USR-Lib

Cryptography expert Paul Kocher says Quantum computing is no threat secure to web and wireless network traffic.

Leading cryptography expert Paul Kocher says the new breed of quantum computers will not be able to crack encryption currently used to secure web and wireless network traffic. The statement follows concerns among some security experts that the high processing power of quantum compute technologies could be used to crack the encryption used by most organisations. Kocher, chief executive at Cryptography...

Specialists believe packaged apps are full of hackable bugs, security

Nearly one in three (31 per cent) of the respondents to Fortify Software’s survey admitted their organisation had been hacked in the past, and a similar number said they didn’t know if it had. The vast majority (83 per cent) said they thought off-the-shelf software was buggy and insecure and more than half (56 per cent) said that it was vulnerable to hackers. Consequently many are hacking...

Pirates cost software firms $51bn

The world’s software industry lost $51bn to piracy in 2009 as the unlicensed software rate rose to 43%, but losses were less than expected, the Business Software Alliance said today. The 2% rise over 2008 figures was due to more sales of PCs in emerging markets, the BSA said in its annual global study of software piracy, prepared by IDC. BSA CEO Robert Holleyman said, “Given the economy,...

Hacker plans to demonstrate serious vulnerabilities in ATM models

A security researcher plans to demonstrate serious vulnerabilities in several ATM models at the upcoming Black Hat USA security conference. He promises a cash-dispensing trick more impressive than John Connor’s in Terminator 2. A lot of people were expecting Barnaby Jack’s presentation on automated teller machine (ATM) vulnerabilities at last year’s Black Hat. However, faced with...

Former IT worker arrested for “hacking” hospital network

The New York Post reported Tuesday that a former IT worker from a Manhattan hospital was arrested last Friday and charged with computer trespass, unauthorized use of a computer, and fourth-degree computer tampering. According to the article, Jason Wang “wreaked havoc with the computer system at North General Hospital in Harlem after he was fired by official there in September 2009…” The report...

A college student is facing over 20 years in jail for Palin email hack conviction

David Kernell was convicted of unauthorised access to obtain information from a computer and obstruction of justice, which comes with a maximum term of 20 years in jail. He was found innocent of wire fraud, and a charge of identity theft was dismissed after a retrial. Kernell used publicly available information to guess the password to Palin’s Yahoo account, namely the location where she met...