People care more about hacker attacks than break-ins
People feel more violated when someone hacks into their computer, than when someone breaks into their house, a new research has shown.
The research, done by American multinational software Citrix, polled 2,000 full-time workers in the UK about hacking and private files they keep on their computers. The poll shows that 48 percent of young people, aged 16 to 24 have more than one private file on their computers which they want to remain secret.
ProtonMail sets a dangerous precedent and opens itself up to further attacks by paying ransom
In the world of malware, one of the most recent trends is ransomware -- malicious software that either blocks access to a computer until a fee is paid, or files are encrypted until a ransom is put forward. As with ransomware and kidnapping, a ransom is often demanded by hackers and instigators of DDoS attacks.
This is precisely what happened to 'secure' email provider ProtonMail the other day when it found its datacenter inundated with traffic. At the time, the company asked for donations to cover the costs of the "quite expensive solutions" needed to fight back against "the sophistication of this attack". But rather than fighting back, ProtonMail decided to pay the ransom instead. This could prove to be a terrible mistake.
UK government started online mass surveillance after 9/11 -- but few politicians knew
On Wednesday, the Investigatory Powers Bill was published in draft form, but it was in the wake of 9/11 that the UK government started its mass surveillance programs, spying on the online activities of British citizens. Under the guise of the 1984 Telecommunications Act, this surveillance was moved up a gear in 2005. Former deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg says that very few politicians knew about it.
Clegg only learned of the surveillance programs that were used to harvest emails, phone records, and texts in 2010, and questioned whether it was necessary. The former PM makes the revelations in an article for the Guardian in which he says that after Edward Snowden NSA and GCHQ spying revelations, "the knee-jerk response from the government was to play the man and ignore the ball".
ProtonMail suffers DDoS attack, preventing secure email correspondence
Given all the spying that goes on these days it's no wonder that people are looking for more private ways to get online and stay in touch with one another. Secure email -- which is what Edward Snowden chose to use for his communications with journalist Glenn Greenwald of The Guardian -- is proving more and more popular.
Unfortunately, not everyone is keen on such services. One such secure email provider, ProtonMail, has been taken down today, by a DDoS attack. Who would want to attack the service? That's the million dollar question and the list of potential attackers could be quite long. A bevvy of agencies have spoken out against encryption, going so far as asking for backdoors into data, blithely oblivious to the consequences of such action. ProtonMail was designed securely and doesn't possess records of correspondence, so law enforcement can't demand data.
Kaspersky Lab discovers 320 hour long DDoS attack
Kaspersky Lab has released a new report on the evolution of distributed denial of service (DDoS) and it shows some interesting figures, including the fact that a server was targeted for 320 hours straight.
The Kaspersky DDoS Intelligence Report Q3 2015 is based on the constant monitoring of botnets and observing new techniques utilized by cybercriminals. It shows that DDoS attacks remain highly localized, with 91.6 percent of the victims’ resources located in only ten countries around the world, although Kaspersky Lab has recorded DDoS attacks targeting servers in 79 countries total.
How behavioral biometrics can help secure systems
Increasingly the security industry is looking for alternatives to the hard to manage and all too easily compromised password.
Biometrics like fingerprints and retinal scans are starting to make ground, but California-based two-factor authentication specialist SecureAuth has announced a new partnership with BehavioSec which aims to use behavioral analysis as a security tool.
Shuanet, ShiftyBug and Shedun malware could auto-root your Android
Rooting a phone is something that many people decide to do to allow them to do things and use apps that would not otherwise be possible. If you make the choice, you are in control. But security researchers at Lookout have discovered a new form of malware disguised as apps from the likes of Facebook and Twitter.
While some of the apps are partially functional, the malware has a nasty payload: it could be quietly rooting your phone in the background. Lookout has identified three families of malware -- Shuanet, ShiftyBug, and Shedun -- that can be found in more than 20,000 apps in Google Play. Once installed, the malware is almost impossible to remove.
Check your Android device for 22 vulnerabilities
Google’s latest Android update has fixed another stack of security vulnerabilities, including yet more Stagefright issues.
This doesn’t mean you’re safe, of course -- OEMs can take a very long time to release their own updates, and older devices may not get them at all.
Dropbox launches Dropbox Enterprise and new cloud security features
Today at the Dropbox Open event, the cloud storage company launched Dropbox Enterprise. Building on the idea of Dropbox Business, Dropbox Enterprise is aimed at larger organizations and includes a new set of security and admin tools.
At the same time, the company also launched Dropbox Platform 2.0, and updated version of Dropbox's API that makes it easier for developers to build apps. Also announced was the new Dropbox Partner Network, creating a way for partners to collaborate to create new products and communicate with customers.
Twitter launches new Public Policy and Transparency page
It has been all change at Twitter recently. After increasing the number of accounts users are able to follow, and switching the Favorite star for a Like heart, Twitter today takes the wraps off a new Public Policy and Transparency page.
This is a central hub for information about Twitter's policies relating to freedom of speech, privacy, security, and corporate responsibility, as well as being a home for transparency-related information. It's also the place to go to find out how Twitter is handling government surveillance and online legal issues.
Vulnerability in Baidu's Android SDK exposes 100 million Android devices
Security researchers from Trend Micro have discovered that a software development kit used by thousands of applications is leaving Android users at risk.
The Moplus SDK was created by Chinese firm Baidu and is susceptible to backdoor functionalities. It is believed that approximately 100 million Android devices users are affected.
ISPs to be forced to store users' browsing history for a year
The UK government today published a draft version of the Investigatory Powers Bill setting out a framework for new surveillance powers. Among the proposed measures is a requirement for ISPs to keep a record of every website their customers visit for 12 months.
Fears that encryption would be banned were not realized, but privacy campaigners will be disappointed that internet connection records will be accessible by police and security services without the need for a warrant. The NSA-style data collection is indiscriminate. Data will be stored about everyone's internet usage, not just those suspected of crime, terrorism and the like.
Banks don't want you to share Apple Pay-enabled iPhones, iPads
Banks are warning iPhone users that if they store more than one set fingerprints on the device, they will treat them as if they had failed to keep their personal data safe. They are equalizing multiple fingerprint storing to sharing a PIN code.
Apple’s iPhone device allows up to ten fingerprints to be stored. The company designed it so to make it easier for multiple family members to use the Apple Pay service for contactless payments.
Google says Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge reduces Android security
Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge is blighted by 11 security problems according to the Project Zero team at Google. The team carried out research to determine how easy it would be for an attacker to exploit an Android phone produced by an OEM.
Over the course of just a week of investigations, Google discovered "a substantial number of high-severity issues". While Samsung has now fixed some of the problems, at least three are still to be addressed.
Finding iOS 9 vulnerabilities can be extremely profitable
Premium exploit acquisition platform Zerodium has announced that the bounty hunt for an iOS 9 zero-day vulnerability has expired, and that it has one winning team who managed to hack into Apple’s mobile operating system.
The winning team has thus won the main prize of $1 million.
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