The US government might be the biggest hacker in the world
The United States government is investing tens of millions of dollars each year on offensive hacking operations in order to exploit vulnerabilities in the computers of its adversaries, Reuters reports. According to an in-depth article published Friday by journalist Joseph Menn, the US and its Department of Defense contractors are increasingly pursuing efforts to hack [...]
Pentagon creates 13 offensive cyber teams for worldwide attacks
The head of the United States Cyber Command says the US is developing 40 new teams of cyber-agents that will both protect America’s critical infrastructure from hackers and as well as launch attacks against the country’s adversaries. Gen. Keith Alexander, who leads both the Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, told the US Senate [...]
Facebook knows your secrets: ‘Likes’ reveal users’ personality
Facebook’s ‘like’ button can reveal more than you realize, a new study has showed. By liking posts and links, you may be revealing personal secrets, like your sexuality or religious and political views. The findings have raised privacy concerns. A study by the National Academy of Sciences examined 58,000 Facebook users in the US, who [...]
Spotting ‘fashion fingerprints’: Google Glass app helps locate friends
New Google Glass app InSight takes the experience of spotting your friends to the next level, as it recognizes your peers by their clothes and accessories – matching specific color patterns and textures to the user. This new human recognition software makes it impossible to lose your friends in a packed place, such as an [...]
Canada kills controversial internet surveillance bill
The Conservative Canadian government is abandoning its much-criticized internet surveillance bill, which would have allowed the government to keep tabs on its citizens and was disguised under the cloak of fighting child pornographers. Justice Minister Rob Nicholson announced that Bill C-30, which caused public ire over privacy, is dead. “We’ve listened to the concerns of [...]
250,000 Twitter accounts compromised in sophisticated cyber attack
Twitter has become the latest target of a sophisticated cyber attack, with around 250,000 accounts exposed. The breach appears to be the latest in a string of attacks on news content sites that’s being blamed on Chinese hackers. In its blog, Twitter has announced that it has detected “unusual access” patterns to user’s data and one live [...]
China Hacked NY Times’ Computers
Chinese hackers repeatedly penetrated The New York Times’ computer systems over the past four months, stealing reporters’ passwords and hunting for files on an investigation into the wealth amassed by the family of a top Chinese leader, the newspaper reported. Security experts hired to investigate and plug the breach found that the attacks used tactics [...]
Data Privacy Day 2013: Twitter reveals US government makes 80% of info requests
Twitter has released its second transparency report, which demonstrated a frightening increase in requests for user data by the US government and ignited serious concerns over privacy and free expression. The list disclosed data requests from over 30 nations, and revealed that the US government was responsible for 815 of the 1,009 information requests in [...]
Google faces UK class action over secret iPhone tracking
Google is embroiled in its biggest privacy battle yet in the UK over reportedly tracking users’ online habits. At least 10 UK citizens began legal action with dozens more lining up. According to media estimates up to 10 million Britons could join in. Google is accused of evading security settings on Apple’s devices and Safari’s [...]
Homeland Security’s Napolitano invokes 9/11 to push for CISPA 2.0
In an attempt to scare the public with a looming cyber attack on US infrastructure, US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is once again pushing Congress to pass legislation allowing the government to have greater control over the Internet. Napolitano issued the warnings Thursday, claiming that inaction could result in a “cyber 9/11” attack that could [...]