Turns out that the Material Girl has had her material stolen, and she’s blaming hackers!
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Tag Archives: Privacy
Mobile security: flaw allows hackers to read texts and listen to calls
Hackers can eavesdrop on your phone calls and text messages even with cell networks using “the most advanced encryption available” according to The Washington Post.
The post Mobile security: flaw allows hackers to read texts and listen to calls appeared first on We Live Security.
Uber considers biometrics in bid to improve safety
The ride-sharing app Uber has unveiled new security plans to screen drivers, helping ensure passenger safety, Engadget reports.
The post Uber considers biometrics in bid to improve safety appeared first on We Live Security.
Webcam security – how to lock down the cameras in your home
Our tips will help you hacker-proof anything from baby monitors to surveillance cameras – and keep your home private.
The post Webcam security – how to lock down the cameras in your home appeared first on We Live Security.
Google Releases End-To-End Chrome Extension to Open Source
Google announced that it was making the source code for its End-to-End Chrome Extension available for review on GitHub. End-to-End encrypts and signs Gmail messages.
Four trends that will change mobile in 2015
In fact in the US mobile web traffic exceeded desktop web traffic for the first time. Mobile is fast becoming the most convenient and cost effective to way get online but what does the future hold for our smartphones?
Here are my predictions on how our mobile worlds will continue to evolve in 2015.
Apps will become the primary target for hackers
While the first generation of mobile threats was primarily using vectors and methods seen in the PC world, we are beginning to see new threats specifically designed to exploit mobile devices. The threats is not just malicious apps, but also regular apps that are vulnerable to attacks.
Until now, the centralized software distribution model seen with the AppStore and Google Play has helped protect our devices from malware. This concept came as a lesson we all learned from the PC, where software distribution is not controlled and so malware is common. Apps on official stores are less likely to be malicious, but it doesn’t mean they are not vulnerable to attacks.
Hackers love to find vulnerabilities. Almost every software program has vulnerabilities that are waiting to be discovered and mobile apps are not an exception. As official app stores make it difficult for hackers to directly upload malicious apps, they have instead begun hunting for vulnerable apps to attack.
Vulnerable Apps are not always removed from the App stores and as many have been left unmaintained by developers, creating an opportunity for hackers to exploit them.
New threats will emerge
As a result I expect to see a rise in the discovery of mobile app vulnerabilities during 2015. Here are a few examples:
- Voice activation – Voice activated software is a standard feature on smartphones and are also appearing in smart TVs and other Internet-connected devices. However many of the implementations are vulnerable to voice activation attacks. This is because it does not authenticate the source of the voice – it could be you speaking, or equally it could be a synthesized voice coming out of an app – yes, even a game can play a sound an send an email to your contacts on your behalf.
Video
How Apps Could Hijack Google Now
- Mobile browsers – For the average user, browsers on mobile are very difficult to operate. Small screens mean you see only a fraction of the URL, making it easy disguise a malicious URL. Drive-by infections, which are well known to PC users, will soon come to mobile users as well. Not surprising, mobile browsers are also vulnerable to JavaScript exploits that can be triggered by a hacker remotely. That could mean streaming video to or from a device, even if it is locked.
- Radio-based threats (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC) – mobile devices are constantly broadcasting over radio frequencies in order to connect and transfer data. Rough access points and over-the-air sniffers can capture transmitted data, reply with malicious content or even modify the values in the data over-the-air.
- Masque Attacks and malicious Profiles – as mobile users have less visibility on the files being downloaded on the device, like the running processes and settings, hackers will continue to use these limitations to mislead the user to download and install malicious files to their devices from outside the Appstore. However apps on app store are also vulnerable and I predict the number of malware detections from recognized app stores to increase in 2015.
Data will become more valuable and more threatened
Mobile devices are much more personal than our PCs ever could be. The data on them is much more intimate and is a much more rewarding target for hackers. In 2015, I expect data, especially that held on our mobile devices, to come under much greater scrutiny.
In particular, I foresee three threats to our data in the coming year:
- Physical tracking – criminals or law enforcement can use location data stored on your phone to identify important places (such as home or place of work), analyze behavior such as a daily route or absence from home.
- Data stealing – in mobile, everything is broadcast through the air, that means data is vulnerable to being intercepted as it travels. Credentials, financials, transactions or payments can all be captured and recorded by 3rd
- Commercial tracking – mainly done by retailers to better understand the behavior of their visitors. Think online analytics but for the physical world.
Payments will also go mobile
The public’s positive reception of Apple Pay heralded a new phase of consumer payment methodology. Although Apple is not the first to introduce mobile payment, their offering came at a good time and the implementation seems to be practical and secure.
As mobile payments are a new experience for consumers, I expect to see social engineering attacks where hackers will try to confuse and mislead in order to steal credentials and personal data. This is expected to be the first phase of attacks. Once consumers are more familiar with the technology, attacks on vulnerable apps and even on the payment services are expected to soar.
Sony: Employee Health Information May Have Been Compromised
Sony Pictures Entertainment has sent a letter to employees warning them that, along with huge amounts of corporate and employee information, some personal health data belonging to SPE employees may also have been compromised in the attack that hit the company in late November. The letter, which also was sent to the California Office of […]
A Guide to Facebook Privacy Basics
I’ve written a lot about over-sharing on social media. Why? Because it can be embarrassing, annoying and, in the worst case, dangerous to over-share our private information.
Often over-sharing happens unintentionally, because people haven’t adjusted their privacy settings. On Facebook for example, every time you post it’s possible to choose who can see it.
The issue is that people regularly overlook privacy options or just fail to understand why it is a good idea. Facebook has taken steps to change this with the introduction of “Privacy Basics”.
Available from January 1st, Facebook will provide interactive guides to answer commonly asked questions about how to control your personal information on the site. These guides, available in 36 languages, will allow users to learn more about untagging, unfriending, blocking and more.
Here’s what Privacy Basics can help you control on Facebook:
What others see about you – Control who can see your posts, profile and friends, how to remove comments, tags and accounts.
How others interact with you – What other people can post on your timeline, what people can do to things you post, how to block users and what to do if your account is hacked.
What you see – How to customize what you see in your newsfeed and from advertisers.
Erin Egan, Facebook’s Chief Privacy Officer, described it this way: ”Privacy Basics is the latest step we’ve taken to help you make sure you’re sharing with exactly who you want, including our privacy checkup, reminder for people posting publicly and simplified audience selectors.” You can read the announcement here.
Making Facebook settings simple, more intuitive, and explainable is great news, especially for new users.
Of course, it’s up to all of us to control our settings. Facebook is essentially handing you the keys. As the welcoming page for Privacy Basics says, “You’re in Charge.”
Facebook’s new privacy policies and your data security
Facebook doesn’t want you to be in the dark about their new privacy policies.
2015 is arriving and, as usual, tech companies start to launch their updates for the new year. However, it looks like someone is sparking some debate with its recent policies that are to be implemented in less than a month. That someone is… Facebook.
After all the controversy around the Facebook Messenger app last summer, the world’s largest social media company is under fire, again!
Recently, Facebook published their new terms, data policies, and cookies policies that the network will launch January 1st. Basically, the update says that every user of Facebook’s services agree, among other changes, with the utilization of tools that can help to aggregate data in order to create more customized ads – the company also introduces ways to guarantee basic data security.
I’ve noticed that the way I’ve received the ads in my profile is quite different to what it used to be. After simply browsing through a website related to a specific theme, let’s say, football or software, I immediately start to receive wall post offers related to that topic, company, or product that I researched online. Imagine how it’s going to be in 2015 after the new policy has been officially launched?
Is Facebook spying on you?
Would the world’s largest social media website be spying on us? They have admitted publicly that it’s quite easy to monitor online activities, and they do hold a lot of data on their members, which makes people feel a bit uncomfortable. Just search for articles about it, and you’ll see.
Facebook’s goal with this new privacy policy is to help users “understand how Facebook works and how to control your information.” This introduces an element of decision-making on the user’s behalf.
Some of the updates you can expect to see are:
Discover what’s going on around you: Facebook is working on ways to show you the most relevant information based on where you are and what your friends are up to.
Make purchases more convenient: People in some regions will see a Buy button, making purchasing easy because you don’t have to leave Facebook. And you get targeted ads based on what you are interested in, like me seeing an increased number of football and software ads.
Make you part of the Facebook ecosystem: You will be even more invested in the “Facebook family” because they are making Instagram, WhatsApp, and the growing number of companies, apps and services that Facebook is acquiring work together more seamlessly.
Your data is still under your control
You should be concerned about the contents and data that you publish on Facebook, because sometimes they make you look like an idiot, but don’t go off the deep end thinking that your social network will steal your privacy! You are still under control of your data!
To help you maintain control, Facebook wants you to understand how they use your information and find information about privacy on Facebook at the moment you need it. Tips and suggestions can be found in Privacy Basics.
It’s also necessary for you to take some precautions, such as:
- Use strong passwords to access your profiles and accounts
- Don’t share sensitive information in social media channels
- Take double precaution with fake websites
- Only proceed with online payments when logged to https pages
And, obviously, use a good antivirus that will help you with all the above procedures! No matter what tools online companies and social media websites are using to better understand your behavior in the “Internet of Things”, you are still under control of your data. Do your part and live a health virtual life!
AVG talks about Privacy at CES Lifelong Tech Summit
AMSTERDAM and SAN FRANCISCO – December 11, 2014 – AVG Technologies N.V. (NYSE: AVG), the online security company™ for 188 million active users, today announced it will speak at the Lifelong Tech and exhibit at the Family Tech Summits at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) being held January 6-9, 2015 in Las Vegas.
Highlighting the company’s participation is AVG Chief Marketing Officer Judith Bitterli’s Tech Talk on Jan. 6 on “The Privacy Fear Factor,” a guide to essentials for online safety.
“Feeling safe, comfortable and confident online, especially in our increasingly connected and mobile world, can seem overwhelming if you don’t have the right tools in place,” said Bitterli, who regularly blogs on tech topics for Boomers at AVG Now. “The 50+ audience wants to be connected, engaged, informed and entertained. But privacy has been a major issue for them in fully utilizing the Internet – which has become an essential part of all of our lives. We must address the these issues so we can safely access the services we need — from health records to financial and social sites.”
As part of the presentation, Bitterli will share insights around Boomers’ tech usage and attitudes about privacy and protection issues, including findings from AVG’s new Digital Diaries Boomer research study.
The Lifelong Tech Summit (formerly the Silver Summit) looks at products and services that impact the lives of Boomers – which accounts for approximately 78 million US citizens (450 million worldwide) born between 1946 and 1964. This year’s Summit is designed to showcase the latest products and solutions for lifelong learning, enhancing and augmenting sensory experience, smart home control, healthy aging, and more. See more at: http://livingindigitaltimes.com/
What: ‘The Privacy Fear Factor’ presentation at Lifelong Tech Summit at CES
Who: AVG Technologies’ CMO Judith Bitterli
When: 1:30 p.m. January 6, 2015
Location: The Venetian, Level 2, Bellini 2006
AVG also will exhibit at the Family Tech Summit’s Cool Mom’s Showcase, being held Jan. 6-9 at CES Tech West, Sands Expo Level 2, Cool Products Pavilion #74935. This event is designed to highlight products that help families save time and energy so they can devote it to what’s important. AVG will showcase some of its key online security and privacy products for families, including “Magda and Mo”, the series of interactive online books that help children learn how to stay safe online. Location Labs by AVG, which was acquired by AVG in September 2014, will feature its Phone Controls service, which US customers can try for free through their tier 1 wireless carrier. Phone Controls lets parents see at a glance and limit how kids use phones, through real-time alerts and easy-to-read weekly email summaries on texting, calling and app downloads.
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About AVG Technologies (NYSE: AVG)
AVG is the online security company providing leading software and services to secure devices, data and people. AVG has over 188 million active users, as of September 30, 2014, using AVG’s products and services including Internet security, performance optimization, and personal privacy and identity protection. By choosing AVG’s products, users become part of a trusted global community that engages directly with AVG to provide feedback and offer mutual support to other customers.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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