Lawsuit fights Uber's user location tracking plans
Uber has faced numerous complaints since its inception in 2010, including suggestions that drivers are not properly vetted. Now the taxi service is facing legal action over plans to track the location of its customers whether the app is running in the foreground or background on their phones.
The new policy is due to come into force on July 15, but the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has filed a complaint with the FTC saying that the policy change is unfair and should be investigated by the commission. It will be possible to opt out of this location tracking, but EPIC feels this is unreasonable.
5 cyber security tips for travellers
Out of the office on holiday this summer? Despite being encouraged to switch off, and enjoy a well-earned break, the reality is that many people find it difficult to "go dark" and so fall into the trap of checking emails by the pool.
So whether you’re travelling to a conference or a hitting the beach, you need to take appropriate steps to keep your data secure, particularly when browsing the internet or making online payments from your mobile device.
Samsung announces fix for Galaxy keyboard vulnerability
We reported on Wednesday that a flaw in the pre-installed SwiftKey keyboard software could put millions of Galaxy devices at risk.
Samsung has moved fast to reassure users and has announced that it's preparing a fix which will be pushed out to devices in the next few days. In addition to the update the company says it will continue to work with third-parties like SwiftKey to address risks in future.
Forensics for everyone as a new approach to network security [Q&A]
Organizations are increasingly under pressure to respond to security incidents quickly in order to minimise damage and losses. Yet conventional security approaches don't always provide enough information, or make it accessible enough, for this to happen.
Is it time for businesses to take a more forensic approach to securing their networks? And won’t this involve time-consuming trawls through masses of raw packet data? We spoke to Uriel Cohen, head of marketing at network forensics specialist WireX Systems to find out.
SAP HANA vulnerable to weaknesses in encryption keys
SAP HANA is the ERP specialist's recent key product. Based on in-memory technology, it provides a considerable increase in the speed of data processing, helping large enterprises process their data in real time. It's implemented in more than 500 companies.
But at a "Black Hat Sessions" conference today in the Netherlands, Dmitry Chastuhin, Director of professional services at SAP security company ERPScan, has presented a report on the latest trends in SAP Security. It uncovers multiple problems related to encryption algorithms and static keys used by SAP in their products.
How to protect your business from ransomware
You may have heard about ransomware attacks in the last few months. These are attacks that seize control of your machine or your data and demand a ransom to remove the virus. Back in the 90’s, these attacks were less common but demanded large quantities of money and would target large organizations, governments and critical infrastructure suppliers.
More recently, the criminals involved in ransomware attacks have realized that demanding small payments and targeting individual users can be more fruitful, and arguably is less likely to raise enough interest to warrant a law-enforcement counter-attack.
Vulnerability could put up to 600 million Samsung smartphones at risk
According to a report published by security specialist NowSecure, a vulnerability in the Swift keyboard software, pre-installed on Samsung devices, can allow a remote attacker to execute code on the user's phone as well as access functions like the microphone and camera.
Worse still there's no way to uninstall Swift and the flaw can be exploited even if you don't use the app. It affects leading Samsung smartphone models from the Galaxy S4 to the S6.
US consumers receive over 86 million scam phone calls per month
You might think that today's scammers spend most of their effort on the Internet, but a new report by call center authentication specialist Pindrop Security reveals that phone fraud is still big business.
More than 86.2 million calls per month to US consumers are down to scammers, and 36 million of those calls can be traced to one of the 25 most common phone scams. It also finds a 30 percent rise in enterprise attacks.
How to protect your LastPass account from hackers
So, the unthinkable has happened for millions of LastPass customers worldwide: LastPass’s servers have been hacked, and user data stolen. The good news -- if it could be said to be good -- is that your passwords are almost certainly safe… For now.
Doing nothing shouldn’t be seen as an option, so what can you do to ensure your LastPass account remains as tightly sealed as can be?
LastPass hacked, email addresses, password reminders and more compromised
A lot of people trust LastPass to keep their passwords safe, which is why news that the company has been hacked and its user data compromised is seriously worrying.
LastPass discovered and blocked some suspicious activity on its network last Friday and immediately launched an investigation. Today it reports its findings, and they're very concerning indeed.
Microsoft will encrypt all Bing search traffic
In a post-Edward Snowden world, privacy and security are huge concerns. While many people call him a traitor to his country, many others -- myself included -- consider him a hero. Snowden shone a light on government programs that were arguably illegal and unconstitutional. The ultimate win from his actions is that people that were ignorant to privacy issues before, are now interested in them. He planted a seed of curiosity and concern.
As a result of this new interest in privacy, many companies have been reacting to show customers that they are safe and secure. One of the most vocal of these companies is Microsoft. Today, the company announces that it will soon start encrypting all Bing web searches. Whoa. This is huge.
Protecting data and people in the public sector
Another day, another media story about a public sector data breach. Whether it’s a filing cabinet containing confidential prison documents unwittingly sold at auction, private employee data accidentally posted online, or papers sent to the wrong person by mistake, invariably, the end result is that the media has a field day and the Information Commissioner issues yet another reprimand or fine.
Are things really this bad when it comes to information protection in the public sector? Well, yes and no. We recently completed a study of how public sector bodies across the UK manage their information. The findings reveal that one in four (23 percent) public sector organizations aren’t confident in their approach and recognize they are putting data at risk. Six in every ten (61 percent) say poor information handling has resulted in important documents being lost internally, and 40 percent have suffered an external data breach.
Sony Pictures hack caused accidental broadcast of expletive-filled movie
When Sony Pictures was hacked last year, one of the primary concerns for the company was the leaking of a number of unreleased movies. But in the UK, there were other consequences, including the daytime broadcast of the movie The Verdict complete with a smattering of four-letter expletives.
Sony Pictures Entertainment's subsidiary company Media Mix Limited owns the TV station Movie Mix, and on 14 December the channel broadcast an edit of the movie peppered with f-bombs. In the middle of the afternoon. The channel's excuse? That the "safe for daytime" broadcast version of the movie had been deleted by hackers.
Emoji could be used for your next PIN
The humble PIN is a common way to secure access to accounts, but it has one major problem -- it is, usually, limited to using the digits 0-9. A UK firm thinks it may have come up with a better solution: emoji-based PINs.
Intelligent Environments' Emoji Passcode system can be used to secure accounts with ideograms. The company argues that Emoji passcodes are not only easier to remember than number-based alternatives, but also more secure. This is thanks to the fact that there is a pool of 44 Emoji to choose from, and research also suggests people find it easier to remember images.
Snowden files hacked by China and Russia
UK secret services say that the encrypted files Edward Snowden held from his time working at the NSA have been accessed by intelligence agencies in China and Russia. The Sunday Times reports that the top secret files have been hacked meaning that British and American spies could be identified and located.
Wanted by US authorities, Snowden has been in hiding for some time now. It is believed that the time he spent seeking refuge in Hong Kong and Moscow may have given security official the opportunity to access the data he held. Although the data was protected, it is thought that the encryption was hacked, and US and UK intelligence services have been "forced to intervene and lift their agents from operations to prevent them from being identified and killed".
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