Threats & Vulnerabilities: Page

Hajime malware: How does it differ from the Mirai worm?

Hajime malware was discovered to have links to the Mirai botnet that launched powerful DDoS attacks last year. Expert Nick Lewis explains how Hajime differs from Mirai.

By Nick Lewis • March 23, 2017

How does the Drammer attack exploit ARM-based mobile devices?

Drammer, or a deterministic Rowhammer attack, was found to be more effective on ARM-based mobile devices. Expert Nick Lewis explains the issue with ARM processors.

By Nick Lewis • March 22, 2017

HTTPS interception, middlebox models under fire

HTTPS interception in security products and services may be reducing security rather than improving it, according to US-CERT, which puts middleboxes in a precarious position.

By Peter Loshin • March 22, 2017

WikiLeaks’ disclosure of CIA hacks comes with requirements

WikiLeaks reportedly made demands of vendors at risk from the Vault 7 CIA hacks, but without knowing what the requirements are, experts are unsure how to react.

By Michael Heller • March 21, 2017

Pork Explosion Android flaw: How is it used to create a backdoor?

The Pork Explosion vulnerability present in some Foxconn-created app bootloaders can be used to create an Android backdoor. Expert Nick Lewis explains how the flaw works.

By Nick Lewis • March 20, 2017

Will the Yahoo breach indictments be an effective hacker deterrent?

The Department of Justice indicted suspects in the 2014 Yahoo breach, but experts are unsure if this will prove to be an effective hacker deterrent moving forward.

By Michael Heller • March 17, 2017

DOJ indicts suspected Yahoo hackers from Russia; extradition unclear

The U.S. Department of Justice indicted four men -- including two Russian Federal Security Service officers -- accused of being the Yahoo hackers, but only one person was arrested.

By Michael Heller • March 15, 2017

Deprecated SHA-1 certificates trip up SAP Ariba

SHA-1 certificates are still in play, despite browser deprecation, as SAP Ariba advises legacy users to use unpatched browsers to avoid error messages, blocked access.

By Peter Loshin • March 14, 2017

Android ransomware and more pre-installed on devices

Security researchers found Android ransomware and malware pre-installed on popular devices, putting users at risk for information theft, tracking and more.

By Michael Heller • March 14, 2017

Attack by TIFF images: What are the vulnerabilities in LibTIFF?

Attackers using crafted TIFF images can exploit flaws in the LibTIFF library to carry out remote code execution. Expert Michael Cobb explains how these vulnerabilities work.

By Michael Cobb • March 10, 2017

Operation Rosehub patches Java vulnerabilities in open source projects

Google employees recently completed Operation Rosehub, a grass roots effort that patches a set of serious Java vulnerabilities in thousands of open source projects.

By Peter Loshin • March 9, 2017

Vault 7 CIA hacking weapons include iOS, Android and Windows zero days

WikiLeaks released a massive dump of files it claims to be CIA hacking tools, codenamed Vault 7, which includes iOS and Android zero-day exploits.

By Michael Heller • March 8, 2017

How can attacks bypass ASLR protection on Intel chips?

An Intel chip flaw lets attackers bypass ASLR protection on most operating systems. Expert Michael Cobb explains the vulnerability and how to prevent attacks.

By Michael Cobb • March 8, 2017

How can the Dirty COW vulnerability be used to attack Android devices?

A copy-on-write vulnerability known as 'Dirty COW' was found in the Linux kernel of Android devices. Expert Michael Cobb explains the risks of this attack.

By Michael Cobb • March 7, 2017

FBI chooses to protect Tor vulnerability and dismiss child porn case

The Department of Justice dropped a child pornography case in order to avoid disclosing a Tor vulnerability; dozens more cases potentially affected.

By Michael Heller • March 6, 2017

New cybersecurity report gets the hacker perspective

A new cybersecurity report used a hacker survey to offer a perspective on IT that can often be overlooked and found there may not be any easy answers.

By Michael Heller • March 6, 2017

Employees knew about Yahoo security breach years ago, per new SEC filing

A new SEC filing details who knew about the major Yahoo security breach in 2014, but experts are confused by the repercussions of the announcement.

By Michael Heller • March 2, 2017

Edge and IE vulnerability disclosed by Project Zero

Google Project Zero's 90-day disclosure policy bites Microsoft again, as a zero-day Edge and IE vulnerability is made public before a patch is available.

By Michael Heller • Feb. 28, 2017

Google discloses Windows vulnerability after canceled Patch Tuesday

Google Project Zero discloses a Windows vulnerability that passed the 90-day deadline. And it comes soon after Microsoft canceled its Patch Tuesday release.

By Michael Heller • Feb. 21, 2017

State-sponsored hacking needs to stop, says Congressman McCaul

Rep. Michael McCaul took a harsh stance on Russian state-sponsored hacking at RSA Conference 2017 and pushed the U.S. government to do more to stop such attacks.

By Rob Wright • Feb. 15, 2017

Microsoft: Nation-state cyberattacks have changed the security game

Microsoft's Brad Smith spoke at RSA Conference 2017 about the effects of nation-state cyberattacks and what businesses and governments can do about them.

By Rob Wright • Feb. 14, 2017

Nation-state cyberattacks rising, warns former NSA director

Speaking at RSA Conference 2017, former NSA Director Keith Alexander warned of increased nation-state cyberattacks and called for an overhaul of U.S. government cybersecurity.

By Rob Wright • Feb. 14, 2017

Ransomware threat continues to evolve, defense needs to catch up

With the rapid expansion of the ransomware threat landscape, defenders are scrambling to find ways to fight back. RSAC 2017 dedicated a full day for a ransomware seminar.

By Peter Loshin • Feb. 14, 2017

Corero: Telecom carriers have fallen behind on DDoS defense

Corero Network Security's Dave Larson talks with SearchSecurity about how DDoS defense has changed and why telecom service providers have struggled to keep up with new threats.

By Rob Wright • Feb. 10, 2017

NSA contractor indicted for stealing elite cyberweapons over 20 years

The NSA contractor accused of stealing elite cyberweapons over the course of 20 years, but his connection to the Shadow Brokers auction of similar hacking tools is still unclear.

By Michael Heller • Feb. 10, 2017