Category: Security
Why is Everyone Talking about Leaked Nude Celebrity Selfie Pictures?
If you are anywhere on social media today (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), you may be wondering why suddenly everybody is talking about nude celebrity photos and nude selfies. This is because, apparently, there was a massive hacking of iCloud accounts – including those of celebrities who, apparently, had naked pictures of themselves stored on Apple’s iCloud servers.
4.5 Million Hospital Records Hacked Across the U.S. – Complete List Here
4.5 million patient records at hospitals across the United States have been hacked, and their personal data stolen. Community Health System (also known as CHS and CHS.net) is a network of 206 hospitals across the U.S., operating under different names, in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
FitBit, Other Wearable Tracking Devices and Apps High Security Risk says Report
A new report released by Internet security firm Symantec highlights the security risks of personal and wearable tracking devices such as the FitBit, and even self-tracking apps such as Runkeeper, Runtastic, and MapMyRun. In our efforts to track and quantify our every move (what Symantec calls the “Quantified Self” movement), we are generating an unbelievable amount of data, including location data, that can be used to profile us, track our location, and even to steal our identity.
USB Devices Unsafe and Unfixable say BadUSB Security Researchers
That USB thumbdrive or flash drive that you have in your pocket may be a vector for all kinds of malware in the firmware, and once infected it cannot be fixed. In fact that’s true of any USB device, not just thumb drives. That’s the conclusion that Jakob Lell and Karsten Nohl, security researchers who have developed BadUSB, have reached.
Smart Lightbulb Security Flaw Exposes Your Wifi Passwords
A lightbulb as a port of entry for a hacker to steal your wifi password? Yes! Specifically the LIFX smart lightbulbs, but it could be any smart bulb, or for that matter any other “smart” thing connected to that Internet of things.
Wondering What the Hell is the Internet of Things? We Explain
“The Internet of Things”, often shortened to the “IoT”, is a phrase that is becoming more and more common. But just what is the Internet of Things? Who coined the IoT, and just what are these “things”? We explain.
Free Email Privacy and Security Tester
Email Privacy Tester is exactly what it says – a way to test your email program for privacy and security leaks. And it’s free!
What is Project Eavesdrop’s Pwn Plug?
You may have heard about NPR’s Steve Henn’s experiment he calls “Project Eavesdrop”, to simulate and determine what information the NSA can get from your data, and, if so, you may be wondering what a “Pone Plug” is. That is, of course, one of the drawbacks to radio – you hear something, and it isn’t at all how it sounds. It’s not a “Porn Plug” either. It’s a Pwn Plug, sold by Pwnie Express.
ProtonMail Offers Truly Encrypted Email
Want a truly encrypted email program? If you are among those who worry about nosy agencies and others reading their email, you will appreciate Proton Mail, “End-to-end encrypted email, based in Switzerland.”
Microsoft Intentionally Failing to Patch Critical Vulnerability in Explorer IE 8
The Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) has revealed a critical vulnerability in Microsoft Explorer 8 (IE 8) that Microsoft was first alerted to more than 7 months ago, and never bothered to issue a patch for or to fix. Here’s the scoop, and what to do to protect yourself from the CVE-2014-1770 vulnerability.
Nearly 100 Arrests Worldwide in Blackshades RAT (Remote Access Tool) Sting
The FBI and Department of Justice have jointly announced that over 90 people around the world have been arrested in a gigantic global takedown of those responsible for the Blackshades RAT (Remote Acccess Tool) malware – also known as “creepware”. In addition to arresting the Blackshades creator Alex Yucel (“Yücel” in his native Sweden), Yücel’s employees, including his marketing person, were arrested, as were customers who had purchased Blackshades and then used it against their own victims. Yücel’s partner and Blackshade co-creator Michael Hogue was arrested in a sting known as “Operation Cardshop” in 2012; Hogue’s arrest lead to the arrest of Yücel.
How Do I Know if I Have the Blackshades RAT on My Computer?
It is known that over 500,000 Windows computers worldwide are infected with the Blackshades RAT (Remote Access Tool) malware creepware. This means that if you have a Windows computer, or run Windows on your Mac, you need to check to see whether your computer has been infected with this silent privacy and security killer. The surest way is to check for any of the following files anywhere on your hard drive: dos_sock.bss, nir_cmd.bss, pws_cdk.bss, pws_chro.bss, pws_ff.bss, pws_mail.bss, pws_mess.bss
Woo Themes Hacked, Credit Card Numbers Stolen
Woo Themes has alerted their customers that credit cards used to purchase a WooTheme product from WooThemes.com between 11/27/13 and 5/8/14 have been compromised. n an email sent out today, Woo Themes advised that “sophisticated criminal hackers had intercepted some credit card details between checkout and our off site credit card processor.”
Stop Using Internet Explorer Immediately, Warns Homeland Security
Both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the UK analog are warning users around the world not to use Internet Explorer. The pointed warning to not use IE (any version of Internet Explorer) follows the discovery of “active exploitation of a use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer,” and comes from both US CERT (Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team), and the UK’s CERT.
Apple, Samsung Join CTIA Pledge Anti-Theft Kill Switch for Smartphones
Apple and Samsung are among the major smartphone makers to take the CTIA pledge to provide antitheft so-called “kill switches” – tools and mechanisms to allow an owner to disable, lock, and even delete the data off their devices, should their phone or other smart device be stolen or lost.