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August 17, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Not long ago, both Google and Apple found themselves in hot water when it came to light that both companies had been making use of third-party partners to review Siri recordings. As the companies explained at the time, their goal was to make their voice recognition software more efficient and more effective. After they found […]
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August 16, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Apple has partnered with Goldman Sachs and their long-awaited “Apple Card” begins rolling out in limited fashion. The card becomes available to all iPhone owners in the United States toward the end of August. According to CEO Tim Cook, a random selection of people who signed up to be notified about the Apple Card are […]
August 15, 2019 by Vertical Axion
If you own an iPhone, be aware that a new iMessage vulnerability has been recently found and patched by Apple. This was part of the iOS 12.4 update. The flaw allowed hackers to access and read the contents of files stored on iOS devices remotely. They could access files the same way as the device […]
August 14, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Let’s take a little time to talk about the vast numbers of smart devices in use around the world. You probably have several in your home or office. Smart devices need operating systems, just like your phone and your PC. Of course, mobile device operating systems must be much smaller and more compact. After all, they […]
August 13, 2019 by Vertical Axion
If you own an Android device, there’s a new threat to be at least moderately concerned about. It takes the form of a new ransomware family that spreads from one victim to the next with text messages that contain poisoned links to every contact on an infected device. The ESET research team that found the […]
August 12, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Do you have an Android device? Are you running Android Nougat, Oreo, or Pie (versions 7x, 8x, or 9x)? Do you play games on your phone? If you answered yes to those questions, you may have a problem. It is a bigger problem given that there are more than a billion devices currently in service […]
August 10, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Do you use LibreOffice? It’s an open source clone that’s functionally similar to Microsoft Office that has grown quite popular over the years. It is available for Windows, macOS and Linux systems. While open-source software solutions generally have the reputation of being safer and more secure, they’re not immune to vulnerabilities. Recently, a pair of […]
August 9, 2019 by Vertical Axion
We’re talking about the result of a massive five billion dollar fine over violations surrounding the Cambridge Analytica scandal. While the staggering size of the fine made all the headlines, there’s more to the company’s agreement than just several billion dollars. In addition to the fine itself, the company has also accepted an agreement. It […]
August 8, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Another week, another massive data breach. In this case, Capital One was the target when an unknown individual gained access to the company’s servers. The breach was detected by an independent security researcher, who contacted Capital One on July 19th. Apparently, the hacker gained access via a server configuration vulnerability. Upon being made aware of […]
August 7, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Recently, researchers from Boston University published a paper called “Tracking Anonymized Bluetooth Devices”. The paper detailed a flaw in the ubiquitous Bluetooth communication protocol that could expose device users to tracking and even leak their IDs. As explained in the paper, many Bluetooth devices announce their presence by using their MAC addresses as the basis […]
August 6, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Equifax is one of the three credit reporting firms in the US that suffered a massive data breach in 2017 that exposed the personal and financial state of literally half the country (more than 150 million people). As a result, Equifax was ordered to pay a hefty $700 million fine to settle a series of […]
August 5, 2019 by Vertical Axion
People like and tend to gravitate to Apple products because the company has gone to great lengths to make their products are highly secure. Sure, you pay more for them, but most people justify the added expense because a) they look better and are better designed than competing products and b) they’ve got a reputation […]
August 3, 2019 by Vertical Axion
When it works, Android’s app permissions are awesome. They’re straightforward and easy to understand. When you install a new app on your phone, you’ll get a popup box that gives you a summary of what permissions the app says it needs. Then, you have the option to either accept or deny it that permission. Sometimes, […]
August 2, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Yet another new ransomware family has been found in the wild, discovered independently by researchers at two separate security firms, Anomail and Intezer. The new strain has been dubbed “QNPCrypt” by Intezer and eCh0raix” by Anomail and is written in the Go programming language. When it encrypts files, it chances the file extension to “.encrypt” […]
August 1, 2019 by Vertical Axion
McAfee researchers have discovered a new version of the 16Shop phishing kit in use by hackers around the world. According to the latest research, there are now more than 200 URLs currently being used by hackers to collect login information from Amazon customers. The methodology the hackers are using is simple. The hackers craft an […]
July 31, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Recently, Kaspersky Labs has identified a new strain of malware to be concerned about, and it is spreading across the internet. Called FinSpy, it specifically targets WhatsApp on both Android and iOS devices. An analysis of the code reveals that the spyware was created by a German company called Gamma Group, and that it is […]
July 30, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Do you own a Google Home? If so, you probably find it to be indispensable. It’s a powerful, genuinely helpful piece of technology, but there’s a catch. It’s so good and so useful because it listens constantly for voice commands from you. Those commands get recorded. Recently, Google acknowledged that it hires third-party contractors to […]
July 29, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Apple is in the news again, but not for anything good. Jonathan Leitschuh, a security researcher, recently unearthed a serious security flaw that allowed a hacker to activate a Mac computer’s webcam without alerting the computer’s owner. The problem is a program called Zoom. The Zoom software installs a web server on the owner’s computer, […]
July 27, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Google’s first attempt at making it possible for Android users to share files with each other was called Android Beam. While it was functional, it left a lot to be desired, and never really caught on. That fact prompted the company to announce that it would be calling a halt to further Beam development in preference […]
Security researchers at Check Point have discovered a disturbing new strain of Android malware that’s as ingenious as it is disturbing. It is effective because it is designed to replace a rapidly expanding number of apps with poisoned copies. The app copies still retain their core functionality, making the malware notoriously difficult to detect. After […]
July 26, 2019 by Vertical Axion
An UpGuard research team recently discovered several unsecured Amazon S3 buckets belonging to the Israeli IT Services firm Attunity. The company left the buckets unsecured, exposing more than a terabyte of sensitive information belong to a number of prominent companies including Ford, TD Bank and Netflix. To provide a sense of scale, Attunity has more […]
July 25, 2019 by Vertical Axion
Orvibo is a Chinese manufacturer of smart home solutions. These are devices that allow owners to manage connected smart appliances in their home, remotely control lighting, security, HVAC and home entertainment devices, as well as monitor energy usage. Data from those operations are hosted on the company’s Smart Home cloud platform. Orvibo sells their products […]
July 24, 2019 by Vertical Axion
The US government took another important step toward protecting the nation’s vulnerable electrical infrastructure with the passage of the SEIA bill in the Senate. The bill would mandate the use of analog or manual technologies on US power grids as a fallback in the event of a cyber-attack against the grid. That kind of attack […]
July 23, 2019 by Vertical Axion
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning to patients and healthcare providers that certain Medtronic MiniMed some insulin pumps carry cybersecurity risks. The alert reads, in part, as follows: “The FDA has become aware than an unauthorized person (someone other than a patient, patient caregiver, or health care provider) could potentially […]
