virus

What Can Yahoo Learn From Malware?

Chris Dannen — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:42:30 -0500

Search engines would be more efficient if they were decentralized, reports MIT's Technology Review. In other words, they'd be faster if they were run like bot-nets.

On Facebook? New Algorithm Can Guess Your SSN

Chris Dannen — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:58:32 -0400

Two researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have shown they can reverse engineer a person's Social Security number using, ironically, nothing more than data from publicly available data on government sites, and the data you share with the world on Facebook.

The Facebook Email Scam: Have You Been Hit?

Chris Dannen — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:43:02 -0400

For the last two weeks, a phishing and malware scam propagated virally through Facebook, taking control of member accounts and blasting their friends with bogus messages. Today, a new wave of attacks hit, getting broader traction than ever, despite Facebook's best efforts to combat the scheme.

The Seven Coolest Things Online This Week

Chris Dannen — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:32:55 -0400

Sure, you're sick of Twitter, Bush, and bad news about the economy. But this topics still gin up some entertaining news--so check out the related stories that bubbled to the top of the social Web this week. FastCompany.com's best of the week is below.

Oh, Ope...

As of this morning, Oprah's on Twitter. But her tweet begs the question: is today the first time she's used a computer, too? Luckily Shaq was nice enough to set her straight.

MIT Scientists Build Virus-Powered Batteries for Your Next Electric Car

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:57:33 -0400

We've heard a lot of creative ideas for powering rechargeable batteries

Why Government Should Oversee Computer Security

Chris Dannen — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:47:55 -0500

There's no such thing as an innocent compliment. That's the lesson behind Koobface, a new virus that is tearing around the two biggest social networks, Facebook and MySpace [NWS], posing as a flattering message from one of your online friends.

Email Security Lessons from Gov. Sarah Palin

Fast Security — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:35:34 -0400

After Sarah Palin's email account was breached, the McCain campaign promised swift retribution. The hammer of justice fell last week on David Kernell, the son of a Tennessee state lawmaker. The 20 year-old University of Tennessee student accessed Palin's email account by successfully guessing a number of password reset questions, the answers to which were easily found online ("Where did you meet your spouse?" was among them).

The Latest in Identity Theft

Fast Security — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:18:09 -0400