spyware

14 Stories

'Stop What You're Doing and Read This,' Says Snowden

Investigation finds NSO Group spies on journalists, activists using Pegasus spyware

(Newser) - An investigation by a global media consortium based on leaked targeting data provides further evidence that military-grade malware from Israel-based NSO Group, the world’s most infamous hacker-for-hire outfit, is being used to spy on journalists, human rights activists, and political dissidents, the AP reports. From a list of more...

For Some, a Missed WhatsApp Call Had Scary Consequences

Company uncovered spyware that could hijack a phone via a missed call

(Newser) - Spyware crafted by a sophisticated group of hackers-for-hire took advantage of a WhatsApp flaw to remotely hijack dozens of phones, the company said late Monday. The Financial Times identified the actor as Israel's NSO Group, and WhatsApp all but confirmed the identification, describing hackers as "a private company...

Court Sees El Chapo's Texts to Wife, Mistress

He joked about giving baby daughter an AK-47

(Newser) - Drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was so paranoid that he installed spyware on the phones of his wife and mistress, along with those of dozens of associates. He wasn't paranoid enough, however, to realize that the FBI had flipped his IT guy . The New York Times reports...

'Loverspy' Guy Joins Most-Wanted Cybercrime List

Spyware was designed for jealous lovers

(Newser) - It's not just the federal government intercepting your communications. It could be a nosy relative or jealous partner. Among the five people added this week to the FBI's list of "most wanted" cybercriminals is a former San Diego college student who developed an $89 program called "...

Google to Users: Watch Out for State-Sponsored Attacks

New warnings from Google pop up for thousands of users

(Newser) - The next time you log in to Gmail or run a Google search, don't be surprised if you see a warning that "state-sponsored attackers may be attempting to compromise your account or computer.” The search engine giant is issuing the messages to tens of thousands of users...

Your Android Phone May Be Spying on You

Carrier IQ insists it's just a 'diagnostic tool'

(Newser) - A hidden piece of software in your Android phone may be watching your every move and sending that information to an unknown recipient, a security researcher has alleged. In a video posted earlier this week, Android researcher Trevor Eckhart shows a program called Carrier IQ logging keystrokes, text messages, and...

How Facebook Watches You
 How Facebook Watches You 
Nov 16, 2011 2:12 PM CST

How Facebook Watches You

Social media giant tracks your previous 90 days of browsing

(Newser) - Facebook is watching you—even if you’re not a Facebook user—but insists it’s less nefarious than rivals who do the same thing. The social networking giant uses tracking cookies to keep a running log of every page users have visited for the past 90 days, engineering director...

US Drones Infected With Virus
 US Drones Infected With Virus 
Oct 7, 2011 2:19 PM CDT

US Drones Infected With Virus

Someone is logging the keystrokes of drone operators

(Newser) - America’s robot assassins have all been infected with a “keylogger” virus that tracks every move their pilots make, sources tell Wired . The military isn’t sure how the computers at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada—the nerve center that controls most drone missions—got infected, or who...

Pervy Repairman Added Spyware to Laptops

'Hot steam' message prompted women to take Macs near shower

(Newser) - A computer repairman in California doubled up as a virtual Peeping Tom, adding spyware to the Mac laptops of female customers so he could photograph them undressing and showering, police say. Hundreds of thousands of images and videos have been seized from the computer of 20-year-old Trevor Harwell, who has...

Microsoft's Free Antivirus Software Actually Works!
Microsoft's Free Antivirus Software Actually Works!
Tech Review
Oct 1, 2009 1:00 PM CDT

Microsoft's Free Antivirus Software Actually Works!

Program performs well in stress test

(Newser) - Want a great, free antivirus program from a big software brand? OK, it’s from Microsoft, and … wait! Come back! Believe it or not, Microsoft’s new Security Essentials software is pretty darn good. AV-Test.org ran it through a bevy of tests and found the freebie performed admirably....

Jessica Biel Is Most Dangerous Celeb Online

Searches for actress yield most viruses, spyware: McAfee

(Newser) - Jessica Biel is the most dangerous celebrity on the web, says a security tech firm. McAfee reported that searches for the 27-year-old actress are more likely to lead to online threats such as spyware and viruses than searches for any other celebrity. Fans searching for the actress have a one-in-five...

E-Cards Spread Holiday Cheer, Viruses

Online greeting cards rising in popularity; paper still preferred

(Newser) - Online greeting cards are all the rage this holiday season. They're mostly free, and can feature funny, interactive subjects ranging from elf tossing to reindeer arm wrestling. E-cards are also delivered instantly, an advantage for the forgetful around Christmas. But traditional cards are still the preferred way to spread holiday...

Prankster's 1st Computer Virus Turns 25

'Dumb little practical joke' led to $38 billion security industry

(Newser) - A prankster who wrote the first computer virus 25 years ago says only, “It was some dumb little practical joke.” Yet Richard Skrenta’s desire to infiltrate other Apple II’s with a poem (“It will get on all your disks; it will infiltrate your chips”)...

Germany Furious Over Chinese Spy Hackers

Berlin government computers infected with espionage programs

(Newser) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel kicked off her Chinese summit today amid highly charged reports in der Spiegel that the Chinese have been spying on the German government by hacking into computers in several German ministries. Scores of official computers are said to have been infected with spyware concealed in PowerPoint...

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