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South Korean users downloading 'The Interview' face malware threat

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 31, 2014 10:50 PM CST

South Korean Internet users interested in downloading copies of "The Interview" should be worried, as people are having their devices infected while trying to download the movie. Specifically, a Google Android mobile app, available for smartphones and tablets, has been circulating promising access to a pirated copy of the movie - but is instead stealing banking details, according to researchers from McAfee Labs, Center for Advanced Security Research Darmstadt, and Technische Universitate Darmstadt.

"It contains an Android Trojan detected by McAfee products as Android/Badaccents," according to cybersecurity expert Graham Cluley. "Android/Badaccents claims to download a copy of 'The Interview' but instead installs a two-stage banking Trojan onto victims' devices."

The malware targets Korean banks and Citi Bank, with stolen credentials then sent to a Chinese server. The app was reportedly hosted using the Amazon Web Service (AWS), but Amazon has denied the claim. Researchers say the malicious app has been downloaded more than 20,000 times.

Continue reading: South Korean users downloading 'The Interview' face malware threat (full post)

FBI still blames North Korea behind crippling attack of Sony Pictures

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 31, 2014 10:25 PM CST

Even with a growing number of cybersecurity experts thinking an insider attack is more likely in the demise of Sony Pictures earlier this year, the FBI continues to blame North Korea. US government officials said there are no alternate leads in who was behind attacking Sony, despite arriving at the conclusion North Korea was behind the attack.

The FBI issued the following statement: "The FBI has concluded the government of North Korea is responsible for the theft and destruction of data on the network of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Attribution to North Korea is based on intelligence from the FBI, the US intelligence community, DHS, foreign partners and the private sector. There is no credible information to indicate that any other individual is responsible for this cyber incident."

However, cybersecurity experts were amazed how quickly the FBI was able to point fingers towards North Korea, as noted by a Norse cybersecurity official: "When the FBI made the announcement so soon after the initial hack was unveiled, everyone in the [cyber] intelligence community kind of raised their eyebrows at it, because it's really hard to pin this on anyone within days of the attack."

Continue reading: FBI still blames North Korea behind crippling attack of Sony Pictures (full post)

Email security becomes a priority after Sony Pictures breach

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 31, 2014 9:03 PM CST

Companies must learn from the mistakes made by Sony Pictures leading up to a data breach carried out by the Guardians of Peace - and that should translate to increased network security and better training for employees. In addition to the stolen movies and leaked employee personal information, embarrassing emails sent and received among executives at the company caused an additional layer of an expanding public relations nightmare.

"Now you have to operate under the mindset that my email is not confidential," said Frank Mong, GM of enterprise security solutions with Hewlett-Packard, in a recent interview published by the San Jose Mercury News. "We should all live with a little more paranoia when we do these things - ask, 'Is this really legitimate?' Should I really be clicking that?"

While the SPE breach is an ideal learning opportunity, many companies will refuse to make adjustments and could be next in line to suffer an incident. Companies need to create guidelines that force employees to use more complicated passwords, and hire third-party cybersecurity firms to educate employees on identifying phishing and spear-phishing attacks.

Continue reading: Email security becomes a priority after Sony Pictures breach (full post)

H4LT group releases Microsoft Xbox One SDK online

Michael Hatamoto | Gaming | Dec 31, 2014 8:07 PM CST

A group called H4LT reportedly released the Microsoft Xbox One software development kit onto the Internet, to help "end 2014 with a bang." The leaked SDK could potentially open the door for developers to create their own apps and games for the Xbox One - but they will still be required to register with Microsoft beforehand.

H4LT noticed there is no "definite exploit" for the Xbox One, but hopes this will help coders to begin working on their own homebrew solutions.

"We leaked it to the community because if something is shared then... progress is achieved faster than alone.... The SDK will basically allow the community to reverse and open doors towards homebrew applications being present on the Xbox One."

Continue reading: H4LT group releases Microsoft Xbox One SDK online (full post)

FBI investigating GOP cyber threats against media organizations

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 31, 2014 7:45 PM CST

The Guardians of Peace, the cybercriminal group behind crippling Sony Pictures, reportedly sent threats to a U.S.-based news organization. The FBI bulletin refers to the company as "USPER2," so it remains unknown which company was targeted.

The posted threat was published on Pastebin, taunting the FBI and the unnamed media organization "for the 'quality' of their investigations," according to the GOP statement. Unfortunately, many ad servers don't support newer encryption technologies, so media outlets are vulnerable to potential hijacking - and it's something that clever cybercriminals are clearly aware of.

"As part of our ongoing public-private partnerships, the FBI and DHS routinely share information with the private sector and law enforcement community," according to an unnamed military source, speaking to journalists. "The FBI and DHS are not aware of any specific credible information indicating a threat to entertainment or news organizations, however, out of an abundance of caution, we will continue to disseminate relevant information observed during the course of our investigations."

Continue reading: FBI investigating GOP cyber threats against media organizations (full post)

WordPress-based websites still vulnerable to cyberattacks

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 31, 2014 7:18 PM CST

Third-party WordPress plugins, extremely popular among millions of WordPress users, leave the door open for cybercriminals to exploit threats. Unfortunately, many people install new plugins and simply leave them be - without installing updates or ensuring security protocols are met - and that makes it even easier to compromise websites, databases, and users.

"WordPress is extremely powerful, and while the popularity creates a lot of opportunities for development, it also attracts hackers,"said Tony Baker, Internet Assure director, in a press statement. "There are thousands of extremely popular plugins that create vulnerabilities within these sites, and quite frankly, most WordPress self-hosted websites are set up without any thought to security."

As security becomes significantly more important for WordPress websites, vulnerabilities and code exploits will remain major security concerns. It's recommended for inexperienced website owners to rely on GoDaddy, BlueHost, Site5, and established hosting services to help host the site, as they have internal security protocols in place to keep track of security threats.

Continue reading: WordPress-based websites still vulnerable to cyberattacks (full post)

GOP hackers reportedly received Sony login data from Lizard Squad

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 31, 2014 6:13 PM CST

A member of the Lizard Squad hacker group, saying his name was "Ryan Cleary," told the Washington Post that his group played a role in handing over usernames and credentials used by Sony Pictures.

"Well, we didn't play a large part in that. We handed over some Sony employee logins to them. For the initial hack. We came by them ourselves. It was a couple."

Unfortunately, the interviewer didn't press the Lizard Squad member any more regarding the breach, which the FBI and cybersecurity experts can't seem to agree upon who is truly behind the attack.

Continue reading: GOP hackers reportedly received Sony login data from Lizard Squad (full post)

UK Lizard Squad member arrested for computer misuse abuses

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 31, 2014 5:45 PM CST

The Lizard Squad hacker group had a member arrested by the South East Regional Organized Crime Unit (SEROCU), with additional reports indicating the member is 22-year-old Vinnie Omari. His house was raided on Monday and police searched for "email addresses, usernames, passwords, documents containing names associated with PayPal fraud."

Police also want to tie him to recent Lizard Squad attacks, including distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks suffered by Microsoft's Xbox Live and Sony's PlayStation Network. His laptops, Xbox One game console, smartphone, and USB memory drives were confiscated.

"The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit has arrested a 22-year-old man from Twickenham on suspicion of fraud by false representation and Computer Miseuse Act offences," according a press release. "The arrest yesterday is in connection with an ongoing investigation in to cyber fraud offenses which took place between 2013 and August 2014 during which victims reported funds being stolen from their PayPal accounts."

Continue reading: UK Lizard Squad member arrested for computer misuse abuses (full post)

Cyberespionage efforts will only accelerate in 2015 and beyond

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 31, 2014 3:33 PM CST

It took a number of data breaches and cybersecurity incidents throughout 2014, many of them suspected of being funded and supported by foreign government states, for American Internet users to realize the great threat of cyberattacks. Looking ahead to 2015, however, cybersecurity experts believe so-called cyberwars will accelerate as additional nations begin to flex their digital muscle.

"Experts have been calling it a 'cyber Cold War' for some time, and that's only ramping up quickly," said Chris Peterson, co-founder and CTO of the LogRhtym security intelligence company, in a statement published by NBC News. "Nation-states both weak and strong see cyberattacks as a weapon to counter the global influence of the U.S."

Cyberespionage attacks will surge in 2015, especially becoming smaller nation states and terror groups, according to McAfee. Smaller countries with less-established military power hope to use cyberattacks to help try to level the playing field, while stealing data and interrupting operations of political rivals.

Continue reading: Cyberespionage efforts will only accelerate in 2015 and beyond (full post)

NASA creates ape-like robot for enhanced disaster response

Michael Hatamoto | Science, Space, & Robotics | Dec 31, 2014 2:12 PM CST

The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) recently showed off its RobotSimian, an ape-like robot with four limbs that act as arms and legs. The RobotSimian is able to move across rough terrain, pick up objects, and better interact with its environment.

Robot developers want to create new robotic designs that can be used following natural disasters and other potentially catastrophic events. The RobotSimian will compete against 18 other robotic finalists in a DARPA Robotics Challenge.

"We included industrial designers in the team in an effort to create a robot that looked professional rather than either threatening or overly cute," said Brett Kennedy, JPL Robotic Vehicles and Manipulators Group supervisor, in a media statement. "Basically, we wanted the perceptual equivalent of a St. Bernard."

Continue reading: NASA creates ape-like robot for enhanced disaster response (full post)

Korean nuclear operator removes low-risk worm from its servers

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 31, 2014 1:40 PM CST

South Korean security officials have removed a "low-risk" worm that was installed on devices linked to the country's nuclear plant control systems. Nothing harmful was discovered on reactor controls, according to officials, despite the recent data breach.

"We will prepare fundamental improvement measures by enhancing nuclear power's safe operation and hiking information security systems to the highest level following this cyber attack case," the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power company said in a statement.

Korean officials want cooperation from the Chinese government during its investigation of the cyberattacks - with China or North Korea on the short list of foreign states that could be involved. A hacker threatened to close three reactors via Twitter, though only non-critical data was stolen as part of the breach.

Continue reading: Korean nuclear operator removes low-risk worm from its servers (full post)

FBI confirms it is investigating Lizard Squad for DDoS attacks

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 31, 2014 1:27 PM CST

The FBI is now investigating the Lizard Squad for its participation in bringing down Microsoft Xbox Live and Sony PlayStation Network via distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks over Christmas. Published media statements say "Ryanc," a Finnish teenager identified as Julius Kivimaki, as one reported member of the Lizard Squad group - but identifying other members has proven difficult.

"The FBI is investigating the matter," according to a bureau spokesperson when speaking to GamesBeat. "Given the pending nature of the case, we cannot comment further."

Continue reading: FBI confirms it is investigating Lizard Squad for DDoS attacks (full post)

Following data breach, Sony Pictures embraced BlackBerry devices

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 31, 2014 12:49 PM CST

Sony Pictures was having a decent year until the crippling cyberattack that made the company's operations go sideways to end the year. To help keep things operating, Sony embraced its old stash of BlackBerry smartphones to support day-to-day operations moving ahead. It's possible, following the breach, some executives will begin embracing BlackBerry smartphones because of the enhanced security protocols.

Despite losing steam among consumers - and in the business workplace - BlackBerry smartphones still rely on a secure infrastructure, making it a popular device for government employees, even with the domination of Apple iPhone and Google Android devices.

"CEO Michael Lynton routinely received copies of his passwords in unsecure emails for his family and his family's mail, banking, travel, and shopping accounts," according to the Associated Press. "Experts say such haphazard practices are common across corporate America." Using a BlackBerry device, however, could help alleviate some of the poor cybersecurity practices suffered by many company executives.

Continue reading: Following data breach, Sony Pictures embraced BlackBerry devices (full post)

EA investigating Origin fraudulent purchases, says accounts are safe

Michael Hatamoto | Gaming | Dec 31, 2014 12:37 PM CST

After some Origin users reported fraudulent activity on their accounts, Electronic Arts launched an investigation to try to determine if a data breach occurred. The DerpTrolling hacker group said they compromised up to 1.7 million Origin accounts and passwords, which is why some users could be reporting unauthorized game purchases.

On gaming forums and Twitter, users are reporting Origin receipts in German and Russian appearing in their email inbox - it would seem likely that this isn't a direct breach of Origin's network, and the fraudsters accessed the stolen information posted online by DerpTrolling.

"We found no indication at this point of a breach of our Origin account database," an EA spokesperson told PCGamer. "Privacy and security of user account information are of the utmost importance to use. We encourage our players to use Origin user ID and passwords that are unique to their account, and to report any activity they feel may be unauthorized to EA customer support at help.ea.com."

Continue reading: EA investigating Origin fraudulent purchases, says accounts are safe (full post)

Experts: Insider attack may have played major role in Sony breach

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 31, 2014 12:24 PM CST

The FBI believes North Korea played a major role in the breach of Sony Pictures, while the reclusive North Korean government not surprisingly denied any involvement. The Norse cybersecurity firm spoke with the FBI at the start of the week, and believe a piracy group and disgruntled insiders, at least one laid-off Sony Pictures employee, were more likely the cause of the data breach.

"We are very confident that this was not an attack master-minded by North Korea and that insiders were key to the implementation of one of the most devastating attacks in history," said Kurt Stammberger, Norse senior vice president, in a statement to CBS News.

In a statement meant to Reuters, the FBI offered the following statement: "The FBI has concluded the government of North Korea is responsible for the theft and destruction of data on the network of Sony Pictures Entertainment."

Continue reading: Experts: Insider attack may have played major role in Sony breach (full post)

ADATA announces its new Gold Edition ZPG Z1 DDR4 overclocking RAM

Anthony Garreffa | RAM | Dec 31, 2014 9:34 AM CST

ADATA has just announced its new Gold Edition XPG Z1 DDR4 overclocking RAM, which comes in four speeds; 3000/3200/3300/3333MHz. The new memory is perfect for your Haswell-E build, as it will provide some of the best DDR4 RAM for your system, period.

ADATA has decreased the operating voltage of its XPG Z1 RAM from 1.5V to 1.35V, with that 10% reduction in power providing lower temperatures for more stable operation at higher speeds. Even at 3333MHz, the CL16-16-16 timings and a transfer bandwidth of 26.6GB/sec, you can be assured, you're getting some seriously fast RAM with the ADATA kit.

The company has splashed its jet wing-inspired design with a race car carbon texture that ADATA says "embodies the pursuit of extreme performance." The XPG Z1 chips are cooled by its unique Thermal Conductive Technology and 10-layer PCBs with 2oz of pure copper, which has the chips on the XPG Z1 enjoying direct contact with the heat sinks. This means that the IC and PCB "operate at an evenly distributed temperature."

Continue reading: ADATA announces its new Gold Edition ZPG Z1 DDR4 overclocking RAM (full post)

Plextor M6e Black Edition Pictured? We go fishing on plextor.com

Chris Ramseyer | Storage | Dec 31, 2014 9:00 AM CST

CES 2015: CES is just a week away and we all know what that means, consumer electronics and computer hardware announcements daily. One product we expect to hear about we've already tracked down thanks to someone administering one of Plextor's websites.

Plextor M6e Black Edition Pictured? We go fishing on plextor.com

This was our initial lead of a new half height, half length (HHHL) PCIe SSD coming from Plextor soon. At first we weren't too sure what it means other than an unannounced 'M6e BK' model coming soon. Like the Nissan Skyline and amazing Mercedes AMG automobiles, Plextor is prepping a Black Edition of the M6e PCIe SSD released in 2014.

After digging further into the deepest trenches of the interwebs, we finally found gold, err black. This should be the first known image of the new Plextor M6e Black Edition.

Continue reading: Plextor M6e Black Edition Pictured? We go fishing on plextor.com (full post)

Lian Li to show off their new O Series open-air chassis at CES 2015

Anthony Garreffa | Cases, Cooling & PSU | Dec 31, 2014 5:34 AM CST

CES 2015: CES 2015 is just days away, so Lian Li has sent out an e-mail blast telling the world it will be showcasing its new open-air chassis, the O-Series, at the Consumer Electronics Show 2015 in Las Vegas.

If you haven't seen the new Lian Li O-Series open-air chassis, there are a few different models to check out. We have the PC-05, PC-05S, PC-06S and PC-07S, with the company taking feedback in from the DIY community when it began constructing these new designs. All of which feature tempered glass windows, a PCI riser card, and "sleek and alum aluminum construction".

We will be on-hand with these Lian Li cases at CES 2015, so prepare for some coverage from us here at TweakTown next week.

Continue reading: Lian Li to show off their new O Series open-air chassis at CES 2015 (full post)

Google Play and YouTube's top selling movie of 2014? The Interview

Anthony Garreffa | Celebrities & Entertainment | Dec 31, 2014 5:33 AM CST

The Interview has only been available through Google Play and YouTube for around a week now, but the movie has quickly become the top selling movie of 2014 for both sites.

During a talk with Bloomberg, a Google spokesperson spilled the beans, but nothing specific on the sales numbers of the Sony flick. Sony has said that the movie has made over $15 million online, but now that it's also on Apple's iTunes service, we should expect those numbers to rise. The James Franco and Seth Rogen comedy is also on Microsoft's Xbox Video, and Sony's own dedicated site - which hasn't been hacked, yet.

Continue reading: Google Play and YouTube's top selling movie of 2014? The Interview (full post)

LG will be showing off a bunch of new 4K TVs at CES 2015 next week

Anthony Garreffa | Displays | Dec 30, 2014 11:35 PM CST

CES 2015: CES 2015 kicks off next week, with my bags not even packed yet and I jump on a plane 49.5 hours from now. But, LG is preparing a bunch of stuff to show off to the world, with a huge push in the world of 4K TVs.

The South Korean giant is reportedly going to be showing off no less than eight different product lines (UC9, UB9800, UF9500, UF9400, UF8500, UF7700, UF6800 and UF6700), where we'll see more than just the usual quantum dot technology and webOS 2.0 Smart TV updates we've been hearing about lately. LG's new Ultra HD TV's are thinner than ever before, with the company promising upgrades for the color balance and black levels.

The built-in 4K video decoder can handle both 30FPS and 60FPS inputs, and is "future-proof" for future standards.

Continue reading: LG will be showing off a bunch of new 4K TVs at CES 2015 next week (full post)

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