Organisations unaware of criminals stealing data right under their noses / 3 October 2008
http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=17432


"In a podcast interview released yesterday on www.infosecurityadvisor.com, Peter Wood Member of the ISACA Conference Committee and founder of First Base Technologies reveals the ease with which criminals are able to steal data and gives 3 critical steps organisations can take to block them. Wood reveals how he and a colleague walked unchallenged into an insurance company and were able to steal all their data as part of a security exercise. And he is not the only one to get away with stealing data; very often companies unwittingly hire people whose sole purpose is to steal data."

Cybercriminals inject malware into PDF & Flash files using latest Web 2.0 tech / Public Technology, 24 Sep 2008
http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=17370
"Finjan, a supplier of secure web gateway products, has announced that its Malicious Code Research Center (MCRC) discovered examples of obfuscated code embedded not only in HTML-webpages on legitimate websites, but also in rich-content files. “Since JavaScript is the most-used scripting language for communication with web browsers, third-party applications such as Flash player, PDF readers and other multimedia applications have added support for JavaScript as part of their application,” said Yuval Ben-Itzhak, CTO of Finjan. “This offers crimeware authors the opportunity to inject malicious code into rich-content files used by Ads and user-generated content on Web 2.0 websites.” "

IBM Confirms Finjan's Report on Crimeware-as-a-Service / Public Technology, 22 September 2008
http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=17352
"Finjan, a provider of secure web gateway solutions for the enterprise market, stated last week that a blog posting from IBM Internet Security Systems, in which the rapid ascendance of hacking-as-a-service is discussed, confirms an earlier report from Finjan on Crimeware-as-a-Service. “It is indicative of the domination of criminal gangs in the malware and security attack business these days,” says Yuval Ben-Itzhak, Chief Technology Officer of Finjan."

Youngsters want more internet protection, says new report / Ofsted, 24 October 2008
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/News/Press-and-media/2008/October/Youngsters-want-more-internet-protection-says-new-report

"Children living away from home, or using social care services, want to feel safer online, be protected from unsuitable sites and have adult supervision, highlights a new report published today by the Children’s Rights Director for England, Dr Roger Morgan. The report, ‘Future care: Children’s advice on future care standards’, follows consultation with 686 children and young people - aged between four and 20 - who attended the 2008 national children’s conference. These youngsters discussed the key issues that they would like to see considered for future inclusion in the National Minimum Standards. “One of these is the need for all children to know about how to stay safe on the internet,” explains Dr Roger Morgan."

Fraudsters' website shut in swoop / BBC, 17 October 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7675191.stm
"DC Kevin Ives talks about a raid on a house in the hunt for a suspect
A website used by criminals to buy and sell credit card details and bank log-ins has been shut down after a police operation, the BBC has learned. International forum Darkmarket ran for three years and led to fraud totalling millions of pounds.

India's Sino cyber concerns
Jane's Intelligence Digest, 23 September 2008
http://jid.janes.com/
"While the media focuses on state-sponsored cyber operations against Georgia, Estonia, the United States and other countries, India - a developing information technology (IT) powerhouse - is also experiencing problems with cyber infiltration of its government websites. While no formal complaints have been made, some Indian analysts are concerned about the threat posed to India's IT infrastructure from neighbouring China, which is not only a technological rival in terms of IT development, but also a potential territorial rival, although all border disputes are currently quiescent."

Fighting back against electronic crime / Home Office, 30 September 2008
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news/fighting-electronic-crime
"A new police unit dedicated to tackling electronic crime and internet fraud will kick off in 2009.
Dubbed the Police Central e-crime Unit (PCeU), the team will provide advanced training for those investigating internet crime. It will also oversee initiatives designed to crack down on on-line offences."

Internet fraud pushes card losses over £300m / The Guardian, October 01 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/oct/01/scamsandfraud.consumeraffairs
"Fraud against UK credit and debit card customers rose by 14% in the first six months of the year driven by a surge in online and overseas crime, figures showed today."

Cyber Analysis and Warning: DHS Faces Challenges in Establishing a Comprehensive National Capability / Government Accountability Office , 31 July 2008
PDF - http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08588.pdf

Cybercrime bust highlights PIN terminal insecurity / The Register, 13 August 2008
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/13/pin_security_analysis/
"Analysis UK police arrests of a gang reckoned to have tampered with Chip and PIN entry devices to harvest PIN numbers and cardholder details have sparked calls to revamp the security of devices."

Virtual worlds under siege from cyber crime / silicon.com, 28 August 2008
http://software.silicon.com/security/0,39024655,39275914,00.htm
"Virtual worlds are playgrounds not just for people who want some online fantasy role-playing but for cyber criminals who are looking for places to launder money and steal data, according to security firm McAfee."

Cyberwar fears grow after Georgia websites attacked
New Scientist, 1 September 2008
http://digbig.com/4xkga
"Attacks that hit Georgian government and news websites after Russian tanks rolled across the border into South Ossettia last month have US officials concerned that bands of independent "cyber militias" will increasingly wield power over international relations."

Criminals hijack terminals to swipe Chip-and-PIN data / The Register, 13 August 2008
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/13/counterfeit_pin_terminal_arrests/
"Sophisticated cybercrooks have developed a technique for tampering with the PIN Entry Devices on Chip-and-PIN readers to steal users' card details and PINs. Police from the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU) recovered stolen PIN pads and hundreds of fake cards in a raid on a counterfeit card factory in Birmingham earlier this week. Two as yet unnamed people arrested during the raid were charged on Tuesday with conspiracy to defraud."

Personal Internet Security: Follow-up: Science and Technology Committee
4th Report of Session 2007–08 / TOS, 8 July 2008
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200708/ldselect/ldsctech/131/131.pdf
HL Paper 131

Has Barclays stamped out fraud with PINsentry? / silicon.com, 18 July 2008
http://www.silicon.com/financialservices/0,3800010322,39261452,00.htm
"Barclays claims to have reduced online fraud to zero among users of its two-factor authentication system, PINsentry."

UK at risk from repeat of US hack attack? / silicon.com, 6 August 2008
http://www.silicon.com/retailandleisure/0,3800011842,39268402,00.htm
"UK shoppers credit card details could be at risk from the same wireless hack technique that snared more than 40 million people's details in the US, according to security experts."

Russian cybercrooks turn on Georgia / The Register, 11 August 2008
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/11/georgia_ddos_attack_reloaded/
"Conflict between Georgia and Russia on the ground has been accompanied by the relaunch of cyber-attacks against Georgian government websites."

Know your online enemy: new data shows structure of Cybercrime organizations/ Public Technology.com, 16 Jul 2008
http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=16617

"Finjan, a supplier of secure web gateway products, has announced the latest findings by its Malicious Code Research Center (MCRC). In its latest trends report for Q2 2008, the MCRC identifies and analyzes the latest Crimeware business operations, and provides a first-of-its-kind insider’s look at the organizational structure of Cybercrime organizations. It all makes the cybercrime more successful and profitable than ever. The report includes real documented discussions conducted by Finjan’s researchers with resellers of stolen data and their “bosses”, confirming Finjan’s analysis of the current state of the cybercrime economy."

Crimeware grifters scamming naive phishers / The Register, 7 August 2008
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/07/scammers_con_naive_phishermen/
"Phishing exploitation kits can be picked up for free on the internet but these packages are regularly backdoored, according to a new study"

US cracks 'largest ever' ID theft ring / computeractive.co.uk, 6 August 2008
http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/news/2223383/feds-crack-crime-cartel
"Eleven people, one a US secret service informant, have been indicted by the US Department of Justice (DoJ), in what is thought to be the largest ever case of online credit and debit card fraud."