Provided by CommunityDNS, the information in this post consists of news items in the security-based Internet community.

Hacking Oracle’s database will soon get easier

A user friendly tool developed by security experts to simulate attacks on computer systems can be used by hackers for hacking into Oracle’s database; a platform used by companies to store electronic information. The software was created through the Metasploit open-source project where the software is released free over the web. The tool automates many of the complicated features in hacking into Oracle databases, thus making it easy for amateur hackers.

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New attacks exploit vulnerability in (fully-patched) Adobe Flash

Known since last December and exploited since July 9, this zero-day exploit is transported through a PDF document or via the more common technique of using a 1.1 kilobyte Adobe Flash file. To date none of the main anti-virus firms have been able to detect the poisoned SWF files.

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Kenya cable ushers in broadband era

In a country where Internet connectivity is via dialup and satellite, today Kenya is receiving its first taste of broadband through the turning on of a new undersea cable that is reaching three countries in Africa; Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. The higher speeds are expected to have an impact on the country’s economy, from increased customer turnover in local cyber cafes to day-trading on Nairobi’s stock exchange; something normally relegated to a 2 or 3 day wait period to learn if the trade cleared.

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Total eclipse used to bait scareware scam

Illustrating how quickly scammers adapt to relevant news items, scammers lured people to a site selling rogue anti-virus based upon the search term, “Solar Eclipse 2009 in America”. Ranking second on search results the site catered to those who were relatively affluent who were slightly naïve westerners who didn’t realize the eclipse was on the other side of the globe.

In February 2008 another Trojan-based attack was launched, taking advantage of a lunar eclipse.

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Gordon Brown says technology can change foreign policy

Technology, such as blogs, YouTube and Twitter mean the world an no longer be run by “elites”. Through such technology leaders can more easily listen to people’s opinions, thus helping to shape foreign policy. This was UK’s prime minister Gordon Brown’s message at the TED Global conference in Oxford.

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Malware levels to exceed those of 2008

More than 1.2 million unique forms of malware have been identified in the first half of 2009. For the same period last year only 500,000 unique forms had been identified with a combined total of 1.5 million identified in 2008.

Other information from the same source says 40% of all password stealing Trojans may be found on websites connected to gaming and virtual worlds. 80% of all banking e-mail to web users are phishing scams with an average victim’s loss due to phishing scams being £520 per scam.

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More Americans Access Internet From Mobile Devices

In a survey of 2,253 adults, a recent report found 56% of Americans access the internet from a mobile device. For the survey the term “mobile device” includes smartphones, laptops, game consoles and MP3 players.

32% use cell or smartphones to send e-mails and instant messages; up from 24% in December 2007. Internet usage using handhelds was more prevalent among minorities than among whites. The number of whites accessing the Internet through a handheld device was 28%; up from 21% in 2007. African-American use of the Internet through a handheld device rose to 48% from 2007’s 29%. Among Latinos the number was 47%, up from 2007’s 38%.

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