How to become a hacker in 15 minutes

Federal Drive

How to become a hacker in 15 minutes

FBI Targets Cyber Mules

Federal News Network Staff

May 12, 2010 8:30 am

2 min read

Cybersecurity Update – Tune in weekdays at 30 minutes past the hour for the latest cybersecurity news on The Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Jane Norris (6-10 a.m.) and The Daily Debrief with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris (3-7 p.m.). Listen live at FederalNewsRadio.com or on the radio at 1500 and 820 AM in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

Coming soon to your computer: Tweets called “How to Become a Hacker in 15 Minutes”. Today, Ligatt Security International launches an effort to teach how hackers operate so users can avoid being victims. The daily tweets will feature “tips on how an attacker could break into a user’s wireless network, find someone via his or her email address, and break into a PC to steal personal information,” according DarkReading.com
An upcoming upgrade to your Web experience could unlock your computer’s door for hackers. Security experts say that HTML version 5 could let criminals steal information from your computer. The Web programming language is designed to improve performance and multimedia, like video. It would reportedly eliminate the need for managing browser plug-ins, like Adobe Flash. But an expert cited at DarkReading.com says HTML 5 also lets developers store more program information on your computer, giving hackers a chance to launch what’s called an SQL injection attack. HTML 5 is currently a working draft and could be finalized late this year or in 2011.
The FBI is planning a prosecution drive to break up rings of cyber criminals who steal money from bank accounts, reports the Wall Street Journal. Special effort will be devoted to rooting out so-called cyber mules, who turn online funds into hard cash. The plan was outlined at a cyber security event for small business hosted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Company. Criminals typically use man-in-the-browser malware to fool financial officers in state and local government and small business into giving up their banking credentials. The information is used to quickly withdraw money electronically, then transfer it in small quantities to online mules. The mules withdraw the money from their own accounts. Banks often refuse to cover the losses since they were incurred using legitimate credentials.