It can surely be convenient to plug a dongle into your computer’s USB port and use a mouse or keyboard without the hassle of wires everywhere, but according to a new report from an Internet of Things security company, many wireless keyboards and mice are vulnerable to hackers. And once an attacker has access to those peripherals, they could easily download malware or steal information from your devices. [More]
security
Class Action Claims Wendy’s Negligently Exposed Customer Payment Info In January Breach
By 2.23.16
Back in January, Wendy’s confirmed that it was looking into a data breach, adding later that it had found malicious software designed to steal customer information on computers that operate its payment processing system. As one might imagine, that didn’t go over well with some customers: a new class action claims the fast food chain was negligent in exposing its customers’ credit and debit card information to attackers. [More]
Instagram Adding Two-Factor Authentication To Better Protect User Accounts
By 2.17.16
While Instagram may not have endured the same high-profile, embarrassing hacks that Twitter experienced in the past, the photo-sharing site is taking a page from the social media service — and other tech, networking, and retail companies — by enabling two-factor authentication for user accounts. [More]
Not Sure If That EMail Is Authenticated Or Secure? GMail Will Start Warning You
By 2.11.16
A solid 25 years into the all-digital era, email continues to evolve. So this week, one of the world’s biggest providers is adding a few small features to help protect consumers. [More]
If Your Password Is On This List, It’s Time To Change It
By 1.19.16 — Updated: 1.16.17
We get it. Maybe you revived your childhood obsession with Star Wars. But don’t extend that fandom to your password, or you could end up welcoming in… the dark side. And by that, we mean anyone who happens to look at the list of 2015’s Worst Passwords. [More]
Your Home Router Was Probably Out-Of-Date And Insecure Before You Even Plugged It In
By 1.19.16
Here’s some depressing news for your morning: even if you set up your home network yourself and followed all of the best practices for doing so, it’s probably got some big fat vulnerabilities in it. [More]
Reminder: Today Is The Day Microsoft Pulls Support For Internet Explorer 8, 9, And 10 For Good
By 1.12.16
If you’ve been putting off your final farewells to Internet Explorer, it’s time to stop procrastinating: Microsoft is ending support for IE versions 8, 9, and 10, effectively sending the browser to that Internet pasture in the sky, where its friends Netscape Navigator, Mosaic, and other tech dinosaurs are waiting. [More]
Father Claims 10-Year-Old Daughter Experienced “Uncomfortable” Two-Minute TSA Pat-Down
By 1.6.16
While it’s normal for travelers to undergo additional screening procedures from the Transportation Security Administration when there could be something amiss, the father of a 10-year-old girl says she was made uncomfortable by a two-minute pat-down after she left a juice pouch in her carry-on. [More]
TSA Stepping Up Random Security Screenings For Airport Workers
By 12.29.15
There’s a good chance you’ve been waiting (patiently) in the airport security line, preparing to take off your shoes, your belt, remove your laptop, and place everything on the belt, only to see an airport employee breezily walk through the side gate with a quick flick of their badge. That scenario will likely be less and less frequent around the country as the Transportation Security Administration plans to increase random checks of airport and airline employees. [More]
Target Agrees To Pay Banks $39.4M For Expenses Resulting From 2013 Data Breach
By 12.2.15
Target continues to put the disastrous 2013 holiday-season data breach behind it, agreeing today to pay $39.4 million to banks claiming they lost money during the hack. [More]
VTech Hack Exposed Tens Of Thousands Of Photos & Chat Logs Of Parents, Kids
By 12.1.15
The recent breach of popular children’s electric toy maker VTech compromised the personal information of nearly five million parents and children, but a new report claims the hack exposed even more sensitive information: photos and chat logs between children and their parents. [More]
Hack Of Toy Maker VTech Exposes Data For Millions Of Parents, Kids
By 11.30.15
Let’s kick off the holiday shopping season with news of a data breach that may involve some toys you’ll be wrapping in the coming weeks. Popular children’s electric toy maker VTech has announced that customer information fell into the wrong hands earlier this month. [More]
Dell Helpfully Installs Yet Another Gaping Security Hole On Some Laptops
By 11.25.15
That big fat “Superfish”-style security hole in Dell laptops that we told you about yesterday? Turns out, it’s not alone. There’s another basically just like it on Dell laptops, too. ZDNet has instructions for how to remove these troublesome certificates from your laptop if it has them. [ZDNet] [More]
Report: Amazon Resets Some Users’ Passwords Over Concerns They May Have Been Compromised
By 11.24.15
If you found Amazon has force-reset your account password, you aren’t alone: according to a new report, many customers have reported that the e-commerce giant emailed them saying their password had been changed, citing security concerns that the information may be exposed to outsiders. [More]
Amazon Enables Two-Step Authentication To Give Users More Account Protection
By 11.18.15
Amazon joined a growing number of tech, social media and retail companies aiming to ensure your personal information is as secure as possible today, by enabling two-factor authentication for user accounts. [More]
Apple, Google Pull Unofficial Instagram App That Harvests Usernames And Passwords
By 11.11.15
In yet another example of why unofficial apps aren’t always to be trusted, Apple and Google have yanked an app from their app stores that was supposed to let users know who was viewing their profiles. That’s not a thing, and a developer says that the app instead acted as malware, secretly collecting usernames and passwords and using them to post spam to users’ accounts. [More]
Security Researcher Successfully Steals Home WiFi Passwords By Hacking Into Tea Kettles
By 10.19.15
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]
Senators Ask Automakers For Update On Cybersecurity Protection Measures
By 9.16.15
Following a string of high-profile incidents in which researchers were able to hack into – and in some cases take control of – a vehicle through its entertainment systems, lawmakers have renewed their push to ensure car manufacturers are adequately protecting consumers from such attacks. [More]
