The Network Time Protocol, or NTP, is a component present in OS X that could be targeted, and for which Apple has promptly issued a fix, for the first time ever, through its automated system, instead of the regular update system that typically requires user intervention.

Effective shortly after 6:00pm, last night, on Sunday night of November 23, hackers have successfully disabled Craigslist, for at least 2 hours, with a DNS attack.

On Wednesday, the agency has announced a wide crack​down on fraudulent companies advertising services that promise to rid personal computers of malware, while doing the exact opposite, in an attempt to rid unwitting and non tech-savvy consumers of their savings.

The ongoing epidemic of these attacks has been carried out by the “Backoff” malware, which latches onto point of sale systems, records card transaction swipes, and sends the information back to the pirates, who will then be able to resell the stolen data. The latest strand of the malware has been active since October, and was discovered only in recent weeks, with thousands of businesses completely unaware of the presence of the malware within their systems.