security

Microsoft has unveiled several new security features designed to help users protect their accounts against hackers. The list includes a recent activity log, security email notifications, and changes to two-step verification. The new features apply ... to Microsoft Accounts, or the platform used by Microsoft for its various online services, including SkyDrive, Office 365, Xbox Live, etc. Because many Microsoft Accounts contain sensitive information -- from email addresses to credit card and banking data -- the Redmond, Washington-based firm is taking security very seriously. Activity Log Shows ... (view more)

Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab has released a list of the top security threats facing the world right now. Leading the pack: ransomware like 'CryptoLocker' and cyber espionage, like the work carried out by the United States' National Security ... Agency (NSA). Kaspersky says the past year has seen a number of cyber espionage tools used on the web. Some, like "Red October", "NetTraveler", and "MiniDuke", are sophisticated tools designed to help professional spies and advanced hackers infiltrate government agencies. MiniDuke was used to steal sensitive data from dozens of organizations and ... (view more)

A leaked document shows the National Security Agency (NSA) is trying to use adult websites to discredit people suspected of participating in terrorism campaigns targeting Americans. However, critics suggest it's a flawed approach that could hurt ... innocent civilians. The document was leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. It refers to agents gathering together evidence on "radicalizers" whose "private and public behaviors are not consistent". In other words, in private these radicalizers do things they would not want other people to know about. The suggestion is that releasing this ... (view more)

Google has already patched a security flaw exposed by a public hacking contest. Chrome and Internet Explorer were both hacked at the Tokyo event, though contestants said doing so is getting tougher all the time. The contest is called "Pwn2Own," and ... the idea behind it is that the first person to successfully hack a computer or mobile device wins the compromised hardware and a cash prize. But winning is really about gaining prestige in the security community. Similar contests have concentrated on desktop computers, but this event focused on mobile devices. One participant successfully ... (view more)

Adobe Reader 11.1.0 Adobe Reader is arguably the world's most popular tool for viewing Portable Document Format (PDF) files. The fast and fluid Adobe Reader also allows you to password-protect your most important PDF documents. http://get.adobe.com ... Password Security Scanner 1.20 This tool can be used to scan your Windows-based computer for passwords stored by various applications, including Microsoft Outlook and Internet Explorer. It then displays vital information related to those passwords, including number of characters. http://www.nirsoft.net This freeware software program is brought to ... (view more)

British security staff used bogus copies of the LinkedIn and Slashdot websites to install spyware on tech firm networks, according to leaked documents. They were able to pull off the hacker-like attacks with the help of the National Security Agency. ... The claims come from what appears to be a secret presentation from Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the British equivalent to the National Security Agency (NSA). It seems the documents were made available to the NSA and then leaked by former contractor Edward Snowden. (Source: spiegel.de ) Secretive Agency Targets Telecommunications ... (view more)

Microsoft will be issuing Patch Tuesday fixes for several "critical" security problems today. Unfortunately, the firm says the list of fixes doesn't include a patch for a recently reported zero-day flaw affecting Windows and the Microsoft Office ... software suite. The November 2013 Patch Tuesday lineup includes a total of eight bulletins, three of which are marked "critical" -- Microsoft's highest security rating. These flaws involve serious security issues affecting some of Microsoft's most popular products, including the Windows operating system and Internet Explorer, the firm's web browser. ... (view more)

If you've got the skills, it can certainly pay to be a security researcher. One expert recently earned more than $100,000 after discovering a major security flaw in Microsoft's Windows 8.1 operating system. The award is part of Microsoft's "bug ... bounty" program, which the Redmond, Washington-based firm unveiled earlier this year. Google and Mozilla also employ similar programs , which allow major tech firms to save money by effectively outsourcing their security tasks to independent experts. "Mitigation Bypass Bounty" Includes $100,000 Prize The $100,000 award is part of Microsoft's ... (view more)

Experts are growing increasingly concerned about a still-unpatched security flaw in Microsoft's popular web browser, Internet Explorer. According to recent reports, the vulnerability -- which first emerged in mid-September -- has been exploited on ... several occasions. Microsoft has called the vulnerability CVE-2013-3989. The firm first announced the flaw back on September 17 shortly after Microsoft became aware of its use in a number of attacks. In the days that followed Microsoft released a temporary "Fix It" tool that Internet Explorer users could manually download and install on their ... (view more)

Apple's new fingerprint security system for the iPhone 5S was supposed to make it harder for hackers to access a user's personal information. However, it appears hackers in Germany have already found a way to dupe the system. Germany's Chaos ... Computer Club (CCC) hacking group recently unveiled a strategy for beating the iPhone 5S' fingerprint authentication. The trick: using a customized print out of a victim's fingerprint. Victim Fingerprint, Common Home Tools All That's Required Here's how the trick works: first, a hacker must acquire a high-quality photograph of a victim's fingerprint. Next ... (view more)