Determined hackers who fail to crack a password will simply try again until they succeed. But an ongoing security project aims to tackle that by not letting the hacker know they’ve failed. The idea is simple: instead of simply informing the unsuccessful hacker that they’ve been denied access, the system will give the hacker what […]
The tech media is once again reporting on a list of the world’s “worst” passwords. And once again, the list has some serious inherent limitations. This particular list comes from SplashData, which not so coincidentally develops password management software. It’s put together a list of the 25 worst passwords, the criteria being how frequently they […]
The makers of a smartphone launching next month claim it offers complete security from snooping on all forms of communication. But full details of the Blackphone and how it maintains privacy haven’t yet been published. The Blackphone is a joint project of Geeksphone, a Spanish smartphone manufacturer, and Silent Circle, a US firm which already […]
Nearly one in three visits to a website is from a computer up to no good according to a newly-published study. The figures come from Incapsula, a website security firm. It gathered statistics from 90 days’ worth of visits to 20,000 sites belonging to its clients, with the relevant traffic including visits from every country […]
The owner of an LG Smart TV says he’s got evidence that the TV is sending details about his viewing habits and the names of some video files he watched on the TV back to LG, against his instructions. The British blogger Dr Beet (who the BBC names as IT consultant Jason Huntley) says he […]
A Romanian security researcher has created a machine that can take advantage of rounding errors to make money at the expense of banks. Yes, that’s a key plot point in Office Space (among other movies), and no, it wouldn’t exactly be as profitable as in the movie. Adrian Furtuna is a penetration tester for KPMG […]
Google has unveiled three tools expressly designed to aid people whose internet communication is threatened by oppressive regimes. It could create an awkward ethical debate about which side is “right” in both political and legal conflicts. The tools debuted as part of Google Ideas, a conference in New York looking at how tech can play […]
I’m the philosopher until someone hands me a burrito. So geeks, which train of thought do You follow? Let us know in the comments section below! [Source: XKCD]
Researchers at Georgia Tech say they’ve found a creative way to bypass the iTunes store security reviews: by having an app mutate once it’s installed. The same researchers also say they’ve found a way of carrying out a physical attack on iOS devices, though Apple has already mitigated it to some extent. Tielei Wang of […]
Android devices may soon offer users far more control over what access apps have to their data and hardware. The latest release has a hidden feature that removes the all-or-nothing approach to access. A key part of the Android security system is the “permissions” system which controls dozens of settings that say whether or not […]