Reports

Security of seismic sensor grid probed – BBC News

The BBC reports that thousands of seismic sensors monitoring geological activity are vulnerable to manipulation by way of cyber attack, though the seismic gear maker disputes the researchers’ findings. The poor security controls around the way the sensors transmit data were detailed in a presentation at the Def Con hacker convention. Researchers found ways to fool and overload sensors so monitoring systems would get wildly inaccurate readings.The findings have been reported to the US computer emergency organisation (sp) that oversees national infrastructure. Nanometrics, the company that makes the sensor system that was probed disputed the researchers’ findings. Source: Security of seismic sensor grid probed – BBC News

Apple Falls In Line: Offers Bounties Up To $200K For iOS, iCloud

In-brief: Apple announced on Thursday that a new bug bounty program would pay researchers up to $200,000 for information on flaws in its iOS mobile operating system and iCloud service, joining the ranks of technology firms that offer cash for information on software vulnerabilities. 

A Year Later, Clearly “Blackhat SEO” is still Working

In-brief: Akamai lead researcher Or Katz shares longitudinal data showing that blackhat SEO campaigns designed to improve the ranking of web sites that collect cheating and marital infidelity stories have worked.

Ransomware: the most profitable malware ever?

In-brief:Ransomware may be the “most profitable malware in history,” according to a new report out from Cisco Systems. But it is being helped along by poor management of information technology assets as well as the advent of identity shielding technologies like BitCoin and the Tor network.

The Good, Bad and Ugly of Vulnerability Markets

In-brief: Markets for information on software vulnerabilities are good for security. But they can also raise moral and ethical quandaries, especially in an age of cyber physical risks, argues Cisco’s Marc Blackmer.