The post mortem on the US IRS breach continues. Sources said to be close to the investigation tell reporters the attack has been traced to Russia, but whether that means the Russian government or the Russian mob (or both) is unclear. The attribution is, of course, still preliminary and unofficial.

What's not as tentative is the conclusion about how the attackers got it: they used stolen personal information to bypass security protections. Thus the attack itself (if not its roots in the criminal market) was decidedly low tech. It was also decidedly the kind of attack any number of other agencies might suffer, and underlines again the potential consequences of breaches that expose personally identifiable information (especially, in the United States, Social Security Account Numbers).

An SMS-based campaign (using Arabic characters) is affecting iOS devices. Adaptive Mobile explains how a specially crafted message crashes devices when the user opens it.

KnowBe4 describes a "sleeper" functionality in Locker ransomware.

As cyber security increasingly becomes an agenda item for corporate boards, security companies draw increasing investor attention. Palo Alto (which has just acquired CirroSecure in a software-as-a-service play) delivers impressive earnings. FireEye retains its position as a story stock even as investors scrutinize its large convertible debt offering. Fortinet will acquire Meru Networks for a reported $44 million. KEYW announces the retirement of CEO and Chairman Moodispaw.

NIST is preparing a report on how federal agencies might assess and mitigate privacy risks involved with digital services.

Wassenaar continues to worry security professionals.