Internet Explorer (IE) will finally catch up with rival browsers next week when it begins blocking out-of-date ActiveX controls.
Tag Archives: Security threats
HP finds that “Internet of Things” gadgets are sitting ducks
TVs, webcams, thermostats, remote power outlets, sprinkler controllers, door locks, home alarms, scales and garage door openers: they’re all flunking Security 101, with issues as bad as “Sure, go ahead, we consider ‘1234’ to be a perfectly acceptable password.”
Apple faces class action suit for tracking users without consent
A Californian plaintiff says that nobody at Apple ever told her about tracking her whereabouts, nor did anybody ever ask for her permission. She says she only found out about it by watching a recent Chinese state TV report about iPhone being a security risk to the state. 
Mozilla database leaks 76,000 email addresses, 4,000 passwords
Email addresses and encrypted passwords of thousands of Mozilla developers were accidentally exposed for a month – and there are no guarantees that they were not snaffled up by those with ill intent.
Bad passwords on PoS terminals leads to card stealing Backoff malware
More point of sale malware has been making the news, designed to steal credit card information as usual. This time the crooks are distributing the malware through remote control applications like Microsoft’s RDP. No exploits, no social engineering, just good old fashioned password guessing.
Tor attack may have unmasked anonymous users
Two Carnegie-Mellon researchers had planned a highly anticipated talk at next week’s Black Hat security conference – a talk that was cancelled when the university’s lawyers freaked out – about how easy it is to break Tor anonymity. They’re innocent until proved guilty, but The Tor Project says it was likely the two researchers are behind the attack. 
Canada joins US in openly accusing China of state-sponsored hacking
The Canadian government has accused China of being behind a “cyber intrusion” at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the country’s main science and technology research body. Few details of the intrusion have emerged so far, and given the Read more…
3 security mistakes small companies make and how to avoid them
Dedicated IT staff are a luxury most very small businesses do without but those organisations still need to find a way to secure their computers against cyber ciminals who aren’t looking to cut them a break just because they’re small.
Guy brags about gift card tinkering at new job, gets house raided by feds
The new recruit showed off to a colleague, calling the gift-card tinkering “research”. We’ll see what Homeland Security thinks about it after they scour the electronics they seized from his house. 
Police slap warning banner ads on ‘pirate’ sites
The City of London Police has started swapping out legitimate ads on websites believed to be serving up pirated content, instead plastering them with warning banner ads.