Items tagged with security
First, the good news: the Zappos server that holds its customers sensitive financial information (such as credit card numbers) was not hacked this weekend. The bad news, however, is that hackers made off with just about every other type of customer information they could want, including names; email, billing, and shipping addresses; phone...
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It's a new year and already the first Patch Tuesday of Microsoft's monthly Windows update schedule has come and gone. If you ignored the update notification sitting your system tray, take a moment to let Windows Update do its thing, and as a reward for kicking procrastination to the curb, Microsoft will get rid of a...
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Have you noticed less spam in your inbox lately? According to Symantec’s November Intelligence Report, the rate of spam worldwide is close to a three-year low. Symantec notes that spam currently encompasses 70 percent of all emails. Compared to 2009 when spam accounted for 90 percent of all global emails, this is a significant drop....
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If you should happen to run across a USB flash drive on the subway, you may want to leave it there, assuming you weren't planning to take it to lost and found to begin with. There's a good chance it's infected with malware, and that doesn't just apply to USB keys you find on the ground, but ones you buy at auction...
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Adobe on Tuesday confirmed the existence of an unpatched zero day vulnerability rated as "critical" in Adobe Reader X (10.1.1) and earlier versions for Windows and Macs, Adobe Reader 9.4.6 and earlier versions for UNIX, and Adobe Acrobat X (10.1.1) and earlier versions for Windows and Macs. In theory, the critical vulnerability could cause...
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Microsoft is looking to wrangle a handful of guinea pigs adventurous users to help test the next version of its 'Microsoft Security Essentials' (MSE) antivirus software. Beta registration for the next-generation build of MSE is currently open, and Microsoft said it will be selecting a "limited" number of people who...
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Mobile payments, hooray! They seem to be all the rage these days, and now Intel and MasterCard are announcing a "multi-year strategic collaboration to further enhance the security and consumer payment experience for online shopping." What's that translate to? We're told that this collaboration will combine...
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Cloud storage is all the rage these days, and Logitech's not missing the boat. The company has just announced the Alert Video Security System, which is gaining Dropbox support. A year or so ago, the Logitech Alert HD digital video security system was launched to help you watch over the people and places you care about the most. With Dropbox...
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We hate to be the bearer of bad news, especially if you were in the midst of having a fine evening up to this point, but technically, Valve's Gabe Newell is the messenger we're imploring everyone not to shoot. Gabe's a likable guy, it's just that his message to Steam users is nothing short of disconcerting, and...
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Apparently, another one of the somewhat all-too-common malware-related problems in the U.S. military has resulted in the systems used by pilots who control U.S. Air Force drones being infected by a "keylogger." Although detected by the military's security systems, they've been unable to wipe it off their systems, at least permanently. A source...
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Thanks to a new Server Side Encryption feature, Amazon Web Service customers will be able to easily encrypt data stored on the company's Simple Storage Service (S3). Before this new feature was revealed, businesses had to choose an encryption algorithm, create and store keys, and "bottleneck" their code to ensure encryption. In an effort to...
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The folks at Lookout Mobile Security released the 2011 Mobile Threat Report, which offers a sobering look at the current state of mobile threats. According to the report, mobile users are more likely than ever to experience a malware attack, and the tactics that cybercriminals are employing are increasingly...
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Facebook is about to get a little safer with the social networking site’s announcement that it will offer a bounty to independent researchers for any bugs they uncover, to the tune of $500 a pop (or potentially more, if you bag an especially prized bug). To receive a bounty, you have to agree to certain terms and meet specific criteria....
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Can there be too much security? If looking at America's airports, the answer is probably "yes," but if when considering online activities, the answer is probably "no." Google security engineers understand that, as they've had their fair share of security backlashes the past few years. A few months ago, the search company rolled out 2-step...
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Well, this is some news that is sure to frustrate gamers: Ubisoft has decided that it will continue implementing its special constant-connection anti-piracy measures because, to nobody's surprise, it works. The company's restrictive digital rights management (DRM) system, which was recently announced to be included in upcoming release Driver:...
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Whether true or not, Apple’s Mac OSX is typically perceived as being more secure than Windows. But according to Passware, Inc., a leading maker of password recovery and e-Discovery software for Federal and State agencies, law enforcement, and military organizations, among many other corporate clients, OSX has its fair share of vulnerabilities...
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Of all the hundreds of thousands of computer viruses, trojans, rootkits, and worms that have been written since 'Elk Cloner' first appeared in the wild in 1981, the overwhelming majority of them have targeted computer software. Attacking computer hardware directly isn't impossible now (and wasn't then), but it tends to be extremely difficult...
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It's like the wild west all over again, only this time we have the Internet, modern technology, and plumbing. Oh, and Microsoft isn't asking anyone to bring back a head on a platter. The Redmond sheriff is simply asking for "new information that results in the identification, arrest, and conviction" of those...
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Mozilla is working on a project that could eliminate the need for passwords and the sign-up/verification processes on websites. Mozilla's BrowserID is an experimental way of logging in to websites. BrowserID uses the verified email protocol and aims to offer a streamlined user experience. After a user proves ownership of an email address,...
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By any measure, end users are still using passwords that are far too simple. The Gawker Media hack from 2010, in fact, showed "123456" was the most common password in Gawker's database. Well, Microsoft's decided that if folks aren't going to pick strong passwords, at the very least Microsoft can keep them from picking the most egregious, easy...
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Hackers are taking advantage of another highly publicized event to push spam on end users. In this case, Google+. Invitations to the new service are no long available, but even though the new social networking service is in "field test mode" (meaning somewhat imcomplete), an invitation to the service is a hot item. Pharmaceutical spammers...
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Computer hacking has a bad reputation, and understandably so. When one hears about organizations exposing the credit cards of millions of PSN users, there's not much argument that its criminal behavior. Against that background is cast the shadow of a new hacker convention: DEFCON Kids. DEFCON 19, the latest in the annual "hacking" convention...
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