Month: September 2017

DolphinAttack allows control of voice activated devices without you knowing it

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Using a technique called the DolphinAttack, a team from Zhejiang University translated typical vocal commands into ultrasonic frequencies that are too high for the human ear to hear, but perfectly decipherable by the microphones and software powering our always-on voice assistants. This relatively simple translation process lets them take control of gadgets with just a Read more about DolphinAttack allows control of voice activated devices without you knowing it[…]

Amazon was tricked by a fake law firm into removing a hot product, costing this seller $200,000

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Shortly before Amazon Prime Day in July, the owner of the Brushes4Less store on Amazon’s marketplace received a suspension notice for his best-selling product, a toothbrush head replacement. The email that landed in his inbox said the product was being delisted from the site because of an intellectual property violation. In order to resolve the Read more about Amazon was tricked by a fake law firm into removing a hot product, costing this seller $200,000[…]

Equifax loses 143 million US, UK and Canadian customer records in data breach.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

September 7, 2017 — Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) today announced a cybersecurity incident potentially impacting approximately 143 million U.S. consumers. Criminals exploited a U.S. website application vulnerability to gain access to certain files. Based on the company’s investigation, the unauthorized access occurred from mid-May through July 2017. The company has found no evidence of unauthorized Read more about Equifax loses 143 million US, UK and Canadian customer records in data breach.[…]

Flat UI Elements Attract Less Attention and Cause Uncertainty

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In an eyetracking experiment comparing different clickability clues, weak and flat signifiers required more user effort than strong ones. […] We conducted a quantitative experiment using eyetracking equipment and a desktop computer. We recruited 71 general web-users to participate in the experiment. Each participant was presented with one version of the 9 sites and given Read more about Flat UI Elements Attract Less Attention and Cause Uncertainty[…]

Apache REST / Struts easily exploitable through browser

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Servers and data stored by dozens of Fortune 100 companies are at risk, including airlines, banks and financial institutions, and social media sites. A critical security vulnerability in open-source server software enables hackers to easily take control of an affected server — putting sensitive corporate data at risk. The vulnerability allows an attacker to remotely Read more about Apache REST / Struts easily exploitable through browser[…]

Yet another AWS config fumble: Time Warner Cable exposes 4 million subscriber records

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers with security company Kromtech said freelancers who handled web applications for TWC and other companies had left one of its AWS S3 storage bins containing seven years’ worth of subscriber data wide open on the ‘net. That data included addresses and contact numbers, information about their home gateways, and account settings. Just before the Read more about Yet another AWS config fumble: Time Warner Cable exposes 4 million subscriber records[…]

After years of IBAN, only 1 NL bank has just figured out how to check the name with an account.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Rabobank has started warning users when the name doesn’t match an IBAN account. A trivial function that used to work before IBAN but apparently was so hard to implement that users have had to wait for years to get. If you put in the wrong number – then sorry, you were screwed! Now for Read more about After years of IBAN, only 1 NL bank has just figured out how to check the name with an account.[…]

Does your monitor unplug from HDMI when you turn it off and mess up your desktop? Monitordetectkiller is the solution!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Remove Monitor Detection EDID override turn off disable monitor auto detect remove windows monitor autodetect The computer detects when a TV/monitor is ‘turned off’ or ‘switched’ to another input. Then when powered-on or switched back, it gives the wrong resolution or breaks your extended display to reflect the single monitor, there may even be crashes Read more about Does your monitor unplug from HDMI when you turn it off and mess up your desktop? Monitordetectkiller is the solution![…]

Data Breach Exposes Thousands of Job Seeker CVs Citing Top Secret Government Work

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Thousands of files containing the personal information and expertise of Americans with classified and up to Top Secret security clearances have been exposed by an unsecured Amazon server, potentially for most of the year. […] Thousands of files containing the personal information and expertise of Americans with classified and up to Top Secret security clearances Read more about Data Breach Exposes Thousands of Job Seeker CVs Citing Top Secret Government Work[…]

Facebook has mapped populations in 23 countries as it explores satellites to expand internet – it knows where you live!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Facebook doesn’t only know what its 2 billion users “Like.” It now knows where millions of humans live, everywhere on Earth, to within 15 feet. The company has created a data map of the human population by combining government census numbers with information it’s obtained from space satellites, according to Janna Lewis, Facebook’s head of Read more about Facebook has mapped populations in 23 countries as it explores satellites to expand internet – it knows where you live![…]

Millions of Time Warner Cable Customer Records Exposed in Third-Party Data Leak

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Roughly four million records containing the personal details of Time Warner Cable (TWC) customers were discovered stored on an Amazon server without a password late last month. The files, more than 600GB in size, were discovered on August 24 by the Kromtech Security Center while its researchers were investigating an unrelated data breach at World Read more about Millions of Time Warner Cable Customer Records Exposed in Third-Party Data Leak[…]

Google Does No Evil – unless you criticise it!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The story in the New York Times this week was unsettling: The New America Foundation, a major think tank, was getting rid of one of its teams of scholars, the Open Markets group. New America had warned its leader Barry Lynn that he was “imperiling the institution,” the Times reported, after he and his group Read more about Google Does No Evil – unless you criticise it![…]