Computers > Security

Even Disconnected Computers May Face Cyberthreats

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Even Disconnected Computers May Face Cyberthreats
December 04, 2013
http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/12/03/248576739/even-disconnected-computers-may-face-cyber-threats

If your computer is infected with a virus or other forms of malware, disconnecting the machine from the Internet is one of the first steps security experts say you should take. But someday, even physically separating your laptop from a network may not be enough to protect it from cyber evildoers.

German computer scientists have come up with a prototype for building “covert channels” between computers using the machines’ speakers and microphones, potentially defeating high-security measures that rely on placing an “air gap” between computers.

The scientists said their network was based on a system originally designed for underwater communication.

“We adapt the communication system to implement covert and stealthy communications by utilizing the near ultrasonic frequency range,” Michael Hanspach and Michael Goetz, of the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics, wrote in a paper published in the November issue of the Journal of Communications.

As Dan Goodin explains in Ars Technica: “The proof-of-concept software — or malicious trojans that adopt the same high-frequency communication methods …

Acoustical networking

related:
https://franzcalvo.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/a-radiation-detector-in-your-smartphone

Cryptolocker: The evolution of extortion

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Cryptolocker: The evolution of extortion
November 19, 2013
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9244176/Cryptolocker_The_evolution_of_extortion

The Cryptolocker Trojan is an evolution of “ransomware,” not a revolutionary change from past criminal attempts to extort money from PC owners, a security expert said today.

Ransomware is a category of malware that, once on a system, encrypts files and then tries to convince users to pay to decrypt them so they can again be opened.
The crimeware has been in active circulation since at least 2005, with traces harking back as far as 1989.

Microsoft malware Protection Center > Ramnit – The renewed bot in town

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Microsoft Malware Protection Center > Ramnit – The renewed bot in town
Mar 14, 2013
http://blogs.technet.com/b/mmpc/archive/2013/03/14/ramnit-the-renewed-bot-in-town.aspx
keep your security products, such as Microsoft Security Essentials, always updated to the latest definitions to avoid infection.

Try It Out: Encrypt Used Space Only
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/jj983729.aspx
When you encrypt a drive with Windows Vista or Windows 7, BitLocker encrypts every bit of space on the drive, even if it’s not in use.
Windows 8 introduces Used Disk Space Only encryption, which gives you the option to encrypt only space on the drive that is actively being used.

‘New York Times’ The Target Of Chinese Cyber Attack

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‘New York Times’ The Target Of Chinese Cyber Attack
January 31, 2013
http://www.npr.org/2013/01/31/170787379/new-york-times-the-target-of-chinese-cyber-attack

‘New York Times’ Accuses China Of Being Behind Hacking
January 31, 2013
http://www.npr.org/2013/01/31/170727524/chinese-hackers-break-into-new-york-times-computers
Chinese computer hackers have been infiltrating the computer systems of The New York Times for the last four months, according to the paper. Renee Montagne talks to Nicole Perlroth, a Times reporter who covers cyber security.

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2015/06/05/federal-data-breach-china