Security News

Americans worry more about identity theft than being murdered
2020-03-05 18:43

A report from Atlas VPN finds that one in three Americans worries about identity theft, while only 20% are concerned about becoming a murder victim. Along with being concerned about identity theft, 72% say they are worried about having personal information stolen by hackers.

After blowing $100m to snoop on Americans' phone call logs for four years, what did the NSA get? Just one lead
2020-02-26 22:29

The controversial surveillance program that gave the NSA access to the phone call records of millions of Americans has cost US taxpayers $100m - and resulted in just one useful lead over four years. It is perhaps no wonder that the NSA and the FBI has spent years stalling and refusing to hand over any information about the program.

92% of Americans would delete an app that sold their personal information
2020-02-21 19:30

Most Americans are worried about how companies and governments will use technology like facial recognition and encryption, and how it will affect their data and security, according to a new survey from VPN provider ExpressVPN. The survey of 1,200 adults revealed Americans' deep concern for online privacy, and who do not support the encryption backdoors required by the US government. If they found out their personal information had been sold to a third party, 92% of Americans would delete a regularly used app.

Chinese Military Stole Masses of Americans’ Data, US Says
2020-02-10 20:42

Four members of the Chinese military have been charged with breaking into the networks of the Equifax credit reporting agency and stealing the personal information of tens of millions of Americans, the Justice Department said Monday, blaming Beijing for one of the largest hacks in history to target consumer data. The case is the latest Justice Department accusation against Chinese hackers suspected of breaching networks of American corporations.

US govt accuses four Chinese Army soldiers of hacking Equifax and stealing 145 million Americans' data
2020-02-10 18:41

The United States today announced criminal charges against four Chinese Army soldiers who, it is claimed, are the hackers who stole 145 million Americans' personal data from credit scorer Equifax. Wu Zhiyong, Wang Qian, Xu Ke, and Liu Lei, are all said to have been members of the People's Liberation Army's 54th Research Institute hacking team, and are accused of illegally accessed Equifax's customer databases.

US govt accuses four Chinese army soldiers of hacking Equifax and siphoning 145m Americans' personal info
2020-02-10 18:41

The United States today announced criminal charges against four Chinese Army soldiers who, it is claimed, are the hackers who stole 145 million Americans' personal data from credit scorer Equifax. Wu Zhiyong, Wang Qian, Xu Ke, and Liu Lei, are all said to have been members of the People's Liberation Army's 54th Research Institute hacking team, and are accused of illegally accessed Equifax's customer databases.

Bipartisan Bill Aims to Reform NSA Surveillance of Americans
2020-01-24 15:53

U.S. lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill that aims to reform the National Security Agency's surveillance programs in an effort to protect citizens' rights. The senator, a vocal critic of the NSA's surveillance programs, last year introduced a bill that sought to put an end to the mass collection of Americans' phone records.

Hackers Increasingly Probe North American Power Grid
2020-01-10 15:04

Another group now focusing on the North American electricity generation sector is Magnallium, which since 2013 has been tied to attacks against energy and aerospace firms, Dragos says. "It's easy to get the impression that people who operate the grid and are responsible for it are asleep at the wheel somehow, and there could be nothing further from the truth," Cowens, who's now the CSO of startup Utility Technology Solutions, tells Information Security Media Group.

Google scolded for depriving the poor of privacy, accused of preloading malware on phones for hard-up Americans
2020-01-09 21:51

On Wednesday, more than 50 advocacy groups accused Google of exploiting poor people by failing to police misbehaving Android apps on cheap phones. The advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Privacy International, to name a few, published an open letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai asking him "To take action against exploitative pre-installed software on Android devices."

Google scolded for depriving the poor of privacy after Chinese malware bundled on phones for hard-up Americans
2020-01-09 21:51

On Wednesday, more than 50 advocacy groups accused Google of exploiting poor people by failing to police misbehaving Android apps on cheap phones. The advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Privacy International, to name a few, published an open letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai asking him "To take action against exploitative pre-installed software on Android devices."