Category: Cybersecurity
Chinese hackers intercepted text messages, says cybersecurity firm
Chinese hackers with a history of state-sponsored espionage have intercepted the text messages of thousands of foreigners in a targeted campaign that planted eavesdropping software on a telecommunications provider’s servers, a cybersecurity firm has said. FireEye said in a report that the Chinese hackers belong to the group designated Advanced Persistent Threat 41 (APT41), which…
Facebook suing Israeli company over ‘WhatsApp spyware’
Facebook is suing the Israeli hacker-for-hire company NSO Group for allegedly targeting some 1,400 users of its encrypted messaging service WhatsApp with highly sophisticated spyware. The lawsuit filed in San Francisco is the first legal action of its kind, according to Facebook, involving a nearly totally unregulated realm. Facebook said NSO Group violated laws including…
Caroline Flack named most dangerous celebrity for UK online searches
Caroline Flack has been named the most dangerous celebrity name to search for online in the UK by leading cybersecurity firm McAfee. According to the latest report by anti-virus company McAfee, UK internet searches for the Love Island host generate results pointing to the riskiest of websites. Each year the firm evaluates which celebrities produce…
Government portal Gov.UK probed by data watchdog
The UK’s data and privacy watchdog is looking into how personal data on the Government’s main website, Gov.UK, is collected after it was reported the portal is being used to target users in preparation for Brexit. A memo obtained by BuzzFeed allegedly tells departments to share data collected from its gov.uk website, marked as “top…
Basic passwords like 123456 still used – cyber security chief
Easy-to-guess passwords like 123456 remain in use despite repeated warnings, according to a senior UK cyber security chief. Chris Ensor, deputy director for cyber skills and growth at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said the organisation is trying to change the “doctrine around passwords” and urging people and businesses to move away from making…
Facial recognition technology at King’s Cross ‘not used since March 2018’
Facial recognition has not been in use around the King’s Cross area of London since March 2018, the site’s developers have claimed. Usage of the controversial technology has been under the spotlight after UK data and privacy watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said it had launched an investigation last month. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham…
Tech-savvy millennials lose over £2,500 EACH on bank scams
Millennials are increasingly falling victim to scams involving handing money to fraudsters, according to Lloyds Bank. New data shows that victims aged 18 to 34 are losing £2,630 on average to the fraud, which typically involve scammers impersonating banking staff, the police or HM Revenues and Customs. People over 55 are still handing over the…
Google says hackers have ‘monitoring implants’ in iPhones
Hackers have been using compromised websites to install “monitoring implants” in iPhones for years, according to researchers at Google. The malicious software gathers users’ images, contacts and other information. Ian Beer, from Google’s Project Zero, said in a blog post that the hacked sites had received thousands of visitors each week. Mr Beer said: “There…
Hacker who attacked Uber and Sainsbury’s hands over £1m in Bitcoin
A British hacker who led cyber attacks on massive companies including Uber, Asda and Sainsbury’s has had a Bitcoin stash worth £1 million confiscated. Grant West, 27, who operated on the dark web under the nickname Courvoisier – the name of a popular French cognac – attacked more than 100 companies worldwide, stealing financial data on…
Bluetooth security flaw called KNOB uncovered
A Bluetooth vulnerability has been uncovered that could make it simpler for a hacker to intrude on devices, the standards organisation has said. The flaw could allow interference from the moment an encrypted connection is set up between two devices. A joint paper by researchers at Oxford University, Singapore University of Technology and Design and…
