Security: Threat Alert

iPhone Trojan and MBR rootkit kick off 2008

By Jason Meserve
While most of the tech world had its eyes focused on the big Consumer Electionics Show in Las Vegas this week, spammers and malware writers were getting their operations cranked up for 2008 with a new Master Boot Record rootkit and iPhone Trojan. Read full story

Jason Meserve is Network World's Multimedia Editor and writes about streaming media, search engines and IP Multicast. Check out his Multimedia Exchange Weblog.

Check out Jason Meserve and Keith Shaw's weekly podcast "Twisted Pair"

RELATED NEWS:

'Hacker safe' Web site gets hit by hacker
Just because a Web site has a certification claiming that it is virtually hackproof, that doesn't necessarily mean it's immune to all intrusions. Computerworld, 01/07/08.

Do as I Say, Not as I Do
In these "Stormy" times, here at Symantec we regularly warn users to be wary of following links in unsolicited email. Could it be considered a coincidence then that I received the following gem directly to my work email. Symantec Security Response blog, 01/07/08.

Mass hack infects tens of thousands of sites
Tens of thousands of Web sites have been compromised by an automated SQL injection attack, and although some have been cleaned, others continue to serve visitors a malicious script that tries to hijack their PCs using multiple exploits, security experts said this weekend. Computerworld, 01/06/08.

Boeing Dreamliner could be vulnerable to hackers
The electronics of Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner jet could be vulnerable to hackers due to the way critical flight systems are linked with those used by passengers, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has warned. IDG News Service, 01/07/08.

Researcher says Sears downloads spyware
Sears and Kmart customers who sign up for a new marketing program may be giving up more private information than they'd bargained for, a prominent anti-spyware researcher claims. IDG News Service, 01/01/08.

ATO plagued by e-mail scam
It is proving to be the e-mail that wont go away. The Australian Tax Office is again warning people about a fraudulent e-mail that claims to offer recipients a tax refund. Computerworld, 01/07/08.

Firms are still testing with live customer data, study warns
A majority of organizations are creating unnecessary risks by using actual customer data for the development and testing of applications, according to a survey by Compuware and the Ponemon Institute. Computerworld Uk Staff, 01/09/08.

Student antics with cell phones, iPods means heartburn for school IT staff
Students love their iPods, cell phones and social-networking sites, but school IT managers are discovering that student misbehavior with technology is adding to their network security challenges. Network World, 01/08/08.

Report: IRS information security still poor
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service continues to have "pervasive" information security weaknesses that put taxpayer information at risk, and it has made limited progress in fixing dozens of problems the U.S. Government Accountability Office has previously identified, according to a GAO report released Tuesday. IDG News Service, 01/08/08.

Open source security bugs uncovered
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bug-fixing scheme has uncovered an average of one security glitch per 1,000 lines of code in 180 widely used open source software projects. TechWorld, 01/09/08.

Spam your printer from the Web? Researcher shows how
Aaron Weaver has made a discovery the world could probably do without: He's found a way to spam your printer from the Web. IDG News Service, 01/09/08.


IT DEPARTMENT DEAD? Nicholas Carr says utility computing will replace internal IT shops.		WHAT'S HOT AT CES? Take a look at the coolest technology straight from the showroom floor.

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