National Cyber Security By Gregory Evans

They may be used to having the prying eyes of the paparazzi on them at all times.  Now, Hollywood will have to be on alert for hackers as well. Indian students are getting a crash course in hacking and how to avoid it.  Future engineers of MSU’s Faculty of Technology and Engineering will host a festival this month teaching all about the world of hacking and how and why to avoid it. If you are poor, it is much harder to afford the Internet.  A recent report has the numbers to back up that claim.  According to a report done by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, more than one-third of all Americans are not connected to the Internet. Also, tune in for the job of the day!

Some good news coming from China.  It may have gotten a lot harder for hackers to get away with their crimes.  The country announced new, tougher penalties people convicted of computer hacking. Australian authorities are working hard to stop identity theft and other scams.  It looks like they may have taken a big step in that direction.  Property owners can now put a caveat over their property in an effort to stop scammers.   A group of university employees have found a new way to keep you on your computer for a longer time.  It’s called PwrSmart.  It’s by New Boundaries Technology and it’s an energy conserving program. Also, tune in for the job of the day.  

Could the hacking group Anonymous group be at it again?  It is a definite possibility.  The website englishdefenseleague.org went offline today in what is a possible take down by a hacker. It has been a crazy two weeks for many BART commuters.  The hacking group Anonymous even got in on the action, claiming to hack the BART system in protest of a shooting death by a BART police of transient.  The police are hoping to put a stop to the madness as they began to make arrests. Facebook is working to make sure your time on their site is as enjoyable as possible.  To ensure that it is, they are paying out some pretty big chunks of cash.  The social networking site has shelled out $40,000 to people that have reported security bugs in its service.  That comes just one month after launching its Bug Bounty program. Also, make sure you check us out for the job of the day!

If you think that cyber crime doesn’t pay, think again.  Unfortunately it paid off big time for a group of cyber criminals.  The gang apparently withdrew $13 million dollars in one day from ATMs in six countries.  That made it one of the largest and most complex banking heists ever. Two rivals are teaming up hoping that it will keep children safe from online predators.  The U.S. and China will work together to take down a network of sites that exploit children.  It’s considered a rare cyber crime bust operation between the two countries. No place is safe when it comes to cyber crime, not even cyber cafes.  So, Indian police are going to keep a close eye on cyber cafes in an effort to keep you safe online. Also, make sure you tune in for the job of the day!

The British are doing everything possible to keep children safe online, including considering banning adult content.  British officials say getting that type of entertainment out of the cyber world could go a long way in protecing their children and worth it in the end.     One man may consider himself a hacker, but he's doin it to make life better for disabled sister.  Glenn is an electrical engineer.  And he used those skills to create what he's calling the Frankenkindle for his sister, who has cerebral palsy.   It's the news that shook the cyber community to its core. Apple CEO, Steve Jobs announced that he will step down from his role.  The position will now go to the current COO Tim Cook.  Jobs will shift over tothe chairman of the board.  The announcement comes after a long period of leave due to health reasons.    

If you’re tired of getting a bunch of spam mail, Google has some good news for you.  The company recently announced it plans to hire search quality associates to fight spam.  The employees will be based in the Dublin, Ireland office. Attacks on Androids are way up according to cyber security company McAfee.  Android malware is reportedly up 76 percent over the last three months.  That spike has made it the most assaulted mobile operating system on earth during that period. Something as simple as taking a walk could power up your cellphone.  Sounds strange right? However, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are hoping to make that statement a reality.  The researchers describe a new energy-harvesting technology that promises to dramatically reduce our dependence on batteries and instead capture the energy of human motion to power portable electronics.

Australia is stepping up to the plate to fight cyber crime.  It has a three- year plan to stop cyber crime.  The Australian government made the announcement of the new legislation on Tuesday. One airline is ditching paper and is turning to cyber technology.  United Continental plans to replace flight manuals and aeronautical navigational charts with electronic versions on Apple iPads. The airline has ordered 11,000 iPads that it plans to put in the hands of all United and Continental pilots. Some of the engineers at Ohio State University are getting pretty creative to make sure soldiers always stay connected.  The group developed a new antenna designed to be sown into clothing.  It would give the soldiers a connection range of four times larger than a conventional body worn antenna which is used right now.  

China may have gotten caught with its hand it the cyber cookie jar.  There have been plenty of rumors swirling around over the years claiming that China is responsible for various cyber attacks.  There’s not been enough proof to support those claims until now.  China has always refuted those accusations but an accidental leak reveals that they are engaging in cyber warfare and routing it through US IP addresses. Nigeria is also jumping into the ring to knockout cybercriminals.  Microsoft Nigeria, along with others, has launched a campaign against cyber crime in that country. If you are an AT&T customer, you will soon have fewer choices for your text messaging plan.  The company announced Tuesday that it will cut out its 1,000 text messages for $10 a month.  Instead, it will continue to offer unlimited text messages plans for a flat fee or a pay-per-text service.

The FBI says the U.S. is a target for cybercrime and they believe the attacks are coming from Russia.  There have been several distributed denial of service attacks against American websites costing more than $600,000.  Hackers don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.  This time the target was Omaha’s Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority or MECA.  Police say computer hackers broke into their payroll systems and got away with more than $200,000.  The problems apparently started when an employee opened an email attachment infected with a virus that steals passwords. Divorce can always get a bit nasty but one wife faces some serious time behind bars for allegedly stealing her husband’s Social Security number.  According to law officers, Rachel Jones used the number to fraudulently get a credit card.  

Google says IP spoofing is on the rise.  It reviewed more than 160 million web pages on more than 8 million sites in order to see how malware is distributed.  It found that while social engineering tricks play a major role, cyber criminals are turning more to IP spoofing as a way to avoid detection. UK police believe rioters used social media to increase the riots there.  Now the government will meet to discuss the role social media played in making matters worse.  Facebook, Twitter and Research in Motion, which makes BlackBerry will all meet with the British government to talk about their use and role in the worst riots in Britain in decades.  So far more than 1,200 people have been arrested. Wordpress seems to be making it a lot easier for just about anyone to have their own website.  According to the owner of Wordpress, the site now accounts for about 14.7 percent of the top million sites on the web.  That’s up about six percent from last year.   He also says that 22 percent of all new domains in the U.S. run on the platform. 

Targeting the BART system once this week apparently wasn’t enough for Anonymous.  The hacking group says members focused on the transit system again, this time hacking into the Police Officers Association website.  The group claims to have the private information of more than 100 BART police officers. This next story proves that you can hack just about anyone, anywhere, even at McDonalds.  37-year old Jason Cornish of Smyrna, Georgia allegedly attacked his former employer, Shionogi, for revenge.  Cornish was an information technology employee at the Japanese drug maker but resigned because of company layoffs that affected his former supervisor and close friend. A British college student faces some very serious charges after he allegedly hacked into Facebook.  It took several tries before he was able to penetrate the social networking site.   According to reports, 25- year old Glenn Steven Mangham used “considerable technical expertise” to repeatedly bypass security. Also, tune in for the job of the day.

Cyber crime is an international problem and the Thai government is joining the fight against cyber criminals.  It plans to expand its information security capabilities in an effort to stop global cybercrime.  Catching up with friends on Facebook is becoming an easy way for cyber criminals to target you and your information.  A new survey from Webroot says that users should take more steps to protect your privacy. The news isn’t good for Dell.  Yesterday it predicted weak sales growth after the closing bell.  The second largest personal computer maker’s stock fell 10 percent after that announcement.The computer company blamed the wary consumer and slower computer technology spending. Also tune in for the job of the day!

Heading to the Internet is a great way to get a great deal on just about anything.  However, it can also be a way for scammers to take advantage of you.  The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center says scammers are catching shoppers in their web of deception with fraudulent vehicle sales and false vehicle protection claims.  Most people use Facebook just to catch up with old friends.  But one man decided to use the social media site as a way to steal thousands of dollars.  A judge sentenced Iain Wood to 15 months in jail for stealing $57,000 from various people on Facebook.  Wood allegedly spent up to 18 hours a day online scrutinizing profiles.  Apple Incorporated is in yet another battle.  This time HTC Corporation filed a trade complaint at the U.S. International Trade Commission seeking to block imports of Apple’s iPhone, iPad and Mac computers.  HTC is Asia’s second largest maker of smartphones and filed the complaint in Washington today.

The hacking group Anonymous apparently hoped to stop the BART Transit System in its tracks.  According to a statement and Twitter messages, the group claimed responsibility for the Sunday online attack of the San Francisco transit system.  The system apparently went down from noon to six pm yesterday.  Members of Anonymous say the attack was for the system’s decision to cut off cellphone signals at certain subway stations because of planned protests last week.  Law officers are on the lookout for a cyber attack.  The hacking group, Anonymous sent a letter to the Fullerton Police Department letting them know the group planned to avenge the death of a 37-year old homeless man.  Anonymous reportedly said in the letter saying that the group plans to show the police department’s information technology the same mercy that was show to Kelly Thomas. As college students head back to school, they might be surprised to know that they could be easy targets.  According to one identity theft attorney report, college students are at higher risk for identity theft. 

The crackdown continues as British police arrests those accused of using social media sties to start riots.  Police say they arrested and charged three men for allegedly posting notices on social sites to stir up trouble.  A woman who took advantage of a computer glitch will spend nine years behind bars.  A Pittsburgh U.S. District judge handed down the sentence to 46- year old Jamie Harris on Thursday.  She is one of four people charged in the scheme that stole more than a million dollars from the city’s only minority owned bank.  Regulators closed the bank as insolvent two years ago.  A massive data breach has left thousands of social security numbers exposed for anyone to see.  The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee recently posted on its website that back in June, they found malware on one of its servers.  That server had the names of staff and students.  It also had the Social Security Numbers and other files with personal data of about 75, thousand past and present students and staff members.   The university did say that the server did not contain any financial information. Also tune in for the job of the day!