Cybersecurity & Privacy
Skype is spying on your instant messages
A couple of weeks ago, a group of hackers accused Skype (now owned by Microsoft) of changing its underlying architecture to make eavesdropping easier. It is still unknown if Skype/Microsoft can intercept your voice calls but reading their privacy policy, it is clearly written that they can and do comb through instant messages (which is stores for 30 or more when permitted by law) sent via the Skype service. The reason voice interception is unknown is the use of a common legal term called “includes but is not limited to” which means they list some services they monitor but reserve the right to monitor others.
Real world phishing scam with the mail service
When I mention phishing scams, you rightfully think about online tricks used to steal user information. But many of us still use the national mail service and some backwards thieves have started using a real-world phishing scam with USPS (blue) mailboxes. Would be phishers are coating the inside of the mailbox chute with an adhesive. This means they can then easily pass by and steal your mailed check or letter containing your personal information (useful for identity theft). Although this latest scam is in Texas, the USPS has said there have been over 30 arrests for similar scams in the last year.
Simplify password management [for free] with LastPass
Every couple of weeks, we hear about another site being hacked and user account information being stolen. Security evangelists are constantly asking the community to choose complicated passwords and to not reuse the same password for multiple sites. The biggest complaint I hear is that the above makes remembering passwords impossible. But guess what… you don’t need to remember them because of a fantastic free tool called Lastpass. Lastpass is a strong and easy to use password manager that offers 85% of its functionality for free and has plug-ins for most modern browsers.
Take 2 minutes to secure your social media information
If you are like most social media users, you grant [app] access to your account way too easily and probably have dozens, even hundreds of apps with read and write access to your accounts. Take a second and think about what this means for your online privacy (or lack thereof). The tool Tech entrepreneur, Avi Charkham, faced the same dilemma and was frustrated by how much time it took him to locate the account permissions pages for the 8 most popular social media sites (often taking 5 clicks or more ).
Governments are requesting more user info from Google
Google geeks and privacy advocates love Google’s “Transparency Report” (now in its 5th version). In the latest version, it is interesting to note an upward trend of requests Google defines as “troubling”. An interesting new feature is the ability to see aggregated court orders and other requests worldwide. To add some meat to this discussion, consider the fact that from July to December 2011, governments requested information on 28 562 user accounts. This number includes requests for user information and takedown requests for blog posts and videos.
HTTPS Everywhere helps you browse safely and securely
Whenever you browse the web, your internet browser uses a protocol called http. Now the secure version of this protocol is called https and head to any bank website and you’ll see them add the s to http when logging in. Why is this important? Anytime you enter sensitive information, you want to make it as hard as possible for the “bad guys” to steal it. By using https, you encrypt the data as it swirls through the internet. It is easy to see why you should like and use this more secure protocol when logging into your bank, facebook or webmail account.
Google bypasses Internet Explorer's privacy settings
Last week, researchers found that Google (and other online advertising services) had found a way to bypass Safari’s privacy settings. At the time, Google said it was using know functionality to delivery services to signed in Google users. Another week, another claim, this time by Microsoft. Microsoft claims that Google is using the same technique to bypass the privacy settings of its Internet Explorer browser. The Microsoft claim is that Google misrepresents its cookies allowing them to bypass Internet Explorer’s security settings.
Ghostery warns you about all the networks tracking your web habits
Anytime you talk a walk down the information superhighway, creepy companies track your every move so that they can offer more targeted behavior based advertisements. To pull this off, they need to track you as you move across the web. If you have ever wanted to know how many of those systems are tracking you, check out a free Firefox / Chrome add-on called Ghostery. Whey say “Ghostery tracks the trackers” and that is a great way to describe it.
Popular journal app Path uploads your personal contact information without notice
Well well… another day, another security issue with a popular mobile app. This time the culprit is a popular life journal app called Path. Arun Thampi discovered that Path uploaded his entire address book (names, numbers, emails) to Path without his prior consent. Arun highlighted the fact that the app never asked for permission to upload this type of sensitive info to Path. Path’s founder and CEO responded to Arun: “We upload the address book to our servers in order to help the user find and connect to their friends and family on Path quickly and [efficiently] as well as to notify them when friends and family join Path.