[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #265: Innovations in cyber crime

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OPLIN 4Cast

OPLIN 4Cast #265: Innovations in cyber crime
January 18th, 2012

<http://www.oplin.org/4cast/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/spyware.jpg>Malicious 
attacks on websites continue to make the news. Whether it's Anonymous 
exposing a whole country's 
<http://www.infoworld.com/d/security/anonymous-publishes-israeli-scada-log-in-details-183975> 
control and data systems or hackers stealing huge amounts of data last 
weekend from Zappos 
<http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/248244/zappos_hacked_what_you_need_to_know.html>, 
the pace of malicious activity on the web has certainly not slowed down. 
While these big-news attacks generally use rather traditional hacking 
methods, the nasty people on the web have also been busy developing new 
attack vectors, and you might want to be aware of them.

    * Developer sneaks fake apps into Android market
      <http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/fake-apps-android-market-1407/>
      (SecurityNewsDaily/Matt Liebowitz) "Behind their innocent facade,
      the cloned apps hid a secret weapon - they compromised customers'
      smartphones by using them to send premium-rate text messages to
      the tune of about $20. 'The texts are notifications that the user
      has been charged around $5, but you end up getting 3-4 of them in
      one shot,' DroidGamers wrote. 'A free download just became a $20
      purchase.'"
    * Hackers spread malware via children's gaming websites
      <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16576542> (BBC News) "'I
      believe that children's computers are more vulnerable to attacks
      because they are usually in worse shape - in other words the
      owners are less likely to have the latest security updates
      installed,' said Mr Vlcek [AVAST Software chief technical
      officer]. 'The child may also be less suspicious that something
      wrong is happening than an adult would be.'"
    * Cyber-criminals target mobile devices with QR codes
      <http://www.securityweek.com/cyber-criminals-target-mobile-devices-qr-codes>
      (SecurityWeek/Brian Prince) "'This is the first time we have seen
      a QR code used in an active spam campaign,' Patrik Runald, senior
      manager of security research at Websense, told /SecurityWeek/.
      'Because QR codes are the ultimate URL obfuscator, with the right
      social lure, QR codes can become increasingly more successful in
      driving users to websites hosting malware targeting the mobile
      device.'"
    * Security flaw in printers could expose businesses to hackers
      <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/29/security-flaw-in-printers_n_1119558.html>
      (Huffington Post/Janean Chun) "Keith Moore, HP's chief
      technologist, also disagrees that the threat of security breaches
      through printer hacking could already be widespread. Moore points
      out that the researchers didn't use passwords on the printers they
      tested and adds that no consumers have reported similar incidents.
      'There has been no data at all that any of this has been
      exploited. So we're looking at the theoretic possibility, in a
      lab, to see if that can ever occur in a real world situation.'"

*/Cyber attack fact:/*

This sobering 11-minute video 
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CS01Hmjv1pQ> of 
a TED talk by Ralph Langner reminds us that cyber attacks may not always 
come from criminals.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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