Physical Security — News

E-commerce merchants using shopping cart software CS-Cart version 3.0.4 and earlier are vulnerable to a flaw that allows fraudsters to buy goods without paying for them.

Enterprise information security in Australia could come under much greater scrutiny with the nation’s Information Commissioner looking to drill down deeply into the details of an organisation’s security practices after a breach.

Smart meters have long been a contentious issue in Australia and elsewhere, but some researchers warn that they're broadcasting unencrypted usage information that could be used to figure out whether you're at home or not.

Cosmo, the 15 year-old member of the hacking crew UG Nazi began a six-year Internet lock down this week after striking a plea bargain over a host of crimes, including an international credit card fraud bust led by the FBI last year that extended to Australia.

Drug dealers that sell prescription steroids, opioids and other “Schedule 8” controlled drugs, are exploiting the lack of consistency in legitimate Australian prescription documents, according to a Queensland Health investigator.

The idea that any number of federal institutions are watching your every move on social networks like Facebook, Twitter is unnerving at best. The Department of Homeland Security is one of those agencies and today it testified before a House subcommittee to define and defend its role in social media monitoring.

Researchers at a university in Bochum, Germany claim to have cracked encryption algorithms of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) that are used to secure certain civilian satellite phone communications.

I've always wanted to be responsible for physical security. I never understood why the security of computers, networks and data is managed by a different department than the security of doors, windows and cameras. The same principles apply in both worlds. And let's face it: Physical security is actually run on computers. So I think it's perfectly natural for information security to own it.

While we wait for the final judgment on the privacy implications of the Carrier IQ fiasco, security pros are asking what the potential security implications of the embattled mobile diagnostic software could be.

Cyber-thieves are using distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks in order to distract banks from spotting and reversing fraudulent wire transfers initiated on behalf of their customers.

Speaking in Sydney last week at The Attachmate Group, Inc’s customer briefing “ A Powerful Connection 2011”, Stan Gallo, Associate Director, KMPG Forensic gave an overview of the latest global research into the typical fraudster, the incidence of fraud and identity theft in Australia.

After jumping through countless hoops to get the required set of security clearances and approval by the US Embassy to photograph the President’s visit CSO can see why these steps were justified.

Our photojournalist Neerav Bhatt was less than 5 metres away from the world’s most heavily secured individual - the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama.

The wireless hacking of a medical device, first demonstrated at the Black Hat 2011 conference in August, has been taken a step further. An insulin pump has been hacked and instructed to deliver a lethal dose without first knowing the device's ID number.

Destroying data to protect against fraud.

Despite claims the phishing email that netted RSA’s staff in its SecurID breach was a crude example of social engineering, RSA boss Art Coviello insists it was highly sophisticated and would have fooled even the most skilled PC operator.

Biometrics — the security method for identifying an individual by making a match of fingerprints, iris, face, voice, DNA and other unique physical traits — scares people, an industry leader in the field acknowledged this week. But enterprise technology managers say there's no doubt biometrics is a boon to enterprise security.

TAMPA --  Using a portable kit to be able to quickly analyze human DNA collected in the field for investigative and forensics purposes has been a long-time dream for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), law enforcement and the Department of Defense (DoD).

TAMPA -- Biometric security breakthroughs are coming that would let the military capture from a distance an iris and facial scan of an individual and immediately match it to a biometrics-based "Watch List" of suspected terrorists, combatants or criminals.

The Federal Trade Commission the week said it will hold a workshop that examines how burgeoning use of facial recognition technology impacts privacy and security.

Something doesn't add up. ASIO is doing pretty well. So are our police. Australians sleep safer in their beds than ever before. Yet the government is rushing to pass new laws to "protect" us so fast they're even forgetting the widgets that make them work.