hackers

You've heard it a hundred times before: you need to create a hacker-proof password to keep from falling victim to cybercrime. But not only are you supposed to choose a hard-to-guess password, it's best to have a different one for each website you've registered with. This fact was reinforced after the recent hacking of Gawker, which allowed hackers to gain access to Gawker user accounts, as well as any other online account that used the same password. Even more worrysome: this weekends massive email data breach.

Talk about confusing! So how do you go about creating a hacker-proof password that's easy to remember? Find out after the break.

There's a new trojan virus on the block, and instead of infecting your computer with malware or copying your data, it's actually stealing your money. Over 3,000 people in the UK have already been emptied of nearly $1 million dollars to date from the Zeus3 trojan, and while this sounds like the perfect time to panic, the only "silver lining" for the rest of us is that the trojan has affected customers from just one online banking system . . . so far.

There is one major problem, though. Find out what it is, and how the trojan works when you read more.

Talk about using your skills for good instead of evil! Recently, a competition called the US Cyber Challenge pitted young people with exceptional computer skills against each other in a hacker competition. Organizers of the challenge say that these kinds of computer skills go unnoticed because some of the best talent often has little or no formal computer training.

The challenge required participants to hack into as many target computers as possible, and then to defend these computers against further attack from others. The competition's main goal is to identify young people with computer skills and inspire them to become security specialists protecting computer and online systems used by the government, military, and even everyday people.

The challenge, which has a moderator, begins as competitors download an image with a hidden code. They then enter the system and attempt to hack security vulnerabilities as the moderator adds roadblocks and changes to throw the competitors off. The winner of the challenge is just 21, and a 17-year-old student also finished in the top three. Competition organizers hope that identifying talented youth and "grooming" them for jobs in high-tech security will keep would-be hackers playing for the "good" team. I think it's an excellent way to find and encourage talented students and job seekers, not to mention the benefits for online security and safety.