Content by Mathew J. Schwartz

How Do We Catch Cybercrime Kingpins?

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  June 4, 2015

Law enforcement officials estimate that fewer than 200 people in the world build the core infrastructure and tools relied on by cybercriminals who would otherwise lack such capabilities. What's the best way to stop them?

Busting the Beebone Botnet

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  June 4, 2015

Intel Security cybercrime expert Raj Samani says that after the April disruption of the Beebone botnet by law enforcement agencies, researchers have found more infected nodes than normal, largely in Iran.

Cybercrime: Niche Services Evolve

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  June 3, 2015

Cybercrime continues to evolve, offering an ever-increasing array of niche capabilities, ranging from attack techniques and infrastructure to related research and sales services, warns Trend Micro's Bharat Mistry.

Behavioral Learning Secures Networks

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  June 3, 2015

To help organizations discover what they don't know is happening on their networks, Darktrace uses machine learning to create advanced baselines of normal behavior, then sounding alarms when it sees deviations.

The Rise of 'Cyber' Security

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  June 3, 2015

Many security pros look askance at "cybersecurity." But Symantec's Sian John says the embrace of that term shows just how much senior executives are beginning to understand the risks their organizations face.

GCHQ Official Avoids Privacy Questions

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  June 2, 2015

The lead cybersecurity official for Britain's GCHQ intelligence agency dismisses charges that the U.K. conducts mass surveillance. But critics question the government's introduction of the Investigatory Powers Bill.

The Myth of Cybercrime Deterrence

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  June 1, 2015

Prosecutors love to tell judges that sentences for hackers and cybercriminals must be strong enough to deter future such crimes. But as the case of Silk Road mastermind Ross Ulbricht shows, they've failed to make the case for deterrence.

Breached Dating Site: Missed Alerts?

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 29, 2015

Breached dating website FriendFinder allegedly missed email warnings from security researchers that its site had been breached and customers' data was being sold on a "darknet" site. What can other businesses learn from that apparent mistake?

Sally Beauty Details POS Malware Attack

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 29, 2015

Sally Beauty Supply says that a four-week investigation shows that the retailer suffered a six-week point-of-sale malware attack at U.S. stores, compromising card data for an unknown number of customers.

Warning: Security Alert Overload

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 27, 2015

Vendors' and software makers' over-reliance on security messages and warnings has left users habituated to them, thus rendering such alerts less effective or even worthless, warns cybersecurity expert Alan Woodward.

Selling InfoSec Careers to Women

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 27, 2015

To entice more women, as well as men, to enter information security professions, researcher Lysa Myers says the industry needs to kill its boring image and better communicate the full array of opportunities available and the skills that are in demand.

Hot Sessions at Infosec Europe 2015

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 26, 2015

This year's Infosecurity Europe conference in London is offering a top-notch range of sessions, ranging from how to battle cybercrime and social engineering to building a better security culture and workforce. Here's my list of must-see sessions.

The Internet of Buggy Things

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 26, 2015

It's no surprise that virus-wielding hackers are exploiting Internet of Things devices. Blame too many device manufacturers rushing products to market, skimping on secure development practices and failing to audit the third-party code they use.

In Britain, Malware No. 1 Cyberthreat

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 22, 2015

Britain's computer emergency response team - CERT-UK - reports that malware remains the dominant mode of online attack for cybercriminals, and Zeus their most preferred tool of choice. But the team is promoting a free information-alert service to help.

Logjam Vulnerability: 5 Key Issues

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  May 21, 2015

While the "Logjam" vulnerability raises serious concerns, there's no need to rush related patches into place, according to several information security experts. Learn the key issues, and how organizations must respond