online security

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NSA Can Read All Your Safely Encrypted Files

Agency has cracked every system out there, sometimes working with Internet providers

(Newser) - If you're under the impression that your online data is safe from prying eyes thanks to encryption, the New York Times , ProPublica , and the Guardian have some bad news, courtesy of Edward Snowden: The NSA can read pretty much everything that's out there. A key point from high...

Facebook Bug Exposes Contact Info of 6M Users

Company announces that glitch is fixed (late on a Friday afternoon)

(Newser) - Facebook says it has fixed a glitch that may have exposed the email addresses and phone numbers of about 6 million users to other Facebook members. The bug involved the Download Your Information tool that allows people to upload their address books, and specifically the way Facebook used it to...

Yahoo's Plan to Free Up Old Email Addresses Too Risky

Mat Honan: It raises a host of security concerns

(Newser) - Got an old Yahoo email address kicking around that you haven't checked in a year or so? Better log in over the next few weeks if you'd like to keep it. Otherwise, Yahoo is going to free it up for someone else. The example it uses is letting...

After AP Hack, Twitter Finally Ramps Up Security

Yesterday's was latest in a long line of high-profile breaches

(Newser) - The fake AP tweet about White House explosions that sent the Dow Jones diving yesterday was just the latest in a long series of high-profile Twitter hacks, but the company is finally taking steps to make accounts harder to hack, Wired reports. The two-step authentication security measure, which is already...

US Spy Chiefs: Cyber Threat Is on Par With Terrorism

Cyber Command looks to go on offense

(Newser) - With China , Iran , and other countries increasingly hacking the United States, its infrastructure, and its companies, the Pentagon is stepping up its cyber defense operations in a major way—provided Washington's budget battles don't hamstring its efforts, reports the Washington Post . Gen. Keith Alexander, the head of the...

Hackers Compromise 250K Twitter Accounts

Company would have sent you an email if you're one of them

(Newser) - If Twitter sent you an email about resetting your password, it's no mere helpful hint. And you probably want to disable Java from your browser while you're at it, advises the company, which revealed last night that 250,000 accounts were compromised in a hack, reports AP . The...

Chinese Hackers Crack NY Times

Nab staff passwords over 4 months of attacks

(Newser) - The New York Times has weathered four months of online attacks by Chinese hackers, the paper reveals . Following Times reporting on the wealth of Chinese PM Wen Jiabao's family, hackers were able to enter the newspaper's computer systems, diving into the email accounts of two Asia bureau chiefs....

Passwords Protect Jack Squat

 'Age of the Password' Is Over 
OPINION
Nov 15, 2012 10:52 AM CST

'Age of the Password' Is Over

They don't work, and it's time for a better system: Mat Honan

(Newser) - "You have a secret that can ruin your life," Mat Honan writes in Wired , namely your password. Honan should know: A hacker recently broke into several of his accounts and wiped clean his iPhone, iPad, and Macbook, deleting all his messages, documents, and every photo of his 18-month-old...

Amazon Tightens Security After High-Profile Hack

No longer can customers change account info over phone

(Newser) - Amazon has clamped down on security following last Friday's high-profile hack of Wired reporter Mat Honan's digital identity, which began by breaching his Amazon ID, reports Wired . Customers used to be able to call Amazon and change account information as long as the caller could present name, email...

Skype Makes It Easier for Police to Monitor Your Chats

Critics worry about privacy, but company says it's being responsible

(Newser) - Skype's "eavesdropping-proof" online messaging and video chats have long been used by those who don't want the authorities knowing what they're up to. But that's beginning to change, as technical modifications to Skype's programming now allow chats to be monitored, a development welcomed by...

Unimaginative eHarmony Passwords Hacked, Too

At least 1.5M are compromised: Ars Technica

(Newser) - LinkedIn isn't the only password hacking victim this week. Add eHarmony to the list. About 1.5 million encrypted passwords were posted online by a hacker, along with the 6.5 million from the business networking site, reports Ars Technica . The dating site has confirmed a breach, but it...

55K Twitter Passwords Leaked
 55K Twitter Passwords Leaked 
May 10, 2012 2:20 AM CDT

55K Twitter Passwords Leaked

Puzzling hit, but most hacked tied to spammers or dupe accounts

(Newser) - The usernames and passwords of more than 55,000 Twitter tweeters were leaked online Monday in a data dump that has puzzled experts. Twitter says that at least 20,000 of the leaked accounts were duplicates, and many more were spam accounts that had already been suspended, InformationWeek reports. Password...

Google, Yahoo, 13 Others Declare War on Phishing

New set of standards could make email more trustworthy

(Newser) - A new anti-phishing effort, backed by the big email service providers as well as banks, PayPal, social networks, and other companies, could dramatically reduce the number of scam emails you get in your inbox. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL are backing the new plan; 15 companies in total have come...

Facebook Closes 45K Accounts to Stop 'Worm'

Ramnit worm steals login info, spreads nasty links

(Newser) - Facebook has temporarily shut down about 45,000 accounts to protect users from a worm that steals login information and spreads malicious links, the Telegraph reports. Called Ramnit, the worm has been proliferating since April 2010 but only recently adapted to Facebook accounts. Most of the victims are in Britain...

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...

WikiLeaks Postpones New Leaking System

Assange cites fears for sources' safety

(Newser) - If you’ve got a giant trove of government secrets ready for release, you’ll just have to sit tight. Today was supposed to see the launch of WikiLeaks’ system overhaul, aimed at making it safer for sources to hand documents to the group. But Julian Assange tweeted over the...

Worst Passwords of 2011
 Worst Passwords of 2011 
Nov 19, 2011 8:59 AM CST

Worst Passwords of 2011

Once again: 'Password' is not a good choice to beat hackers

(Newser) - Lots of people are still lousy at choosing computer passwords. Mashable picks up on the annual list of most-hacked passwords from SplashData. The usual suspects are still at the top:
  1. password
  2. 123456
  3. 12345678
  4. qwerty
  5. abc123
  6. monkey
  7. 1234567
  8. letmein
  9. trustno1
  10. dragon
Check out the rest here .

Apple Boots Developer Who Exposed Security Hole

Finding App Store bug costs Charlie Miller his license

(Newser) - Security guru Charlie Miller found himself kicked out of Apple's developer program just hours after he announced that he had found a major security flaw. Miller discovered a hole that allows iPhone and iPad applications to grab potentially malicious code from third-party servers even after they have been approved...

Hidden 'Supercookies' Stalk Users, Steal History

New techniques 'almost impossible' to detect

(Newser) - Privacy-conscious consumers have yet another thing to worry about in the ongoing battle over online security: supercookies. Unlike regular cookies that track a user's online activities, supercookies are much harder to locate and delete, and are able to reformulate a user profile even after that user deleted his regular...

Operation Shady RAT: McAfee's Report Isn't Surprising to Experts in the Field
Biggest Hack Ever?
Beware Hype From McAfee
OPINION
Aug 3, 2011 12:25 PM CDT

Biggest Hack Ever? Beware Hype From McAfee

The hacking is real but not all that surprising: security experts

(Newser) - McAfee says it's uncovered the biggest hack in history with Operation Shady RAT, in which at least 70 governments and businesses around the world were breached. At Naked Security , expert Graham Cluley isn't quite ready to join the frenzied coverage. "To be honest, there's nothing particularly...

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