Threats

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

Researcher Warns of Holes In Smart Thermostats

In-brief: A researcher from the firm Trustwave warns that Trane ComfortLink smart thermostats suffer from a string of security woes, including hard coded administrator credentials. 

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. 

White House Effort Yields Rating System for Software Security

In-brief: A White  House-backed effort to develop a system for rating software security is set to launch at this week’s Black Hat briefings with famed hacker Peiter Zatko (aka “Mudge”) at the helm. 

Clues in language often tip hacker’s hand | CSMonitor.com

  In-brief: forensic investigators are using language clues to help identify the source of sophisticated and targeted attacks, like those on Democratic Party committees and the campaign of Hillary Clinton.