Security News
South Wales Police and the UK Home Office "Fundamentally disagree" that automated facial recognition software is as intrusive as collecting fingerprints or DNA, a barrister for the force told the Court of Appeal yesterday. Jason Beer QC, representing the South Wales Police also blamed the Information Commissioner's Office for "Dragging" the court into the topic of whether the police force's use of the creepy cameras complied with the Data Protection Act.
John Mauger of U.S. Cyber Command came a day after Defense Department officials briefed reporters on virtual war games that digital combatants from U.S. and allied militaries have been holding to sharpen their abilities to counter online threats with real-world impact. On Wednesday, Cybercom offered reporters a window into what it described as its largest virtual training exercise to date - in this case, a simulated attack on an airfield's control systems and fuel depots.
Prosecutors in the US have upgraded their case against Julian Assange with a second superseding indictment claiming he sought out the services of a notorious hacker who, unbeknownst to the WikiLeaks boss, was secretly working with the Feds. The latest filing does not add any charges, though it includes evidence of Assange asking hackers to steal sensitive and scandalous dirt from government systems for WikiLeaks to disseminate.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sought to recruit hackers at conferences in Europe and Asia who could provide his anti-secrecy website with classified information, and conspired with members of hacking organizations, according to a new Justice Department indictment announced Wednesday. Beyond recruiting hackers at conferences, the indictment accuses Assange of conspiring with members of hacking groups known as LulzSec and Anonymous.
A trio of Republican senators on Tuesday proposed legislation that requires service providers and device makers in America to help the Feds bypass encryption when presented with a court-issued warrant. The law bill [PDF] is dubbed the Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act, which uncharacteristically cannot be condensed into a pandering acronym.
The Maze ransomware gang has threatened to publish information stolen from an American firm that overhauls airliners and installs flight control software upgrades - because its victim refused to pay a demanded ransom. In a "Press release" published on its leaks website, Maze raged against victims who refused to play its game and cough up vast sums of money to decrypt their illicitly encrypted data.
During the pre-taped keynote at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, the company promised to pump up data protection even more with gobs of new features in its upcoming iOS 14, macOS Big Sur, and Safari releases. The big ones include the option for users to decline apps' ad tracking.
Microsoft has announced improved identity and access management protections for AccountGuard users in the United States, ahead of the 2020 elections. Now, Microsoft is announcing enterprise-grade identity and access management protections for AccountGuard users in the U.S., at no cost.
The law will require the New York City plod to provide the city government with annual reports on its use of surveillance equipment such as face scanning, Stinger cellphone trackers, and eavesdropping gear. To be precise, the bill defines surveillance tech as "Equipment, software, or systems capable of, or used or designed for, collecting, retaining, processing, or sharing audio, video, location, thermal, biometric, or similar information, that is operated by or at the direction of the department," but not any internal communications gear nor cameras intended to keep city buildings from being vandalized.
TechRepublic spoke to executives and experts to see if the US could avoid such supply chain issues by ramping up manufacturing to return to "Made in America" glory. "The US has been the richest target of cyberattacks from abroad aimed at capturing that knowledge to accelerate development of goods-both tangible and intangible-without having to pay the rents that have funded the US economy for decades of dwindling manufacturing," Ray of SecureAge said.