Microsoft will fix a record 49 vulnerabilities in its Patch Tuesday release next week that will involve 16 security bulletins affecting Windows, Internet Explorer, Office, and the .NET framework.

Patch Tuesday ahoy.

This is the highest number of vulnerabilities fixed in one Patch Tuesday release; the previous record was 34 holes fixed in August. Continue Reading

Avast has decided to release a list of what they believe to be the most infected game websites out there. “The increased popularity of gaming brings with it greater security risks due to unsafe player behaviour and more cyber-criminals following the crowds in pursuit of new victims,” says a blog from the security software experts.

Mariogamesplay.com was named as one of the "most infected" game websites out there.

The list of the riskiest sites are as follows: Continue Reading

Security software experts at Sophos have decided to air some concerns over upcoming changes to Facebook’s ‘Groups’ system. While a Sophos representative says that the changes “suggest a step in the right direction” towards protecting personal information online, the new additions may in fact add complexity, rather than improving online safety.

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday that several alterations are being made to the site, in particular with regards to the Groups system. Zuckerberg revealed there would be “tighter control” over Groups and a dashboard amongst the Facebook privacy interface to show what Facebook applications have access to user’s data. Continue Reading

The FBI has announced that it’s cracked a “major international cyber crime network” after more than 90 suspected members of the ring were arrested in the US. According to the BBC the suspects worked for fraudsters based in Eastern Europe who hacked into US computers to steal over €50 million.

Stock-photo-tastic! I’m guessing the ‘money mules’ didn’t dress like this all the time.

The FBI said the suspects acted as go-betweens or ‘money mules’ by providing bank accounts for an elaborate cyber crime scheme. The arrests were part of what the Bureau called “one of the largest cyber criminal cases we have ever investigated”, and most of those arrested in the US were charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering. Meanwhile, more people were detained in Ukraine and the UK.

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A US study has claimed that some of the most popular apps written for Google’s Android mobile OS do not tell users what data they are gathering. According to a report on the BBC this afternoon, half of 30 popular applications studied share location information and unique identifiers with advertisers.

Mobile security analyst Nigel Stanley from Bloor Research said practices such as this could prove a boon for hi-tech thieves. “The blanket permissions a user gives on installing an app can give carte blanche to malware and spyware providers to collect as much private data as they want, under the protective nicety of a simplistic warning from the operating system,” he said.

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It appears Intel wants to wash all the scum off the streets… well sort of. The IT giant has decided to tackle crime by building anti-theft technology into hardware in a bid to make life harder for laptop thieves.

Quite brilliantly, Anand Pashupathy, general manager of Intel‘s anti-theft services business, describes the technology as a “vulcan grip” that suspends the activity of a notebook. Continue Reading

Well, well this is a big one. It’s been rumoured for a bit now, but it’s been officially announced that Intel has bought security software giants McAfee in a $7.8 billion deal to address rising cyber attacks. The chip kings explained the logic behind the move, with CEO Paul Otellini saying:

“In the past, energy-efficient performance and connectivity have defined computing requirements. Looking forward, security will join those as a third pillar of what people demand from all computing experiences.” Continue Reading

Well it was only a matter of time before something like this cropped up. The rather mundane looking USB drive below can be used for the rather non-mundane purpose of downloading nearly all the data that you store on your iPhone. Hence the catchy iPhone Spy Stick moniker it’s been given.

The info it can get at includes text messages, voice memos, photos, GPS tracking info, and web searches – all of which can be copied in a matter of two minutes.

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Oh dear, some clever ne’er do wells have taken advantage of Facebook users out there who like the idea of having a ‘dislike’ button by creating a scam that purports to offer such a feature but in fact allows a rogue application to access their profile page, and then posts spam messages.

'A likely story...'

The nasty app also attempts to lure people into completing an online survey, for which the scammers are paid money. Continue Reading

Toshiba has announced a rather cool data security step, giving its self-encrypting HDDs the ability to automatically wipe sensitive data. The electronics giant is claiming that its self-wiping technology (such an unfortunate turn of phrase) is a world’s first.

Toshiba says the feature can also be used to securely erase user data prior to returning a leased system or decommissioning a system prior to disposal. The technology is simple enough, though how widespread its usage will be is another matter. Continue Reading