The Latest Security News and Updates from this Week
With another week wrapping up, let’s quickly leaf through the latest news and updates from the security community.
Pirate Bay Co-Founder Sentenced to Two Years in Prison
Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, 28, co-founder of the popular torrent site “The Pirate Bay”, is to serve two years in jail. He was found guilty of hacking into a Swedish firm that offers income tax services. He was also charged with hacking into a bank (Nordea) and making illegal online transfer of $4,300. Warg also made an unsuccessful attempt of transferring $915,500. More news here.
India’s Cyber Snooping Program to Tap Landline, Mobile, and Internet Users
Now income tax officials and other security agencies can peek into your emails, phone conversations, text messages, and Internet footprint including activities on social sites, and even what you look up on search engines like Google. Furthermore, these agencies would not require any court order to conduct such surveillance, nor depend on Internet and telephone service providers. Detailed news here.
Hack Windows 8.1 and Bag $100,000!
If you are into hacking, then its time you invoked the superhacker inside you; it could just fetch you $100,000! Microsoft has announced bug bounty programs, inviting security researchers to report security vulnerabilities in the recently launched Windows 8.1. And those who can suggest a valid defense strategy against any such vulnerability can earn an extra bonus of $50,000. Read more about this program, and its rules and regulations here.
Beware of A New Facebook Spam – “She went inclusively nuts and lost all control of the razor-sharp axe…”
A new spam is making rounds on Facebook. It is a video that has a preview of a woman clad in a red dress, wielding an axe. The post provides a link for viewing the video. The purpose of this spam is to trick users to hand over their authentication token to the spammer. This token can be then used to hijack the victim’s account. Know more about this spam here.
Pakistan Uses Netsweeper Technology to Filter Internet Content
Netsweeper, a Canadian-based company is reportedly in ties with Pakistan to help the country filter Internet content. According to this report, Pakistan is keen on blocking websites associated with secessionist movements, religious topics, and independent media. This report was published by the Citizen Lab. Know more about it here.
Critical Security Update for BlackBerry Z10 Users
The BlackBerry Z10 smartphone can be hacked, thanks to a critical bug in the phone. Officials have reported that the bug is associated with the phone’s utility called BlackBerry Protect, rather than the phone’s OS. This bug may cause the phone to install a malicious app that can reset the device’s password, and give its control to the hacker. BlackBerry has strongly requested users to update their devices as soon as possible. More news about this here.
