Privacy

Problems for Zoom and users of the videoconferencing software seem just about unending. Following on from the revelation that a number of account credentials were available on the dark web, a new report shows that in fact there are credentials for hundreds of thousands of accounts available on hacking forums.

In all, over half a million account details have been found available -- some sold for fractions of a penny, and others made available completely free of charge.

A new study from Check Point Research highlights the brands which are most frequently imitated by criminals in attempts to steal individuals' personal information or payment credentials.

The Brand Phishing Report for the first quarter of this year shows Apple was the brand most frequently imitated, up from seventh place in the final quarter of 2019.

As part of its continuing efforts to regain trust following a series of privacy and security scandals, Zoom has announced that it is introducing the option for users to choose which countries their data is routed through.

The move comes after concerns were voiced at Zoom's admission that some US calls were being routed through China. The new option will allow users to opt in or out of specific data center regions; unfortunately, this feature will not be made available to everyone.

Cloudflare has moved away from using Google's reCAPTCHA, opting instead for the independent hCaptcha bot detector.

The company explains the reasons behind the change, citing not only the fact that Google would now like to charge Cloudflare for what used to be a free service, but also the privacy concerns that stem from anything to do with Google.

There are privacy concerns following the revelation that confidential data from UK coronavirus patients is being used by technology firms and government to build predictive computer models to help fight the pandemic.

US big data firm Palantir and UK AI startup Faculty are working together to put together what has been described as a "COVID-19 datastore". Pulling together information from government databases as well as information from health services, the project also makes use of highly personal data relating to individual patients according to documents seen by the Guardian.

The various security and privacy issues that have plagued Zoom in recent weeks have not only caused users to look at the video conferencing software differently, but also forced the company to take a long, hard look at itself.

Having already apologized for the numerous issues people have experienced, as well as making changes to the way the service works, Zoom has now also taken steps to prevent users from being Zoombombed. The change is a relatively minor one in the scheme of things, but it's an important one.

Twitter has announced that it is now going to share more information about its users with business partners. In an update to its privacy policy, the company says that it is removing the ability for users to block the sharing of non-public information with advertisers.

While for many people this represents something of a compromise in privacy, the change does not apply to users in the EU, an EFTA state or the UK; users in these locations will have to opt into data sharing.

Once a specialist tool, then the darling of the video conferencing world, Zoom's fall from grace has been fairly spectacular. A series of privacy and security issues have put off numerous users, and led to some institutions instigating a ban on the software.

Google has now followed the lead of schools across the US, banning employees from using Zoom because of concerns about security. Senators in the US have also been warned against using the service.

The privacy and security scandals that have blighted Zoom have already caused some users to look for alternatives, but the company seems serious about trying to address the issues that have sparked concern.

Having already issued an apology to users, Zoom CEO Eric S Yuan has now revealed that his company is collaborating with numerous big-name CISOs (chief information security officers) to ensure the implementation of security and privacy best practices. He also says that Facebook's former Chief Security Officer, Alex Stamos, is joining the company as a security advisor.

Avast has launched an Android version of its security- and privacy-focused web browser. Avast Secure Browser features various DNS options and a built-in VPN to calm the fears of those concerned about their privacy.

This is not all the browser has to offer. There's also anti-tracking technology and complete data encryption to take care of the security side of things as well.

Loved, hated, trusted and feared in just about equal measure, Zoom has been all but unavoidable in recent weeks. Following on from a combination of privacy and security scandals, credentials for numerous Zoom account have been found on the dark web.

The credentials were hardly hidden -- aside from being on the dark web. Details were shared on a popular forum, including the email address, password, meeting ID, host key and host name associated with compromised accounts.

Email is now the primary form of communication for most people, but a side effect of that is it's also become the primary means of distributing malware and other threats as well as becoming an advertising medium.

Edison Software has announced that this summer it's launching OnMail, which it claims is the first mail service to provide users with full control over what can enter their inboxes.

Following on from numerous schools across America implementing bans on the use of Zoom, the government of Taiwan is forbidding agencies from using the video conferencing service because of concerns about security.

The Taiwanese government issued a directive today ordering agencies to "step up video conferencing security". The order states that should video conferencing be necessary, the software used should not have "security or privacy concerns". Zoom is singled out as a tool that is unsuitable.

Video conferencing tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Skype have been the center of attention in recent weeks because of companies' increased reliance on them during coronavirus lockdowns. Zoom has been in the headlines for many of the wrong reasons, however, and Microsoft is keen to ensure it doesn't get tarred with the same brush.

The company had made a series of commitments about its Teams software, promising users that their virtual conversations are private and secure.

It's only a week since Microsoft released PowerToys v0.16.0 which included four new utilities. Now there's another update available which brings a number of bug fixes, but also something of a surprise.

This is a very minor increase in version numbering, so you'd be right not to expect anything too exciting. However, the addition of telemetry to one of the utilities is something users will want to be aware of.