Most consumers don't like to be tracked, but few are doing something about it
Most users know their online activity is being tracked. They’re not OK with it, yet most of them do nothing about it. Those are the general conclusions of a new quiz entitled Are you cyber savvy?, made by Kaspersky Lab.
The security firm says consumers don’t know how to protect their privacy online.
Documents reveal details of EU-US Privacy Shield data sharing deal
Details of the data sharing arrangements agreed between the US and EU earlier in the month have been revealed in newly published documents. The EU-US Privacy Shield transatlantic data transfer agreement is set to replace the Safe Harbor that had previously been in place.
The European Commission has released the full legal texts that will form the backbone of the data transfer framework. One of the aims is to "restore trust in transatlantic data flows since the 2013 surveillance revelations", and while privacy groups still take issue with the mechanism that will be in place, the agreement is widely expecting to be ratified by members of the EU.
Everything you need to know about Windows 10: product keys, secret tools, essential hacks, and problem fixes
Windows 10 has been with us for a number of months now, and this has given us plenty of time to unearth all manner of secrets about the operating system. Since launch we have experienced love, hate and everything in between, but we've also learned a great deal. We thought it would make sense to pull together all of this info into one place so you have it available in a handy respository. So what will you find here? Everything!
In the days of Windows being a paid-for OS, people would hunt high and low for cracks and serials to bypass activation. Now that Windows is free, this clearly isn't as prevalent as it used to be, but you might still want to look up your Windows 10 product key before you reinstall. But that's just the start; read on to learn tips, tweaks, hacks, and problem fixes.
Tor Project says Google, CloudFlare and others are involved in dark web surveillance and disruption
With privacy concerns and the threat of surveillance from the likes of the NSA, more and more people are turning to the dark web and Tor. The anonymous, encrypted network has become a haven for not just illegal activity, but also for those who simply don’t want what they do online to be tracked and traced.
But now the Tor Project has voiced concerns that CDN and DDoS protection service CloudFlare is monitoring Tor traffic by introducing CAPTCHAs and cookies. CloudFlare is not alone: similar accusations are levelled at Google and Yahoo which are described as 'larger surveillance companies'. Concerns about interference with Tor traffic have been raised by project administrators in a ticket entitled "Issues with corporate censorship and mass surveillance".
Microsoft stands with Apple against the FBI
Microsoft will join Apple against the FBI and U.S. Justice Department, filing a friend-of-court—or amicus—brief in a case going to court tomorrow. The government wants Apple to create a special version of iOS, referred to by critics as FBIOS, to break into an iPhone 5c security feature. The device manufacturer argues that compliance would set a precedent that would give law enforcement carte blanche with other mobile devices.
Brad Smith, Microsoft's chief legal counsel, says the company "wholeheartedly supports Apple"—a statement that eradicates any potential confusion caused by cofounder Bill Gates. In an interview with Financial Times two days ago, Gates supported the government's demands. I responded, calling his position a "catastrophic occurrence that demands current chief executive Satya Nadella's official response. There needs to be clear policy about government backdoors and the position with respect to the San Bernardino shooting iPhone". The company's position is now unequivocally clear—presuming the legal filing fits with "wholeheartedly".
Pawn shop phones contain left over personal data
If you buy a used mobile phone you could be getting more than you bargained for according to security software company Avast. It seems that some phone owners are inadvertently pawning their porn.
Avast purchased 20 used smartphones from pawn shops in 4 cities -- New York, Paris, Barcelona and Berlin. The goal being to see if used phones are regularly being sold with previous owners’ personal information still retrievable on them.
I'm going to let you into a little secret about Windows 10
Wait for it... wait for it... For all of the criticism I have levelled at Microsoft, I actually rather like Windows 10. It is, of course, not without its faults, but in the main it's a solid operating system and a reasonable upgrade from Windows 8.1. I have a (well-earned) reputation for negativity, cynicism, and pessimism, so what's with the sudden burst of positivity?
In reality, nothing has changed, but I've settled into my stride. Rather than battling the bits I hate (and there are still plenty), I've learned to turn a blind eye. I've realized that I was trying to fit Windows 10, rather than making Windows 10 fit me. There's still plenty I don't like, but by simply learning not to focus on them, I've come to like the operating system much more. As with so many things in life, it's all about how you use it.
Identifying users with behavioral biometrics
As we're regularly being told, passwords on their own are no longer sufficient to ensure our security. Businesses are therefore on the lookout for new ways to identify users without making the sign in process overly complicated.
Adaptive authentication specialist SecureAuth is launching the latest version of its product that includes behavioral biometrics, a new risk analysis technology that performs keystroke analysis and mouse movement analysis to determine a user's legitimacy and build a completely unique behavior-based profile on each user device.
85 percent of enterprises keep sensitive data in the cloud
According to a new report by enterprise security specialist Vormetric, 85 percent of senior IT security executives worldwide say they are using sensitive data in the cloud, up from 54 percent last year.
But even as they move to adopt cloud services, and in some cases believe that cloud environments are more secure than their local IT infrastructure, enterprises remain concerned about the security of their information.
Big Brother ist vatching you: Germany poised to use Trojans to spy on internet users
German intelligence agencies are set to gain greater NSA-style surveillance powers after the German Interior Ministry announced plans to use Trojans to spy on the internet activities of suspects. Known as Bundestrojaner, the Trojan would give the government the ability to not only track which sites a target visits, but also record conversations, make use of webcams, access data and log keystrokes.
The Trojan has been in testing since late last year, and having received governmental approval could now be widely dispatched. Widely described as malware and spyware, the tool cannot be used without a court order, but this will do little to assuage the fears of privacy groups.
How to stop Microsoft using your Windows 10 lock screen to show ads
Sometimes it can feel as though I'm just looking for things to dislike about Windows 10, but just as I'm warming to the operating system a little more (in the last week I went as far as starting to write an article about how my opinion of Windows 10 had changed for the better. It remains unfinished), something else comes along to irritate me. I know I'm not alone, and the most recent annoyance is the appearance of ads on the lock screen.
You're probably more used to the idea of the lock screen being home to either a photo of your choice, or a randomly selected image from Microsoft that changes from time to time. Recently however, some users have noticed that these images have been replaced with ads for the game Rise of the Tomb Raider. If you want to ditch the lock screen ads, here's how to do it.
Bill Gates is wrong
I see something disingenuous about Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates supporting the government's demands that Apple selectively unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino, Calif. shooters. The former CEO turned philanthropist spoke to the Financial times in an interview posted today. The implications for Microsoft cannot be overstated, and the company's current chief executive should state corporate policy.
Gates' position aligns with the government's: That this case is specific, and isolated, and that the demand would merely provide "access to information". Here's the thing: The interviewer asks Gates if he supports tech companies providing backdoors to their smartphones. The technologist deflects: "Nobody's talking about a backdoor". Media consultants teach publicly-facing officials to offer non-answers exactly like this one. The answer defines the narrative, not the interviewer's question.
95 percent of US consumers share their passwords
It seems that convenience trumps security when it comes to passwords. Although 73 percent of US consumers believe sharing login details is risky, 95 percent do share between one and six of their passwords with other people.
A new survey by LastPass also reveals that only 19 percent of respondents say they don't share passwords that would jeopardize their identity or financial information, leaving a scary 81 percent of people who would share them.
Are you Digitally Enlightened or an Online Nudist?
According to the results of a new survey, while two thirds of US respondents say they would like extra layers of online privacy and security, their actions prove otherwise as few even use currently available tools.
The study by VPN provider Hide My Ass! has been used to categorize people into five different approaches to online life:
The role of collaboration in GDPR compliance
As the European Union reaches an agreement on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which will require companies to comply with state-of-the-art cybersecurity requirements, security firm Palo Alto Networks has surveyed businesses to see how much they know about cyber-security and where the responsibility lies.
The survey suggests much work still needs to be done, particularly in areas of collaboration and responsibility sharing.
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