data

Too often security measures taken against identity theft, malware infection and other vulnerabilities are performed in reaction to an attack. With the creation of their latest hard drive feature, however, Toshiba is taking a proactive approach in ... combating online thieves. The new Toshiba hard drive boasts a feature that effectively wipes out data after the storage devices are powered down. The Wipe setting is available with Toshiba's SED (Self-Encrypting Drives) and promises to delete secure data prior to disposing or repurposing hard drives. (Source: computerworld.com ) While the new ... (view more)

Computer users aren't the only ones who need to worry about their privacy and security. A new report from San Francisco-based Lookout Inc., a mobile phone security firm, reveals that smart phone applications may be closely monitoring users and ... relaying that information to others. (Source: yahoo.com ) Personal Data Secretly Transmitted to Third Parties Nearly 300,000 free applications for Apple's iPhone and phones built around Google's Android software were scanned by Lookout, Inc. Results of those scans found that many of those apps were secretly pulling sensitive data off user phones and ... (view more)

Update 2010/10/04: The free trial download for Easy Duplicate Finder is at the bottom of this article. Click here to go there now , or continue reading our review. Note that the special discount ends Oct 29, 2010 at 11:59PM EST. Get it before it's ... gone! How many files are stored on your computer? Is it 10,000? How about 50,000 or 100,000? Of the files stored on your computer, how many of them are duplicates and which ones are safe to remove? Unless you're unusually interested in computer technology, you probably don't have any idea how many files are stored within your computer system -- let ... (view more)

A recently discovered botnet packing approximately 60 gigabytes (GB) of passwords and other stolen data has been opened up by security researchers. The crack was made in spite of the botnet's difficult-to-detect, self-cloaking ability. Known as ... Mumba, the botnet intercepted and amassed data from 55,000 PCs when it was first investigated, says security firm AVG. It's believed well-known data thieves "Avalanche Group" were responsible for the botnet. According to a report earlier in 2010, Avalanche was responsible for about two in every three phishing attacks during the last six ... (view more)

Prompted by questionable privacy features , the first "Quit Facebook Day" (May 31st) passed without much fanfare. However, the social networking site's critics might have more to work with now that a security consultant has released data for 100 ... million users on The Pirate Bay, a torrent-based website infamous for software piracy. Ron Bowes is the security consultant behind the massive leak. He told the BBC that he was able to compile an enormous bounty of Facebook user details as part of a test of the Ncrack network authentication program. (Source: crn.com ) 100 Million Accounts Searchable ... (view more)

Two third-party software companies have come together to release temporary fix for a highly contagious and critical zero-day flaw which affects all versions of the Windows operating system (OS). The security flaw, which Microsoft says it knows about ... and is working on a permanent patch towards, makes users of Windows 2000 through Windows 7 vulnerable to attack if they open a desktop folder packing an infected .LNK file extension. Microsoft Temp Fix Not Popular Microsoft last week released its own temporary solution in the form of a workaround, but few users were very fond of a solution that ... (view more)

Connecticut's top law official says he may be joined by others in investigating Google's alleged WiFi privacy breaches . It follows similar action in both Europe and Australia. The dispute came about when it emerged that, while taking photographs ... for its Street View mapping service, Google used its vehicles to scan for local wireless networks, a move it says was designed to allow it to show the locations of free public hotspots on its maps. However, in this process it "inadvertently" collected snippets from emails and data from websites which were being transmitted wirelessly, with ... (view more)

Just in time for the launch of a new iPhone model, AT&T Inc. is reportedly reigning in data usage by its customers using smart phones and iPads. A recent AT&T press release introduced new wireless plans, which says will make it much "more ... affordable" to enjoy the benefits of mobile Internet. AT&T customers will now be able to pick a plan that best meets their needs: a $15/month entry level plan or a $25/month plan that allows 10 times more data. Current customers will not be required to switch to the new plans, but can choose to do so without a contract extension. ( ... (view more)

Microsoft appears ready to support third-party USB storage for its Xbox 360 console, says a recent report from Joystiq. The source of the information, a Microsoft engineering document, reveals that support for the Xbox 360 platform would be extended ... later this spring. Xbo 360 Saved Game Data In Your Pocket The purpose of offering third-party USB storage on the Xbox 360 platform is simple: quickly saving and loading game data. Yes, gamers around the world will soon be offered the chance to carry around the saved data of their favorite Xbox 360 games in their pocket. Take it from someone who ... (view more)

The names, addresses, and Social Security numbers of 3.3 million people were stolen in what is believed to be the largest-ever breach of personal information amongst university students. The issue could affect as many as 5% of all federal ... student-loan borrowers. According to Educational Credit Management Corp. (ECMC), a non-profit guarantor of federal student loans, during the weekend of March 20-21 the personal details of 3.3 millions borrowers were stolen from their St. Paul, Minn. headquarters. The theft did not involve hackers. ECMC spokesman Paul Kelash told the Wall Street Journal that ... (view more)