Forget about 'Netflix and chill', how about 'Netflix and make some money!'? Sure, the latter isn't likely to trend as a popular catchphrase, and it's not a euphemism for cuddling on the couch (or bed) and getting intimate. However, it is a possibility now that Netflix is opening up its bug bounty program to the...
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Researchers at Purdue University and the University of Iowa have just exposed a list of LTE vulnerabilities that could create quite a headache for carriers (and consumers) if not fixed soon. Using a framework the researchers call LTEInspector, eight of the ten new vulnerabilities were tested as working on a testbed...
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If you have a normal security system at your home or office, you know what a hassle they can sometimes be. If you are the sort who never seems to remember the passcode or feels rushed when you arm the system and then have only 30 seconds or so to get out, you know a normal security system isn't ideal. Nest has a new...
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In a perfect world, we would not have to worry about intruders breaking into our homes and pilfering our belongings. Of course, we do not live in such a world, and the sad reality is that burglars and thieves exist. Fortunately there are home security products that make life tough for the bad guys. One of them is the...
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Now that the dust has settled on a global ransomware outbreak that could have been much worse than it ended up being, we can all breathe a sigh of relieve. Meanwhile, security outfits are busy analyzing the outbreak to uncover as much information as possible about the threat known as WannaCry. According to Symantec's...
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We can't seem to go a single week without news of a severe vulnerability out there in the wild, and it looks like our streak isn't about to end. Not too long ago, a number of NSA-derived tools were released online, giving us an idea of how desperate the folks at one of the US government's leading intelligence agencies...
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2016 is going to be remembered for a number of fortunate and unfortunate things, with one topic that falls into the latter category being the debacle of U.S. law enforcement vs. Apple. The FBI and other US federal agencies have made it no secret that they would like to be able to gain access to any smartphone if the...
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Russian hackers are thought to be targeting reporters and major news outlets, including The New York Times, which confirmed that its Moscow bureau was the target of an attempted cyberattack this month. The news agency hasn't found any evidence to suggest that the hackers were successful in their attempt, though an...
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We reported earlier this week on a large collection of exploits that have been put up for auction by a group that calls itself Shadow Brokers. The promise was that all of the files were sourced from a secret NSA group called Equation Group, and now, Edward Snowden has released documents to prove that's just the...
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If you've been skeptical of buying a connected car for fear that its technologies could be used against you, it won't help to learn that Nissan has suspended downloads of a companion app for its Leaf electric vehicle for that very reason. At issue is the woeful lack of security, and in particular the lack of...
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If you think that the likes of the NSA needs to rely on zero-day exploits to get their job done, you apparently have things completely wrong. At the USENIX Enigma security conference in San Francisco this week, the NSA's chief of Tailored Access Operations, Rob Joyce said that it's his team's sheer talent makes its...
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While many of us were seeking out the hottest deals this weekend, the US government carried out the greatest reduction of its spying efforts since they were expanded-upon following the attacks of Sept 11, 2001. Adhering to a law passed some six months ago, the National Security Agency is no long allowed to blindly...
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In the "vast majority of cases," when the U.S. government is made aware of a software vulnerability, it discloses that information to the vendor so that it can issue a patch to the public. What constitutes a "vast majority?" Nine times out of 10, or 91 percent of the time, according to the U.S. National Security...
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It's a good idea to periodically check for firmware updates for your wireless router, even if it appears to be working perfectly. Why? Firmware releases don't just potentially add more features and increase performance, they can also fix security vulnerabilities. Case in point, Netgear said there's a "serious"...
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If you've been itching to give your Nest smart thermostat a security camera sibling, your oddly specific desire can soon become a reality. It appears that Nest will be unveiling a security camera next week that shows off its Dropcam lineage, but has been given an aesthetics overhaul to look great wherever you want to...
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It's been a full two years since Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the massive spying efforts of the NSA, and despite the sheer amount of information and revelations that have come out since then, there still seems to be a lot more to come.
The latest reveal involves the NSA running an intrusion detection system...
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If you thought that there couldn't possibly be more unbelievable stories to stem from Edward Snowden's leaks, you're sorely mistaken. Today, we learn of a truly appalling effort that the NSA and its partners worked together on to intercept Android users' connections to install malware and soak up information.
The...
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Here we go again. This past November, the US' Department of Justice latched onto public heartstrings by saying that encryption on mobile phones could lead to the death of children, and in January, president Obama followed-up to plainly say that encryption should under no circumstance hinder police and spy...
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Encryption has been a feature of Android since 2011, though it's never been turned on by default. That was supposed to change with Android 5.0 Lollipop, as Google said in no uncertain terms back in September 2014 that users wouldn't have to give the feature a second thought. Unfortunately, it appears as though Google has backed down from its
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As unfortunate as it's become, another day in the tech industry means yet another security breach, a startling trend that seems to be picking up in frequency as we head into 2015. This time graphics chip maker NVIDIA was hit. The Santa Clara, California-based company has advised its employees to change their passwords after discovering "unauthorized
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U.S. officials debated whether or not to officially blame North Korea for a massive cyberattack against Sony Pictures Entertainment, though not for long. President Barack Obama said during a new conference yesterday that the evidence suggests North Korea is indeed responsible and promised a response, one that will...
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North Korea isn't the least bit amused about Sony's upcoming comedy flick "The Interview" in which actors James Franco and Seth Rogen participate in a fictional plot to assassinate its leader, Kim Jong-un. Even though it disapproves of the movie, North Korea is denying any and all involvement in a recent hack of Sony...
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