hands on Grand Theft Auto IV are being targeted by spam offering free entry to a 'competition' to win a PlayStation 3 and a copy of the much lauded game.

However, the illicit emails actually contain spyware and Trojans designed to steal personal financial information and attack victims' computers.

May 1, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)