Hacking, Security & Privacy News - Page 17

All the latest Hacking, Security & Privacy news with plenty of coverage on new data breaches and leaks, new hacks, ways to protect yourself online & plenty more - Page 17.

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This map shows cyber attacks in real-time

Lana Jelic | Oct 4, 2016 8:45 AM CDT

Tens of thousands of cyber attacks occur every second, but it's hard to imagine and visualize the number of attacks. Norse, a company from California that provides intelligence to many different companies, has created an interactive map where users can watch the cyber attacks in real-time.

The attacks are shown with colored lines that connect the source and the target of the attack. Norse tracks these attacks with the help of more than 8 million sensors located in 47 different countries.

The map looks really impressive, but also worrisome considering how much of our personal information and financial records are stored online.

Continue reading: This map shows cyber attacks in real-time (full post)

France's new bank cards feature ever-changing digits

Sean Ridgeley | Oct 3, 2016 1:02 PM CDT

French digital security company Oberthur Technologies has developed a revolutionary new bank card that should make it very difficult for fraudsters to do any damage to your account. Called Motion Code, the technology sees that three digit PIN on the back of your card change every hour for three years, meaning anyone who steals your card or acquires the digits will have minimal time to spend your money.

Most fraud occurs hours or days after cards are stolen, but no doubt the criminals will catch on and spend the money quicker upon recognizing a Motion Code card.

The downside is added difficulty in using your card remotely: no longer will you be able to memorize the PIN and use it regardless of whether you have your card on you or not. But for most, it's likely well worth it.

Continue reading: France's new bank cards feature ever-changing digits (full post)

Germany to Facebook: Stop collecting Whatsapp user data

Sean Ridgeley | Sep 27, 2016 2:26 PM CDT

Germany's privacy regulatory body has taken issue with Facebook collecting WhatsApp user data, ordering the company to delete the data and cease the practice, calling it "an infringement of national data protection law."

"It has to be [the user's] decision, whether they want to connect their account with Facebook," says Hamburg data protection commissioner Johnnes Caspar. "Therefore, Facebook has to ask for their permission in advance. This has not happened."

Germany -- which boasts 35 million WhatsApp users -- isn't the only European country to take issue with Facebook's approach: France and Britain have both done so, with the former stating it would monitor the situation "with great vigilance."

Continue reading: Germany to Facebook: Stop collecting Whatsapp user data (full post)

FBI boss says you should put tape over your webcam

Anthony Garreffa | Sep 19, 2016 3:22 AM CDT

Does your PC or laptop have a front-facing webcam? Put tape over it immediately, and treat it like locking your doors or setting up an alarm system, says FBI boss James Comey.

During the Center for Strategic and International Studies conference, Comey said: "There's some sensible things you should be doing and that's one of them. You go into any government office and we all have the little camera things that sit on top of the screen. They all have a little lid that closes down on them. You do that so that people who don't have authority don't look at you. I think that's a good thing".

We shouldn't be surprised of this warning, as Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg was pictured with the camera on his laptop taped over. Comey has also admitted that he uses tape on his webcam.

Continue reading: FBI boss says you should put tape over your webcam (full post)

Snowden's new leak has the NSA with a secret UK spy base

Anthony Garreffa | Sep 7, 2016 5:04 AM CDT

Edward Snowden has leaked out some new information about the NSA having a spy base in the UK that has been intercepting satellite and other wireless communications around the world.

The base is Snowden has revealed is the Menwith Hill Station (MHS) in North Yorkshire, a 545-acre base that fronts as the Royal Air Force facility that is capable of "rapid radio relay and conduct communications research". The base had seen protestors, journalists and even terrorists interested, and now Snowden's new leak details what is happening at the base.

In a report by The Intercept, the NSA has been intercepting international communications from the base in two ways: the first is FORNSAT. FORNSAT uses the huge golf ball-shaped domes with powerful antennae to intercept transmissions between foreign satellites. The second method is called OVERHEAD, which has US government satellites finding, and monitoring smartphone calls and Wi-Fi signals on the ground.

Continue reading: Snowden's new leak has the NSA with a secret UK spy base (full post)

WhatsApp to share user data with Facebook

Sean Ridgeley | Aug 25, 2016 1:04 PM CDT

WhatsApp gets cozier with parent company Facebook today as it updates its privacy policy as part of a long-term plan. At some point in the months ahead, the company will begin sharing its user data with the social media giant for monetization and feature purposes. If you'd like to (mostly) opt out, follow these instructions.

Feature-wise, agreeing to the new terms will mean notifications from other services you use, like your bank when a fraudulent transaction comes up, or your airline when a flight is delayed. It also means better friend suggestions and more relevant advertising.

Continue reading: WhatsApp to share user data with Facebook (full post)

200 million Yahoo accounts hit the digital black market for $1800

Anthony Garreffa | Aug 3, 2016 7:45 PM CDT

A hacker named Peace has their hands-on the login credentials of 200 million Yahoo accounts, throwing them onto a dark web marketplace 'The Real Deal' for just three Bitcoins, or around $1800 USD.

Yahoo said in a statement to Motherboard that they "are aware of a claim" that Yahoo login credentials were on The Real Deal, but Yahoo has said that while it's aware of the hack, it hasn't confirmed or denied its legitimacy. Motherboard got its hands-on a sampling of the data, which includes usernames, hashed passwords, birth dates and even some backup email addresses.

The data was reportedly stolen in 2012, with the hacker adding they have traded the data privately for a while, but only decided to put it on the market recently. Yahoo hasn't pushed out a mandatory password reset announcement, which is definitely strange.

Continue reading: 200 million Yahoo accounts hit the digital black market for $1800 (full post)

US government requests for user data from Google reaches a new high

Anthony Garreffa | Jul 20, 2016 4:37 AM CDT

The US government requested a new record of user data from Google in the second half of 2016, with 40,677 requests impacting as many as 81,311 user accounts, reports ZDNet.

From July through to December 2015, the US government requested the 40.677 requests, an 18% increase from the first half of the year. Most of the requests are coming from the US, with 12,523 data requests in the three-month period, with requests impacting 27,157 users or accounts.

Google says it has been reporting the number of user data requests in a 6-month period going back to the second half of 2009, while it has been detailing the users and accounts it has impacted in the first half of 2011. Google notes: "Usage of our services have increased every year, and so have the user data request numbers".

Continue reading: US government requests for user data from Google reaches a new high (full post)

Facebook rolls out 'Secret Conversations' feature

Sean Ridgeley | Jul 8, 2016 4:33 PM CDT

Privacy is a perpetual concern with Facebook and Facebook Messenger, but it gets a little less so today as the company rolls out its 'Secret Conversations' feature.

Secret Conversations means you can create a conversation with someone that can only be seen by you and on the device of the person you're talking to, as opposed to Facebook or any potential hackers. As well, you can set your messages to disappear within a set amount of time.

As for downsides, you have to take extra action to start such a conversation, you can't view the conversation on multiple devices like you can currently, and fancy features like GIFs, videos, payments aren't supported.

Continue reading: Facebook rolls out 'Secret Conversations' feature (full post)

Mark Zuckerberg's Twitter, Pinterest accounts hacked

Sean Ridgeley | Jun 6, 2016 12:42 PM CDT

Even social media CEOs are susceptible to being hacked, it seems. Over the weekend, a couple of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's social media accounts were compromised by Saudi Arabian hacking group OurMine Team.

OurMine is said to have found Zuckerberg's information in a recent LinkedIn dump, which they then used to gain control of his Twitter and Pinterest accounts. The group claims his password for both accounts was the surprisingly simple 'dadada', but there's reason to be skeptical of this as it also claimed it had overtaken his Instagram account, which Facebook has denied.

Both the Twitter and Pinterest account haven't been terribly active, at least not recently; Zuckerberg's Instagram account hasn't been too active either, although it has been used on a regular basis and multiple times in the last week.

Continue reading: Mark Zuckerberg's Twitter, Pinterest accounts hacked (full post)