This Week In Computer Security

This week in computer security wasn’t as rough as in weeks past, with few major breaches or attacks of note. The real news this week comes in the form of leaked documents, exploits, and emails and an interesting operating system supposedly from the Anonymous collective.

Anonymous OS:

Anonymous supposedly released an eponymous operating system containing tools such as the Low-Orbit Ion Cannon (LOIC) and a few other DDOS tools as well as a suite of anonymization and hacking tools. Unfortunately it was reported that the Ubuntu-based operating system was riddled with trojan and other malicious software. Many Anonymous elements on twitter were asking potential users not to risk downloading it. These suspicions caused Sourceforge to investigate the project and later remove it for “transparency” reasons on the part of the author. It had about 37000 downloads when it was removed.
Read more here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/16/anon_os_trojan_fears/

Syrian President’s Emails Exposed:

Syrian opposition forces gained access to the private emails and passwords of Bashar al-Assad for such services as iTunes and more through what they called an internal source. These emails were leaked by the Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/series/assad-emails-the-documents) and detail some expenditures, questionable photos, and some insights into the Syrian uprisings. Hacks such as this further illustrate the role that information warfare can take in modern conflicts.
More here: http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/03/16/syria-hacking-idINDEE82F0HX20120316

Microsoft Security Leak?

The security community is worried that there may be a leak in a Microsoft security program designed to release exploits to companies enrolled in the program. These companies are responsible for the security for many clients or are responsible for maintaining security products. Each member of the program is supposedly vetted and maintains Non-disclosure agreements related to the disclosure of exploits. Unfortunately, a leaked exploit proof-of-concept containing the exact packet used in the report from a security researcher has ended up on a Chinese-language forum. This may indicate a compromise at Microsoft or a leak.
Read More Here: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/exploit-code-published-for-rdp-worm-hole-does-microsoft-have-a-leak/10860