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+ - As Bitcoins Value Tops $1B, Phishing Attacks, Fraud Increase->

Submitted by chicksdaddy
chicksdaddy (814965) writes "These are heady times for BitCoin, the global, virtual online currency. Last month, the global value of bitcoins topped US $1 billion. And, in recent days, the dollar value equivalent of BitCoins have skyrocketed, topping $145 per coin this week.

The rapid rise in Bitcoin value has attracted media attention. A recent article on The New Yorker’s Elements blog described The BitCoin Boom as a byproduct of shaky banks and economies in The EU, North America and Asia – but also of the increasing use of the coins as a legitimate online currency.

But Security Ledger reports that as the value of Bitcoins rise, Bitcoin holders and the Bitcoin infrastructure is increasingly being targeted by underground criminals. Recent attacks include phishing e-mail messages sent to customers of Bitcoin exchanges in efforts to gain access to their accounts and a crippling DDoS attack against another exchange. In March, attackers stole $12,000 of the coins from Bitinstant, a Bitcoin transaction processor, after phishing account holders. There’s even specialized malware, dubbed Infostealer.Coinbit designed to steal information needed to access Bitcoin wallets, according to the anti phishing firm NetCraft."
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Crime

+ - Six Arrested For Compromising 10,000 Bank Accounts->

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "Six people have been arrested on suspicion of stealing credit cards, personal information and banking details as part of a suspected online banking fraud. Inquiries indicate that more than 10,000 online bank accounts and 10,000 credit cards have been compromised. Attempted bank account take-over fraud amounting to approximately £1.14 million has been identified with £358,000 stolen successfully. The total amount stolen using compromised credit cards has yet to be established, but by using the industry agreed standard formula is estimated to be worth more than £3 million."
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Earth

+ - Chimps Mourn Their Dead->

Submitted by krou
krou (1027572) writes "Two reports demonstrate that Chimps mourn their dead, with one group proposing "that chimpanzees' response to death has been underestimated." In the first, two mother chimps carried their dead babies (who had died from flu) for weeks before abandoning them. In another report, researchers described the death of a chimp named Pansy, an elderly captive female chimp. Before she died, 'other chimpanzees began to nest near Pansy, instead of sleeping on their normal platforms. They were quiet and attentive, grooming and caressing her often.' Once she had died, her daughter, Rosie, then proceeded to stay with the body during the night, described by one of the researchers as a 'night-time vigil'. Later, the chimps all avoided the place where Pansy had died, and for 'weeks afterwards, the survivors were lethargic and quiet, and ate little — a sign of grief and mourning.'"
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Google

+ - Google has no suggestions for "Islam is. . . "->

Submitted by mjoseff
mjoseff (792283) writes "As reported by Slashdot back in April, ""The British government's Office of Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT), a 200-strong Home Office unit created 18 months ago, has said in meetings it wants to 'flood the internet' with 'positive' interpretations of Islam and plans to train government-approved groups in search engine optimization techniques, which it is hoped will boost their profile online and battle radicalization." http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/04/13/0243229/UK-To-Train-Pro-West-Islamic-Groups-To-Game-Google. "If you type, “Buddhism is” or “Christianity is,” Google will quickly show you suggestions for what it thinks you might be trying to type. In the former query’s case, the Google guesses “not a religion,” “wrong,” “not what you think.” Christianity gets tougher treatment with the suggestions “bullshit” and “not a religion.”. But the query “Islam is”? Not a thing comes to mind for Google to suggest. (Search results are still there, of course.)""
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