The Pentagon finally confirms the most significant breach of US military computers ever

The Pentagon has finally confirmed a security breach that happened back in 2008 and which one of their top officials has described as “the most significant breach of U.S. military computers ever.” The breach was caused when a foreign intelligence agent used a flash drive to infect US military computers, including those used by the Central Command to oversee combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The device in question was a cigarette-lighter-sized flash drive which was plugged into an American military laptop from a base in the Middle East amounted to “a digital beachhead, from which data could be transferred to servers under foreign control,” according to William J. Lynn 3d, deputy secretary of defense, quoted by the New York Times

“It was a network administrator’s worst fear: a rogue program operating silently, poised to deliver operational plans into the hands of an unknown adversary,” Mr. Lynn wrote. Read more

Sensitive BP info revealed in hacking contest

If you think BP have their hands full with the oil spill and the whole environmental mess they’ve caused in the Gulf of Mexico, think again. It seems they lack all kinds of security – not only can’t they drill for oil in a safe environment, their data security is also poor.

The Defcon hacker contest organized in Las Vegas is a hacking competition that has its contestants trick employees of large companies into spilling out potentially sensitive information. The purpose is – and targeted companies should thank the organizers for that matter – to show how gullible people can be and how this becomes a major security vulnerability. Read more

Senior execs love undermining security

When it comes to high-level executives, the rules of the game often change. They are used to ask for exceptions to be made for them, backdoors to be opened and a whole different set of rules to be applied. This is what turns them in one of the biggest threats to corporate security.

According to Jayson Street, CIO and managing partner of Stratagem 1 Solutions, senior executives often circumvent security rules and policies to suit their needs and whims at the expense of security. The negative effect is that the special treatment leads to enabling cybercriminals to easily gain access to corporate networks by impersonating as management personnel. That is why, because of their systems privilege and access rights, they become ideal targets for all those wanting to hack into corporate networks. Read more

Edmonton travel agency investigated for credit card fraud

An Edmonton travel agency is currently investigated for credit card fraud after complaints of foul play totalling over 50,000 US dollars have been reported by former customers. According to the ongoing police investigation of the Canadian travel company, a former employee has been charged in the case, but other charges might still be pending, involving other prople related to the agency.

While the information is still foggy, it is clear that there have been about 11 reports from ex-customers who have used the agency’s services and then noticed unauthorized usage of their credit cards. The initial complaint came from a customer who had found out that almost 20,000 USD had been charged to his card. Subsequent complaints raised the total abount to 50,000 USD.

It is unclear how many credit card accounts had been stolen, as the agency personnel had access to all this data. The police investigation might be able to reveal who’s to blame and how many people were affected by this data theft.

LA Firemen’s Credit Union notifies 28,000 of potential breach

The 28,000 members of the Los Angeles Firemen’s Credit Union are in danger of having their private information exposed. The CU has recently notified them of a potential data breach generated by a file transfer. They believe that a small percentage of the members might be affected by an improper file move during the CU’s change of location.

Data that might have been compromised includes members names, addresses, phone numbers, account numbers, social security numbers and other identifiers. Mentioning their state of the art technology and protocols for member validation, the CU tried to reassure their members and diminish the impact. The truth of the matter is that there is enough information to compromise other accounts or memberships the affected individuals might have that do not have the very same technology.

The now very common measure to ensure free credit monitoring for two years is in place for the LA Firemen’s Credit Union members, along with a nice promice of practice review for future file transfers. Let’s all hope they don’t need it!