While it might be super convenient to have everything in your home connected to the Internet, that interconnectivity can also give attackers a chance to sneak in through seemingly innocent devices. Take the humble tea kettle: a security researcher in England has been hacking into smart kettles across the country and gaining access to private WiFi networks. [More]
privacy
Consumer, Privacy Groups Urge Federal Regulators To Investigate T-Mobile/Experian Hack
By 10.8.15
A week after Experian revealed that hackers stole personal information for around 15 million consumers from a database of T-Mobile customers and applicants held by the credit reporting agency, a group of 25 consumer and privacy advocates are demanding that federal regulators open an investigation into the breach.
[More]
California Realizes Maybe It’s Not Such A Good Idea To Print Full Social Security Numbers On Mailed Documents
By 10.7.15
Earlier this year, a California state agency was heavily criticized for tempting identity thieves by printing full Social Security numbers on millions of documents it mailed out to state residents. Making matters worse, the agency didn’t really seem to understand why this might be a problem. After a few months to think about it, the bureaucrats appear to have finally come around. [More]
Coming Soon To An AOL Ad Network Near You: All That Data Verizon Collects On Mobile Users
By 10.7.15
When Verizon first announced its plans to acquire AOL back in May, jokes abounded. The name “AOL” still conjures the sound of modems screeching and a friendly digital voice announcing haltingly, “You’ve got mail!” It does not, on the other hand, immediately inspire one to think of a $4 billion media and data empire. But the latter is exactly what it is — and in conjunction with Verizon’s more pernicious tools, it may be about to get a whole lot bigger. [More]
Scottrade Data Breach Leaks Contact Info For 4.6 Million Customers
By 10.2.15
If you’re a T-Mobile customer who donated money through Patreon, you’re already having a bad enough day due to massive breaches of user data. Here’s hoping you’re not also one of the 4.6 million Scottrade customers whose contact info was compromised. [More]
T-Mobile, Experian Data Breach Exposes Personal Info For 15M Consumers
By 10.2.15
Some bad news to start off October — hackers stole personal information for around 15 million consumers from a database of T-Mobile customers and applicants that was held by Experian. [More]
Trump Hotel Breach Likely The Result Of Malware, May Have Lasted More Than A Year
By 10.1.15
Three months after the Trump Organization confirmed that several of its hotels’ credit card systems had been breached, the company is releasing additional details on the hack that appears to have started with a computer virus and went undetected for more than a year. [More]
Federal Data Breach Included 5.6M Compromised Fingerprints, Five Times The Original Estimate
By 9.23.15
Federal investigators underestimated the number of fingerprints stolen in a massive breach of the Office of Personnel Management earlier this year: the agency announced Wednesday that 5.6 million individuals’ finger prints were stolen, nearly five times the original estimate of 1.1 million compromised prints. [More]
Android Bug Can Let Basically Anyone Bypass Your Lock Screen If You Use A Password
By 9.16.15
It is just not a great year for Android security, it seems. Researchers in Texas have discovered that some devices running Android version 5 (Lollipop) can be unlocked and accessed basically by just mucking around with buttons on the lock screen long enough. [More]
Target To Face Class-Action Lawsuit From Banks Over Data Breach
By 9.16.15
A month after Target agreed to pay financial institutions that issue Visa-branded credit cards $67 million related to its massive 2013 data breach, a federal judge gave the go-ahead for other banks to pursue a class-action lawsuit against the retailer. [More]
Over 10M Consumers’ Personal Info Stolen In Latest Health Insurer Data Breach
By 9.10.15
For at least the fourth time this year, millions of consumers are being faced with some bad news: health insurer Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield has announced the discovery of a major data breach in their systems. Over 10 million subscribers to Excellus and their partner services now have their most personal information — including medical claims records and social security numbers — stolen. [More]
Facebook-Owned WhatsApp Crosses 900 Million User Mark
By 9.4.15
Facebook is having a good run this summer of taking over the world one app at a time. Hot on the heels of last week’s announcement that the big blue network now has more than 1 billion daily users, the company is now crowing about a user milestone they’ve reached on one of their two big messaging platforms, WhatsApp. [More]
New Spotify Privacy Policy Aims To Provide “Plain Language” Explanation For Collected Data
By 9.4.15
Just weeks after Spotify ticked off many of its 75 million active users with an updated, potentially invasive privacy policy, the music streaming service has once again revamped the terms, this time including an introduction that provides clear reasoning and examples of data collected. [More]
Internet-Connected Video Baby Monitors Are Basically The Most Hackable, Least Secure Thing Ever
By 9.2.15
The implacable march of technology has, in many ways, made parents’ lives easier. But in other areas, it’s added a whole new layer of complication. Like the fact that video-enabled baby monitors, designed to let parents have peace of mind while their kids are sleeping in another room, almost universally have completely crap security that any random stranger on the internet can tap into. [More]
Ashley Madison Says People, Even Some Real Women, Are Still Signing Up For Cheating Site
By 8.31.15
We can understand why people continued to shop at retailers that have been hit by data breaches. You still need to buy groceries, clothing, housewares, etc. But what about a website whose main selling point is privacy? Even though AshleyMadison.com — the dating website for cheaters — has been publicly embarrassed by the posting of millions of users’ personal data, it claims that people are still signing up… and that they’re not all just dudes. [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]
Wyndham Hotels Loses Legal Battle With Feds Over Lax Security Practices
By 8.24.15
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]
Ashley Madison Offering $378,000 Reward For Info On Hackers
By 8.24.15
While big companies have been known to offer “bounties” to white-hat hackers to test for weaknesses in their networks and websites to ensure they aren’t one day breached in a cyber attack, it’s too late for AshleyMadison.com, the dating site for cheaters. After the embarrassment of having its users’ private information made very public, the site is now dangling several hundred thousand dollars as a reward for information leading to the arrest of the group behind the massive hack. [More]
