Anonymous says ACTA must be killed with fire, hacks U.S. government websites

February 17, 2012 7:39 AM Tom Cheredar
Tom Cheredar

A handful of official U.S. government websites were hacked today in protest of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), a highly controversial international trade agreement largely cooked up by media companies to protect their copyrighted content from being pirated online.

The …

Famous hackers discuss Zuckerberg’s “Hacker Way” comments

February 6, 2012 9:25 AM Jolie O'Dell
Jolie O'Dell

Editor's Pick

In last week’s SEC filing, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg poked a huge hornet’s nest when he referenced “The Hacker Way.”

Some of the pioneers of the hacker ethos and culture have previously defined hacking as having strong connections to tinkering, …

Anonymous intercepts call between FBI and Scotland Yard discussing Anonymous

February 3, 2012 10:08 AM Ben Popper
Ben Popper

It’s the sort of gamesmanship that keeps readers turning the pages in a spy novel. The FBI says that Anonymous, the loose-knit collective of global hackers, intercepted a highly sensitive call between American cybercrime experts and their counterparts at Scotland …

Set hidden traps for cyber criminals with Mykonos Software

January 23, 2012 4:54 PM Meghan Kelly
Meghan Kelly

Mykonos Software sets “tar traps” to catch of cyber criminals trying to hack your Web app. The company announced a $4 million first round of funding today.

“After 20 years of leading technology companies that sell to large enterprises, I …

In further Megaupload retaliation, hacker group Anonymous takes down CBS.com

January 22, 2012 1:14 PM Sean Ludwig
Sean Ludwig

Hacker collective Anonymous continues to strike at sites around the Web in retaliation for the government shuttering Megaupload.com, and today the notorious group briefly took down broadcast network CBS’s homepage.

Anonymous has a long history of attacking government and business …

Anonymous hacks DOJ, record label sites over Megaupload case (updated)

January 19, 2012 2:26 PM Sean Ludwig
Sean Ludwig

Updated 6:24pm with statement from Anonymous.

Hacker collective Anonymous has hacked the Department of Justice and Universal Music‘s websites to protest the government’s decision to shut down the popular Megaupload file-sharing site.

The Department of Justice’s website has been intermittently …

Israeli hackers attack Saudi & UAE stock exchange websites

January 17, 2012 4:52 PM Sarah Mitroff
Sarah Mitroff

The Middle East has always been a troubled place, and now people are taking to the web to launch their attacks. On Tuesday, a group of Israeli hackers took down the Saudi Arabia stock exchange and the United Arab Emirates …

Stratfor site is back online after recovering from Anonymous attack

January 11, 2012 11:11 AM Jolie O'Dell
Jolie O'Dell

Stratfor, an organization that provides international intelligence reports to a large (and often influential) clientele, has finally brought its site back online after last month’s Anonymous-driven takedown.

Anonymous, a hacktivist collective, opened fire on the site for reasons unknown. The …

10 things you need to know about Anonymous’ Stratfor hack

December 28, 2011 10:25 AM Sean Ludwig
Sean Ludwig

On Dec. 24th, hacker collective Anonymous stole credit card info and other sensitive data from U.S. security firm Stratfor, but keeping track of who and what are affected by the scandal can be difficult.

We’ve put together a 10-point FAQ …

Hacker group Anonymous steals sensitive info from Stratfor security firm

December 25, 2011 10:05 PM Sean Ludwig
Sean Ludwig

Hacker collective Anonymous claims to have stolen credit card data and other sensitive details from U.S. security think tank Stratfor, with plans to donate $1 million in stolen cash to charity.

Austin, Tex.-based Stratfor is a research group that posts …

Turn off the faucet: Foreign hackers target a water treatment plant

November 18, 2011 1:31 PM Dean Takahashi
Dean Takahashi

Foreign hackers may have broken into the computers of a water treatment plant in Illinois last week and damaged a water pump,  according to the Washington Post.

The attack appears to be the first malicious cyber assault against a critical …

Hackers spend a lot of their time educating other hackers

October 17, 2011 5:00 AM Dean Takahashi
Dean Takahashi

Hackers spent about 25 percent of their time in forums giving other hackers beginner tips, according to a survey by cyber security firm Imperva.

Hackers devote a lot of time to hacking tutorials, which means there is a strong and …

Not again: Sony’s online game networks get attacked, 93,000 accounts compromised

October 12, 2011 1:03 AM Dean Takahashi
Dean Takahashi

Sony said tonight that hackers have once attacked the company’s online gaming networks, and this time they have broken into 93,000 accounts. The new hack will bring back bad memories from April, when the PlayStation Network and its sister network …

4 surefire ways to protect your IP

September 7, 2011 6:00 AM Rob Marano

Guest Post

(Editor’s note: Rob Marano is president and CEO of InDorse Technologies. He submitted this story to VentureBeat.)

With the rising tide of WikiLeaks-style attacks and increasingly sophisticated hackers, it’s more important than ever to be especially diligent in protecting your …

Exclusive: How Appirio is legitimizing the freelance hacker

September 1, 2011 3:05 PM Matthew Lynley
Matthew Lynley

You know it’s hard out here for a hacker, tryin’ to get money for his rent.

At least, that’s how it’s been up until now. Most freelance developers typically rely on contract jobs. But Appirio, a company that ports applications …

Hackers steal 21,000 passwords from Star Wars game fan site

August 30, 2011 4:20 PM Dean Takahashi
Dean Takahashi

A Star Wars Galaxies fan site got hacked today and thieves stole 21,000 email addresses and 23,000 passwords. And judging from an analysis of the passwords, most of them were weak.

The site SWGalaxies.net is a fan site owned by …

Apple’s surprising new intern: iPhone hacker Comex

August 26, 2011 7:18 AM Devindra Hardawar
Devindra Hardawar

The notorious iPhone jailbreak hacker Comex has been snapped up by Apple as an intern, he announced on his Twitter account last night.

Comex, who was outed by Forbes as Nicholas Allegra, has gained a reputation as someone who can …

Insulin pump hacker says vendor Medtronic is ignoring security risk

August 25, 2011 11:07 AM Dean Takahashi
Dean Takahashi

Jerome Radcliffe scared a lot of people — including himself, since he is a diabetic — when he showed how easy it was to hack an insulin pump from a distance at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas …

Annoyed by braggarts, hackers will vote on best security hacks

August 21, 2011 9:38 PM Dean Takahashi
Dean Takahashi

Skilled hackers are often annoyed by amateurs who use automated attacks to cause mayhem. They refer to the youngsters as “script kiddies,” since they follow scripts and aren’t truly skillful. So a new web site called RankMyHack.com has emerged that …