Passwords as a method of authentication may be seeing their end of days. But what’s a realistic alternative to our old, alphanumeric security standby? Biometrics? Or perhaps two-factor authentication can play a role?
The post Is it really the end for password authentication? appeared first on We Live Security.
That little router box provided by your ISP or that you bought at Radio Shack and forgot about, is a weak link in your Internet-connected household. Many homes in the United States use a wireless router to connect multiple devices, but unsecured routers can create an easy access point for hackers.
Think for a second – do you know what your wifi router password is? Did you know that your wireless router even has a password? If you are not sure, you are not alone.
What do you have to lose?
Only everything on your computer! That includes banking or financial information, personal information, browsing history, and photos.
Why is this an issue now?
â€Today’s router security situation is very reminiscent of PCs in the 1990s, with lax attitudes towards security combined with new vulnerabilities being discovered every day creating an easily exploitable environment, ” said Vince Steckler, chief executive officer of Avast. “The main difference is people have much more personal information stored on their devices today than they did back then.”
We did a study of this issue and found that 4 out of 5 Internet-connected households in the U.S. are at risk of getting attacked through their wireless router. And 16 out of 100 surveyed said they have already been victimized by hackers. T
The problem – PASSWORDS.
Avast found that more than half of all routers are poorly protected by default or easily-hacked password combinations. When you check yours, this could be what you find:
The 25% of consumers we surveyed that are using a “unique†password use their address, name, phone number, street name, or other easily-guessed terms as their passwords. Not too much better…
What is the risk?
Avast Home Network Security scans your network for vulnerabilities.
One of the biggest risks on any wifi network is DNS hijacking. This happens when malware gets in your unprotected router and sneakily redirects you from a known site, such as your bank’s website, to a fake site that looks just like the real thing. When you log in, cyberthieves capture your login credentials and then use them to access the real site. Scary stuff.
Avast 2015 reacts to home network vulnerabilities
To address these issues, Avast recently introduced Avast 2015, which includes the world’s first Home Network Security Solution that protects users from home network threats including DNS hijacking and weak passwords.
The Home Network Security Solution is available in free and paid versions of Avast. Get it at www.avast.com.
Avast Software’s security applications for PC, Mac, and Android are trusted by more than 200-million people and businesses. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
There’s one question that appears on any Internet platform on which you have to verify your identity with a password: “Forgotten your password?†Companies nowadays know how forgetful we users can be. Particularly when it comes to remembering a complex sequence of letters and numbers that we’ve had to conjure up.
And that’s not all. There are the PINs for your cell phone, your credit card… There are now so many things to commit to memory that it sometimes seems that we just don’t have enough neurons to deal with it all.
As the technology giants are well aware of this human limitation, some are now including fingerprint sensors in devices, so owners confirm their identity simply by placing a finger on the screen. Many mobile devices also include a voice recognition option, though this is rarely activated by users.
These methods of identification however are still not entirely practical. At least this is what the President’s cybersecurity coordinator, Michael Daniel, believes. He wants to get rid of passwords from the White House forever.
One of the more unusual alternatives suggested by Daniel is for the President’s staff to use selfies.
It would seem that these snap shots could now be used for something other than just posting on social networks. Daniel’s plan would involve installing a series of sensors around the building which could recognize the faces of those entering certain areas of the President’s residence.
Instead of having to stand right in front of the sensor, staff could just show the screen of their cell phones displaying a clear and recognizable selfie.
Daniel believes that technology companies have begun to realize that security measures must not only be functional, they must also take into account how users behave. If these measures are too complicated or difficult, people just won’t use them, he warned.
That’s why selfies could be the perfect answer, as even world leaders have taken to this latest digital craze.
The post White House wants to replace passwords with selfies appeared first on MediaCenter Panda Security.
Facebook announced that it has developed a tool that combs through paste sites where stolen credentials are posted looking for Facebook passwords. Users are then notified and must do a password reset.
Viator has been hacked by cyber-crooks who have managed to access users’ bank details. Of the 1.4 million customers, it is still not known how many have been affected by the attack.
The company has confirmed that it has hired IT experts to discover what happened and how the criminals were able to hack the system. Although there are still not too many details about the incident, it has been confirmed that the attack took place between September 2 and 3.
It appears that Viator became aware of the attack through complaints from users about unauthorized payments with the cards they had used on its service.
To prevent further data theft, Viator is asking users to change their account passwords and keep a close eye on their credit card transactions.
More| How to create strong passwords
The post Have you got an account with Viator? Change your password! appeared first on MediaCenter Panda Security.
If you are on Twitter you may have noticed the actress Jennifer Lawrence has been ‘Trending Topic’ since yesterday afternoon.
The reason? The leak of nude photos of the 2013 Academy Award winner on the /b/ forum of 4Chan.
She has confirmed the story, although she is apparently not the only victim.
Other models and actresses such as Kirsten Dunst, Kate Upton or Ariana Grande have also allegedly had pictures leaked, although not all these cases have been confirmed. Meanwhile, Mary E. Winstead has acknowledged the authenticity of the pictures that have been circulated, while Victoria Justice has denied that some photos allegedly of her are authentic.
It is still not clear how ‘Celebgate’ (as some are referring to this massive hacking) was carried out. Some sources have suggested a possible security breach in iCloud, Apple’s virtual data storage platform, though the company has yet to confirm this.
Until it is known how these images were stolen, the best anyone can do is apply common sense and ensure they use strong passwords to access their services. We also recommend that users check their Apple ID account.
The post Jennifer Lawrence: Victim of a security hole in iCloud? appeared first on MediaCenter Panda Security.
