Privacy and Security Fanatic
Ms. Smith (not her real name) is a freelance writer and programmer with a special and somewhat personal interest in IT privacy and security issues. She focuses on the unique challenges of maintaining privacy and security, both for individuals and enterprises. She has worked as a journalist and has also penned many technical papers and guides covering various technologies. Smith is herself a self-described privacy and security freak.
Microsoft covertly collects personal data from enterprise Office ProPlus users
Experts raised privacy concerns when a data protection impact assessment found Microsoft covertly collects personal data from users of the enterprise version of Office ProPlus.
Possible BGP hijacking takes Google down
Google went down Monday as a border gate protocol (BGP) issue rerouted traffic to China, Russia, and Nigeria.
Cyber criminals abuse US Postal Service Informed Delivery for ID theft
Criminals are abusing the US Postal Service's Informed Delivery for ID theft and fraud. Meanwhile, vulnerabilities were found in Oracle's VirtualBox, WordPress and Adobe ColdFusion servers.
Worst malware and threat actors of 2018 so far
Researchers name the worst malware and threat actors of 2018 so far, several vulnerabilities were disclosed, and HSBC Bank reveals it suffered a data breach.
Republican Kemp accuses Georgia Democrats of hacking but provides no proof
Georgia’s Secretary of State Office is investigating the Democratic Party of Georgia for hacking the state’s voter registration system but failed to cite any evidence.
Meaner, more violent Stuxnet variant reportedly hits Iran
Iran admitted its “infrastructure and strategic networks” were hit by a meaner version of Stuxnet. Plus, Iran used Google to find CIA communication channels.
Beware the IoT spy in your office or home via smart furniture, warns NSA
NSA discussed potential security and privacy issues of connected office furniture.
Thousands of critical energy and water systems exposed online for anyone to exploit
Critical functions such as starting or stopping a system can be accessed online by anyone, be it nation-state attackers or script kiddies.
Flaws in brain stimulation tech could let hackers erase or hold memories for ransom
If security flaws in brain stimulation tech are not fixed, researchers warn that hackers will be able to target your memories, erase them or hold them for ransom in the future.
Synagogue shooter and mail bomber both spread hate speech on social media
Synagogue shooter and mail bomber spread hate speech on social media, but big tech didn't react until it after tragedy struck; MIT to let the internet control an actual person on Halloween. What could possibly go wrong?
FBI: Call of Duty gamers helped steal $3.3 million in cryptocurrency hacking scheme
The FBI suspects Call of Duty players of participating in a cryptocurrency hacking ring that allegedly managed to steal over $3 million in cryptocurrency.
High-tech thieves used a relay attack to steal a Tesla Model S
The Tesla Model S owner did not enable the PIN to Drive security feature, so hackers were able to use a tablet and phone to capture the signal from the fob and steal the car.
Discord quietly changed ToS, clock is ticking for US users to opt out of arbitration
Discord changed its Terms of Service and the clock is ticking for U.S. users to opt out of the arbitration clause before being automatically opted in.
Another government system breached; 75,000 people affected
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service confirmed a breach. Apple CEO Tim Cook wants Bloomberg to retract the spychip story. A Connecticut city paid a ransom to unlock 23 servers.
Ransomware attack hits North Carolina water utility following hurricane
A North Carolina water utility still recovering from Hurricane Florence became the victim of a ransomware attack.
35 million voter records from 19 states for sale on hacking forum
Researchers found more than 35 million U.S. voter records for sale on a hacking forum. The records are from 2018 voter registrations in 19 states, including Wisconsin, Texas and Georgia.
Amazon patent gives Alexa ability to detect illness, 'emotional abnormality'
Amazon's Alexa may one day detect your real-time status, if you're sick, or if you have an "emotional abnormality" and target you with ads based on the voice analysis.
Microsoft patch for JET flaw zero-day is ‘incomplete,’ Windows still vulnerable
Microsoft's fix for the zero-day JET flaw only limits the vulnerability, doesn't eliminate it. Meanwhile, a Pentagon breach affects 30,000 workers, and a vigilante hacker is patching vulnerable MikroTik routers.
Pentagon's new weapon systems are easy to hack, GAO report finds
A recent GAO report revealed that some US Department of Defense weapon systems use default passwords and that a port scan can cause weapon systems to fail.
RIP Google Plus: Shutdown announced after API bug exposes 500,000 users' details
The end is near for Google Plus -- August 2019 -- after an API bug exposed 500,000 users’ details and Google chose not to disclose the breach for six months.
