Anonymous returns to the news (at its customary nuisance level) bragging of having hacked 17,000 Israeli Facebook accounts. The hacktivist collective also boasts successful denial-of-service attacks against Saudi ministries. Both claims are unconfirmed.

Turkey's Ajan Hacker Group has defaced the municipal government website for Akron, Ohio, apparently under the impression that this strikes a crippling blow against Zionism and American power. The attack demonstrates that hacktivists' reach can be as long as their target choice can be bizarrely delusional. This week's conviction of British LulzSec hackers offers further insight into hacktivist motivation and self-image.

More Android malicious code—"Android.RoidSec"—is found circulating in the wild. Instagram, Skype, and Tumblr are currently being exploited as malware vectors. A campaign against Pakistani targets seems to originate in India, but attribution remains unclear, and the apparent Indian connections may be the result of hijacking or false-flag operations. Aheadlib is exploited to distribute Winnti malware.

Viruses properly so-called—malicious infections that self-replicate and impair device performance—make a comeback despite their old-school obviousness.

The Distributed Common Ground System versus Palantir sectarian conflict resumes in the US Army. The US House Appropriations Committee proposes 2014 budget elements, many of which affect cyber spending. US Intelligence Community workers will not be furloughed during budget sequestration.

Risk-based defenses are the current trend, but compliance-based approaches aren't going away either: Dark Reading suggests a rapprochement. "Virtual padlocks" attract cloud users worried about vendors' ability to resist government data calls. Universities consider ways of avoiding exploitation in amplification attacks.