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Cybercrime

The security industry that cried wolf

Lysa Myers, director of research, West Coast Labs November 04, 2011

The security industry, and the media that covers it, would be better served focusing on the tried-and-true motives for cybercrime, not conspiracy theories.

Corporate bank fraud losses expected to total $210M

Angela Moscaritolo September 26, 2011

Businesses in North America are expected to lose $210 million this year to corporate bank account takeovers, according to a new report from financial research and consulting firm Aite Group. The report, "Banks and Business in the Crosshairs: Cybercrime and Its Impact," estimates that losses from these seizures, by which hackers gain control of online bank accounts to make unauthorized transfers, will grow to $371 million by 2015. Moreover, the number of new, unique strains of malware released each year is expected to increase - from 25 million by the close of 2011 to 87 million by the end of 2015.

Breaking the next case

Deb Radcliff September 01, 2011

Today's flurry of cybercrimes rely on an array of motivations, techniques and technologies, making the job of an investigator to track down the offender that much more difficult.

Rebels with a cause?

David Harley, ESET senior research fellow • August 02, 2011

Activists, hacktivists, cyberwar and cybercrime: What are the differentiators?

Just slip out the hack, Jack

David Harley, ESET senior research fellow July 27, 2011

Despite a new report warning of a sharp increase in automated web application attacks, this doesn't necessarily signal a rise in cybercrime.

Anonymous hacks Booz Allen Hamilton to leak info on 90K

Angela Moscaritolo July 11, 2011

The Anonymous hacking collective on Monday released tens of thousands of military credentials, in addition to details on alleged questionable business practices at consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton.

IMF latest victim of "major" cyberattack, breach

Angela Moscaritolo June 13, 2011

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has suffered a major cyberattack, the latest incident in a string of cyberattacks against high-profile organizations.

Greek police arrest man accused of hacking U.S. sites

Angela Moscaritolo June 09, 2011

Police in Greece have arrested an 18-year old man suspected of hacking into computer systems belonging to the Pentagon, National Security Agency, FBI and Interpol, according to reports. The unnamed hacker, who used the alias "nsplitter," faces charges of hacking, fraud and illegal weapons possession. In addition to infiltrating government sites, the man also is reportedly accused of participating in credit card fraud. Greek police arrested the teen in his home in Athens on Monday. U.S. and French authorities aided in the investigation.

Judge rules bank not at fault for corporate account fraud

Angela Moscaritolo June 08, 2011

In a potentially precedent-setting court ruling, a U.S. magistrate judge has ruled that a bank is not responsible for covering the loss of nearly $300,000 that was illegally wired out of the bank account belonging to a Maine construction company.

BlackHole exploit kit now available for free

Angela Moscaritolo May 24, 2011

A free copy of the BlackHole exploit kit is available on several file-sharing sites, lowering the cost of entry for budding cybercriminals, experts warned this week.

Audit doubts FBI's ability to combat cyberthreats

Angela Moscaritolo April 28, 2011

The FBI must bolster its information sharing and cybersecurity expertise to effectively investigate and combat the most serious cyber intrusions, according to a new audit.

What if it wasn't about the phish?

Randy Abrams, director of technical education, ESET April 25, 2011

Phishing is not the only possible motivation for breaching Epsilon.

DoJ, FBI disable massive Coreflood botnet

Angela Moscaritolo April 13, 2011

Federal authorities have taken over the control hub of the prolific Coreflood botnet and filed a civil complaint against 13 unnamed defendants.

Attack toolkits to pose bigger problem for businesses

Brittaney Kiefer April 05, 2011

Attack toolkits have been refined to the point where they are producing high success rates for their criminal users.

Scaled down, armored up: Small and midsized business protection

Angela Moscaritolo April 01, 2011

For many small and midsize businesses, neglecting IT security is a thing of the past, reports Angela Moscaritolo.

Corporate data is new target of cybercrime

Brittaney Kiefer March 28, 2011

Cybercriminals have shifted their efforts from targeting individuals' personal information to the intellectual capital of global corporations, according to a report released Monday.

Rise in federal cyberattacks partly due to better monitoring

Angela Moscaritolo March 28, 2011

The number of cyber incidents affecting U.S. federal agencies shot up 39 percent in 2010, according to a new report from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), but experts said the increase is partly a reflection of improved discovery capabilities within government.

Who are the cybercriminals?

Randy Abrams, director of technical education, Cyber Threat Analysis Center, ESET North America March 22, 2011

There re many types of cybercriminals beyond the ones who garner the most headlines.

Exxon, Shell, BP targeted in operation "Night Dragon"

Angela Moscaritolo February 25, 2011

Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell and BP were among the oil companies targeted by hackers believed to be from China to steal proprietary information about oil and gas field bids and operations, according to Bloomberg News. McAfee earlier this month disclosed details about the intrusions, dubbed "Night Dragon." The security firm, however, did not list any of the victim companies. According to Bloomberg, citing unnamed individuals familiar with the investigations, the list of targeted companies also includes Marathon Oil, ConocoPhillips and Baker Hughes. — AM

Zeus vs. online authentication, Part 2: Five hard questions

Charles Jeter, ESET cybercrime investigator February 14, 2011

Typically fraud is considered unacceptable in other industries yet 80 percent of banks failed to catch fraud prior to wire transfer, according to a recent study. Two experts answer five hard questions.

Chinese hackers break into oil companies' networks

Angela Moscaritolo February 10, 2011

Sophisticated hackers, believed to be from China, have broken into the networks of several global oil, energy and petrochemical companies.

Cybercrime: Narrowing the gap

Deb Radcliff February 01, 2011

The $1 trillion cybercrime industry is expertly - and competitively - run. Take a peek into the inner workings of these syndicates and how the good guys are closing in.

ZeuS vs. online authentication, Part 1

January 24, 2011

Experi-Metal v Comerica Bank: Banking Trojan Litigation Analyzed. Is today's authentication sufficient to protect against the latest ZeuS banking trojan attacks?

Report: Toolkits now used in the majority of cyberattacks

Angela Moscaritolo January 19, 2011

Cybercrime attack toolkits are now used in the majority of internet attacks, according to a report released Tuesday by Symantec.

Cyberattacks increase 29 percent in 2010

James Hale January 11, 2011

The number of breaches affecting Canadian organizations grew last year, but the cost associated with these incidents decreased by more than $654,000 - or almost 80 percent - during the same period.

Users should be wary of holiday malware, phishing

Angela Moscaritolo December 21, 2010

As the holiday season continues, users should be on high alert for scams such as malware-laden electronic greeting cards and screensavers, US-CERT has warned. In addition, phishing attacks may be disguised as requests for charitable donations, credit card applications and online shopping advertisements. US-CERT recommends that users avoid opening unexpected email attachments or following untrusted links. When donating to charities, individuals should verify the organization's authenticity with the Better Business Bureau. — AM

WikiLeaks attacks fail to meet definition of cyberwar

Angela Moscaritolo December 14, 2010

Though some have labeled the website attacks surrounding the WikiLeaks controversy to be the first-ever global cyberwar, security experts say the truth is much less sensational.

Future crimes: Are WikiLeaks, piracy and malware related?

Charles Jeter, ESET cybercrime investigator December 14, 2010

Could a cargo ship's thwarted piracy reveal more than bullet holes and bloodstains? A theoretical view of why compromised shipping cargo information could make pirates and hijackers rich.

Social networks: Criminal enterprise, Pt. 2

Charles Jeter, ESET cybercrime investigator December 01, 2010

Some low level criminal networks have profiles in everyday social networks. Would researching these profiles during cyber intrusion research risk tipping off the bad guys?