Security News - Software vulnerabilities, data leaks, malware, viruses

Malicious apps from a campaign called "Agent Smith" have been downloaded to 25 million Android devices, according to new research by cyber-security firm Check Point.

https://phys.org/news/2019-07-malicious-apps-infect-million-android.html

A news report Friday said many smartphone apps were sending highly personal information such as menstrual cycles and body weight to Facebook, without notifying users.

https://phys.org/news/2019-02-apps-intimate-user-facebook.html

A security breach inside the Marriott hotel empire compromised the information of as many as 500 million guests worldwide, exposing their credit card numbers, passport numbers and birth dates for...

https://phys.org/news/2018-11-marriott-million-guests-affected-hack.html

Seven European consumer groups filed complaints against Google with national regulators Tuesday, accusing the internet giant of covertly tracking users' movements in violation of an EU regulation...

https://phys.org/news/2018-11-google-accused-track-users.html

As facial recognition technology use generates intense scrutiny, a new system unveiled at Washington's Dulles airport is being touted as a "user friendly" way to help ease congestion for air trav...

https://phys.org/news/2018-09-facial-recognition-touted-user-friendly.html

Has your smartphone suddenly slowed down, warmed up and the battery drained down for no apparent reason? If so, it may have been hijacked to mine cryptocurrencies.

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-hackers-smartphones-cryptocurrencies.html

A schoolboy who "dreamed" of working for Apple hacked the firm's computer systems, Australian media has reported, although the tech giant said Friday no customer data was compromised.

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-hacky-hack-australia-teen-breaches.html

In collaboration with colleagues from Opole University in Poland, researchers at Horst Görtz Institute for IT Security (HGI) at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have demonstrated that the internet...

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-gaps-internet-protocol-ipsec.html

Researchers at Israeli cybersecurity firm said Wednesday they had found a flaw in WhatsApp that could allow hackers to modify and send fake messages in the popular social messaging app.

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-flaw-whatsapp.html

Researchers in the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Computer Science Department and the Hiroshi Fujiwara Cyber Security Research Center at the Technion have successfully deciphered Bluetoo...

https://phys.org/news/2018-07-technion-severe-bluetooth-breach.html

Microsoft's chief legal officer on Friday called for regulation of facial recognition technology due to the risk to privacy and human rights.

https://phys.org/news/2018-07-microsoft-urges-face-recognizing-tech.html

Mobile fitness app Polar has suspended its location tracking feature after security researchers found it had revealed sensitive data on military and intelligence personnel from 69 countries.

https://phys.org/news/2018-07-app-revealed-military-intelligence-personnel.html

The unique features of your face can allow you to unlock your new iPhone, access your bank account or even "smile to pay" for some goods and services.

https://phys.org/news/2018-07-facial-recognition-privacy.html

When a CIA-backed venture capital fund took an interest in Rana el Kaliouby's face-scanning technology for detecting emotions, the computer scientist and her colleagues did some soul-searching—...

https://phys.org/news/2018-07-all-seeing-ai-surveillance.html

Is the web browser on your phone slower than usual? It could be mining bitcoin for criminals.

https://phys.org/news/2018-06-smart-fridge-bitcoin-criminals.html

By abusing security weaknesses in the LTE mobile telephony standard, attackers are able to identify which web pages a user visits and to reroute him to a scam website. This is the result of a stu...

https://phys.org/news/2018-06-gaps-lte-mobile-telephony-standard.html

A California company confirmed that a flaw in its website allowed outsiders to pinpoint the location of mobile phones in the United States without authorization.

https://phys.org/news/2018-05-data-leak-company-location-data-abuse.html

Some 1.5 billion sensitive online files, from pay stubs to medical scans to patent applications, are visible on the open internet, security researchers said Thursday.

https://phys.org/news/2018-04-bn-sensitive-documents-internet.html

Sports gear maker Under Armour said Thursday a data breach of its fitness application was hacked, affecting some 150 million user accounts.

https://phys.org/news/2018-03-armour-mn-affected-breach.html

Advanced Micro Devices on Tuesday said patches are on the way for recently revealed flaws in some of its chips that could allow hackers to take over computers.

https://phys.org/news/2018-03-amd-patches-flawed-chips.html

Michigan auditors who conducted a fake "phishing" attack on 5,000 randomly selected state employees said Friday that nearly one-third opened the email, a quarter clicked on the link and almost on...

https://phys.org/news/2018-03-michigan-workers-fake-phishing-email.html

Intel Corp. said Thursday new computer chips designed to address vulnerabilities disclosed earlier this year would be shipped in the second half of 2018.

https://phys.org/news/2018-03-intel-chips-flaws-year.html

The group overseeing Internet addresses is scrambling to balance the privacy of website owners and the right to know who is behind online pages.

https://phys.org/news/2018-03-internet-overseers-website-owner-privacy.html

With all the news stories these days about computer hacking, it probably comes as no surprise that someone is worried about hackers from outer space. Yes, there are now scientists who fret that s...

https://phys.org/news/2018-02-scientists-space-aliens-hack-planet.html

A map showing paths taken by users of an exercise tracking app reveals potentially sensitive information about American and allied military personnel in places including Iraq and Syria.

https://phys.org/news/2018-01-tracking-highlights-deployed-troops.html

Intel on Monday called for a halt in deployment of patches for a troubling vulnerability in its computer chips because they could cause "unpredictable" problems in affected devices.

https://phys.org/news/2018-01-intel-halts-chip-flaw-due.html

A new security flaw has been found in Intel hardware which could enable hackers to access corporate laptops remotely, Finnish cybersecurity specialist F-Secure said on Friday.

https://phys.org/news/2018-01-finnish-firm-intel-flaw.html

Amid a frantic rush to patch a computer security flaw, experts struggled Thursday to determine the impact of a newly discovered vulnerability which could affect billions of devices worldwide.

https://phys.org/news/2018-01-tech-firms-patches-pervasive-flaw.html

A newly discovered vulnerability in computer chips raised concerns Wednesday that hackers could access sensitive data on most modern systems, as technology firms sought to play down the security ...

https://phys.org/news/2018-01-google-flaws-intel-chips.html

The former National Security Agency contractor who exposed U.S. government surveillance programs by disclosing classified material in 2013 has a new job: app developer.

https://phys.org/news/2017-12-edward-snowden-unveils-app-haven.html