Tabnapping phishing tactic surfaces

Scientist claims to be the first human infected with a computer virus

Cybersecurity Update – Tune in weekdays at 30 minutes past the hour for the latest cybersecurity news on The Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Amy Morris (6-10 a.m.) and The DorobekInsider with Chris Dorobek (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.

  • If, like many users, you do, you have a new cyber security worry. Dubbed tab-napping, the attack involves using Java script to secretly change the content of open, but idle, tabbed browser windows. When users return to the tabs — sometimes hours after opening them — they might see familiar-looking log-in windows for their online shopping or e-mail accounts. But the credential information they use to log on is really going to the hackers. According to Computerworld, tab-napping was demonstrated by Aza Raskin of Mozilla, the producer of the Firefox browser. And all of the major browsers for Windows 7 and Mac OS are vulnerable.
  • A British scientist claims to be the first human to have been infected with a computer virus after he contaminated an electronic chip which was inserted into his hand. Dr Mark Gasson, of the University of Reading, said the device was programmed with a virus which could transfer itself to other electronic systems it came in contact with. The London Telegraph reports any other chips that interacted with the infected systems would also contract the virus, he said, raising the possibility that in the future, advanced medical devices such as pacemakers could become vulnerable to cyber attacks.
  • When it comes to securing the nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure, how do federal officials think of the future? Federal News Radio’s Max Cacas reports on one of the top cybersecurity officials at the Department of Homeland Security who weighs in on the topic. For more, click here.

Check out all of Federal News Radio’s coverage of

        Join us Apr. 23 and 24 at 1 p.m. EST for Federal News Network's CX Exchange where we'll be hosting leaders and industry experts to get insight on how agencies are embedding CX into their missions. | Register today!

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.