DHS
TDoS attacks target US emergency call centers
The FBI and DHS are seeing dozens of attacks on ambulance and hospital communication lines as extortionists demand $5,000 for supposedly unpaid payday loans.
"Unless it is absolutely necessary to run Java in web browsers, disable it", DHS-sponsored CERT team says
Can you really justify having Java installed on your main web browser any more? Even if you have installed the latest security patch?
It's time to rip Java out of your browser for better security... unless you have a really good reason not to.
Monday review - the hot 22 stories of the week
Here you go.
All the stories we wrote in the past seven days, in case you missed anything (or just want to read them again).
Apple and Mozilla - 'Just say no to Java'
After the recent discovery of a zero-day vulnerability in Oracle's Java Web Start plugin Apple and Mozilla are now disabling Java by default until fixes are made available.
DHS website falls victim to hacktivist intrusion
Hacktivist group NullCrew recently announced a succesful intrusion against a website in the DHS.GOV domain hierarchy.
It looks as though the site was vulnerable to what's known as a directory traversal vulnerability.
Hackers pwn the sun - Exploit code released for software used to manage solar energy plants
The US Department of Homeland Security has issued an alert that hackers have released proof of concept exploit code for vulnerabilities in a common SCADA software package used to manage solar energy systems.
Black Hat - Smashing the future for fun and profit
A summary from the first panel session of Black Hat 2012 where infosec luminaries Jeff Moss, Adam Shostack, Bruce Schneier and Marcus Ranum tackled the role of government in securing the internet.
Hidden government scanners could soon analyze your every molecule
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are planning on new-style airport security which will be able to beam a laser at us from 164 feet away. Without having to pat us down, without us even knowing it's happening.
Drone hijacked by hackers from Texas college with $1,000 spoofer
University researchers have hacked and hijacked a drone, after officials from the Department of Homeland Security offered them $1,000 to try.
Interest in Cryptocat spikes following developer's interrogation at US border
Interest in a free, encrypted web chat service called Cryptocat has spiked following the detainment and interrogation of its developer at the US border.
Interview with SCADA hacker pr0f about the state of infrastructure security
After writing about the hacking of SCADA systems I was contacted by one of the hackers, pr0f. I interviewed him via email to get his thoughts on how secure our critical infrastructure really is.
US SCADA infrastructure woefully unprotected
An attack that allegedly destroyed a pump at a municipal water processing facility has raised alarms about the security of critical infrastructure in the United States.
DHS and NIST proposal suggests American ISPs should assist in stopping botnets
The US government is following in the footsteps of Germany, Japan and Australia by proposing that ISPs should attempt to detect botnet infected PCs and notify their owners.
"Pentagon" delivers Zbot via "DHS"
We're currently seeing a limited-volume run of spam messages linking to a zip file containing Zbot/Zeus malware. The messages purport to be from the Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon, or the Transportation Security Administration. The subjects of the spam Read more…
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