Security News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Twitter beefs up security after hacking spree on media

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:45:21 -0400

By Jim Finkle (Reuters) - Twitter Inc unveiled technology to boost security for its users, following a spate of attacks on accounts of prominent media outlets including the Associated Press, the Financial Times and The Onion. The micro blogging site, which transmits some 400 million messages a day, said on Wednesday that it had begun rolling out an optional "login verification" service to thwart hackers seeking to hijack accounts with stolen passwords. ...

How to Stop Worrying and Love Twitter's New Two-Factor Verification

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:30:17 -0400

Twitter has added two-step verification to increase its security after all the recent hacks into high profile media accounts, but you should go sign up for it right this minute — because everyone's vulnerable to password attacks these days. Or maybe not right this minute, since there are some reports that Twitter is a little overwhelmed and others have reported the two steps aren't showing up for everyone. But at some point in the very near future, you get on that. Here's why, even if the new cellphone hiccup seems cumbersome.

'Irrational' hackers are growing U.S. security fear

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:27:22 -0400

By Jim Finkle (Reuters) - Cybersecurity researcher HD Moore discovered he could use the Internet to access the controls of some 30 pipeline sensors around the country that were not password protected. A hacking expert who helps companies uncover network vulnerabilities, Moore said he found the sensors last month while analyzing information in huge, publicly available databases of Internet-connected devices. "We know that systems are exposed and vulnerable. ...

Dish uses national security ads to fight SoftBank deal

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:11:39 -0400

By Liana B. Baker (Reuters) - Dish Network Corp has rolled out an advertising campaign suggesting a deal by a Japanese company to acquire Sprint Nextel Corp could threaten U.S. national security, hoping to sway lawmakers and win support for its rival offer. The campaign, which so far appears on the Internet and in Washington-area newspapers, is Dish's most public lobbying effort yet against Japan-based SoftBank Corp. Dish has been pushing the national security angle hard in Washington. ...

Xbox One Raises the Burden of Privacy Safeguards: 5 Questions for Microsoft

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:40:10 -0400

Some things you take for granted, like the fact that in Star Trek, there’s a computer that’s always listening, always observing, always standing by cataloging data. Who owns that data? Where’s it stored? Who determines how it’s used? Who knows. The shows chose to slide by those questions and focus on others. ...

Parents withdraw from inquiry into death of U.S. engineer Shane Todd

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:49:43 -0400

By Kevin Lim and Pedja Stanisic SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The parents of an American engineer found dead in Singapore last year said on Wednesday they will not take part in the rest of a coroner's inquiry into his death, which they say was linked to a project involving the transfer of sensitive technology to China. In a statement, Rick and Mary Todd said they had lost confidence in the system investigating the death of their 31-year-old son, Shane, who was found hanging from a door in his Singapore apartment last June. ...

US parents quit Singapore inquest into son's death

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:16:54 -0400

The parents of an American software engineer who believe their son was murdered last year in Singapore withdrew from the inquest Wednesday, saying they have no confidence in the city-state's legal process. ...

The World's Most Powerful Women 2013

Wed, 22 May 2013 03:52:07 -0400

Our annual snapshot of the top 100 women in business, politics, celebrity, philanthropy, billionaires, media and technology.

Sony to assess spin-off plan; cuts targets for cameras, smartphones

Wed, 22 May 2013 03:29:15 -0400

By Tim Kelly TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp cut its sales targets for digital cameras, smartphones and tablets by 13-17 percent for the year to end-March 2015, but said there were "encouraging" signs of a revival in its electronics business. CEO Kazuo Hirai told a press briefing on Wednesday that Sony would assess a proposal from its biggest shareholder, billionaire Daniel Loeb's Third Point LLC hedge fund, that the group should sell up to a fifth of its music and movies business, which includes artists such as Adele and hit franchises like "Spider-Man". ...

Some U.S. utilities say they're under constant cyber attack

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:47:37 -0400

By Alina Selyukh and Jim Finkle WASHINGTON/BOSTON (Reuters) - Several power utilities say they face a barrage of cyber attacks on their critical systems, a report by two Democratic lawmakers found echoing warnings from the Obama administration that foreign hackers were trying to bring down the U.S. power grid. California Representative Henry Waxman released the report, co-authored with Massachusetts Representative Ed Markey, at the House Energy and Commerce Committee's cybersecurity hearing on Tuesday. ...

With high-tech guns, users could disable remotely

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:42:15 -0400

A high-tech startup is wading into the gun control debate with a wireless controller that would allow gun owners to know when their weapon is being moved — and disable it remotely. The technology, but ...

Some U.S. power companies say they face constant cyber attacks

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:15:00 -0400

BOSTON (Reuters) - Several U.S. power utilities say they face constant cyber attacks on critical systems, according to a report by two Democratic lawmakers amid warnings from the Obama administration that foreign hackers are seeking to attack the electric grid. Congressmen Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Henry Waxman of California disclosed their findings on Tuesday as the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on cybersecurity. In preparing the report the two asked some 160 utilities to describe their experiences fighting cyber attacks over the past five years. ...

Leaked recording stirs political furor in Venezuela

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:55:48 -0400

By Brian Ellsworth CARACAS (Reuters) - A recording released by Venezuela's opposition purportedly revealing graft and conspiracy in the ruling Socialist Party has stirred a new political storm in the OPEC nation's already traumatic transition after the death of Hugo Chavez. Opposition leaders on Monday played an hourlong, expletive-laced diatribe in which a man identified as powerful state TV commentator Mario Silva lambastes party heavyweight Diosdado Cabello. They said Silva was talking to a Cuban intelligence officer. ...

Kate Hudson Teams Up With Zach Braff

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:19:34 -0400

Today in show business: Zach Braff has put Kate Hudson in the movie you bought him, the Angry Birds movie really is happening, and Claire Danes has a teen daughter.

Small company stock are a bright spot

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:37:05 -0400

NEW YORK (AP) — Small-company stocks were a bright spot in a subdued start to the week for Wall Street.

Small company stocks take the limelight

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:02:21 -0400

NEW YORK (AP) — Small-company stocks were a bright spot in a slow and choppy start to the week for Wall Street.

Jon Stewart's humor a hit with millions of envious Chinese

Mon, 20 May 2013 02:39:37 -0400

By Jane Lee SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Humor may not always translate well, but Jon Stewart is picking up millions of fans in China, where his gloves-off political satire is refreshing for many in a country where such criticism is a rarity - especially when directed at their own leaders. A recent segment on North Korea scored over 4 million views on microblogger Sina Weibo, and even stodgy state broadcaster CCTV has used Stewart's "The Daily Show" in a report, though they wouldn't let a Chinese version of him near their cameras. ...

CA-BUSINESS Summary

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:17:25 -0400

TSX rises as gold miners lone sore spot TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index rose on Friday as robust economic data helped drive gains in energy stocks and financial shares, offsetting weakness in gold producers. The materials sector, a major component of the S&P/TSX composite which includes gold miners, was the lone sector to finish in the red of ten main sectors, as the price of gold fell for a seventh straight session. ...

Exclusive: EU cites Chinese telecoms Huawei and ZTE for trade violations

Sat, 18 May 2013 03:25:41 -0400

By Daniel Bases NEW YORK (Reuters) - Europe's top trade official for the first time late on Friday officially cited Chinese mobile telecommunications equipment makers Huawei and ZTE Corp for violating anti-dumping and anti-subsidy guidelines. European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said he was prepared to launch a formal investigation into anti-competitive behavior by these Chinese companies in order to protect a "strategic" sector of Europe's economy. ...

Syrian Electronic Army Adds Financial Times to Its Social Media Hacks

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:43:12 -0400

The Financial Times became the latest news agency to fall prey to the Syrian Electronic Army, the hacking group which has claimed the social media scalps of the AP, The Onion, the BBC, and NPR, perhaps signaling that news outlets should be more like The Onion and come clean about how they're getting hacked.

Syria government supporters hack Financial Times

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:59:27 -0400

By Jim Finkle and Jennifer Saba (Reuters) - The Financial Times' website and Twitter feeds were hacked on Friday, renewing questions about whether the popular social media service has done enough to tighten security as cyber-attacks on the news media intensify. The Syrian Electronic Army, an online group that supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was behind the incident which followed a phishing attack on the company's email accounts, FT reported on its website. The attack is the latest in which hackers commandeered the Twitter account of a prominent news organization to push their ...

Syrian hackers compromise FT blog, Twitter feeds

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:47:00 -0400

LONDON (AP) — A clutch of Twitter accounts and a blog maintained by the Financial Times were hacked Friday, the latest in a series of cyberattacks claimed by the Syrian Electronic Army, a pro-government group which has regularly targeted media organizations it sees as sympathetic to the country's rebels.

Saudi Arabia says hackers sabotage government websites

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:36:04 -0400

RIYADH (Reuters) - Several government websites in Saudi Arabia were sabotaged in a series of heavy cyber attacks from abroad in recent days, disabling them briefly until the attacks were repelled, the government said. An investigation traced the "coordinated and simultaneous attacks" to hundreds of Internet protocol addresses in a number of countries, an unnamed source at the Saudi Interior Ministry told state news agency SPA. ...

Today in business: 5 things you need to know

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:13:00 -0400

Bill Gates reclaims "world's richest" title, hackers target Financial Times, and more

Syrian hackers compromise FT blogs, Twitter feeds

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:08:59 -0400

LONDON (AP) — A clutch of blogs and Twitter accounts maintained by the Financial Times were hacked Friday, the latest in a series of cyberattacks claimed by the Syrian Electronic Army, a pro-government group which often attacks media organizations it sees as sympathetic to the country's rebels.

Penitent Romanian hacker aims to protect world's ATMs

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:53:47 -0400

By Radu Marinas VASLUI, Romania (Reuters) - Valentin Boanta, sitting in his jail cell, proudly explains the device he has invented which, he says, could make the world's ATMs impregnable even to tech-savvy criminals like himself. Boanta, 33, is six months into a five-year sentence for supplying gadgets an organized crime gang used to conceal ATM skimmers, which can copy data from an unsuspecting ATM user's card so a clone can be created. He said he had started to make the devices for the sheer excitement of it and denies ever planning to use them himself, saying he only sold them to others. ...

LulzSec hackers sentenced for attacking Sony, News Corp and the CIA

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:53 -0400

A U.K. judge has sentenced four members of hacking collective LulzSec, an offshoot of hacking group Anonymous, for their role in taking down various corporate and government websites between February and September 2011, ZDNet reported. Judge Deborah Taylor sentenced 26-year old Ryan Ackroyd, 20-year old Jake Davis, 18-year old Mustafa al-Bassam and 21-year old Ryan Cleary in a London courtroom on Thursday. Ackroyd received a prison sentence of up to 32 months, of which he will be required to serve at least half, while Davis was sentenced to two years in a young offenders institution, which he must remain at for at least a year. Bassam, who was a minor at the time of the hackings, received a suspended sentence

Prepaid iPhone sales exploded in Q1

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:45:30 -0400

A new report suggests that prepaid smartphones are becoming more popular among consumers. According to research from NPD Group, 32% of all smartphones sold in the first quarter were prepaid devices, up from 21% during the same period in 2012. Samsung was found to be the most popular vendor of prepaid smartphones, accounting for 32% of sales in the first quarter. Handsets from LG made up 22%, Huawei 11%, and Apple and HTC tied at 8%. Prepaid iPhone sales were found to have increased fourfold in Q1 though, while sales of LG smartphones doubled year-over-year. “Prepaid has proven to be a real winner for national retailers,” said Baker. “The easy purchase cycle and grab-and-go nature of the product play into the strength

LulzSec hackers who "wreaked havoc" at Sony jailed in UK

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:50:42 -0400

By Li-mei Hoang LONDON (Reuters) - A group of British hackers who "ran riot" causing millions of dollars of damage to computer networks run by Sony, the CIA and other agencies were sentenced to jail terms on Thursday. Police said four men, members of the hacking collective known as "LulzSec", put thousands of internet users' personal data at risk through their high-profile cyber attacks in 2011. ...

UK court jails 4 Lulzsec hackers for cyberattacks

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:34:31 -0400

LONDON (AP) — Four young computer hackers who masterminded cyberattacks on targets from the CIA to Sony Pictures and Rupert Murdoch's News International were sentenced to up to 32 months in prison on Thursday.

China threatens own trade action if EU opens telecoms case

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:09:32 -0400

By Ethan Bilby BRUSSELS (Reuters) - China threatened on Thursday to retaliate if the European Union formally opens an investigation into alleged anti-competitive behavior by Chinese mobile telecom equipment companies. European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said on Wednesday he and fellow commissioners had agreed in principle to open an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy case against China, but would first seek to negotiate a solution with Chinese authorities. Although not mentioned in the statement, EU officials told Reuters the primary targets of the investigation would be world No. ...

LulzSec hackers "at cutting edge" of cyber crime, court told

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:14:33 -0400

By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - Four British hackers who took part in 2011 cyber-attacks on targets ranging from the CIA to Sony were audacious, arrogant men whose motivation was "anarchic self-amusement", a court heard on Wednesday. The men, who have pleaded guilty to a variety of offences, were members of the hacking collective LulzSec, which caused millions of dollars of damage to corporate and government computer networks during an online crime spree that they boasted about on Twitter. ...

EU warns China it is ready to launch telecoms dispute

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:10:00 -0400

By Ethan Bilby BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission has told China it is prepared to launch an investigation into anti-competitive behavior by producers of mobile telecoms equipment, opening a new front in a multi-billion-euro trade offensive against a critical partner. European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said he and fellow commissioners had agreed in principle to open an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy case against China, but would first seek to negotiate a solution with Chinese authorities. "The clock is ticking. ...

Experts: Smartphones another avenue for hackers

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:23:49 -0400

MIAMI (AP) — Smartphones are increasingly popular not only with consumers, but also with thieves who see the devices as another way to tap into bank accounts and other sensitive information, experts say.

Exclusive: EU threatens trade duties against China's Huawei, ZTE - sources

Wed, 15 May 2013 05:22:31 -0400

By Ethan Bilby BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission plans to send a formal warning to China that it is ready to levy trade duties against telecoms equipment makers Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp over what it says are illegal subsidies, people close to the matter said. EU trade chief Karel De Gucht is set to win support from the bloc's executive on Wednesday to send the warning letter and show China's new president, Xi Jinping, that Brussels is serious about countering what it says is state support. ...

After ATM heist, India's IT sector again in unwelcome spotlight

Wed, 15 May 2013 02:06:20 -0400

By Swati Pandey and Harichandan Arakali MUMBAI/BANGALORE (Reuters) - A breach of security at two payment card processing companies in India that led to heists at cash machines around the world has reopened questions on the risks of outsourcing sensitive financial services to the Asian nation. Global banks that ship work to be processed in India, either in-house or to big IT services vendors, were already under pressure to step up oversight of back-office functions after a series of scandals last year. Last week, U.S. ...

U.S. attorney general says he didn't make AP phone records decision

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:59:02 -0400

By David Ingram and Tabassum Zakaria WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Tuesday he did not make the controversial decision to secretly seize telephone records of the Associated Press but defended his department's actions in the investigation of what he called a "very, very serious leak." The decision to seek phone records of one of the world's largest news-gathering organizations was made by Deputy Attorney General Jim Cole, Holder said. ...

Seventh New York defendant pleads not guilty in cyber heist

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:49:37 -0400

By Jessica Dye NEW YORK (Reuters) - A seventh defendant pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges he participated in a global ATM heist that stole $45 million from two Middle East banks. Elvis Rodriguez, 24, was accused of being a member of a "casher" crew that withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars in New York as part of the heist. Six other members of the New York crew pleaded not guilty last week. An eighth person, Alberto Lajud-Pena, 23, described by prosecutors as the leader of the crew, was murdered in the Dominican Republic on April 27, police there said. U.S. ...

Is the 'Press Photo of the Year' Actually Photoshop Art?

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:00:54 -0400

Swedish photographer Paul Hansen is fighting back against claims—from hackers calling his work a composite, bloggers calling it a "fake," and still others questioning the meaning of news photography in a digital age—that his winning image for the "World Press Photo of the Year" contest is nothing but a computer-aided forgery. Even the World Press judges are doing some forensic second-guessing.

Exclusive: EU to warn China it may levy duties against Huawei - sources

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:26:17 -0400

By Ethan Bilby BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission plans to send a formal warning to China that it is ready to levy sanctions against telecoms equipment makers Huawei and ZTE Corp over illegal subsidies, people close to the matter said. EU trade chief Karel De Gucht is set to win support from the bloc's executive on Wednesday to send the warning letter and show China's new president, Xi Jinping, that Brussels is serious about countering what it says is state support. ...