Top 10 Stories

Computerworld - At least three security companies have scrubbed information related to Target from the Web, highlighting the ongoing sensitivity around one of the largest-ever data breaches. How hackers broke into Target and installed malware on point-of-sale terminals that harvested up to 40 million payment card details is extremely sensitive. Now, details that give insight into the attack are being hastily removed or redacted, perhaps not to tip off hackers or jeopardize the investigation.    

BBC - A network of 400 "master" computer science teachers is being recruited to deliver a new computer science curriculum in schools across England. These specialist teachers will train teachers in other schools and provide resources for teachers to use in class.

Register - US attorneys have charged thirteen people in connection with a massive fraud operation which netted some $2m in stolen funds. The Manhattan District Attorney's office says that four defendants masterminded a plot to install card skimming devices at gas pumps throughout the southern US and then use a network of money mules to withdraw and transfer funds from the stolen cards in a money laundering operation.  

eWeek - DNS poisoning cuts Internet access for millions of users in China, but so far government officials have not clearly stated whether it was the result of a mistake or a cyber-attack. Internet users in China were affected by a large scale outage over an eight-hour period on Jan. 21 that has been linked to an unspecified DNS problem that redirected traffic and prevented many Web users from reaching popular domains. - See more at:...

Inquirer -VMware will buy mobile management and security startup outfit Airwatch for $1.54bn, or about £930m. The firm announced today that the deal has been approved by both companies' boards and is forecast to close by the end of this quarter.0  

New York Times - An independent federal privacy watchdog has concluded that theNational Security Agency’s program to collect bulk phone call records has provided only “minimal” benefits in counterterrorism efforts, is illegal and should be shut down. The findings are laid out in a 238-page report, scheduled for release by Thursday and obtained by The New York Times, that represent the first major public statement by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, which Congress made an independent...

The Verge - Today, Microsoft announced an unpredecented response to concerns of NSA data access, offering customers in foreign countries the option of having their data stored outside US borders. According to a Financial Times report, the company decided to launch the program after discovering the NSA was using their networks to surveil citizens of Brazil and the European Union.   So far, Microsoft is the only major company offering explicitly non-US data storage, despite evidence that the...

ZDNet - Facebook has paid out its largest bug bounty ever of $33,500 to a security researcher who could have potentially taken full control of a server within its network. Since 2012, Brazilian computer engineer Reginaldo Silva has been toying with vulnerabilities in OpenID, the open technology that allows users to use an account with an existing identity provider to sign in to other compatible services. For example, a user can trust Symantec's Personal Identity Portal...

BBC - The passwords and other details of 16 million email users in Germany have been stolen, the country's security agency has revealed. The Federal Office for Security said criminals had infected computers with software which allowed them to gather email addresses and account passwords.

The Register - A Slovenian court has declined America's request to extradite hacker Victor Faur, on the basis that he's already received a sentence in Romania. Faur gained notoriety for breaking into US Navy, NASA and Department of Energy systems in 2005 and 2006. Tried and convicted in Romania, he received a 16 month suspended sentence and a fine of $238,000 back in 2008.