Siri poses privacy and security risks for iPhone users
Digital assistants such as Siri are billed as great time-savers, and there's no denying that Apple's voice-activated feature can be a real help. But security experts at Trend Micro warn that it also poses a serious privacy risk for iPhone owners.
Even if your iPhone is protected with a PIN or passcode, it could still be possible for someone else to use Siri to learn personal information about not just you, but your relations and other contacts, as well as details about your schedule. Described by Trend Micro as a 'flaw', Siri actually acts as a backdoor that enables anyone with physical access to your phone to bypass security features.
Government organizations are major target of Q3 cyber attacks
PandaLabs, the malware research arm of Panda Security has released its latest quarterly security report revealing a wave of cyberattacks where the security and information of various governments has been compromised.
The company has detected a growing interest between countries in compromising the security and information of different governments. With that in mind, one of the most important attacks during this period was against the Hacking Team, which controls a multitude of cyberespionage and cyberattack tools for various governments around the world.
Microsoft announces its Cyber Defense Operations Center for a mobile-first, cloud-first world
Microsoft invests more than a $1 billion every year on security, showing the company is taking one of biggest digital problems of today quite seriously. The information was unveiled on the Microsoft blog, where the company’s Chief Information Security Officer, Bret Arsenault, reported on CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote in Washington, D.C.
According to the blog post, not only does Microsoft invest large sums of money into security, it is also announcing the Cyber Defense Operations Center, a new state-of-the-art facility which will bring together security response experts from across the company to help protect, detect and respond to threats in real-time.
Almost a third of consumers feel unsafe shopping on mobile apps
The use of mobile devices for shopping is increasingly becoming the norm. But, as we approach the year's peak shopping season, a new survey reveals that many consumers are worried about shopping with their mobile devices and providing credit card information to mobile apps.
The study from Blancco Technology Group of more than 1,400 consumers in the United States, Canada, UK and Australia, finds that 28 percent of consumers feel completely unsafe shopping from a mobile device, while two out of 10 are hesitant to link credit cards to mobile apps.
Most smartphone owners fear hackers, thieves and government control
Edward Snowden's NSA and GCHQ revelations seem to be unending. One of his more recent disclosures was that UK intelligence agencies had the ability hack and remotely control any smartphone.
A survey by Broadband Genie shows that smartphone owners are more than a little concerned about this, with more than half (55 percent) saying the possibility of remote control worries them. A similar number (53 percent) express concern that these surveillance and control powers are open to abuse, and nearly a quarter (24 percent) feel they are a breach of human rights.
How to enable two-factor authentication on your Amazon account
One of the best ways to protect your online accounts is by using two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible. With this activated, logging into a site requires the use of both a password, and a code sent to your mobile phone. Since most of us have our smartphones within easy reach 24/7, this isn’t as much of a chore as it could be, and it certainly delivers a useful layer of additional security.
Not all sites offer this feature however, Amazon being a prime example (pun intended). However, from today that all changes, as the retail giant has quietly introduced the option to set up two-factor authentication on your Amazon account. This means that even if your password falls into the wrong hands, no one will be able to get into your account and go shopping at your expense. This is what you need to do:
Top UK companies offered free cyber health check
The UK's 350 largest businesses are being urged by the government to take part in a free Cyber Health Check to help them understand and improve their level of cyber security.
Companies taking part will receive a confidential, tailored report enabling them to understand boardroom trends, compare themselves to their peers and address any weaknesses identified. The health check also generates aggregated data showing how well the FTSE 350 companies are performing.
Trustwave launches new tools to protect SMBs from cybercrime
It isn't just big organizations that are at risk from cybercrime. Smaller businesses are vulnerable too, figures from the Small Business Committee suggest 71 percent of cyber attacks target businesses with under 100 employees, and they're less able to afford sophisticated tools to protect themselves.
To address this security company Trustwave is launching a new set of integrated security tools aimed at small and medium enterprises.
Tim Cook: Apple won't weaken encryption, but is willing to cooperate with UK government
In a recent interview with the Irish Independent, CEO Tim Cook has once again said Apple will not weaken the encryption it uses in its mobile communication devices.
He did, however, say that the company he runs will work closely with the UK government to help create a quality legislation.
SecuSUITE for Enterprise enables secure calling and messaging
BlackBerry and its subsidiary Secusmart have announced the release of SecuSUITE for Enterprise, a new voice encryption solution that protects mobile calls on the Android, iOS and BlackBerry operating systems.
By using the VoIP, software-based, cloud-hosted solution, employees will be able to conduct secure conversations worldwide and be able to send encrypted text messages of any length.
DHL customers targeted by new phishing scam
With the approach of the holiday season there's a spike in online shopping which means many people will be expecting the delivery of packages.
This of course is a window of opportunity for cyber criminals looking to steal personal information. It's perhaps not surprising then that Comodo Antispam Labs has identified a new global phishing threat, targeted at businesses and individuals who use DHL shipping.
What's so different about Paris? Facebook reveals why it enabled Safety Check after French attacks
The shootings and suicide bombings in France this week grabbed the attention of the global media. To help those caught up in the aftermath to let loved ones know that they were OK -- and to enable others to check on friends and relatives in France -- Facebook enabled its Safety Check feature for the disaster.
While this was welcomed, it also raised questions. Why had this not been done for other such disasters? Why were shootings in other countries treated differently? What was so special about France that it warranted extra attention from Facebook? Were the lives lost in other atrocities seen as less important? Facebook's Alex Schultz has stepped up to the plate to answer these concerns.
Microsoft details four commitments to help rebuild trust in the cloud
In a lengthy, rambling blog post, Microsoft President Brad Smith explains how what has happened in relation to security over the past year is shaping the company's attitude to the cloud. He says that "it's time to rebuild the world's faith in the technology that empowers us all".
He takes a while to get to the point, meandering slowly around anecdotes about Windows 10, Edward Snowden, terrorist attacks in Paris, hacking, and governmental desires to weaken encryption. He says that these and other events "show it's crucial to have a conversation about worldwide information security".
Google extends Chrome's Safe Browsing protection to fight social engineering
Online attacks take a number of forms, and phishing is one of the more recent problems. Chrome has long featured Safe Browsing to notify people when they visit potentially dangerous websites, and today Google announces that the feature is growing to include social engineering.
Google describes social engineering as being a much broader category than traditional phishing. Typical examples include sites that trick visitors into imparting passwords or credit card details, and those which purport to be an official website when they are in fact malicious. The Safe Browsing expansion offers protection against a range of social engineering attacks that Google provides examples of.
It is your duty to use an ad blocker, says Edward Snowden
Ad blocking tools are rarely out of the news these days. In times of heightened awareness about online privacy, more and more people are turning to things like Adblock Plus to banish ads and clean up their web browsing experience. For many people an ad blocker is seen as essential.
Edward Snowden goes further. The former NSA contractor says that it is a web user's duty to protect their computer by blocking potential attack vectors such as Flash and JavaScript-riddled advertisements.
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