If a consumer-facing company, like say a massive hotel chain, touts its dedication to the security of customer information and then does something to repeatedly put that information at risk — like storing unencrypted credit card data on barely secure networks — can they be forced to share some of the blame when hundreds of thousands of credit card numbers are stolen? The hotel chain says that would be blaming the victim, but a federal appeals court has affirmed the Federal Trade Commission’s authority to go after businesses that fail to live up to their security promises. [More]
Data & Privacy
Cheating Website AshleyMadison.com Reportedly Made Nearly $2M/Year From Users Trying To Delete Accounts
By 8.19.15
One of the reasons that hackers first attacked AshleyMadison.com, the dating site for people looking to cheat, is because it charges upwards of $20 to users for a “Full Delete” service that scrubs their accounts and photos from the site; something it could just do without charging. Just how many people paid for this? Enough for the website to make nearly $2 million a year. [More]
IRS: Identity Thieves Accessed More Taxpayer Accounts Than We Thought
By 8.17.15
Almost three months after the Internal Revenue Service said identity thieves accessed more than 100,000 taxpayer accounts in its databases, the agency says that a review shows more accounts were exposed and there were more attempts to gain access to them than previously reported. [More]
Leaked NSA Documents: AT&T “Highly Collaborative” With NSA Spying, Has “Extreme Willingness” To Help
By 8.17.15
The NSA’s spying operations on regular Americans are the unwanted, terrible gift that just keeps on giving. Although most telecom and internet companies have cooperated with the surveillance efforts to one degree or another, at least some of them have the decency to act mildly chagrined about it. But not AT&T. [More]
Mozilla: Firefox Bug Could Secretly Search, Upload Your Files
By 8.7.15
If you use Firefox on a PC, you should make sure you update your browser right now: Mozilla says a Firefox user notified the company after spotting a bug that has the potential to search and download local files. [More]
Report: Hackers May Have Breached Sabre Reservations Systems, American Airlines
By 8.7.15
Another day, another report that says hackers have been busy plundering major companies. Insiders say the same group of hackers believed to be behind security breaches at Anthem Inc. and the U.S. government’s personnel office have two more victims: Sabre Corp., which processes reservations for hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotels, and American Airlines. [More]
Most Small Business Owners Aren’t Ready For Chip-And-PIN Credit Cards
By 8.6.15
Following a string of high-profile data breaches last year, Visa and MasterCard handed down a requirement that all merchants transition to the more secure chip-enabled credit card payment system by October of this year. While several major retailers have already made or are in the process of making the switch, a new report finds that many small business owners don’t even know about the deadline – or the potentially costly consequence of not meeting it. [More]
Facebook Launches Feature That Lets Users And Businesses Message Each Other
By 8.5.15
After Facebook announced in March that it’d be launching a pilot program with a few brands that would let customers and companies communicate privately, the social media network said Wednesday that it’s expanding the rollout of Messenger for businesses. [More]
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Facebook Patent Would Allow Lenders To Determine Creditworthiness By Looking At Your ‘Friends’
By 8.5.15
Earlier this year Facebook announced it would dip its toes into the pool of mobile payments by launching a system that allowed users to send money to friends via the Messenger app. Now it appears the company may take things a bit farther after receiving approval for a patent this week that would allow creditors to determine whether or not someone is worthy of a loan based on their circle of friends on the social networking site. [More]
Yahoo Removes Malware From Its Advertising Network That Exploited Weakness In Adobe Flash
By 8.4.15
For six days last week, malware known as “malvertising” was reportedly lurking in Yahoo’s advertising network, with the potential for attackers to infect internet users’ computers and hold them for ransom. Security researchers say they notified Yahoo of the malware upon discovering it on Sunday, and the company removed the malicious code immediately. [More]
Scam Alert: Microsoft Is Not Upgrading Computers To Windows 10 Through Email
By 8.3.15
First and foremost: If you’re a Windows 7 or 8 user, Microsoft will not email you to upgrade to Windows 10. If you do get an email along those lines, it’s probably a scam and if you download what’s inside, bad guys could hold your computer’s files for ransom. [More]
Hanes Website Is The Latest, Oddest Victim Of Data Breach
By 7.30.15
To be honest, we had no idea that you could buy Hanes underwear (and socks, shirts, etc) from the Hanes website, mostly because we’d never really thought to look at the Hanes website. But if you have been shopping at Hanes.com — and potentially at other sites in the Hanes Brands catalog — some of your information may have been compromised. [More]
Americans Less Annoyed With Facebook Than Last Year, Still Dislike LinkedIn
By 7.28.15
Ordinary consumers aren’t really the customers of social media sites like Facebook and Pinterest: we’re their products, there to have our personal data and preferences sold to advertisers. Still, people will flee a site if they don’t like it, making it important for social media platforms to keep users on the site longer in order to please their real customers. That’s why the American Customer Satisfaction Index has tracked our happiness with these sites since 2010. [More]
Fiat Chrysler Recalling 1.4M Vehicles Amid Concerns Over Remote Hack Attacks
By 7.24.15
With the steely eye of the government fixed firmly on Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, the company agreed today to recall 1.4 million vehicles that could be susceptible to remote hack attacks. This, a few days after researchers teamed up with a reporter to show how a Jeep Cherokee could be controlled wirelessly from miles away. [More]
Court Says Facebook Can’t Challenge Search Warrants For User Data
By 7.24.15
If a company like Facebook receives a subpoena for user data in a civil lawsuit, it can make its case to the court about why it should not have to oblige. But when that information request is in the form of a search warrant in a criminal investigation, Facebook doesn’t have that option. [More]
Fiat Chrysler Offers Software Patch For Some Internet-Connected Vehicles After Hackers Hijack Jeep
By 7.23.15
After a journalist’s report of being inside a 2014 Jeep Cherokee while hackers miles away took over his car as part of an experiment, Fiat Chrysler has announced it’s offering a software patch for some of its internet-connected vehicles. That being said, the company didn’t directly acknowledge the hacking event itself. [More]
Ashley Madison Says It’s Secured All Customer Data After Hack Attack
By 7.21.15
After a group of hackers posted a sampling of user data stolen from AshleyMadison.com, the parent company of the dating site for cheaters says it’s secured all customer information that was allegedly leaked. [More]
