FBI working with NSA, CIA on cyber threats
The FBI must work more closely with the major US intelligence agencies in order to combat threats in cyberspace, its director said on Thursday, likening the government response to that against terrorism. Read more
A big hacking arrest and a PayPal boycott
As UK police said they arrested the alleged second of four co-founders of the hacking supergroup Lulz Security, one of those still at large branched out into a legal form of protest, promoting a boycott of PayPal. Read more
Ukraine: Zeus cyber gang brought in $40m
Ukraine authorities said on Tuesday that the 20 suspects, including 5 key targets they detained as part of a global crackdown on crime rings using the Zeus malware to steal from online bank accounts, brought a total of $40m into the country.
At a press conference covered by the FT’s Mark Rachkevych, officials from the Ukraine’s SBU confirmed that the alleged kingpins had been released, but said the five could expect to be charged this week.
Potentially among them are money laundering, interfering with computer transmissions, and distributing malicious programs. Prison terms for conviction on the second or third of those start at two years, while money laundering can fetch as many as 15. Read more
Catch me if you can
The hacker who hijacked the Twitter accounts of celebrities including Britney Spears and US President Barack Obama was arrested in France on Wednesday, only to be released and ordered to appear in court in June.
“Hacker Croll” gained notoriety last year by taking over some of the most prominent accounts on Twitter, then sending out fake messages to millions of unsuspecting followers. A hacker by the same name also accessed a trove of internal corporate documents from Twitter and leaked them to TechCrunch, though it was not immediately clear if the man arrested on Wednesday was responsible for both attacks.
The AFP reported that the arrest was the culmination of a months-long operation that involved French authorities and the FBI. It was not immediately clear if the man was charged with a crime. Read more
Scammers and spammers target social sites
“No, Your Social Networking ‘Friend’ Isn’t Really in Trouble Overseas” — That’s the title of a press release put out yesterday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The release was a warning to users of social networking sites, encouraging them to be sceptical of suspicious requests, even if they look like they are coming from friends. In a recent popular scam, fraudsters have been infiltrating accounts, announcing they are in trouble overseas, and asking their friends for money. Read more
| About this blog | Blog guide |
Richard Waters has headed the FT's San Francisco bureau since 2002 and covers Google and Microsoft, among other things. A former New York bureau chief for the FT, he is intrigued by Silicon Valley's unique financial and business culture, and is looking forward to covering his second Tech Bust.
Chris Nuttall has been online and messing around with computers for more than 20 years and since 2004 has reported from the FT's San Francisco bureau on semiconductors, video games, consumer electronics and all things interwebby.
Maija Palmer has been writing about technology for the FT since 1999 and is fascinated by cybercrime, privacy and all the other issues of the information society. Based in London, she covers European tech companies and hopes that they won't all get acquired by American rivals.
Robin Kwong is the FT's technology, media and telecoms page editor in London. Formerly he was the Taipei correspondent and wrote about the companies that manufacture the vast majority of the world's computers and gadgets. He is interested in the intricacies of the technology supply chain and how China is increasingly changing the tech landscape.
Tim Bradshaw is the FT's digital media correspondent, and has just moved from London to join our team in San Francisco. He has covered start-ups such as Twitter and Spotify, as well as the online ambitions of more established media companies, such as the BBC iPlayer. He also covers the advertising, marketing and video-game industries. Tim has been writing about technology, business and finance since 2003.
