Robert Lemos

Fraudulent certificates issued for major websites

Nine valid but fraudulent certificates have been issued for major Internet sites -- including Google mail, Microsoft Live, and Yahoo -- raising the possibility of undetectable phishing, man-in-the-middle and drive-by download attacks, multiple advisories stated on Wednesday.

The secure sockets layer (SSL) certificates, issued by root certificate authority Comodo, allow the attackers to sign fraudulent sites and content. The certificates were issued because of a compromise at a registration authority (RA) using stolen log-in credentials for one of Comodo's European partners, according to the company's report on the incident.

CSO Online

Securing All Androids Proves Tricky

With Android, each mobile phone company has its own build of the Android operating system so that it can include its own user interface, graphics, and branding. Although Google released an updated version of Android that fixed the vulnerability soon after it was discovered, at least 42 percent of phones run an older version that is still vulnerable, according to data available on the Android developer site.

Technology Review

DroidDream turns Androids into zombies

The malicious code that led Google to remove more than 50 Trojan applications from the Android Marketplace appears to mainly be a "dropper" -- a program designed to load other code to further compromise the affected smartphone, according to a security firm's analysis.

The code, dubbed "DroidDream," attempts to use two exploits to gain root privilege on a compromised smartphone by breaking out of the sandbox designed to limit what applications can do on Android devices, mobile security firm Lookout stated in its most recent analysis.

CSO Online

Three Steps To Safer Connections With Your Business Partners

Among the speculation surrounding the spread of the Stuxnet worm -- the first cyberattack that targets industrial control systems -- is this likely scenario: Attackers might have spread the worm to a Russian technology provider in an effort to infect Iran's nuclear industry. Unknown to the Russian company, its workers were compromising facilities in multiple countries with a program designed to hide within the code of industrial controllers.

If true, the scenario would not be the first time that suppliers have been used to attack their customers. In a handful of recent instances, attackers have used contractors and other third parties as a bridge to their targets. While many companies are very watchful of their connection to the Internet, many times they are not so vigilant of their partners' connections to their own networks, says Eddie Schwartz, chief security officer of NetWitness, a data and network protection firm.

DarkReading

A Way to Attack Nuclear Plants

For the last few months, a sophisticated computer worm has wriggled its way between some of the most critical control systems in the world.

The timing of the worm's release, combined with several clues buried in its code, has led some experts to speculate that the worm, dubbed Stuxnet, was originally designed to sabotage an Iranian nuclear facility, possible the enrichment plant in Natanz, roughly 180 miles south of Tehran. This week, officials in Iran confirmed that Stuxnet had been found on systems inside the plant, although they denied that it had caused any harm.

But Stuxnet has since spread to hundreds more industrial systems within Iran and around the world. Experts say this highlights a worrisome weak spot in critical infrastructure that could become a new focus for saboteurs and malicious hackers.

Technology Review

In Wake Of Attacks, Enterprises Look To Plug Browser Security Hole

For five hours last week, Twitter users were inundated with an avalanche of odd tweets. The messages -- actually snippets of JavaScript -- would execute when a browser user moused over the text. While the lion's share of the tweets were simple pranks, the technique exploited a flaw in Twitter's website that could have allowed malcontents to possibly attack the end user's system.

The vulnerability, known as a cross-site scripting flaw, allowed online miscreants to execute JavaScript code. Even fully patched modern browsers would not have been protected against the attack, according to security experts. The danger comes from emerging features of the Web -- and the ability of users to post content to sites.

The incident underscores that browsing websites, even well-known, "legitimate" sites, has inherent risks, says Michael Sutton, vice president of security research for Web security firm Zscaler.

DarkReading

InfoWorld Tech Watch Blog - Week of September 6

Published this week: Group sues Department of Homeland Security to stop laptop searches • Microsoft botnet 'decapitation' scores legal win against cyber crime

InfoWorld Tech Watch Blog - Week of August 30

Published this week: Breaking the Internet in one easy step • What it takes to shut down a botnet • Skyrocketing viruses, less danger?

InfoWorld Tech Watch Blog - Week of August 23, 2010

Published this week: Pac-Man for president: Hack highlights e-voting flaws • The Pentagon plays security catch-up

Careful With That Third-Party Web Widget

Small- and midsized businesses use a lot of third-party Web applications: It saves them money and allows them to embed expertise that they might not otherwise have. But it can also open up their business and their customers to attack.

The recent Network Solutions incident shows how this practice can go very wrong: Ten days ago, the Internet domain provider learned that a Web-services widget that it had placed on at least 120,000 parked Web pages was infecting visitors with malware. The firm reportedly downloaded the widget, known as the Small Business Success Index, on third-party online directory WidgetBox.

As more businesses continue to use third-party code in their websites and import content from other sites, the security of their visitors increasingly relies on others.

DarkReading