High Profile Twitter Hacker Arrested in France

The hacker credited with pulling off the most damaging hack against Twitter to date, which resulted in the leak of thousands of confidential corporate documents, was arrested by authorities in France. However, the Frenchman was questioned about an earlier attack involving unauthorized access to several high profile Twitter accounts, including that of Barack Obama.

At the beginning of May last year, someone calling himself "Hacker Croll" took credit for obtaining unauthorized access to a Twitter's administrative backend. In order to sustain his claim, the hacker released screenshots and private information taken from accounts belonging to the likes of Ashton Kutcher, Lily Rose Allen and Barack Obama.

The hacker explained at the time that he used nothing more than social engineering to hijack the e-mail and password of a Twitter employee named Jason Goldman. This gave him access to information from any account on the micro-blogging platform.

"Hacker Croll" repeated the feat a few months later, in July, but on a much larger scale. Starting by hacking into the personal e-mail account of a different Twitter worker, he eventually managed to access the company's Google Apps account, where thousands of internal corporate documents and communications were hosted.

Many of those files were later leaked and published online. Private information collected from them also allowed the hacker to social-engineer his way into the Gmail, AT&T, Amazon, PayPal, iTunes, MobileMe and GoDaddy accounts of multiple Twitter employees, including the company's founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone.

The French police finally caught up with "Hacker Croll" on Wednesday in the city of Clermont-Ferrand, after an investigation that lasted several months and involved a strong collaboration with the FBI. AFP reports that the 25-year-old unemployed hacker was released from police custody after being questioned in regards to the first incident and admitting to his involvement.

"He was a young man spending time on the Internet. He acted as a result of a bet, out of the defiance of the hacker. He is the sort who likes to claim responsibility for what he has done," prosecutor Jean-Yves Coquillat commented for the French news agency. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 24 and could face a sentence of two years in jail.

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Top ten antivirus of 2010

1. Kaspersky version 7.0.0.43 beta – 99.23%
2. Kaspersky version 6.0.2.614 – 99.13%
3. Active Virus Shield by AOL version 6.0.0.308 – 99.13%
4. ZoneAlarm with KAV Antivirus version 7.0.337.000 – 99.13%
5. F-Secure 2007 version 7.01.128 – 98.56%
6. BitDefender Professional version 10 – 97.70%
7. BullGuard version 7.0.0.23 – 96.59%
8. Ashampoo version 1.30 – 95.80%
9. eScan version 8.0.671.1 – 94.43%
10. Nod32 version 2.70.32 – 94.00%

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Threats to Computer Security

 Computer systems are vulnerable to many threats that can inflict various types of damage resulting in significant losses. This damage can range from errors harming database integrity to fires destroying entire computer centers. Losses can stem, for example, from the actions of supposedly trusted employees defrauding a system, from outside hackers, or from careless data entry clerks. Precision in estimating computer security-related losses is not possible because many losses are never discovered, and others are "swept under the carpet" to avoid unfavorable publicity. The effects of various threats varies considerably: some affect the confidentiality or integrity of data while others affect the availability of a system.
1. Errors and Omissions

Errors and omissions are an important threat to data and system integrity. These errors are caused not only by data entry clerks processing hundreds of transactions per day, but also by all types of users who create and edit data. Many programs, especially those designed by users for personal computers, lack quality control measures. However, even the most sophisticated programs cannot detect all types of input errors or omissions. A sound awareness and training program can help an organization reduce the number and severity of errors and omissions.

Users, data entry clerks, system operators, and programmers frequently make errors that contribute directly or indirectly to security problems. In some cases, the error is the threat, such as a data entry error or a programming error that crashes a system. In other cases, the errors create vulnerabilities. Errors can occur during all phases of the systems life cycle.
2. Fraud and Theft

Computer systems can be exploited for both fraud and theft both by "automating" traditional methods of fraud and by using new methods. For example, individuals may use a computer to skim small amounts of money from a large number of financial accounts, assuming that small discrepancies may not be investigated. Financial systems are not the only ones at risk. Systems that control access to any resource are targets (e.g., time and attendance systems, inventory systems, school grading systems, and long-distance telephone systems). Computer fraud and theft can be committed by insiders or outsiders. Insiders (i.e., authorized users of a system) are responsible for the majority of fraud.

Since insiders have both access to and familiarity with the victim computer system (including what resources it controls and its flaws), authorized system users are in a better position to commit crimes. Insiders can be both general users (such as clerks) or technical staff members. An organization's former employees, with their knowledge of an organization's operations, may also pose a threat, particularly if their access is not terminated promptly.
3. Employee Sabotage

Employees are most familiar with their employer's computers and applications, including knowing what actions might cause the most damage, mischief, or sabotage. The downsizing of organizations in both the public and private sectors has created a group of individuals with organizational knowledge, who may retain potential system access (e.g., if system accounts are not deleted in a timely manner). The number of incidents of employee sabotage is believed to be much smaller than the instances of theft, but the cost of such incidents can be quite high.

    Common examples of computer-related employee sabotage include:
  # destroying hardware or facilities,
  # planting logic bombs that destroy
  # programs or data,
  # entering data incorrectly,
  # "crashing" systems,
  # deleting data,
  # holding data hostage, and
  # changing data.

4. Loss of Physical and Infrastructure Support

The loss of supporting infrastructure includes power failures (outages, spikes, and brownouts), loss of communications, water outages and leaks, sewer problems, lack of transportation services, fire, flood, civil unrest, and strikes.
5. Malicious Hackers

The term malicious hackers, sometimes called crackers, refers to those who break into computers without authorization. They can include both outsiders and insiders. Much of the rise of hacker activity is often attributed to increases in connectivity in both government and industry. One 1992 study of a particular Internet site (i.e., one computer system) found that hackers attempted to break in at least once every other day. The hacker threat should be considered in terms of past and potential future damage. Although current losses due to hacker attacks are significantly smaller than losses due to insider theft and sabotage, the hacker problem is widespread and serious.
6. Industrial Espionage

Industrial espionage is the act of gathering proprietary data from private companies or the government for the purpose of aiding another company(ies). Industrial espionage can be perpetrated either by companies seeking to improve their competitive advantage or by governments seeking to aid their domestic industries. Foreign industrial espionage carried out by a government is often referred to as economic espionage. Since information is processed and stored on computer systems, computer security can help protect against such threats; it can do little, however, to reduce the threat of authorized employees selling that information.
7. Malicious Code

Malicious code refers to viruses, worms, Trojan horses, logic bombs, and other "uninvited" software. Sometimes mistakenly associated only with personal computers, malicious code can attack other platforms. Actual costs attributed to the presence of malicious code have resulted primarily from system outages and staff time involved in repairing the systems. Nonetheless, these costs can be significant.

    Malicious Software: A Few Key Terms

    Virus: A code segment that replicates by attaching copies of itself to existing executables. The new copy of the virus is executed when a user executes the new host program. The virus may include an additional "payload" that triggers when specific conditions are met. For example, some viruses display a text string on a particular date. There are many types of viruses, including variants, overwriting, resident, stealth, and polymorphic.

    Trojan Horse: A program that performs a desired task, but that also includes unexpected (and undesirable) functions. Consider as an example an editing program for a multiuser system. This program could be modified to randomly delete one of the users' files each time they perform a useful function (editing), but the deletions are unexpected and definitely undesired!

    Worm: A self-replicating program that is self-contained and does not require a host program. The program creates a copy of itself and causes it to execute; no user intervention is required. Worms commonly use network services to propagate to other host systems.

8. Threats to Personal Privacy

The accumulation of vast amounts of electronic information about individuals by governments, credit bureaus, and private companies, combined with the ability of computers to monitor, process, and aggregate large amounts of information about individuals have created a threat to individual privacy. The possibility that all of this information and technology may be able to be linked together has arisen as a specter of the modern information age.

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Man Infects Himself With Computer Virus

A scientist with a computer chip implanted in his wrist has deliberately infected himself with a computer virus. Security vendor Sophos calls it "Scaremongering".

A British scientist has infected himself with a computer virus. Take a second and let those words sink in. Ten years ago, people still carried pagers, now a man has a computer chip inside of him, and it is infected with a virus to boot. The future is nigh.

Dr. Mark Gasson is a cybernetics researcher at the University of Reading in England, and in some ways he is a real life six million dollar man. Of course, six million dollars won’t get you quite as far as it got Steve Austin, a single chip will have to suffice. Gasson has a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip implanted in his wrist that allows him to do certain things, such as open keycard locked doors, and operate his cell phone. The technology for this type of device has been around for a few years now, but Gasson wanted to test the security behind the RFID chips, so he infected his with a benign computer virus according to PC World.

Gasson and his group of researchers created the virus, then embedded it in Gasson’s chip. When Gasson entered the lab and the RFID chip signaled a security door to open, the system that accepted the information to make the door unlock, also accepted the virus. From there, the virus began to replicate, and any other person that swiped their card, or used their RFID chip to interact with the infected computer, then became a carrier for the virus.

The virus Gasson created was harmless, but his point was to show that cybernetic computers are not immune, and viruses can be transmitted wirelessly into the computer. In simple and practical terms, this means any hacker that could infect an RFID chip could write a virus that would give them access to the highly secure lab.

Hacking an RFID chip itself is nothing new, nor is it particularly dangerous except in terms of security, but many bionic chips are designed to help people physically.  Pacemakers, cochlear implants for the hearing-impaired and neurological implants for example, could potentially face electronic viruses that become life threatening, according to Gasson.

Gasson’s experiment was designed to point out the potential security holes in cybernetic chips now, rather than later when they are more widespread.  But not everyone agrees with his assessments.

“Any virus code on the RFID chip would be utterly incapable of running unless a serious security hole existed in the external device reading it,” said Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant for Sophos. “RFID chips normally just have data read from them, rather than ‘executed’, so the chances of a virus infection spreading in this fashion is extremely remote.”

While the RFID chips can accept information that may contain a virus, and that virus could potentially be transmitted between two RFID chips in close proximity, the virus would need an operating system connected to an RFID reader.

“The main progress that appears to have been made from such research is not a contribution to computer security, but a full-proof method of ensuring that university staff don’t forget their office door pass in the morning,” Cluley said. “Predictions of pacemakers and cochlear implants being hit by virus infections is the very worst kind of scaremongering.”

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TOP COMPUTER SECURITY........ANTIVIRUS

     As technology has evolved, computers have become an integral part of everyday living. Computer users can stay connected to friends and family through email and social networking sites, get an online education, or even work from home. With these endless possibilities, however, comes an endless source of viruses, and it's more important than ever to ensure a computer is well protected. There are many anti-virus programs available on the market, but a few stand out above the rest.
    1  BitDefender Antivirus
   With prices starting at $24.95 for the 2010 edition, BitDefender is an affordable program that offers ease of use and a lot of flexibility. It works great for beginners who want to choose some settings and leave it alone.
     2 Kaspersky Anti-Virus
   At $59.99, Kaspersky Anti-Virus is one of the more expensive virus protection programs, but it makes up for this by offering a complete security protection against a variety of computer problems, from viruses, Trojans, bots, to even spyware. It also comes in a small business edition that makes it ideal for an office setup.

      3.Webroot Antivirus with Spy Sweeper

   Webroot Antivirus with Spy Sweeper combines a powerful anti-virus system with a top-notch spyware detection program in one convenient package. It offers some great extra features, like gamer mode, which ensures the program does not interrupt other computer activities.
      5.Norton AntiVirus
   One of the longest standing anti-virus companies, Norton continues to offer high caliber virus protection software each year. While previous versions had a reputation for using up a lot of computer resources, these concerns have been addressed in the 2010 edition, making the $39.99 price tag well within reason.
     6. ESET Nod32 Antivirus
    ESET Nod32 Antivirus is a great fit for computer users who want a simple virus protection program that will install quickly and function largely on its own without being noticed, which it succeeds at due to its low memory requirements and small updates.
     7. AVG Anti-Virus
   Offering its typical quality assortments of virus protection technology, AVG does a quality job in making sure a computer stays safe. A downside is that there is a very limited help section should any problems with the software arise.
      8.F-Secure Anti-Virus
   With an overall detection rate of 98 percent, F-Secure Anti-Virus is a formidable competitor in the virus protection industry. It works very quickly, offers real-time protection, and is Windows 7 compatible.
      9.G DATA AntiVirus
   Boasting the best detection rate of all 2010 anti-virus programs (99.8 percent), G DATA AntiVirus offers impenetrable protection for any computer. On the downside, it is slower than many other programs, and is not a complete security suite, meaning it may miss certain types of malware.

      10.Avira AntiVir

  Although short on extra features, Avira AntiVir is a quality protection program priced at just $26.95 (2010 pricing), and it offers a high level of detection, consistently catching and neutralizing threats. Installation is a little lengthy, taking nearly 10 minutes to complete.
     11. Trend Micro
  The biggest problem with Trend Micro is the installation process, which takes 14 minutes and requires a restart. Aside from that, the program is very effective and protects a computer from not only viruses, but many forms of spyware as well. A drawback is that Trend Micro has not yet incorporated advanced heuristics or a security network.

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Top 5 Windows Mobile Antivirus

The ever increasing business need for PDAs and SmartPhones has led to a large spread of virus, spyware and malware special designed for Windows Mobile platform. This Top 5 Windows Mobile Antivirus presents some of the most recommended anit-virus products for the Windows Mobile platform.

Today's smartphone viruses have shown that it is possible to create malicious code that makes the phone unusable. A virus can also cause false billing or unwanted disclosure of stored information. Protection against harmful content is required on every smartphone.

What features should you look for when considering an Mobile Anti-Virus?
  
Most of the features to look for in selecting a mobile antivirus solution are the same ones you're familiar with in choosing one for your PC:

    * Support for your device. You have to check that any software supports the operating system and device you want to protect. For instance, most antivirus vendors are updating their products to cover Windows Mobile 5.0 and 6.0 —but, be sure to verify before you buy.
    * Easy-to-use. If it isn't easy, let's be honest, you're not going to do it. Not only must the installation be easy and foolproof; but the interface I use day-to-day needs to be clear and useful.
    * Automatic, over-the-air (OTA) updates. Antivirus vendors constantly update their products to recognize new threats, and over-the-air is the best way to deliver those updates. If you have to wait until you synchronize to receive updates, you could be going outside wearing yesterday's virus protection.
    * Real-time virus scanning. This may slow your device a little, but this is the best form of protection. Antivirus software should examine all attachments for viruses.
    * Intrusion detection. When you set up a Windows Mobile 5.0 device, you'll find that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are "OFF" by default. If you have an earlier version of Windows Mobile operating system, check the Help files on your device or contact your device provider for instructions on how to turn off these services. In either case, read about how to activate them safely. Then, it isn't as crucial to have intrusion detection.
    * Support for you. When I have a security-related question, I want a fast answer. My company is intentionally small, and we don't have an in-house support staff. So, the type of support that a vendor offers is often a deciding factor on whether I'll buy or not. Besides an easy-to-use Web knowledge base, I want rapid-response e-mail, live chat, and phone support.

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Playing Online Games Without Being a Target for Hackers

 Because online gaming creates anonymity, hackers can do their work without being caught. They carefully design hacking soft wares that they
sell among themselves to allow others to use the codes they create. The cheat codes they build are hidden from game developers carefully, so they will not be able to block them. This does not mean, however, that there are not tools available to stop online hacking programs!
Are You a Target?
One of the best ways to prevent hacking is knowing whether or not you are a target for a hacker.

    * Are you doing well in your game?
    * Is your character winning, or does he have a power or ability that is highly desirable?
    * Have you built something in your online environment that is impressive?

If you answer yes to any or all of these questions you are most likely a target!

In addition to these factors, pay attention to what is going on inside your gaming community. Have other players been the victim of hackers? If so, what methods were used? By staying aware of what is going on in the online "world" in which you are participating, you will be exercising the same kind of vigilance against criminals that you use in the "real world."
Anti-hacking Tools
So what can you do to prevent hacking programs from destroying your gaming environment? There are many companies offering anti-hacking measures for online game worlds. To keep your game secure, you download these programs onto your computer. The problem with anti-hacking programs is that hackers are quite smart, and they find ways around these programs. That is why you need to look for programs that offer an automatic update feature. This ensures that whenever a patch is available, your computer receives it, and your game is as secure as possible.

Many games come with anti cheat programs pre-installed. The problem with this is that hackers are experts on getting through these programs. Just because you start playing a game that assures you it is secure, make sure your computer is secure as well. If your computer has a back door or your network is unsecured and you start doing well in a game, you can expect to become the target for a hacker!

Free online games are often the biggest problem for those wishing to fight hackers. If you play games online, be aware that hackers can disrupt the world you build, no matter what you do. But there are methods for prevention of hacking, and you can build a more secure environment with the right anti-hacking software. Be prepared to deal with online hacking of games, and you will have a better presence in your online gaming environment.

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Preventing Online Game Hacking the Right Way

Preventing Online Game Hacking the Right WayHackers have been around since the early development of computers, although they have gone by different names at different times. Today, online hacking of games is one of the biggest areas of unauthorized computer mischief. The popularty of free online games and the number of people who choose to play games online is part of the reason for this growing problem. How are people hacking games online, and what methods for prevention of hacking are out there?
Online Gaming Experience Online gaming is growing in popularity every year because the experience allows for multi-player interaction in simulated worlds. There are even kids online games designed to allow children to play against competitors of their own age. Many of these games are role playing games, where the player takes on the identity of their game character. This provides a level of anonymity that is hard to duplicate in other environments.
Hacking of Online Games So why are so many people going online hacking games? How does online game hacking work? What is the appeal of game hacking on the Internet?
Appeal of Online Game Hacking An online hacker can come into the environment you have built and steal the identity you have created. If you are doing well on your game, they will steal your success. They may even sell the characters you have built to other gamers. This kind of activity involve more than the thrill of the game.
Online gaming tournaments can be sufficiently lucrative to allow some gamers to turn professional. The characters they have created and the resources they have amassed in a given "reality" can represent tremendous profit potential and are a key aspect of their reputation as recognized players.  Sadly, some people choose to cheat at online games because they actually enjoy ruining the experience for someone else. Other hackers enjoy the thrill of "breaking the code" on a computer game as a technological challenge. Hacking passwords from online games can be profitable if the hackers sell the access information. While we may never fully understand what leads some people to acts of computer vandalism, hacker societies exist around the world and routinely work as a group to develop better strategies for gaining access to data and systems that are not their own.

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Be Prepared for Cell Phone Hacks

    What Can A Hacker Do? ....

Rob Your Money
      Other options might use a particular buying feature called SMS. This refers to the fact that money can be taken from your account and transferred into another
      - and a good hacker can sit in one place and access a lot of phones and transfer a lot of money rather quickly - probably in less time than you think!
          Give The System A Virus
      By using another cell phone hack code, a hacker could kidnap your phone, send it a camouflaged program or send it a virus. But it does not end there, since, from that point, he can use your phone to retransmit the virus to many other phones almost instantly - potentially disabling the system.
          Spy On You
           A hacker can also gain access and take over for cell phone spying and remote mobile phone hacking. Literally, once secured, the hacker can have the phone call him, and then be able to listen to all conversations going on around the owner of the phone.
      Access Your Voice Mails
      Voice mails can also be retrieved by a hacker through a hacking cell phone. After stealing your number, this can easily be done - if your password is disabled. The main thing that needs to be understood here, is that the electronics that give you the modern convenience of interacting with the Internet (getting your voice mails, emails, Web surfing, etc.) , is also the same technology that allows you to receive the same ills as can befall someone on the Internet.
What Can You Do?
It seems that the major cell phone companies, at least at this point, really are not interested in bringing the system up to be able to cope with this threat. Meetings are starting to take place, but for now it is not perceived to be real serious. This could be because it is primarily the older phones that are most susceptible to some types of this mobile hacking.

Until the cell phone manufacturers are able to cope with, or eliminate, the glitches in the system that allows them to overcome these problems, you will largely have to help yourself to cope with these things. Here are a couple of tips that will help you protect your cell phone, its information, and other things.
      Use Your Passwords
      The cell phone companies tell us that many people have turned off their passwords when they access their voice mail messages, or other things. This little feature, though it may seem to be an annoyance to some, could protect your phone from unauthorized purposes.
      Leave The Phone Off
      This one is obviously the harder choice, here, simply because most of us who have cell phones like to be reached anytime and anywhere. Others do need to be reachable at all times.
          Upgrade Your Phone
      While this cannot guarantee that your phone is not hackable, it certainly will help. It should be remembered that the phone companies work hard to deliver the best technology and conveniences - but the cell phone hacks work just as hard to be the first to break the systems designed to defeat them. It is an ongoing battle.

      Cellular phone hacking, for now, is a fact of life that affects a few of us. Gladly, the numbers are still small, but many feel this problem is just getting started. By being aware of the problems, you can wisely take steps to prevent them from happening to you. Cellphone hacking does not need to catch you unprepared.

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Cell phones - Hackers Next Target!

It was bound to happen - they have hacked just about everything else. Now it's the cell phones. Cellphone hacking has just recently surfaced and been made public ever since some one did some cellular phone hacking on Paris Hilton's cell phone.
This article will give you some information about what is going on out there and what you can do------
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             What Does It Involve
The fact of someone hacking cell phone became public knowledge when Paris Hilton's cell phone, along with her information was recently hacked. Unfortunately for her, all her celebrity friends and their phone numbers were also placed on the Internet - resulting in a barrage of calls to each of them.

Cell phone hackers have apparently found a glitch in the way the chips are manufactured. The good news, though, is that it only applies to the first generation models of cell phones that use the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM). Another requirement is that the hacker must have physical access to the cell phone for at least three minutes - which is a real good reason not to let it out of your sight. Currently, although the problem has been remedied (at least for now) in the second and third generation phones, it seems that about 70% of existing cell phones fall within the first generation category.

Another way that mobile phone hacking can take place is for a hacker to walk around an area with people that have cell phones and a laptop that has cellphone hacker programs on it. Through an antenna, and a little patience, his computer can literally pick up your cell phone data - if it is turned on. This is more applicable to cell phones that use Bluetooth technology.
What Can A Hacker Do?
Surprisingly, there are quite a number of things that can be accomplished by the hacker. Depending on their intent here are a few of them.

    >>>>      Steal Your Number
     
Your phone number can be accessed and obtained by cellphone hacking. This allows them to make calls and have it charged to your account.
   
>>>>      Take Your Information
   
  Mobile hacking allows a hacker to contact your cell phone, without your knowledge, and to download your addresses and other information you might have on your phone. Many hackers are not content to only get your information. Some will even change all your phone numbers! Be sure to keep a backup of your information somewhere. This particular technique is called Bluesnarfing.
 

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