Items tagged with security
One of the things Microsoft has been pushing since Windows 8/8.1 is touchscreen operation. Hardware makers are on board too, which is why there are so many 2-in-1 and convertible devices mixing it up with traditional clam shell laptops. But is there a security trade off? At least one researcher thinks so after...
Read more...
In a letter sent to US lawmakers, Google reaffirmed its policy of allowing third-party app developers to access private information belonging to Gmail users, so long as the developers are upfront about the data they are collecting. It comes with the territory of allowing third-party apps to integrate with Gmail, as...
Read more...
Let's start with the good news. Cryptocurrency mining on GPUs has waned considerably, and the shortage of graphics cards that made it nearly impossible to score a mid-range or high-end GPU at or near MSRP is over (for the most part). Are you ready for the bad news? Be that as it may, cryptocurrency mining hacks are on...
Read more...
Even though Newegg is one of the most popular destinations for enthusiasts looking to score the latest and greatest hardware for the gaming rigs, the retail giant is not immune to the nefarious actions of the hacker community. To that end, Newegg's website was hacked, and the parties responsible were able to inject 15...
Read more...
One of the cool features of the Tesla Model 3 is that it supports a phone key that allows you to give access to a car to friends or family so they can unlock and start it without a key. The phone key feature is also used by a rental car company out of Minnesota called Trevls. The company has announced that a thief was able to walk up to one
Read more...
There are lots of computers out there that are still running Windows 7 even though Windows 10 has been out for a very long time and is now installed on 700 million devices globally. The reasons for staying on an old OS like Windows 7 are many and varied but some folks just feel their OS is working just fine and many...
Read more...
Apple and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have been at odds over the tight security on iPhone and iPad devices, and in particular the Cupertino company's unwillingness to build a back door into iOS for law enforcement officials to use. Be that as it may, Apple does cooperate with law enforcement, and is...
Read more...
Using a strong password is the accepted standard for securing accounts, but in some instances, it's simply not enough. That is where two factor authentication (2FA) comes into play. If you want to use 2FA to protect your Google account, you can—Google is now selling 2FA Titan security key bundles to the public at $50...
Read more...
A former security researcher decided to go out with a bang after apparently deciding to retire from the security game and blog about traveling instead. Known on Twitter as SandboxEscaper, the researcher revealed in a tweet a zero-day vulnerability affecting Windows rather than submitting a bug report to...
Read more...
Make no mistake about it, Google could not have been happy with Epic Games for deciding to make its wildly popular battle royale shooter, Fortnite, available on Android devices only by sideloading it. By skipping the Play Store, Google is missing out on potentially tens of millions of dollars in revenue. As Google...
Read more...
A security oversight at Apple's online store exposed tens of millions of T-Mobile customer PIN codes, but did not affect AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon customers. However, in a separate security incident that occurred on the website for Asurion, a company that provides insurance for cell phones, passcodes for AT&T customers...
Read more...
When Epic Games announced that it wouldn't be putting its world-dominating Fortnite Android game on the Google Play store, everyone knew Google wouldn’t be happy. Epic didn't want to pay Google 30% of every purchase via the app, a move that could potentially cost Google $50 million. In fact, Google decided to take a...
Read more...
Two-factor authentication is one of the best ways to go for an extra layer of security for software and accounts for various online services when available. Many services support two-factor authentication like PayPal and Facebook. The catch is that two-factor authentications is a bit of a pain for the average Joe or...
Read more...
A teenage hacker in Australia managed to infiltrate Apple's computer systems and, over the course of a year, swiped 90 gigabytes of data. Following reports of the hacking incident, Apple issued a statement saying that no customer data was compromised from the repeated attacks on its network. It's not clear what...
Read more...
There is a rash of complaints on Twitter over a recent Instagram hack that has left numerous users unable to access their accounts. Preliminary data suggests that the shenanigans originate from Russia, though nothing has been confirmed. Instagram is investigation the issue, and in the meantime, it has some advice for...
Read more...
Smart speakers are growing in popularity, but in addition to providing a level of convenience to home consumers, they can potentially act as another point of entry for hackers and cyber criminals. To demonstrate this, researchers Wu Huiyu and Qian Wenxiang demonstrated at DefCon 2018 a technique for hacking Amazon's...
Read more...
Macs used to have a persona of "no viruses or hacks" with many feeling like the MacBook and other Apple computers were more secure and therefore better than Windows counterparts. This was a long-running argument in PC enthusiast circles and despite ample evidence that Macs are vulnerable to attacks, some still feel...
Read more...
Research funded by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicates that potentially millions of smartphones have inherent security vulnerabilities. These security holes are built into the devices offered by all four major wireless carries in the US, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon...
Read more...
Tawian Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is recovering from a major internal computer virus outbreak that ravaged its systems, forcing the chipmaker to shut down several factories. A full recovery is expected by Monday, August 6, however the fallout from the virus will result in shipment delays and additional...
Read more...
Reddit has announced that it suffered a security breach between June 14 and June 18 of this year. The website learned of the hack on June 19 and says that an attacker was able to compromise the accounts of a few Reddit employees along with Reddit's cloud and source code hosting providers. The main attack was...
Read more...
Bug Bounty programs are very common today with most of the big tech firms hosing them. The goal is to get hackers to report any bugs they find for a payday rather than turning to the black market to sell their hacks. HP has announced a new Bug Bounty program to lure researchers in to hack its printer software.
The...
Read more...
Google is aiming to help customers toughen up their security by now offering its Titan Security Key, which is USB flash drive that offers a second layer of protection when logging into accounts. The company's own employees have been using a version of the Titan Security Key for several years now, and now the latest...
Read more...
