Password cracking tool helps admins test security
Weak or reused passwords are a common cause of security breaches but are something that it’s hard for administrators to police.
Intelligence-led security company FireEye is releasing a new password cracking tool to enable security professionals to test password effectiveness, develop improved methods to securely store passwords, and audit current password requirements.
Four in five companies aim to change the way they manage IT security in the next year
According to a new study, 80 percent of businesses across the US and UK will change how they deal with security in the coming 12 months.
The survey of more than 400 SMEs and enterprises by service management company SolarWinds MSP finds that 17 percent of companies intend to switch their current service provider in the next 12 months, 10 percent want to cease outsourcing in favour of in-house management, and 49 percent planning to outsource their security for the first time.
New York Times launches Tor Onion Service to overcome censorship and ensure privacy
The New York Times has announced that it is launching a Tor Onion Service version of its website. The new, more secure way to access the site will open it up to people around the world whose internet connections are blocked or monitored.
It also caters to a growing breed of people who are concerned about what their web browsing habit might reveal and who have turned to Tor to protect their privacy.
Dating apps have major security vulnerabilities that could expose users' private information
Singles looking for love using mobile dating apps could be putting their device security at risk, experts have warned.
An investigation into many of the world's most popular dating apps by Kaspersky Labs has found that many services are not providing sufficient levels of data protection, with hackers able to potentially identify users and steal personal information.
Your security approach needs to change: A modest proposal
Data breaches have become commonplace these days, and it doesn't appear there will be any slowing down. Companies keep making headlines because either their data is ransomed, or it's been discovered that their data storage isn't properly locked down. Big, global brands are suffering at the hands of these attacks, and we are starting to see some common patterns emerge that might help us identify a new, different approach to cloud security.
One has to wonder if anyone is learning anything in the midst of all this hacking. How much high profile content must be leaked, and how many credit card numbers have to be exposed before someone says, "All the effort we're putting into security and compliance can be dismantled with a single, unnoticed misconfiguration. How can we avoid that?"
McAfee will no longer let foreign governments see its source code
Just as Kaspersky says that it will open up its source code in the name of transparency, so McAfee has indicated something of a step in the other direction. The security software manufacturer has announced that it is no longer going to allow foreign governments to scrutinize its code.
The practice was originally introduced to help convince other countries -- particularly Russia -- that its software did not include backdoors that could be used for espionage. But there have been concerns that opening up source code to examination could also give foreign powers the ability to detect and abuse vulnerabilities.
Intel Online Connect lets you log in on popular websites with just your fingerprint
Using passwords to get online may soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new launch from Intel.
The computing giant has revealed that its Intel Online Connect service will now ship in all 7th and 8th-generation Core processors, allowing users a smoother and easier way to get online quickly using just a fingerprint -- with users of Lenovo's latest PC devices the first to benefit from safer browsing.
82 percent of security professionals worry about nation-state attacks
Nation-state attacks and hacktivists are among the biggest worries for IT security professionals according to a new study.
The report by AI security company Cylance and the Enterprise Strategy Group shows that 82 percent of respondents are concerned or extremely concerned by the threat posed by nation-states, and 79 percent are by the threat of hacktivists.
Traditional antivirus fails to protect 40 percent of users
Conventional antivirus solutions are failing to protect users from attacks according to a Malwarebytes report.
The study is based on real-world clean up scans performed by Malwarebytes. Nearly 40 percent (39.18percent) of all malware attacks cleaned on endpoints with an AV installed occurred on endpoints that had two or more traditional AV solutions registered.
Arm announces Internet of Things security platform
As the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) and other connected devices increases and is projected to reach over 50 billion by 2020, Arm has unveiled a new systems architecture aimed at securing and protecting these devices from being exploited by cyber attackers.
The British semiconductor firm unveiled its new Platform Security Architecture (PSA) which is designed to serve as a common industry framework for developers and hardware manufacturers to increase the security of devices built on its system-on-a-chip (SoC) Cortex processors.
Kaspersky says it accidentally obtained secret NSA files from a US computer
Earlier in the month, news emerged that Kaspersky software had been used by Russian hackers to identify and steal sensitive NSA files from a US computer. Following the revelation, Kaspersky Lab started an investigation, and now the company has published its findings.
Kaspersky concedes that its software had indeed identified classified NSA data -- specifically a hacking tool -- but says that it was unintentional. The unearthed source code was attributed to the Equation Group, and company head Eugene Kaspersky ordered the code be destroyed when the matter was reported to him.
Apple vehemently denies Bloomberg's suggestion of reduced Face ID accuracy
Yesterday, Bloomberg ran a story suggesting that Apple had faced problems getting the iPhone X to market on time. In an attempt to speed up production, Bloomberg said Apple gave suppliers permission to reduce the accuracy of its Face ID face recognition feature.
But Apple refutes this claim, dismissing it as "completely false" -- but Bloomberg is standing by its story.
Encryption blocks the FBI from accessing 7,000 devices
The ongoing debate between law enforcement agencies and device manufacturers over customers' digital privacy was a major point of discussion during the San Bernardino terrorist attack in 2016 and now the FBI has revealed that it was unable to access almost 7,000 devices because of encryption in this year alone.
At the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Philadelphia, FBI Director Christopher Wray brought up the issue in a speech to highlight how law enforcement agencies are still at a loss as to how to access the data on mobile phones protected with encryption.
How to protect yourself against Bad Rabbit ransomware
News broke earlier about the spread of a new form of ransomware going by the name of Bad Rabbit. It name drops Game of Thrones and bears more than a passing resemblance to WannaCry and Petya.
While the main impact of Bad Rabbit has been felt in Eastern Europe, some instances of the ransomware have also been detected in the US. Thankfully, it's relatively easy -- and free -- to protect your computer. By simply tweaking a couple of files, you can stop the ransomware in its tracks.
Virtual reality could attract new talent to security careers
The cyber security industry continues to face a skills crisis, but a new study from security vendor ProtectWise and analyst ESG suggests that the adoption of new technologies could be instrumental in attracting new talent.
The survey of over 500 16 to 24 year-olds finds that 74 percent say that the use of gaming and VR technology in the fight against cyber crime would increase the likelihood of them pursuing a cyber security career.
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