Items tagged with security
It looks as though Microsoft has a bit of a security issue on its hands that affects both Windows 7 and Windows 10 operating systems. Back in July 2017, Bitdefender researcher Marius Tivadar discovered an exploit in Windows operating systems that allows anyone with physical access to a computer to invoke a BSOD by...
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Google has rolled out the long-awaited update for Gmail that users will find quite interesting. One of the main goals in the redesign was to allow users to do more without leaving their inbox. This means you can now do open photos and other attachments without having to open the email or scroll through long...
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Multiple Gmail users awoke Sunday morning to find that a bunch of spam that appeared to be sent from their accounts. The spam messages from their accounts were found in the sent items folder, but these weren’t emails that the users had sent themselves leaving many to think their accounts had been hacked.
One user...
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Google's Project Zero team has discovered a 'medium' security vulnerability that primarily affects Windows 10 S, a stripped down version of Windows 10 that is "streamlined for security and superior performance." While it does not appear to present a major threat to users—remote code execution is not possible in this...
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Normally when you think about ransomware you think about something clearly malicious such as Petya and others. You could get your files back if infected with Petya, but the hackers wanted $300 in bitcoin to do it. A new kind of ransomware, however, is making the rounds and this variant is based on the game PUBG...
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation butted heads with Apple in 2016 and 2017 when the Cupertino company refused to build a backdoor into its iPhone handsets, which would allow law enforcement agencies to access locked devices at the expense of security for millions of iOS users. Fast forward to today and there's a...
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Microsoft has announced that Office 365 has gained some new security features that are meant to help protect users from online threats. These new features will go along with the security features already integrated with Office 365, like link checking and attachment scanning for viruses and phishing threats. Office 365...
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With about a week to go before this month's Patch Tuesday rolls into view, Microsoft has issued a batch of security updates to address a critical vulnerability affecting Windows Defender and a spatter of other antimalware services, such as Windows Intune Endpoint Protection. Left unpatched, an attacker could weasel...
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Panera Bread knows how to make a delicious sandwich, that is something we can confidentially say (The Italian is this editor's go-to item on the menu). Unfortunately, it might not be as good with security. Security researcher Brian Krebs with KrebsOnSecurity says Panera Bread's website leaked millions of customer...
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Under Armor is a big name in the athletic clothing world. In addition to clothing, the company also has an app that is meant to allow people to track their food intake and nutrition to help get fit (and stay) fit. The app is very popular with users on iOS and Android, but it has suffered a major data breach. Under...
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The Apple iPhone has become so common with both upstanding citizens and nefarious criminals that law enforcement frequently is faced with trying to unlock the devices of people who are suspects in crimes to gather evidence. For suspects that are deceased, gathering evidence can be a challenge for law enforcement...
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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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Huawei might be one of the largest smartphone OEMs in the world, but the company is having a very hard time breaking into the U.S. market. The reason for the difficulty is that Huawei has very close ties to the Chinese government, and the U.S. government is balking over fears of spying that could compromise national...
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With critical vulnerabilities like Meltdown and Spectre having been disclosed to the public, it's clearer than ever that more eyeballs are needed when it comes to making sure that our software and hardware is secure. Not long after Intel suffered the bulk of fallout from Meltdown and Spectre, the company bolstered its...
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Given the industry-wide panic that was unleashed following the disclosure of the Meltdown and Spectre processor vulnerabilities (with Intel taking the brunt of the heat), many are on edge about the potential for similar exploits to be discovered in other products. Unfortunately, for those that are running AMD's...
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Security researchers at Kaspersky Lab have discovered a rather nasty malware strain that has been hiding in certain wireless routers for over half a decade. Called Slingshot, the security researchers who discovered the malicious code believe the malware is part of a sophisticated cyberespionage campaign.
The...
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There was once a time when the thought of someone vying for anonymity online may have seemed a little silly. Some may have even accused those folks of being conspiracy theorists or perhaps a card-carrying member of the "Tinfoil Hat" brigade. However, time and the march of technology sure has a way of changing opinions, especially when it comes
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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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Alexa is constantly gaining new skills with some coming directly from Amazon, and other skills coming from third-party programmers. One of the latest skills that Alexa has picked up is one that can help you control your wireless network. At MWC 2018, McAfee announced a new Alexa skill that lets you check on the...
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It is amazing what a little public shaming will do, especially in this day and age of social media. Not that we are advocating being an online bully or anything like that (please don't be). However, Facebook is making a change to the way it handles two-factor authentication on mobile devices after it was lambasted...
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For the last few years, flagship smartphones have gotten thinner and sleeker and have dedicated a much larger percentage of their front surface to the screen. Back in 2011, for example, the front surface of a Samsung Galaxy S2 was 64% screen, whereas the front of today’s Galaxy S8 is 84% screen. There are many more...
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Intel has been operating its Bug Bounty Program for nearly a year now, with the program originally launching back in March 2017. Initially, the only way that hackers or security researchers could participate was to receive an invite from Intel. Without that invite, you could find all the bugs you wanted, but Intel...
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