We owe Apple an apology, because it turns out they weren’t kidding when they said that opening the iPhone up to 3rd party software was just asking for trouble. That’s because the iPhone runs every single app as “root,” which is computerese for “more power than Steve Jobs.” It was this root access that made the Safari exploit possible back in July, and it can’t be fixed without a complete redesign of the firmware.
hackers
iPhone Hacked, Compromising All Your Personal Data
By 7.23.07
Bleeding-edge early-adopters take note: The iPhone may be a sexy little device, but security experts have found a way to hack it and take complete control of the device. Complete and utter vulnerability. Hackers find their way into the phone via the iPhone’s version of the Safari web browser.
Family Stalked Using Cellphone Snoopware
By 6.22.07
Holy crap, this is scary! A family interviewed on the Today show is being stalked by “hackers” who have taken over their cell phones. The stalkers use the cell phones to record conversations and the play them back to scare the family. They also leave messages saying they are going to rape one of the family members.
Marriott's ISP Blames Scam Site Redirect On World's First Bisexual Rootkit
By 5.18.07
There’s been a comment war boiling as Marriott, Will, and the hotel’s internet access company (GTS) duke it out to discern the vulnerability redirecting Marirott internet using guests to a casino scam site.
Marriott Server Compromised, Rerouting Guest's Internet To Casino Scam Site?
By 5.16.07
When Will changed around the server settings to use a public DNS server instead of Marriott’s, the problem disappeared, leading Will to think someone had “poisoned” Marriott’s DNS servers to drive traffic to their casino scam page(s). He then reported this to Marriott’s techs. We’ve spoken ourselves with Marriott’s server people and they confirm that the secondary DNS is wacked but they need to investigate further.
Bankers Join The Class Action Fun Against TJX
By 4.28.07
TJX, the parent company of TJ Maxx and Marshall’s, is facing a class action lawsuit from the 45 million customers whose credit card data they lost; now, bankers associations representing 300 banks in Maine, Connecticut and Massachusetts have decided to file a class action suit of their own. From InfoWorld:
Banks — especially in states like Massachusetts — were also hard hit. Why? Because under current federal law, its banks, not merchants, who have to pay to make customers whole again: forgiving fraudulent purchases on credit and debit cards and, of course, cancelling compromised cards and bank accounts, then issuing new ones to their customers. Needless to say, that’s an expensive process, especially when you’ve got to repeat it 45 million times, as banks across the country will have to do in the wake of TJX. Not surprise, then, that banks aren’t taking this sitting down.
Banks are in the process of notifying consumers, some who did not think they were affected, that they will soon receive new debit and credit cards in the mail. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
TJ Maxx Data Thieves Caught Buying $8 Million in Walmart Gift Cards
By 3.23.07
Stolen TJX data has been linked to 6 arrests in the Miami area. According to the AP, the ID thieves exploited a Walmart gift card loophole that allowed them to buy multiple $400 gift cards without showing ID, which they would then redeem or sell.
T.J. Maxx Credit Card Breach Probed By MA & RI AGs
By 2.16.07
Massachusetts and Rhode Island are opening probes into T.J. Maxx after the retailer lost millions of consumer’s credit cards in a recent breach.
T.J. Maxx Gets Class Actioned For Credit Card Breach
By 1.30.07
A class action lawsuit was filed yesterday against TJ Maxx for allowing millions of customer’s credit cards to be stolen in a Jan. 17. security breach.
TJ Maxx & Marshall’s Hacked, Tons Of Credit Cards Stolen
By 1.18.07
In mid-December, someone cracked into TJ Maxx’s computer system and stole a huge swath of credit cards.
HSBC Security Hole Leaves 3M Customers’ Accounts Vulnerable
By 8.14.06
If you’ve got your money tied up with HSBC, better be on your tip-toes: a research team from Cardiff University has discovered a flaw in HSBC’s banking system that exposes three million customers’ accounts to the theft of wily hackers.
Alert! Citibank Scandal Update: It’s Not Just Citibank…
By 3.9.06
Here’s what’s up with the Citibank card scandal. There’s an ATM crime wave. Not just Citibank customers but anyone could be at risk.
