• Hackers hacked at DefCon gathering

    The tens of thousands of networks handling traffic on the Internet are programmed to trust each other for the best routes for data; a bad idea — since a hacker can hijack traffic to and from Web sites of choice by adding enough numbers to computer addresses to have his or her network automatically deemed the best path for the data

  • Nuclear fuel cycle echnology R&D, $15 million awarded

    U.S. Department of Energy awards funding ranging in value from $200,000 to $2,000,000 to 34 organizations to do reasearch into spent fuel separations technology, advanced nuclear fuel development, fast burner reactors, and advanced transmutation systems, advanced fuel cycle systems analysis, advanced computing and simulation, safeguards, and advanced waste forms

  • AuthenTec offer scanners for fingerptint-enabled phones

    AuthenTec has shipped more than seven million AuthenTec-enabled phones powered by the Symbian OS, comprising 14 mobile phone models using AuthenTec’s fingerprint sensors

  • U.S. military launches war on global warming

    The U.S. military wants to make a contribution toward reducing oil dependence and grann-house emmissions; the military has set a goal that 25 percent of its energy should come from renewable sources by 2025 and aims to create machines and methods to help Main Street America reach similar targets

  • Using kites to generate electricity

    The amount of power available from wind is related to the cube of its speed; blades at higher altitudes could thus generate up to five times the amount of electricity as at lower altitudes; why, then, not place blades at higher altitudes?

  • Social networking sites are target-rich opportunity for hackers

    Social neyworking sites — Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn — are becoming more popular for both users and hackers; the biggest danger from social networking sites is that they embed powerful features that only few subscribers actually use, such as digital image or media files with the ability to download content from third-party Web sites, which expose users to risk

  • Smart Grid would contribute to U.S. energy security and sustainability

    New report from the Reform Institute examines benefits of a next generation electric power grid for national resilience and energy efficiency

  • House's measures strengthen cybersecurity

    House passes eight measures intended strengthen cybersecurity, promote greater sharing of unclassified information, and prevent the over-classification of information

  • Hacker of U.S. defense computers about to be extradited to U.S.

    Seven years ago Gary McKinnon, a U.K. citizen, hacked into 92 computer systems at the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Defense, and NASA; he said he was hoping to uncover evidence of UFOs; his string of appeals exhausted, he is to be extradited soon

  • Hackers' attacks on U.S. government systems are frequent, serious

    U.S. government computer systems under frequent and serious attacks by other governments and organizations; James Finch, assistant director of the FBI’s cybercrime division: “We’re not worried so much about the noisy attacks as we are about the quiet ones”

  • Beckstrom: Networking security worth the money

    Rod Beckstrom, director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Cybersecurity Center, tells Black Hat that “We want to invest in protocols because it may be some of the cheapest security dollars we can spend”

  • Kaminsky offers details of DNS flaw

    Dan Kaminsky tells Black Hat attendees about the DNS vulnerability he discovered a few months ago; “We have to get better about fixing the infrastructure,” Kaminsky said; “We got lucky fixing this bug but may not be so lucky next time.”

  • New approach to virus protection

    Wolverines researchers describe a new method of protecting computers against viruses by moving antivirus functionality into the “network cloud” and off personal computers

  • Ensuring uptime at the Games

    Technology glitches at previous Olympics have lead to problems such as the inability to feed competition results into official Web sites and media outlets; Chinese security officials must also contend with individuals and groups of hackers attacking systems during the Olympics

  • Giant online security hole getting fixed, slowly

    Serious DNS security flaw was discovered a month ago, a flaw which allowed criminals silently to redirect traffic to Web sites under their control; more details will be given at today’s Black Hat event