hacking

News Byte

Twitter Account of U.K.’s Largest TV Network Falls to Syrian Hackers

Arik Hesseldahl in News on May 24 at 12:40 pm PT

A Twitter account belonging to ITV, Britain’s largest TV broadcaster, is the latest victim of a hacking campaign by the Syrian Electronic Army. The network confirmed to Reuters that the account was compromised. It’s the latest attack on a Twitter account controlled by a Western media organization by the pro-Assad group. Previous targets include the Associated Press, the Financial Times, the Onion and CBS News. Twitter has recently instituted new security measures to help prevent incidents like these.

Voices

Iran Hacks Energy Firms, U.S. Says

Siobhan Gorman and Danny Yadron, Reporters, The Wall Street Journal in News on May 24 at 7:30 am PT

Iranian-backed hackers have escalated a campaign of cyber assaults against U.S. corporations by launching infiltration and surveillance missions against the computer networks running energy companies, according to current and former U.S. officials.

Syrian Electronic Army Leaves Its Mark on the Financial Times

Arik Hesseldahl in News on May 17 at 7:52 am PT

Another western media organization is attacked by the pro-Assad group of digital pranksters.

Did Stuxnet Actually Improve Iran’s Nuclear Capabilities?

Arik Hesseldahl in News on May 15 at 11:36 am PT

What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.

Voices

Legal Showdown on Cyber Security

Brent Kendall, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on May 13 at 10:55 am PT

When hackers broke into computer systems at Wyndham Worldwide Corp. and several of its hotels, they allegedly stole payment-card numbers for hundreds of thousands of consumer accounts.

The Onion, Yahoo-Hulu and Android on Windows — 10 Things You Need to See on AllThingsD This Week

Eric Johnson in News on May 12 at 9:18 am PT

A convenient roundup of the Top 10 stories that powered AllThingsD this week.

Why The Onion Is Awesome for Publishing Details of Its Twitter Hack

Arik Hesseldahl in News on May 10 at 5:59 am PT

Details of hacking attacks are too often kept secret.

China Sees Cyberwar as Reducing U.S. Advantage in Future Conflict

Arik Hesseldahl in News on May 7 at 5:52 am PT

A new Pentagon report outlines the latest understanding of China’s stance on digital warfare and espionage.

Syrian Hackers Turn Tables, Hack The Onion’s Twitter Account

Arik Hesseldahl in News on May 6 at 4:06 pm PT

A little later, The Onion bites back, with predictable results.

News Byte

Facebook to Offer Extra Security — Via Your Friends

Mike Isaac in Social on May 2 at 9:00 am PT

Facebook announced Thursday that it will roll out “Trusted Contacts,” an extra authorization layer of security that allows users to select a few friends who can help verify a user’s identity. Give from three to five of your friends personalized security PIN numbers to hold for you. If you have problems logging in, getting three of those PIN numbers from friends will let you access your account. Nifty! Also, interesting timing for a release, considering all of Twitter’s recent security snafus.