SECURITY WARNINGS & Notices - Please post them here

[polonus]

Spoofed google bots from non-google IPs trying to insert malcode, see: http://www.incapsula.com/the-incapsula-blog/item/369-was-that-really-a-google-bot-crawling-my-site (link article source incapsula) - validate user agent and used IP's is the advice incapsula team gives,

polonus

[MikeBCda]

Hi Asyn,

What would help would be the extra click to allow it to run in a browser. I hope that will be brought in. Some browsers will keep it up to date for you, and the cases where you need the java functionality (specific scanners and applications) are becoming rare,

polonus

Firefox 14's new click-to-play feature does just that, requires the extra click to permit applets to load and run.  I only need Java on one game site, and someone over at the MS forums was nice enough to show me how to grant ongoing permission on a per-site basis.

[polonus]

Hi MikeBCda,

Thanks for the feed-back, It helps the discussion and informs us all. I appreciate that.
In GoogleChrome I have Better Pop Up Blocker installed that sort of gives me the same functionality, when you have to allow an applet to run.

And we need to be cautious as MS found up 96 leaks in third party software during the last twelve months, of which 63% has not been patched yet.
See: http://download.microsoft.com/download/B/D/B/BDB57917-D70B-41C3-9948-C5C0C67875D4/MSRC%20Progress%20Report%202012.pdf
(link source: MSVR)

pol

[polonus]

Keep a finger on the pulse: http://www.securitywizardry.com/radar.htm

polonus

[polonus]

Persistent router botnets on the horizon. Your router can be hacked and backdoored, device fingerprinting scripts for network devices via a webbrowser are already available, see: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9229775/Persistent_router_botnets_on_the_horizon_researcher_says_at_Defcon
IDG news service link article author = Lucian Constantin

polonus

[Pondus]

Oi, missile boffins! Stop ogling web filth at work - Pentagon
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/02/smut_warning_missile_defense_agency/


 

Pentagon top brass have ordered missile defence boffins to stop using government computers to surf for porn.

[Pondus]

Facebook has more than 83 million illegitimate accounts
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19093078

[bob3160]

I know of a country that seems to have that same problem with it's citizens.   

[bob3160]

Adware Shifts Focus from Advertising to Data Harvesting

[MikeBCda]

Facebook has more than 83 million illegitimate accounts
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19093078

According to the Yahoo News version of the story, Facebook claims that the vast majority of the "illegitimate" accounts fall into two categories:

1) Members who forgot their password or other login ID and set up a new account to get back in.  I won't go anywhere near FB, so don't know if they've got the usual "forgot my password" thing which would presumably avoid this.

2) Commercial (including non-profit) accounts which should have been set up as pages rather than accounts.

While they agree that in some cases an account might have been set up specifically for spamming/scams, they feel those are a very small percentage.

[Asyn]

Google's anti-malware Bouncer too tolerant
http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Google-s-anti-malware-Bouncer-too-tolerant-1654441.html

[Asyn]

Cloud service cracks VPN passwords in 24 hours
http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Cloud-service-cracks-VPN-passwords-in-24-hours-1656104.html

[CharleyO]

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10 Olympics-Themed Phishing Scams To Avoid At All Costs

Every four years, the Olympics provide the opportunity for world-class athletes to raise their games just a little higher. But, the same is also true in the cyberworld. We've looked through a long list of warnings from the Olympic Committee and distilled a few of the ones we thought were not only intriguing but also specifically targeted at unsuspecting spectators.

Read more in the slide show at :
http://www.crn.com/slide-shows/security/240004790/10-olympics-themed-phishing-scams-to-avoid-at-all-costs.htm?pgno=1


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[CharleyO]

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DDoS Attacks Are Getting Bigger And Badder

Data from a DDoS security vendor suggests that distributed denial of service attacks are not only becoming more widespread, they are also becoming "larger" and more likely to target specific applications.

Read more at :
http://www.crn.com/news/security/240005051/ddos-attacks-are-getting-bigger-and-badder.htm?cid=nl_crn


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[mchain]

Script Kiddies Posing as Hackers

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/08/apple-amazon-mat-honan-hacking/all/

What a  story!  Be sure to read 'Comments".  Very illuminating.  Scary.

As a journalist, has some power to rectify issues.