Number 10 and Home Office website "hacked", not

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Category: Blog

This evening there are reports that Number 10 and Home Office website was hacked and it raises questions about the websites security. The websites were not hacked, they were taken offline due to a DDoS attack. DDoS is often a give up attack if the website cannot be penetrated and protecting from DDoS is a tough one. DDoS simply involves sending tens of thousands of visitors to the website thus stopping genuine traffic. Think of it as sending 500 into a Tesco Metro, no one genuine could get in.

DDoS is typically a botnet of tens of thousands of computers. Either they are infected maliciously or the owner installed a small software app. All computers are controlled centrally or each computer relays to the next to slow down or stop tracking. Due to all the traffic it is hard to determine what is genuine and what is not.

Bang Goes The Theory, "hacking" not really

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Category: Blog

Will the media ever learn? Phone "hacking" of voice mails or a phone Wi-Fi signal has nothing to do with the phone. The NOTW of the world scandal was going after voice mails sitting on a server and nothing to do with the phone. All of this is highlighted in Bang Goes The Theory. A good show but not great on technicalities. Wi-Fi interception is often insecure on PCs, laptops, Macs, phones or iPads. Nothing new to report on hacking of a phone Wi-Fi since the technology is the same as a laptop.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01fbfhg

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David (Webroot) Vs Goliath (McAfee): Corporate sabotage?

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Category: Blog

We have all heard of corporate espionage or corporate sabotage but most of us think it no longer takes place or it is done in a very covert way. Think again! McAfee is a giant American company owned by Intel with a revenue of $2064.80M and Webroot is a smaller American private company based in the USA.


Above image shows a warning from McAfee SiteAdvisor, a free browser plug-in. The computer has enterprise endpoint security on which is by another vendor and the free McAfee SiteAdvisor plug-in installed. Webroot SecureAnywhere is a cloud enterprise endpoint security package by Webroot. While trying to download it McAfee SiteAdvisor shows a warning "We tested this site and found it's risky to visit.". Hmm, McAfee SiteAdvisor says it's a dodgy website and even stranger Webroot is a competitor. Talk about trying to reduce sales on your competitor.