Feb 01
Jan 31
Hackers increasingly using telnet for attacks, port 23 looking younger than ever
Posted in: hack, hacking, security, Today's Chili
You can’t always just hang around waiting for the next big Microsoft security update. Sometimes you have to go and make your own destiny — even if it means probing a few dusty ports. That’s apparently the mantra of modern hackers who are, according to Akamai, increasingly looking back at telnet as a means to gain unapproved access to systems of all shapes and sizes. Admins of course should be relying on SSH for such remote shell access, far more secure, but apparently many like to keep port 23 open for old time’s sake. Green-screen nostalgia is, apparently, a dangerous thing.
Hackers increasingly using telnet for attacks, port 23 looking younger than ever originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jan 30
PSA: Change your old Amazon.com password for better security
Posted in: amazon, security, Today's Chili
Amazon’s allegedly got an security flaw where hackers can find your password much easier than they would otherwise, and there’s already a fix in place. But get this — you’ll probably need to change your password for the fix to take effect, if you haven’t already done so in the last couple of years. According to Reddit users, the Amazon.com login system will actually accept any phrase so long as it begins with your password, such as “password123” when the magic word is simply “password” by itself. That apparently makes it that much easier for a computer to guess your password via brute force methods, no matter how counter-intuitive that seems, so if you simply change it immediately — and to something other than “password,” please — you’ll have much sounder dreams.
PSA: Change your old Amazon.com password for better security originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Jan 2011 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
The Consumerist, Wired | 
Reddit | Email this | Comments
Jan 29
Android 2.3 security bug shows microSD access vulnerability
Posted in: Android, cellphone, gingerbread, Google, GoogleAndroid, sd, security, Today's Chili
A researcher at North Carolina State University is warning of an Android 2.3 security vulnerability that gives attackers access to your personal information, further proof that Gingerbread isn’t all sugar and spice (to be fair, that SMS issue has since been remedied). According to Xuxian Jiang, the bug allows malicious websites to access and upload the contents of a user’s microSD card, including voicemails, photos, and online banking information to a remote server. The flaw apparently resembles a similar bug in previous version of Android, thought to have been addressed with Gingerbread. However, as Jiang points out, that fix is easily bypassed. Apart from removing the microSD card, disabling JavaScript, or switching to a third-party browser, Android 2.3 users have little recourse in squashing the bug. The folks at eWeek reported that Google is working on a solution to the problem, but there’s no word on when we can expect to see an update.
Android 2.3 security bug shows microSD access vulnerability originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 10:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | North Carolina State University | Email this | Comments
Jan 26
Apple’s New Security Chief Has a Master’s in Information Warfare
Posted in: Apple, security, Today's Chili
As Apple’s reach expands beyond desktops and laptops and into your bags and pockets thanks to the iPhone and iPad, it’s natural to expect the company to spend some time focusing on security, and making sure their products are as secure as they can be. That explains why Apple decided to hire a new Director of Global Security.
Still, the hiring process at Apple must be pretty stringent, since David Rice, the man they decided on for the job, not only worked at the National Security Agency (NSA) as a Global Network Vulnerability Analyst, but graduated from the US Naval Academy with a Master’s Degree in Information Warfare and Systems Engineering, and served in the Navy as a Special Duty Cryptologic Officer.
Along with those impressive credentials, Rice is also the author of “Geekonomics,” a book on why companies should focus on making sure their software products are secure. What Rice’s duties will be when he’s onboard at Apple aren’t clear, and it’s unlikely they’ll ever be really public, but one thing is for sure: you can’t say the company isn’t taking security seriously.
[via SlashGear]
Jan 25
Securely Erase Files from Your Computer
Posted in: Freeware, security, Software, Today's Chili, WindowsThis article was written on April 16, 2010 by CyberNet.
Windows only 
Have you ever erased something from your computer, but were then concerned with whether the information would still be accessible? One situation I can think of is when giving away or selling a computer/hard drive, and the fear that the new owner may try to recover the information that you left behind on the drive.
Utilities like WipeFile are great in these scenarios. Not only is it free, but it’s also portable which means you don’t have to install it if there are just a few files you want to erase. The best part about WipeFile is that you can list out all the directories on your drive that you want to remove, and you can even go as far as to restrict it to certain files based upon name/extension.
After you’ve selected all of the paths you can move on to picking one of the 14 different methods that can be used to securely eliminate the files. One of those methods was designed by Peter Gutmann, which consists of 35 passes that tries to make it economically infeasible for anyone to recover the data that was on the drive. Obviously the more passes the application has to make the longer it will take, but that’s the price we pay for security.
WipeFile Homepage (Windows only; Freeware)
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Related Posts:
- Create a Scheduled Task to Securely Delete FilesHow To Prevent Disasters On A MacDell Looking to offer Online Data BackupCyberNotes: Encrypt Files with an ImageClearing Private Data on Mac
Jan 25
Woman tries, fails to smuggle 44 iPhones into Israel
Posted in: Apple, iPhone, security, Today's Chili
Sigh. We don’t know whether to congratulate the enterprising spirit of this venture or to bemoan the sad state of a world where a 60-something-year old lady feels compelled to turn into an iPhone smuggler. Either way, Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport has given us a pretty good reason for the use of full body scanners, which revealed the woman in question was strapped with 44 iPhone 4s all around her body. Dressed in traditional Georgian attire, the lady had some struggles walking around, which raised suspicion and got the officials to run her through the machines. Guess this gives us a whole new definition to the phrase “stocking stuffer,” eh?
[Original image credit: buystoreshelving.com]
Woman tries, fails to smuggle 44 iPhones into Israel originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 06:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jan 24
Chrome and Firefox adding new opt-out features to prevent third-party advertisers from tracking you
Posted in: advertising, Chrome, Google, Mozilla, Online, privacy, security, Today's Chili, web
Ever been freaked out by an online ad that seemed to know you that little bit too well? It’s the result of good old advertisers tracking your net-navigating habits and delivering targeted commercials to your eyeballs, but it can be prevented. Both Google and Mozilla have stepped up (or perhaps been pushed by the FTC) to try and tackle this issue of pernicious tracking cookies, but they’ve gone about it in different ways. The Chrome solution is a Keep My Opt-Outs browser extension that remembers the sites you don’t want personalized information from, while Firefox will start beaming out a Do Not Track HTTP header that should be respected by advertisers and result in you receiving generic, repetitive ads. The important commonality between the two is that they don’t rely on you preparing a cookie file with all your anti-advertiser bile contained within it (which was the FTC’s original, somewhat impractical idea). Google intends to open-source its extension and bring it to other browsers as well, though obviously it’s taking care of Chrome first, which can benefit from the add-on right now.
Chrome and Firefox adding new opt-out features to prevent third-party advertisers from tracking you originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink New York Times | Google Public Policy Blog, First Person Cookie | Email this | Comments
Jan 23
Hackers disguise phone as keyboard, use it to attack PCs via USB
Posted in: Android, hack, hacking, Hacks, keyboard, security, smartphone, Today's Chili
We’ve seen hackers use keyboards to deliver malicious code to computers, and we’ve seen smartphones used as remote controls for cars and TV — but we’ve never seen a smartphone disguised as a keyboard used to control a computer, until now. A couple folks at this year’s Black Hat DC conference have devised a clever bit of code that allows a rooted smartphone — connected to a PC through USB — to pose as a keyboard or mouse in order to attack and control the computer. The hack takes advantage of USB’s inability to authenticate connected devices coupled with operating systems’ inability to filter USB packets, which would enable users to thwart such an attack. While utilizing a digital costume to hack a computer is a nifty idea, it doesn’t pose much additional risk to users because the method still requires physical access to a USB port to work — and most of us would probably notice someone plugging a smartphone into our laptop while we’re using it.
[Image Credit: Angelos Stavrou / CNET]
Hackers disguise phone as keyboard, use it to attack PCs via USB originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jan 20
Lock Up Your Mac Mini
Posted in: security, Today's Chili 
Tryten Technologies of Seattle, Washington, a physical computer safety company, is introducing the Mac Mini Security Mount. With it you can secure your Mini to a variety of security cable options rather than permanently mounting the Mini to your workspace or monitor. The design includes a LockBar with a high-security, seven pin pick-resistant lock. The LockBar can be secured with a Kensington-style security slot cable or with one of Tryten’s other cable kits.
The open design of the mount provides access to all peripheral connections and the disk slot, and maintains Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You can pick one up now for $67.70, or even cheaper if you buy in bulk.
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