Category: Security

Security

White hat hacker says he found 70,000 records on Healthcare.gov through a Google search

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As reported on The Verge. By Adrianne Jeffries The federal health insurance marketplace at Healthcare.gov still has major security issues according to some experts, including a flaw that allows user records to show up in Google results. At least 70,000 records with personal identifying information including first and last names, addresses, and user names are accessible by using an advanced Google search and then tweaking the resulting URLs, according to David Kennedy, founder of the security…

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Security

Independent federal review board calls for NSA to end ‘illegal’ phone call data collection

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As reported on Engadget. BY RICHARD LAWLER Following up on what we’ve learned about the NSA’s various spying activities over the last year, the aptly-named Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board is apparently ready to issue a report on the mess. Established in 2004 (but only fully operational since November) within the executive branch to serve as an independent source of advice to the president on… privacy and civil liberties, it has arrived somewhat late to the party (President Obama announced reform…

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Security SmartPhone

Back off, NSA: Blackphone promises to be the first privacy-focused smartphone

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As reported on Engadget. BY SHARIF SAKR You may never have heard of Geeksphone, unless you take a particular interest inFirefox OS, but the Spanish manufacturer could be about to garner some global attention. It says it’ll launch a new handset at Mobile World Congress next month that will prioritize privacy and security instead of all the intrusions that smartphone users usually have to put up with from carriers, advertisers and the occasional government agency. We’re looking at an Android-based…

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Security

Simplicam watches your house while you’re away, uses facial recognition to tell you who’s home

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As reported on Engadget. BY SEAN BUCKLEY WiFi cameras are a handy tool to keep tabs on your home, but they’re really only useful if you’re looking at them. Checking up on your family means pulling up an app, logging in and manually scanning your living room for occupants. ArcSoft says it has an easier way: facial recognition. By equipping its Simplicam WiFi camera with motion, sound and facial detection software, the firm says it can notify you when your…

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Government Security

The NSA Is Building a Quantum Computer? We Already Knew That

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As reported on Wired. BY ROBERT MCMILLAN NSA Director Keith Alexander speaking at the 2009 Cyberspace Symposium. Photo DoD/Dan Rohan   The internet is abuzz over revelations that the NSA is building its own quantum computer, a machine that could crack the computer encryption codes exponentially faster than any machine available today. But this should come as no surprise. “It’s an interesting topic,” says Scott Aaronson, a theoretical computer scientist at MIT who has followed quantum computing efforts…

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Government Security

New Leaks Detail How The NSA’s ‘TAO’ And ‘ANT’ Units Spy On Devices, Global Networks

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As reported on TechCrunch. by Colleen Taylo New leaks emerged today in Germany’s Der Spiegel newspaper about the scope of electronic surveillance conducted by the United States’ National Security Agency. In short, it looks like the agency has even more access to personal data than we already thought. Der Spiegel says it has obtained documents detailing the depth and breadth of access that the Tailored Access Operations (TAO) unit, an elite group within the NSA that’s reportedly tasked with gaining access to foreign…

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Google Security

NSA reportedly leveraging Google cookies and leaked mobile location data to identify hacking targets

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As reported on Engadget. BY TIMOTHY J. SEPPALA You know those cookies web services use to track your history and serve up personalized ads? It appears that the government is using them too. The National Security Agency is apparently leveraging a Google-specific cookie to tap into the computers of suspicious users, according to presentation slides Edward Snowdenleaked to The Washington Post. With an assist from Mountain View’s “PREF” file, the NSA can track a target’s web visits, then identify the computer…

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Security

Radioactive ‘dirty bomb’ ingredients stolen in Mexico

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As reported on The Verge. By Amar Toor UN agency says thieves stole “extremely dangerous” material from a truck outside Mexico City The UN’s atomic energy watchdog today announced that a truck carrying dangerous radioactive material has been stolen in Mexico, adding that the material could be used to produce a dirty bomb. As AFP reports, the truck was carrying the material from a hospital in Tijuana to a waste center before it was stolen near Mexico City. Suspects…

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Security

The Danger Of Laissez-Faire Security Attitudes

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As reported on TechCrunch. by Alex Williams A door lock does not have the same status as a modern, wall-mounted television or a couch from a world-class designer. It’s not like you invite a friend over to check out the new double bolt on the front door: “Hey, you should come by and check out my new door lock! I also bought a new television and a couch, but forget that. This new door lock is awesome!” But…

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Security

THE CAMERA NEXT DOOR: HOW NEIGHBORS WATCH NEIGHBORS IN NEW ORLEANS

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As reported on The Verge. By Adrianne Jeffries Ordinary people are installing security cameras in high-crime cities to help police, but is it working? About three years ago, there was an armed robbery in Tom Vogel’s driveway. Three women were walking down one of the quaint, narrow streets in New Orleans’ Lower French Quarter around 1AM when a car crept up and a man jumped out with a gun. The robber grabbed one of the women,…

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