computer security

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How to Protect Yourself From These 2 New Security Flaws

Word to the wise: Say yes to updates

(Newser) - Update your software. For now, that's the best advice being dispensed in the wake of a new security threat that poses a risk to pretty much every modern tech device in existence, from laptops to smartphones. The security flaws known as Meltdown and Spectre are unique in that they...

Very Bad News for Almost All Computers

Meltdown, Spectre will be hard to fix, researchers say

(Newser) - Security experts worldwide are melting down over Meltdown and feeling haunted by Spectre. Those are the names security researchers have given two massive, newly discovered security flaws that affect central processing units at the chip level, meaning nearly all computers are at risk no matter what kind of operating system...

The FBI Has a Hiring Problem
 The FBI Has a Hiring Problem 
Jul 31, 2015 2:00 AM CDT

The FBI Has a Hiring Problem

It has 82 computer scientist positions open

(Newser) - The FBI has a hiring problem, and drugs and money may be to blame. Reuters reports that the issue is specifically on the cybersecurity front, citing a DOJ report that shows that as of January, the FBI had hired only 39% of the 134 computer scientists it had gotten the...

Software Is Hopelessly Bad and No Data Is Safe
Software Is Hopelessly Bad and No Data Is Safe
OPINION
May 22, 2014 10:00 AM CDT

Software Is Hopelessly Bad and No Data Is Safe

Security expert Quinn Norton explains why we're all screwed

(Newser) - The computer you're reading this on right now is compromised. There's simply no way it's not, Quinn Norton explains in a fairly terrifying column at Medium . "Computers, and computing, are broken," Norton writes. "Most software gets shipped the moment it works well enough to...

LinkedIn Hit With $5M Suit Over Hack

Woman wants class-action status

(Newser) - LinkedIn's security breach —the one in which some 6 million passwords were stolen and posted online—is about to get more problematic for the company. An Illinois woman has filed a $5 million lawsuit against the networking site, and is seeking class-action status for it, Reuters reports. LinkedIn...

Worst Passwords of 2011
 Worst Passwords of 2011 
Nov 19, 2011 8:59 AM CST

Worst Passwords of 2011

Once again: 'Password' is not a good choice to beat hackers

(Newser) - Lots of people are still lousy at choosing computer passwords. Mashable picks up on the annual list of most-hacked passwords from SplashData. The usual suspects are still at the top:
  1. password
  2. 123456
  3. 12345678
  4. qwerty
  5. abc123
  6. monkey
  7. 1234567
  8. letmein
  9. trustno1
  10. dragon
Check out the rest here .

Android Phones Have Security Flaw: Report

Google has fixed the problem, but most people haven't downloaded patch

(Newser) - A group of university researchers has found a major security flaw that makes more than 99% of Android phones vulnerable to attacks from identity thieves. If users jump onto an unsecured public WiFi network, would-be thieves can swipe the authentication tokens used by Google Calendars and Contacts, the Register explains....

Beware 'Free Public WiFi'
 Beware 'Free Public WiFi' 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Oct 16, 2010 12:44 PM CDT

Beware 'Free Public WiFi'

Rogue network has spread through US

(Newser) - You're stuck in an airport and don't feel like paying $9.95 for Internet access ... but wait! You stumble upon a network called "Free Public WiFi." The heavens are smiling, right? Wrong. Available in thousands of locations across America, "Free Public WiFi" is an "ad hoc"...

Google to Employees: Stop Using Windows

Ubiquitous OS seen as security risk

(Newser) - Google has had it with Windows. Ever since the company's Chinese operations were hacked in January, it's been trying to tighten up security, and the Microsoft OS is the first casualty, workers tell the Financial Times . “We're not doing any more Windows,” said one, “It's a security...

Soldier's Facebook Post Derails Israeli Raid

Grunt who posted details on social network gets 10 days in jail

(Newser) - A West Bank raid by the Israel Defense Forces had to be called off after a soldier posted details of the operation on his Facebook page. “On Wednesday,” the status update read, “we are cleaning out " a village, which the soldier named. “Today an arrest...

Microsoft Fixes 17-Year-Old Bug

Security update closes critical loopholes

(Newser) - Microsoft will fix a bug that's enjoyed a longer life than most software firms in its February security update. The 17-year-old vulnerability, which first appeared in Windows NT 3.1, involves a utility that allows new versions of Windows to run old programs. The monthly update will fix 25 security...

Security Expert: Time for Internet Passports

(Newser) - The Internet has a big problem, argues one of the big names in online security—anonymity. With that weapon, cybercriminals will always have the advantage. And the best solution is to introduce "Internet passports," Russia's Eugene Kaspersky tells ZDNet in an interview. All countries would have to play...

Email Scam Reveals How Crummy Passwords Are

'123456' was most common single password of 10,000 revealed

(Newser) - The hackers who stole the logins and passwords for thousands of email accounts in a phishing scam that came to light this week likely lured users with fake “security check” forms. But for many users, they wouldn’t have needed to expend that much energy: the most common single...

How to Avoid Becoming a Phishing Victim

Simple precautions can keep info out of scammers' hands

(Newser) - Phishing scams are becoming a lot more sophisticated. Unwary Internet users can easily end up with their bank account and credit card details in the hands of crooks. CNET lists the best ways to avoid becoming a victim:
  • Change passwords regularly. Experts recommend that passwords be changed every three months
...

Microsoft's Free Antivirus Software Actually Works!
Microsoft's Free Antivirus Software Actually Works!
Tech Review
Oct 1, 2009 1:00 PM CDT

Microsoft's Free Antivirus Software Actually Works!

Program performs well in stress test

(Newser) - Want a great, free antivirus program from a big software brand? OK, it’s from Microsoft, and … wait! Come back! Believe it or not, Microsoft’s new Security Essentials software is pretty darn good. AV-Test.org ran it through a bevy of tests and found the freebie performed admirably....

New Software Can Delete Emails Permanently

Software scatters encryption keys among temporary BitTorrent nodes

(Newser) - Email is inherently insecure, because it has a long shelf-life—even deleted messages can be stored infinitely on the email service of the sender or recipient. Now a team of scientists is poised to unveil software later this month to make them disappear for keeps, reports the Economist. “Vanish”...

'Every iPhone in the World' at Risk Tomorrow

Text-messaging flaw could let hackers take over your mobile

(Newser) - The iPhone’s text-messaging system has a dangerous flaw that hackers could exploit to take control of your phone, researchers say. They’ll reveal the trouble at a conference tomorrow, Forbes reports. So if you get a text with a “single square character,” turn off your phone right...

Conficker Worm's Still Out There ... Doing Nothing

(Newser) - An April Fools information apocalypse did not occur, but the widespread Conficker virus that caused so much fear of is still out there, CNN reports. Experts are puzzled over the lack of an attack, but the sheer size of the Conficker infection—5 million computers—yields a clue. “The...

A 5-Minute Fix for Your Insecure Passwords

Twitter break-in shows how vulnerable weak passwords are, writes blogger for Slate

(Newser) - The recent hacking debacle at Twitter proved how vulnerable the company was, writes Farhad Manjoo for Slate. All of its internal communication was held in email accounts protected only by insecure passwords. And chances are your password security is also terrible—a familiar word, like your favorite album, with a...

Hacker Sends Confidential Twitter Files to Blogs

Cyber-scoundrel also hacks Twitter CEO's Gmail, Paypal accounts

(Newser) - A hacker who gained access to a Twitter administrative account two months ago has been sending confidential files to bloggers, InformationWeek reports. Most of the documents sent to blogs such as TechCrunch have been only mildly embarrassing internal correspondence, but some contain security passwords. The hacker, who goes by “...

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