Here’s what you need to know about VENOM, the latest security vulnerability to be given a marketing-friendly name. If you’re using any virtual machines, read this to set your mind at rest…
Tag Archives: Uncategorized
The USBKILL anti-forensics tool – it doesn’t do *quite* what it says on the tin
A hacker who very modestly goes by the handle Hephaestos has just announced an “anti-forensic kill switch” dubbed, well, usbkill. It doesn’t do quite what the name might suggest, and it could cut either way, so use it with care!
Microsoft age-guessing tool goes on a metadata-slurping, viral spree
It will presumably get more accurate with time. But for now, you can see how well it does with your selfies. Or your cat’s selfies. Or a snapshot of that face on your toast that sort of looks like a panda. 
Woman arrested after hijacking PCs, showing hardcore porn to victims
Some of the victims were kids. She allegedly posted videos showing her startled victims as she talked to them over their speakers. 
Police-taunting Facebook selfie poster jailed
Aaron Bee started posting the nyah-nyah images on Facebook after police put out an appeal asking for his whereabouts. Cue lots of pictures of Bee gesturing at police, their cars and a police station and a misspelled hashtag of #theystillcarntcatchme.
Sextortionist who preyed on teens via Facebook and Skype gets 53 months
Andrew McBride, who preyed on victims as young as 13, has been sentenced to 53 months in jail and three years of monitoring after that. 
FTC takes down fake support scammers, upbeat about “getting consumers’ money back” [POLL]
Just paying the money back isn’t really a punishment for fake support call scammers. So, what do *you* think the courts should do to punish these guys? Have your say in our poll… 
Facebook: Dear DEA, please don’t set up fake profiles to trap criminals
Facebook isn’t happy with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
DuckDuckGoAway: China blocks privacy-oriented search engine
Getting selected as the default private search engine for Apple’s Safari browser has been a boon for young search engine DuckDuckGo. But it may well have tainted the search engine in the eyes of the Apple-leery Chinese government. 
US Senator takes a swing at the NSA
If it emerges unscathed from the chamber, it could mean an end to bulk metadata collection, an end to the secrecy the government’s been operating under, and reform of the USA Patriot Act that’s been used to grant it vast surveillance rights. 