Hacking, Security & Privacy News - Page 70

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 70.

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Apple not too worried about FBI's interest in stopping encryption

Michael Hatamoto | Oct 20, 2014 8:30 AM CDT

Even with FBI Director James Comey speaking out against Google and Apple providing encryption security on smartphone devices, Apple shipped its Yosemite OS with FileVault by default. The FBI - and other government agencies - are worried that encryption will prevent law enforcement from cracking down on criminals... or so they say.

"With Apple's new operating system, the information stored on many iPhones and other Apple devices will be encrypted by default," Comey recently said. "Shortly after Apple's announcement, Google announced plans to follow suit with its Android operating system. This means the companies themselves won't be able to unlock phones, laptops, and tablets to reveal photos, documents, email, and recordings stored within."

It's impressive to see Google, Apple and other tech companies trying to put customers first - as many users become more concerned about security - and not listening to the FBI's rather questionable concerns.

Continue reading: Apple not too worried about FBI's interest in stopping encryption (full post)

Anonabox, the $45 privacy router misleads people, Kickstarter steps in

Anthony Garreffa | Oct 18, 2014 8:15 AM CDT

Just days ago, August Germar showed off his Anonabox privacy router on Kickstarter, quickly flying past his pledge goal of $7500. Germar was promising a router that would give users near ultimate privacy, routing your Internet access through the Tor network. Germar raised $585,549 before Kickstarter suspended his Kickstarter, citing Germar "broke Kickstarter rules".

The Anonabox ball of thread began to unravel when some of its backers began to ask questions about Anonabox's custom hardware, as well as the promised security of its software. It snowballed to the point of many asking for the project to be cancelled, and asked others to report the misleading information to Kickstarter staff. Kickstarter emailed the project investors, telling backers that "a review of the project uncovered evidence that it broke Kickstarter's rules". These rules include the company to prohibit "offering purchased items and claiming to have made them yourself, presenting someone else's work as your own" and "misrepresenting or failing to disclose relevant facts about the project or its creator".

It all started on Tuesday night, with users seeing issues with the router's hardware, with its designer claiming was custom-designed. The backers found that all of the parts could be acquired from Chinese suppliers on sites such as Alibaba. Germar even confirmed with WIRED that the Anonabox prototype he had was built from "off-the-shelf case and a nearly stock board tweaked to add more flash memory storage, both sourced from the Chinese manufacturer Gainstrong", according to Wired.

Continue reading: Anonabox, the $45 privacy router misleads people, Kickstarter steps in (full post)

Europol: Just 100 cybercrime kingpins worldwide, as threats increase

Michael Hatamoto | Oct 15, 2014 9:30 AM CDT

Around 100 cybercriminal kingpins help wreak havoc on the world, according to Troels Oerting, the head of the Europol Cybercrime Center. Trying to crack down on cybercriminals can be a daunting task, especially trying to bring them to justice, as Web-based attack activity largely remains a borderless bureaucratic nightmare.

"We roughly know who they are," Oerting recently said. "If we can take them out of the equation then the rest will fall down. This is not a static number, it will increase unfortunately. We can still cope but the criminals have more resources and they do not have obstacles. They are driven by greed and profit and they produce malware at a speed that we have difficulties catching up with."

Not surprisingly, many of the leading cybercriminal bosses are in Russian-speaking countries - though cybersecurity experts also warned of growing threats from China. Trying to bring these criminals to justice is near impossible, with Russia and other Eastern European nations ignoring the western world when it comes to apprehending these criminals, Europol noted.

Continue reading: Europol: Just 100 cybercrime kingpins worldwide, as threats increase (full post)

Mobile malware threats rising, but actual infection rates still low

Michael Hatamoto | Oct 14, 2014 3:35 PM CDT

Computer security companies have had their hands full keeping PCs and other devices secure from cyberattackers, and while mobile malware is still overlooked, the threats are continuing to grow. There is serious concern that hackers will infect smartphones and tablets using malicious programs that are able to act like legitimate apps - giving them access to a large amount of information on mobile devices.

"We think the threat is real; we think it's a growing threat," said Gary Davis, McAfee chief consumer security evangelist. "We think there's a laissez-faire attitude with consumers not giving it the same kind of attention they give other threats."

Despite the lack of mobile attacks, where Google Android devices receive 98 percent of total mobile threats found in the wild, other operating systems need to be aware of security problems. Furthermore, mobile malware still has a lot of room to grow, even with thousands of Android-based malicious threats already spotted by security researchers.

Continue reading: Mobile malware threats rising, but actual infection rates still low (full post)

Anonabox, a $45 router that routes your traffic through Tor

Anthony Garreffa | Oct 14, 2014 4:31 AM CDT

In this government-spies-on-everyone age, anonymity is hard to come by. But, a group of privacy-focused developers have taken to Kickstarter, asking for funding from the world for something they call, Anonabox. With a goal of $7500, they've blown past that with a huge $146,755 (at the time of writing), with another 28 days still to go.

Anonabox is an open-source router that automatically directs all of your data, with it connecting to your router through Wi-Fi or ethernet, through the Tor network. This hides users' IP addresses, and skips over censorship. Better yet, Anonabox is tiny - small enough that it could easily fit inside of your pocket, or be easily placed anywhere near your router.

Thanks to its tiny size, users can take it with them, plugging it into any router, making their work and Internet use completely anonymous. For people who travel, they could use it in their hotel rooms, or for people in China at an Internet cafe, they can skip over the Great Firewall of China. August Germar, who has spent four years working on Anonabox, explains: "Now all your programs, no matter what you do on your computer, are routed over the Tor network". Germar says that the idea behind Anonabox making the use of Tor easier, but for those who reside in Internet-repressive regimes. He added: "It was important to us that it be portable and small-something you can easily conceal or even throw away if you have to get rid of it".

Continue reading: Anonabox, a $45 router that routes your traffic through Tor (full post)

Kmart servers affected, credit and debit card details possibly stolen

Roshan Ashraf Shaikh | Oct 12, 2014 9:25 AM CDT

Things do not look good as Sears Holding Corp said on Friday that its Kmart retail chains customer database may have been compromised last month. As a result, some of its customer's credit card and debit card details may have been stolen.

The company said on Friday that its Kmart's servers was affected by a malware. Kmart was not able to say how many customers are affected, and according to their investigation so far, no debit card pin numbers, email and phone contacts, social security number and personal information was stolen.

But, to be on the safe side, Kmart made an announcement that it will be providing a free credit-monitoring service for its customers who used a debit or a credit card during since last month until Thursday. Customers can then call Kmart customer service and report the unauthorized charges immediately. In the meantime, the company hired a security firm to look into the matter while working with its banking partners and federal authorities.

Continue reading: Kmart servers affected, credit and debit card details possibly stolen (full post)

Edward Snowden says 'get rid of Dropbox', Facebook, Google 'dangerous'

Anthony Garreffa | Oct 12, 2014 5:54 AM CDT

As part of his remote interview for the New Yorker Festival, Edward Snowden was asked various questions about what people can do about their privacy. His first reply was to cover the reform of government policies.

Snowden said that some people are fine with thinking along the lines of they "don't have anything to hide" but it's not about that according to the ex NSA contractor, who said "you're inverting the model of responsibility for how rights work". The full reply: "When you say, 'I have nothing to hide,' you're saying, 'I don't care about this right.' You're saying, 'I don't have this right, because I've got to the point where I have to justify it.' The way rights work is, the government has to justify its intrusion into your rights".

On an individual level, Snowden warns us all to find encrypted tools, and to stop using services that are "hostile to privacy". One of those services is Dropbox, where Snowden said "get rid of Dropbox", something that he said doesn't support encryption. Snowden did bring up Facebook and Google, both of which he said are "dangerous services". He also added to not send unencrypted text messages, but to instead of services like RedPhone and Silent Circle.

Continue reading: Edward Snowden says 'get rid of Dropbox', Facebook, Google 'dangerous' (full post)

Hackers to post thousands of stolen Snapchat photos to 4chan

Michael Hatamoto | Oct 10, 2014 1:43 PM CDT

Hackers aren't only interested in embarrassing celebrities, as thousands of pictures and videos were stolen from Snapchat users and will be posted online. The online service was quick to confirm its servers weren't breached, however, users of third-party Snapchat apps were targeted - and will be posted online in a searchable database.

Unfortunately for the users, they believed the images were quickly purged after being sent - instead, "The Snappening" will be posted on 4chan and other websites soon enough.

"We can confirm that Snapchat's servers were never breached and were not the source of these leaks," a Snapchat spokesperson recently said. "Snapchatters were victimized by their use of third-party apps to send and receive Snaps, a practice that we expressly prohibit in our Terms of Use precisely because they compromise our users' security. We vigilantly monitor the App Store and Google Play for illegal third-party apps and have succeeded in getting many of these removed."

Continue reading: Hackers to post thousands of stolen Snapchat photos to 4chan (full post)

Researchers: Electricity smart meters used in Spain can be hacked

Michael Hatamoto | Oct 8, 2014 12:46 PM CDT

Millions of network-connected electricity meters used in Spain are susceptible to cyberattack by hackers, according to security researchers. The vulnerabilities could lead to electricity being terminated - or billing fraud - if hackers are able to access the smart meters.

The Spanish government has relied on these electricity meters to improve national energy efficiency, but didn't put a large enough emphasis on security efforts. The memory chips in the smart meters are reprogrammable and include flawed code, though the researchers won't outline what they did specifically until the problems are fixed.

"Oh wait? We can do this? We were really scared," said Javier Vazquez Vidal, a security expert involved in the smart meter research. "We started thinking about the impact this could have. What happens if someone wants to attack an entire country?"

Continue reading: Researchers: Electricity smart meters used in Spain can be hacked (full post)

Home Depot breach leads to stolen customer payment information

Michael Hatamoto | Sep 2, 2014 4:00 PM CDT

Home Depot is now working with banks and law enforcement to investigate a data breach that led cybercriminals to steal customer payment information, including debit and credit card data. The Home Depot breach could have started in April or May, and reportedly affected a large number of customers. The data made its way to an underground forum and was called "American Sanctions," reportedly in response to further U.S. and European sanctions against Russia.

"Protecting our customers' information is something we take extremely seriously, and we are aggressively gathering facts at this point while working to protect customers," said Paula Drake, Home Depot spokesperson.

Consumers are urged to use cash or credit card payments in retail stores - debit card payments can be risky, forcing shoppers to closely track their bank statements. Hackers taking a political stance, trying to retaliate against the U.S. for further sanctions in a tense situation between Russia and the Ukraine, adds another layer of chaos to data breaches.

Continue reading: Home Depot breach leads to stolen customer payment information (full post)