Malware

Gamers and cellphone users were targeted by criminal groups around the world this week - while retailers continued to suffer at the hands of POS malware, and a phishing campaign highlighted just how hot Bitcoin is right now.

More than a thousand U.S. businesses have been affected by point-of-sale malware - malicious software written specifically for online fraud, to steal information such as credit card details from businesses and their customers.

This week saw two of the scariest targets for hacks ever - nuclear plants and city-wide traffic systems. Tthe traffic-light hack could basically have paralyzedany one of 40 American cities, and America’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission was successfully attacked three times within the past three years.

‘Scareware’ - fake antivirus programs which attempt to fool the user into downloading malware, by warning him or her of a “threat” on their PC - is back, with a new, even more annoying trick.

America’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission was successfully attacked three times within the past hree years, by unknown attackers, some foreign - and largely using standard phishing emails.

Video games have gone since the late 1970s and early 1980s from being a small offshoot of the "traditional" computing industry to becoming a full-fledged multi-billion dollar industry - with its own brand of criminal.

Blackphone, billed as a privacy tool to keep the puplic safe ruled the headlines when it was is hacked in five minutes, Meanwhile, Wi-Fi routers were also shown up - and Android users face a toothy new threat,

The gaming industry keeps growing, and the crowds at Cologne's Gamescom 2014, show why big game titles are rapidly becoming a target for cybercrime. Our tips will help you enjoy the latest games - without hackers declaring 'Game Over'.

One of the most important pieces of advice we give Android users is to refrain from downloading applications from dubious sources and to stick to the official Google Play store, where malware does show up from time to time but is much better controlled, thanks to the Google Bouncer, than on alternative app stores.