Items tagged with security
It's no surprise that a number of exploitable security holes still exist in the operating systems we use each and every day. It's just the nature of the beast; we're talking about software that has hundreds of millions of lines of code. Despite a developer's best efforts, it's virtually impossible to release...
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Even Apple's software isn't immune to security holes and vulnerabilities. An admission of such by Tim Cook and the gang comes in the form of a new bug bounty program Apple announced at the Black Hat conference today in Las Vegas, Nevada. The program kicks off in September and will offer cash rewards for certain...
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Law enforcement officials found a way to unlock a murder victim's Samsung Galaxy S6 by using specially printed copies of fingerprints on file from a previous conviction. It wasn't easy thwarting Samsung's biometric security, but with the help of Anil Jain, a professor of computer science and engineering at Michigan...
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If you're a SwiftKey user and have been experiencing some oddities lately: you're not alone. Due to a bug, some SwiftKey users have been receiving some downright bizarre recommendations, including phrases that they never use. Even worse? The software also predicted names and email addresses of other users!
Once...
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Nothing beats wireless for convenience, but whenever you transmit important data through the air, there's a risk that someone could be nearby, ready to intercept the signals before they reach their destination. If this sounds familiar, it might be because we talked about this very thing earlier this year, when...
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Law enforcement officials are seeking help from a professor at Michigan State University with creating a special 3D printed replica of a homicide victim's fingers in order to unlock his phone using his fingerprints. In theory it sounds like a brilliant idea, one that would sidestep the potentially contentious process...
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We reported earlier on France's demands to Microsoft with regards to bolstering its Windows 10 OS to better protect user data, and ultimately, their privacy. The fact that a watchdog would target Microsoft for collecting too much data probably strikes no one as a surprise, as that very complaint has been one shared by...
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The same hacking group that claimed responsibility for ticking off every Pokemon Go player on the planet by overwhelming the game's servers with a DDoS attack last weekend is planning another attack. Poodle Corp, as the hacker group calls itself, issued a notice on Twitter that the next barrage on Pokemon Go's servers...
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With Nintendo's latest game - a mobile one, at that - the company has proven that there is still a lot of innovating to do in the market. While Pokemon GO is based on another title, Ingress, any game is going to have a greater chance of success when it features one of the most popular franchises ever. GO isn't just...
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It's beginning to look like some rather sophisticated hackers have made their way into Apple's core and crippled iCloud security so severely that some iPhones have essentially been held hostage. A few iPhones here and there might not seem like a big deal, but ultimately, there could be a staggering 40 million iCloud...
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For a brief moment, Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe experienced a far less threatening version of what Captain Phillips went through when a Somalian pirate commandeered his ship and declared, "I'm the captain now." But instead of guns and a boat, Iribe seemingly lost control of his company when a hacker took control of his...
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Security researchers on Google's Project Zero team have discovered critical security flaws in several of Symantec's software security products, including its popular Norton line for consumers and Endpoint Protection for enterprises. No small thing, among the vulnerabilities are several wormable remote code execution...
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It seems impossible for the world to go a single week without a major security breach, so to fill the inevitable void this week is a hacker that goes by the name "thedarkoverlord," who claims to be in possession of a staggering 655,000 healthcare records. Of course, he is looking to sell them off.
This latest...
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Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, is reportedly mulling a sale of its cyber security business, depending on how much it's worth on the open market. The Santa Clara outfit would like to recoup the nearly $7.7 billion it paid for McAfee in 2010. Now known as Intel Security, it could be an enticing option for private...
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It's a dangerous online world out there and to keep the bad guys at bay, many companies require that employees use two-factor authentication. Typically the second method of verification entails tapping a Security Key or entering a verification code that's sent to a mobile device, but to make things easier Google is...
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We wrote earlier about the kind of success Google has been seeing with its Android bug bounty program -- success that has led the company to actually increase its rewards. Over the years, we've seen other major companies offer bug bounties as well, such as Facebook and Microsoft, so it's clear that they can provide...
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If you've shopped at Acer's US website at any point between May 12, 2015 and April 28, 2016, you have immediate reason for concern. Acer has just revealed to the California Attorney General's office that its ecommerce servers were hit last spring, and remained vulnerable up until this spring. Unfortunately, this isn't...
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Has it been a long time since you've changed up your passwords? Now is a good time to think about doing so. A hacker or band of hackers obtained the login credentials of 45 million Internet users spread across 1,100 websites and communities, including many major and popular online destinations such as Motorcycle.com...
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It doesn't matter who you are or how much money you make, if you don't practice good security habits on the web you're likely to get hacked. Case in point, Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire whiz kid and co-founder of Facebook, the most popular social media site on the planet, had his Twitter and Pinterest accounts...
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There are enough bad drivers on the road as it is, but what's particularly frustrating is seeing a fellow motorist drive recklessly as a result of using a mobile phone. Jason R. Humphrey from Florida must have seen it one too many times, hence his decision to use a cell phone jammer during his commute. That decision...
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We don't need to tell you that Apple has been dealing with some extreme issues revolving around encryption in recent months. Most of the hassle was spurred back in December when the FBI wanted the Cupertino company to help break into a terrorist's iPhone 5c, something it refused to do.
As time went on, the FBI...
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Using passwords as a form of security may not be long for this world, not if Google gets its way. The Mountain View outfit's ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects) division is hard at work on Project Abacus, a scheme that relies on biometric data to determine a person's identity rather than relying on traditional...
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