Windows users know it's a good idea to apply security fixes to their PCs as soon as patches are publicly released to prevent malicious actors from infiltrating their machines. But what if, before a patch was issued, the U.S. government was able to exploit those vulnerabilities using information fed to it by Microsoft?
Google-owned Motorola has some big plans for replacing your online and device passwords that include taking a pill every morning and wearing a tattoo on your arm. The two experimental prototypes were showcased during the D11 technology conference by Motorola's head of advanced technology and projects group, Regina Dugan. Both concepts are meant as alternatives to using passwords, passcodes, picture passwords, and two-factor authentication as a means to access your smartphone, tablet, car, and even your front door.
Twitter reportedly is getting ready to roll out two-factor authentication in the coming weeks--a development that comes not a moment too soon as the company's current security efforts fall short.
Thanks to an anonymous hacker self-identified as Guccifer, we now know that former President George W. Bush likes to paint self-portraits in the bath. That's one of the tidbits revealed when at least six email accounts belonging to Bush family members were hacked and their contents shared online. The high profile hack underscores, once again, the importance of a strong password when it comes to your email account - whether you are the former President of the United States or an average Jane or Joe Gmail user.
Adobe recently released an emergency update for Flash Player on all platforms after two zero-day bugs were discovered in the wild targeting Windows and Mac OS X computers. The vulnerabilities allowed hackers to hijack both Windows PCs and Macs. Adobe recommends all users to update their systems as soon as possible.
A shadowy group of hackers has siphoned intelligence data worldwide from diplomatic, government, and scientific research computer networks for more than five years, including targets in the United States, according to a report from Kaspersky Lab.
Oracle released Java 7 update 11 (Java 7u11) on Sunday following a warning from the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) advising users to disable the software due to a serious and previously unknown security vulnerability. Even with the available fix, CERT, part of the Department of Homeland Security, is still advising users to disable Java on their systems unless running the software is "absolutely necessary."
Running traditional desktop apps on Windows RT may be one step closer to reality, thanks to a vulnerability that a hacker claims lets you run any desktop app on the ARM version of Windows.
Users and critics are growing concerned over privacy rights after Instagram recently posted online changes to its terms of service and privacy policy. The new Instagram rules aren't set to go into effect until January 16, but users are concerned over how their photos could end up in advertisements on Instagram, and possibly Facebook, Instagram’s parent company. This latest privacy flap highlights, once again, the continuing tension between privacy concerns and using a free service that lets you connect with others across the globe.
Facebook opened the polls Monday for its latest user vote that could see Facebook users lose the ability to vote on future changes to the social network's privacy and site governance policies. The site's latest vote also concerns other changes to Facebook's data usage policies and its statement of rights and responsibilities. You can download the proposed revised documents from Facebook's site governance page.
Two consumer interest groups are asking Facebook to withdraw its proposed changes that would, among other issues, remove the ability for users to vote on modifications to Facebook's data usage and privacy policies. The company also wants to change how you filter incoming messages on Facebook, and Facebook wants to freely share user data between companies it owns, such as Instagram.
Microsoft has issued a one-click security workaround for Internet Explorer as a stopgap measure until the company releases a full security update for its Web browser on Friday. The new "Fix it" solution helps protect users of Internet Explorer 6, 7, 8, and 9 from a recently disclosed memory corruption issue that several security experts have seen in active use. The vulnerabilities could allow a hacker to gain remote access to your system with the same user privileges as you including the ability to install or remove programs, modify files, and create new user accounts.
If you use Internet Explorer 6, 7, 8 or 9 as your default browser on a Windows PC, security experts are advising you to use a different Web browser until Microsoft patches a critical vulnerability in IE. Microsoft on Monday confirmed that hackers were actively exploiting an IE vulnerability that could allow an attacker to take over your PC. The exploit does not affect users running IE10 on the Windows 8 Release Preview.
You'd better stop searching for Emma Watson online, because trying to find news or photos about the Harry Potter star gives you a more than 12 percent chance of getting infected with malware.
Security threats to your mobile device lurk as malware, fraudulent lures such as SMS spoofing, and toll fraud, but they're all becoming favorites of digital crooks as people move away from using PCs and toward smartphones and tablets, according to a new report.