Make sure you install updates to your operating system often and as soon as they are available. Hackers exploiting flawed program A program that comes pre-installed on Apple Inc.’s Mac and MacBook as well as millions of other computers has a flaw that could enable hackers to take control of the computers, cybersecurity experts warned Thursday. Hackers could gain access to everything on the computer, including “sensitive information, confidential information, intellectual property, customer data, financial data — the list goes on — including the ability to make changes,” Kyle Kennedy, chief technology officer at data security firm Stealthbits Technologies Inc., said in a statement. The Department of Homeland Security’s computer security team also issued an alert about the bug, which cybersecurity experts said had the highest threat-level rating and required only minimal wits to exploit. The affected program, Bash, is rarely used by anyone other than computer programmers. It is used to write coded text commands that translate to actions on the computer, from simple things such as deleting files to complex tasks such as changing network setups. But many other software programs use Bash in the background, often without the computer user realizing. Bash is known as a “shell program,” spawning the name “Shellshock” for the bug. Operating systems based on Linux — including CentOS, Debian, Redhat and Ubuntu — have issued updates to begin squashing the bug, the Department of Homeland Security said. Apple, which develops the OSX operating system, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Cable boxes, routers and other Internet-connected devices also run Bash, said Chris Stoneff, director of professional services at Lieberman Software. The breadth of devices vulnerable makes the bug a juicy target for hackers, he and others said. The security firm Bitdefender said it had already seen attacks against Internet servers Thursday, noting that the threat usually involves an automated program that tries to sneak in a malicious command to the server. Some experts recommended encrypting sensitive files as a precaution. tinyurl/lzg6drl
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 23:00:00 +0000
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