Many fimware hacks are benign or even beneficial, like tweaking the ISO range on your digital camera or removing the bloatware from your mobile phone. But what if even a humble USB flash drive could be turned into a delinquent diddler of your data, or a vindictive vector for viruses?
Tag Archives: Privacy
It’s only logical – the BIGGER the bank, the BIGGER the breach! 60 Sec Security [VIDEO]
Here’s the latest 60 Second Security for your viewing pleasure. News, advice, opinion and research – and it only takes a minute…
JP Morgan Chase confirms breach, 76 million homes and 7 million businesses affected
JP Morgan Chase has confirmed that user information including names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses for 76 million households and 7 million small businesses has been stolen in one of the largest data breaches ever. 
SSCC 167 – Avoiding the shock of Shellshock (and more!) [PODCAST]
Here’s the latest episode of our weekly Chet Chat podcast! Shellshock leads the list, of course, but Snapchat, cybersecurity awareness and the iPhone 6 all get a look in too…
Civil liberties advocates, bookstores, publishers sue to stop anti revenge porn law
Those seeking to outlaw revenge porn are now battling a coalition of free-speech advocates who claim the existing laws were thrown together so shabbily, they could arguably be used to criminalize a host of non-vengeful innocents who handle nude images.
US Attorney General urges tech companies to leave back doors open on gadgets for police
Don’t lock police out of popular consumer gadgets, lest law enforcement’s efforts to nab kidnappers or child predators be stymied, the US AG said, becoming the latest of a string of government officials to speak out since Google and Apple announced they were changing encryption on their mobile operating systems.
Head of ‘StealthGenie’ mobile stalking app indicted for selling spyware
The indictment alleges that StealthGenie can and has recorded all incoming/outgoing voice calls; intercepted calls to be monitored in real time; allowed the buyer to call the phone and activate it at any time to monitor all surrounding conversations within a 15-foot radius; and allowed the buyer to monitor a target’s incoming and outgoing e-mail messages and SMS messages, incoming voicemail messages, address book, calendar, photographs, and videos—all without the knowledge of the phone’s user.
How to pick a proper password [VIDEO]
Here’s a short and straight-talking video that not only shows you how to pick a proper password, but also explains why you should bother…
‘Anti-Facebook’ Ello: swamped with privacy-hungry refugees, bouncing back from DDoS
Either somebody really, really hates the idea of a social media platform that doesn’t sell ads based on user data, or Ello is so popular it got trampled. Either way, it’s been an outage-plagued few days for the service that thinks ad-based social networks are corrupt. 
George Clooney issues burner phones to stop guests from leaking wedding photos
Mr Oceans Eleven wasn’t about to let leaked photos ruin his Big Day so he handed out coded burner phones to all his guests.