Archive for September 2017

Google has taken up the task of making the internet faster, not by installing thousands of miles of fiber optic cable, but rather, with math. The big brains in Google’s engineering department have come up with a new algorithm that they’re rolling out on both YouTube and in the Google Cloud that will help optimize…

A group of hackers recently bragged about having obtained the personal details of some six million Instagram users, including a number of A-list celebrities that include the likes of Adele, David Beckham and Emma Watson. Worse, the hackers created a new website dubbed “Doxagram,” which they charge people ten dollars a search to look up…

There’s a new Android app to be aware of. This one allows anyone, even without any technical skills, to create ransomware, in a matter of minutes. It’s a menu-driven system that automates every aspect of the software’s creation. Toolkits like these are not unheard of. Seasoned hackers often refer to no- or low-talent hackers as…

Security researchers in Europe have discovered a pair of flaws that relate to modern web browsers’ extension system. Exploiting these flaws would allow a patient and determined hacker to determine with absolute accuracy of what extensions any given user is making use of. While not as critical of a flaw as some of the others…

Microsoft has been under fire for forcing its legion of Windows 10 users to automatically receive security updates for the OS. The level of outcry against it has been loud and constant, and finally, it looks like the company is listening to its customers. They promised that starting with the Windows 10 Creators Update, your…

You’re probably familiar with Equifax. As one of the three major US credit bureaus, the company exerts an outsized influence on millions of lives, because their record of your credit score plays a big role in determining if or whether you can get loans, and what your terms will be. Unfortunately, Equifax was hacked, and…

There’s a particularly nasty new malware campaign being orchestrated via Facebook, and all users are advised to steer clear of clicking on links in Facebook’s messenger service, even if you know the recipient. There are a few reasons this attack is worth paying special attention to: First, as yet, no one has been able to…

If you spend any time at all on social media, you may have heard a lot of recent buzz about an app for both Android and iOS devices called “Sarahah,” which was developed by a Saudi developer. In Arabic, the word means “honesty,” and the app’s stated purpose is to give users a platform to…

Point of Sale (POS) systems are notoriously easy to hack. Hardly a month goes by that we don’t hear of some vendor or another having had their POS system breached, exposing customer credit card and other personal data. It’s always the same story. X numbers of users are impacted, notified and told to watch their…

You may have heard the statistic from Google that less than 0.05 percent of Android devices downloaded malware in 2016. It’s a great statistic, and one that the company should be proud of. Here’s a statistic they’re not talking about nearly as much: this year, the number of successful ransomware attacks against Android devices has…