Cybersecurity

As any Android user knows, the version of the operating system you're using can vary widely because it depends on parties other than Google. That's why nearly two-thirds of users are running a version of Android introduced in 2012 or earlier. With Android making the leap to wearables and the Interne...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

To Pay or Not to Pay – That’s the Ransomware Question

Ransomware is a growing problem for consumers and businesses. In Symantec's most recent quarterly security report, the company's researchers found all targeted attacks -- including ransomware -- grew 91 percent year-over-year. That's raising a big question for those targeted by cyberextortionists: S...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

Godzilla Foreshadows Trouble for Internet of Things

The Internet of Things has come under attack by pranksters in recent days. The events could signal tumultuous things to come as more and more everyday objects connect to the Internet. Homeland Security has advised the customers of digital sign maker Daktronics to "take defensive measures" following ...

CloudFlare on Thursday announced the launch of Project Galileo, a service designed to provide enterprise-grade protection against distributed denial of service attacks free of charge to certain sites, with the goal of protecting freedom of expression on the Internet. Such sites must be engaged in ne...

A cyberespionage campaign with links to Iran for at least three years has been targeting U.S. military and congressional personnel, journalists and diplomats, as well as U.S. and Israeli defense contractors and members of the U.S./Israel lobby, according to a new report from iSight Partners. Using m...

Cisco has been accused of being in bed with U.S. cyberspying efforts, according to a Chinese state media outlet. Cisco "carries on intimately" with U.S. spying apparatuses, the outlet claims, and plays "a disgraceful role" in efforts to prop up U.S. power over the Web. Cisco denied the accusations.

TECH TREK

Sony, China Strike PlayStation Deal

Japanese electronics giant Sony has inked a deal in China to manufacture and sell PlayStation consoles in the Middle Kingdom. The partnership creates two joint ventures with Shanghai Oriental Pearl, which will enable Sony to operate out of Shanghai's free trade zone. China's early-2014 approval of v...

The Department of Justice last week unsealed indictments against five members of the Chinese military who were accused of hacking into the computer systems of U.S. companies to steal everything from trade secrets to confidential corporate correspondence. China's initial response was to deny any wron...

The ever-testy cyberstandoff between the U.S. and China got a new twist when Beijing announced that it would start "cybersecurity vetting of major IT products and services" used for national security and public interests. The vetting is designed to prevent suppliers from using their products to cont...

TECH TREK

Google’s EU Migraine Rears Up

Yeah, about that breakthrough between Google and European antitrust regulators... The European Union's antitrust chief might pursue a tougher stance on Google than the one outlined in a February agreement, which was believed to have end -- finally -- the legal circus between the two sides. Google ha...

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY

Hackers Paint Bull’s-eyes on Cybercurrencies

Another digital currency was brought to its knees last week when the administrators of Doge Vault had to suspend operations after they discovered their online wallet service had been attacked by hackers. Following an investigation of the incident and the reconstruction of some of their damaged infor...

A space-bound satellite designed to provide Internet access to remote regions in Russia and neighboring states was destroyed when its ride blew apart mid-flight. The Proton-M rocket, affixed with a European-built Express AM4R satellite, seemed to be doing well until nine minutes into the flight, whe...

This week's European high court decision against Google was "astonishing," according to Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, who called it "one of the most wide-sweeping Internet censorship rulings I've ever seen." Wales, like anyone who read the ruling, noticed that the parameters for judging whether con...

In a move that could complicate the creation of any more Terminator movies, United Nations diplomats on Tuesday discussed international laws to govern the use of killer robots. This was the first UN meeting devoted entirely to the topic, which makes sense given that the robots in question don't yet ...

Search engines could have a profound influence on voters, according to psychologist Robert Epstein, whose recent study chronicles the impact of what he dubbed the "search engine manipulation effect." Epstein has not produced any evidence that search engines intentionally manipulate elections. Even s...

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