Items tagged with security
It’s not just criminals (and their direct antagonists in the security industry); the FBI likes to hack, too. According to the Wall Street Journal, the FBI has been using hacking techniques and products to break into Android phones in order to perform surveillance on criminal suspects. Allegedly, the FBI can hack a...
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Apple's Find my iPhone has been a very useful feature for those who frequently misplace their gadgets. Or, for those who just enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing that Apple has a piece of technology dedicated to securing a lost phone. Android and iOS have been going back and forth battling over feature...
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We reported that the secret and top secret agencies of several countries including Australia, the UK, and the U.S. had banned China-based Lenovo computers for fears of spying. Allegedly, the Lenovo machines could have backdoor access built into the hardware which would therefore allow Chinese hackers to access those...
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At Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in June, iOS 7 was unveiled to the world. While the masses were told they would have to wait until autumn to get their hands around it, developers were granted access to an early beta right away. As the days pass, Apple engineers are getting closer and closer to having a final...
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Just after the UK made a fuss over Huawei’s involvement in and measure of control over the country’s cyber security evaluation centre (dubbed “The Cell”), word has broken that several Western nations are banning China-based Lenovo computers from secret and top secret networks for fear of...
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We've all fantasized at one point or another of standing in front of an ATM as it mistakenly shoots out cash, showering us in money. Famed computer hacker Barnaby Jack actually made it happen in 2010 during a demonstration at the Black Hat conference. Called "jackpotting," he demonstrated the vulnerability on two...
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Last week, Apple's Developer Portal went offline unexpectedly, and it remained that way for a week. That's a long time for any one Apple product to be offline, particularly one so closely linked to its iOS ecosystem. The company later confirmed that it had been breached, and that it was working on an internal overhaul...
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A new report (albeit from unnamed industry sources, not Edward Snowden) alleges that the government has used the broad powers granted it by the Patriot Act to demand broad information about a user's passwords, website security, and even encryption information from service providers. The benefits of having this type of...
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Sometimes it stinks being right. To wit, Symantec earlier this month talked about the discovery of a so-called "Master Key" vulnerability in Android that would allow remote attackers to inject malicious code into legitimate apps without invalidating the signature. Symantec called it a "serious Android vulnerability," fearing that it would...
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Intel’s McAfee Division Alleged to Have Grossly Exaggerated ‘Trillion-Dollar’ Global Cost of Hacking
Well now, this is awkward. You may recall a study conducted by McAfee a few years back in which it was revealed that businesses were at risk of losing over $1 trillion from "loss or theft of data and other cybercrime." That figure has been cited on more than one occasion by top government officials, including...
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A mere day after Apple confirmed that its developer portal had been broken into, a Turkish man named Ibrahim Balic has (bravely?) fessed-up, claiming all responsibility. Apple has yet to comment on the situation, and we're not even sure it will, at least publicly. If Balic is in fact the source of the attack, Apple...
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Cyber criminals are always on the hunt for ways to disrupt your digital life, and with mobile devices playing an increasingly important role in our day-to-day operations, you can bet they'll be paying attention to your tablet and smartphone. Speaking to the latter, a German security guru discovered a frightening flaw...
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Whether it’s for the lulz (as they say) or for more nefarious reasons, the Ubuntu forums have been hacked. Canonical posted the message via a splash page where the forum site is usually located. “There has been a security breach on the Ubuntu Forums,” reads the page. “The Canonical IS team is...
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The U.S. government has stated that it’s concerned about China-based Huawei and its ties to the Chinese government and military, and the UK shares that concern. After Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) issued a report stating that a great deal more oversight was needed regarding foreign...
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Tired of changing passwords yet? Well, if you're a member of the NASDAQ OMX Group forums, your wish is still pending. The forum, where users can discuss stock happenings throughout the day, has been revealed to have been exploited, with an unknown number of usernames and passwords at risk. NASDAQ's OMX Group has said that it's reset all user...
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BlackBerry has big on security, but according to the findings of German site GeekHeim, the Canadian company has a big, nasty security flaw in its own ranks. Apparently, when you set up an email account using BlackBerry 10’s email client, you’re unwittingly sharing your login credentials with BlackBerry...
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Two security researchers from iSEC, Tom Ritter and Doug DePerry, have demonstrated the ability to hack into Verizon Wireless’ femtocells and spy on Verizon users with a simple wireless antenna. They say that they can intercept people’s phone calls, text messages, picture messages, and even data. The...
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Fueled by the recent NSA leaks brought forth by Edward Snowden regarding PRISM, along with other government eavesdropping programs that have since been brought to light, Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde and a small team have begun work on what I hope becomes a de facto chat client: Hemlis. What sets Hemlis apart...
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Less than a week ago, we posted about a newfound Android vulnerability that's not only a bit worrying, but affects potentially 900 million devices - dating all the way back to Android 1.6. The discovery and minor reveal was made by Bluebox, an up-and-comer security firm that had plans to expose all at an upcoming security conference. It appears,...
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It’s deeply disconcerting, to say the least, that the NSA has been able to extract data about U.S. citizens from Internet companies using the secret (until recently) PRISM program. Because all of those companies likely handle data a little differently, it’s hard to say how much information the government...
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One of Nintendo’s main fan sites, Club Nintendo, was reportedly the subject of nearly 24,000 illicit logins over the course of the last month, which led to cybercriminals possibly making off with people’s real names and personal information such as email addresses, physical addresses, and phone numbers. Club Nintendo lets users...
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Patch Tuesday is right around the corner – July 9th, in fact – and this month’s patch is bringing several updates that warrant the “Critical” rating, which is Microsoft’s highest rating for update importance. Microsoft is giving IT administrators a heads up with a Security Bulletin...
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