There are a few ways you can earn travel vouchers that let you fly on the cheap or for free, but slipping in the back door and stealing them could also earn you a trip to court. That’s the lesson playing out right now in Utah, where officials charged a man with a slew of crimes including theft after he allegedly hacked United Airlines and boosted unredeemed vouchers. [More]
hack attacks
Hyatt Confirms 250 Hotels Were Infected With Malware Last Year, Possibly Exposing Customer Payment Data
By 1.15.16
After announcing late last year that a slew of its hotels had been infected by malware, Hyatt has now identified the 250 properties that were affected — roughly 40% of its businesses in operation. Customers staying at those hotels who paid with a debit or credit card may have had their payment data and other information exposed to hackers, the chain said. [More]
Toy Maker VTech Hires Cyber Forensic Team To Help Beef Up Security After Data Breach
By 12.3.15
After a data breach at popular kids’ toy maker VTech that put the personal information of nearly five million parents and children at risk, as well as reportedly exposing many of their photos and chat logs, the Hong Kong-based company says it’s bringing in the pros to help shore up its security. [More]
Former Ashley Madison Customer Sues Site Over “Army Of Fembots” With Fake Profiles
By 11.2.15
After hackers dumped a plethora of personal information about Ashley Madison’s 37 million subscribers online in August, the public has learned a lot about the dating site aimed at cheaters. Among the reported revelations: only about 15% of its users are women, contrary to the site’s marketing claims, a new lawsuit says. Adding insult to injury? The army of fembots scattered through the sites with fake profiles written by employees. [More]
Crowdfunding Site Patreon Hacked, 15GB Of Donor Info Dumped Online
By 10.2.15
Patreon, a website that allows donors to give regularly to sites, artists, projects and other creators, yesterday evening that it’d been hit by a hack attack that accessed some registered names, email addresses and mailing addresses. And according to reports, 15GB of data was then dumped online, exposing information about donors and the projects they’ve funded. [More]
Hilton Looking Into Possible Hack Attack Affecting Guests Using Credit Cards At Its Restaurants, Gift Shops
By 9.28.15
Hilton Hotels says it’s looking into a possible hack attack connected to point-of-sale registers and a variety of Hilton properties. If you bought something at a restaurant, gift shop or other store at a Hilton property recently, you should take a closer look at your credit card statements for any fraudulent activity. [More]
Apple Pulls Malware-Infected Apps After App Store Suffers Its First Major Breach
By 9.21.15
Hackers have finally taken a bite out of Apple’s App Store: the company confirmed that attackers were able to infect some of the apps it offers with malware, by copying and modifying a tool used by software developers. Apple says it has now removed the affected apps from the App Store. [More]
Ashley Madison CEO Steps Down In Wake Of Hacking Scandal
By 8.28.15
Less than two weeks after hackers published two big data dumps full of material stolen from Ashley Madison, a dating website for cheaters, its parent company Avid Life Media announced that effective today, CEO Noel Biderman will be stepping down from his position and is no longer with the company. [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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
What It’s Like To Be Inside A Car When Hackers Take Control From Miles Away
By 7.21.15
It sounds like a nightmare: You’re driving along, maybe whistling along to the radio, when suddenly the music changes and starts blasting, the car begins honking and won’t stop and the transmission cuts out. Nightmarish though that may sound, it could be a reality for drivers, after a team of hackers showed they’re able to get control of a vehicle from miles away. [More]
Samsung Rolling Out Security Update To Fix Keyboard Vulnerability That Affects Up To 600M Galaxy Phones
By 6.19.15
After a security researcher found a flaw in the way Samsung phones update their SwiftKey keyboard software that leaves Galaxy phone owners open to hack attacks, the company says it’s rolling out a security update in the next few days that will address the vulnerability. [More]
