Archive

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

Flaw Puts a Billion Wireless Mice at Risk

Wireless mice and keyboards are the perfect accessories for a world in which devices increasingly are shuffling off their connection coils, but those accessories -- especially untethered rodents -- also can create new threats for those who use them. One such threat is Mousejack. The attack exploits ...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

Data Breaches Chip Away at IT Pros’ Confidence in Security

The daily barrage of data breach news appears to be eroding confidence in security solutions. Fifty percent of IT pros aren't confident about the ability of their security measures to protect their data, according to a survey released last week by Barkly. The high percentage of IT pros with doubts a...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

ISIS Cyberthreat: Puny but Gaining Power

The Islamic State group's cyberwar capabilities are unsophisticated, but they won't be that way for long. That was the conclusion of a 25-page report released last week by Flashpoint. The report, "Hacking for ISIS: The Emergent Cyber Threat Landscape," found that the Islamic State's "overall capab...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

BlockIQ Escalates War on Ad Blockers

As consumers turn to ad blockers to avoid advertising on their mobile and computer screens, marketers and content providers who depend on pitches to pay the bills are searching frantically for ways to counter the pesky programs. BlockIQ offers them one. BlockIQ, owned by AdSupply, which recently mer...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

Insurance Industry Buzzes Over Data Breach Ruling

If the rash of data breaches in recent months has done anything for businesses, it's raised their awareness of cyber liability insurance. The market for cyber liability insurance is expected to increase dramatically as businesses become more aware that their current policies don't adequately cover c...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

E2E Encryption Could Make WhatsApp a Spam Magnet

Facebook's WhatsApp last week announced it would roll out end-to-end encryption for its users to better protect their privacy, but the move could make the service more attractive to spammers, too. While encryption can safeguard information from data thieves, it also can block data protectors from de...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

Apple, FBI Tussle Puts Bull’s-Eye on iPhone

The battle between the FBI and Apple over access to the iPhone of San Bernardino, California, killer Syed Farook came to an abrupt end last week when the agency announced it no longer needed the company's assistance to crack the device. Since the U.S. Department of Justice delayed a hearing on an or...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

Firm Wins Patent for Novel Way to Detect Spearphishing

Hackers in recent weeks have stepped up their efforts to steal employee tax information from companies in all kinds of industries. Typically, the information contained on IRS form W-2 is used to file false tax returns or steal someone's identity. The situation has become so bad that the IRS earlier ...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

Ransomware’s Aftermath Can Be More Costly Than Ransom

Downtime caused by a ransomware attack can cost a company more than paying a ransom to recover data encrypted by the malware, according to a report released last week by Intermedia. Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of companies infected with ransomware could not access their data for at least two ...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

Apple Ransomware Reveals Cert Problem

Researchers last week discovered the first ransomware in the wild aimed at Apple's hardware platform. While the threat was subdued quickly, it exposed the weakness of digital certificates in authenticating software to devices. The ransomware appeared as a legitimate application because it contained ...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

Facebook Exec’s Brazilian Misadventure Signals Bigger Problem

The jailing last week of Facebook Regional Vice President Diego Dzoda in Brazil may have been the tip of an iceberg. Frustrated police made the arrest after Facebook failed to produce WhatsApp messages connected to a drug trafficking case. The incident is one of a growing heap of examples that highl...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

Malvertisers Use Digital Fingerprints to Avoid Detection

In the world of computer security, fingerprints are found in more places than where the tips of hands touch. That's because the term is applied to any data set that can be used to make a unique identification. For example, antifraud programs used by online retailers can identify customers by the str...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

Security Pros to Users: Do as We Say, Not as We Do

IT pros -- the gatekeepers of company security policies -- are willing to bend the rules to get things done, according to Absolute Software, based on survey findings it released last week. Forty-five percent of IT pros confessed they knowingly worked around their own security policies, according to ...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

DHS Ready to Share Intelligence With Private Sector

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security this month will start sharing threat information with a small number of hand-picked companies under the newly enacted Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act. DHS hopes to collect threat indicators from companies and redistribute them so everyone gets a better ...

LinuxInsider Channels