data privacy | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

The lines between digital and physical realms increasingly blur. While this opens countless opportunities for businesses, it also brings numerous challenges. In our recent webinar, Shaping the Cyber-Physical Future: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities for 2025 , we explored the different factors shaping the cyber-physical future. In an insightful conversation with industry experts, we discussed the most pressing security concerns of today and how to address them. Allison J. Taylor, the founder and CEO of Thought Marketing LLC, unveiled trends and recommended strategies businesses can employ to proactively bolster their security amidst evolving cyber challenges. Cesar Salazar, COO of Claro Enterprise Solutions, delved into innovative solutions that could propel business tech forward. He emphasized cyber-physical convergence, the use of emerging technologies, and responsive security operations. Below are the key takeaways from the webinar. These provide an overview of why businesses...

Advertising on TikTok is the obvious choice for any company trying to reach a young market, and especially so if it happens to be a travel company, with 44% of American Gen Zs saying they use the platform to plan their vacations. But one online travel marketplace targeting young holidaymakers with ads on the popular video-sharing platform broke GDPR rules when a third-party partner misconfigured a TikTok pixel on one of its regional sites. An intriguing new case study reveals how the cyber security company that discovered the problem stopped a data breach from becoming a costly flood.  For the full case study, click here .  Dangers Close to Home Cyberattacks often make the headlines because hacking is a natural attention-grabber. The groups behind the attacks seem like modern-day highwaymen, shadowy figures who can rob countless victims from behind a mask of anonymity. Faceless criminals like these will always grab readers' attention, and while this is understandable, we'...

Vulnerability Management (VM) has long been a cornerstone of organizational cybersecurity. Nearly as old as the discipline of cybersecurity itself, it aims to help organizations identify and address potential security issues before they become serious problems. Yet, in recent years, the limitations of this approach have become increasingly evident.  At its core, Vulnerability Management processes remain essential for identifying and addressing weaknesses. But as time marches on and attack avenues evolve, this approach is beginning to show its age. In a recent report, How to Grow Vulnerability Management into Exposure Management (Gartner, How to Grow Vulnerability Management Into Exposure Management, 8 November 2024, Mitchell Schneider Et Al.), we believe Gartner® addresses this point precisely and demonstrates how organizations can – and must – shift from a vulnerability-centric strategy to a broader Exposure Management (EM) framework. We feel it's more than a worthwhile read an...

Meta has been fined 21.62 billion won ($15.67 million) by South Korea's data privacy watchdog for illegally collecting sensitive personal information from Facebook users, including data about their political views and sexual orientation, and sharing it with advertisers without their consent. The country's Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) said Meta gathered information such as religious affiliations, political views, and same-sex marital status of about 980,000 domestic Facebook users and shared it with 4,000 advertisers. "Specifically, it was found that behavioral information, such as the pages that users 'liked' on Facebook and the ads they clicked on, was analyzed to create and operate advertising topics related to sensitive information," the PIPC said in a press statement. These topics categorized users as following a certain religion, identifying them as a gay or transgender person, or being a defector from North Korea, it added.  T...

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new version of a well-known Android malware family dubbed FakeCall that employs voice phishing (aka vishing) techniques to trick users into parting with their personal information. "FakeCall is an extremely sophisticated Vishing attack that leverages malware to take almost complete control of the mobile device, including the interception of incoming and outgoing calls," Zimperium researcher Fernando Ortega said in a report published last week. "Victims are tricked into calling fraudulent phone numbers controlled by the attacker and mimicking the normal user experience on the device." FakeCall, also tracked under the names FakeCalls and Letscall, has been the subject of multiple analyses by Kaspersky, Check Point , and ThreatFabric since its emergence in April 2022. Previous attack waves have primarily targeted mobile users in South Korea. The names of the malicious package names, i.e., dropper apps, bearing the ma...

The U.S. government (USG) has issued new guidance governing the use of the Traffic Light Protocol ( TLP ) to handle threat intelligence information shared between the private sector, individual researchers, and Federal Departments and Agencies. "The USG follows TLP markings on cybersecurity information voluntarily shared by an individual, company, or other any organization, when not in conflict with existing law or policy," it said . "We adhere to these markings because trust in data handling is a key component of collaboration with our partners." In using these designations, the idea is to foster trust and collaboration in the cybersecurity community while ensuring that the information is shared in a controlled manner, the government added. TLP is a standardized framework for classifying and sharing sensitive information. It comprises four colors -- Red, Amber, Green, and White -- that determine how it can be distributed further and only to those who need to...

In the modern enterprise, data security is often discussed using a complex lexicon of acronyms—DLP, DDR, DSPM, and many others. While these acronyms represent critical frameworks, architectures, and tools for protecting sensitive information, they can also overwhelm those trying to piece together an effective security strategy. This article aims to demystify some of the most important acronyms in data security today and offer practical guidance to help businesses navigate the data security landscape and protect their most valuable assets with confidence. What's driving data security? In today's ever-evolving digital landscape, data security has become a top priority for businesses of all sizes. As data continues to be the most valuable asset for organizations, the need to protect it from breaches, unauthorized access, and other security threats grows. But what exactly is driving businesses to prioritize data security? From compliance with regulations to safeguarding intellectual pr...

The FIDO Alliance said it's working to make passkeys and other credentials more easier to export across different providers and improve credential provider interoperability, as more than 12 billion online accounts become accessible with the passwordless sign-in method. To that end, the alliance said it has published a draft for a new set of specifications for secure credential exchange, following commitments among members of its Credential Provider Special Interest Group (SIG). This includes 1Password, Apple, Bitwarden, Dashlane, Enpass, Google, Microsoft, NordPass, Okta, Samsung, and SK Telecom. "Secure credential exchange is a focus for the FIDO Alliance because it can help further accelerate passkey adoption and enhance user experience," the FIDO Alliance said in a statement. "Sign-ins with passkeys reduce phishing and eliminate credential reuse while making sign-ins up to 75% faster, and 20% more successful than passwords or passwords plus a second facto...

Europe's top court has ruled that Meta Platforms must restrict the use of personal data harvested from Facebook for serving targeted ads even when users consent to their information being used for advertising purposes, a move that could have serious consequences for ad-driven companies operating in the region. "An online social network such as Facebook cannot use all of the personal data obtained for the purposes of targeted advertising, without restriction as to time and without distinction as to type of data," the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) said in a ruling on Friday. In other words, social networks, such as Facebook, cannot keep using users' personal data for ad targeting indefinitely, the court said, adding limits must be set in place in order to comply with the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) data minimization requirements. It's worth noting that Article 5(1)(c) of GDPR necessitates that companies limit the process...

Apple has released iOS and iPadOS updates to address two security issues, one of which could have allowed a user's passwords to be read out aloud by its VoiceOver assistive technology. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2024-44204, has been described as a logic problem in the new Passwords app impacting a slew of iPhones and iPads. Security researcher Bistrit Daha has been credited with discovering and reporting the flaw. "A user's saved passwords may be read aloud by VoiceOver," Apple said in an advisory released this week, adding it was resolved with improved validation.  The shortcoming impacts the following devices - iPhone XS and later iPad Pro 13-inch iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later iPad Air 3rd generation and later iPad 7th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Also patched by Apple is a security vulnerability (CVE-2024-44207) specific to the newly launched iPhone 16 mo...

Since its emergence, Generative AI has revolutionized enterprise productivity. GenAI tools enable faster and more effective software development, financial analysis, business planning, and customer engagement. However, this business agility comes with significant risks, particularly the potential for sensitive data leakage. As organizations attempt to balance productivity gains with security concerns, many have been forced to choose between unrestricted GenAI usage to banning it altogether. A new e-guide by LayerX titled 5 Actionable Measures to Prevent Data Leakage Through Generative AI Tools is designed to help organizations navigate the challenges of GenAI usage in the workplace. The guide offers practical steps for security managers to protect sensitive corporate data while still reaping the productivity benefits of GenAI tools like ChatGPT. This approach is intended to allow companies to strike the right balance between innovation and security. Why Worry About ChatGPT? The e...

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined Meta €91 million ($101.56 million) as part of a probe into a security lapse in March 2019, when the company disclosed that it had mistakenly stored users' passwords in plaintext in its systems. The investigation, launched by the DPC the next month, found that the social media giant violated four different articles under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). To that end, the DPC faulted Meta for failing to promptly notify the DPC of the data breach, document personal data breaches concerning the storage of user passwords in plaintext, and utilize proper technical measures to ensure the confidentiality of users' passwords. Meta originally revealed that the privacy transgression led to the exposure of a subset of users' Facebook passwords in plaintext, although it noted that there was no evidence it was improperly accessed or abused internally. According to Krebs on Security , some of ...

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed a set of now patched vulnerabilities in Kia vehicles that, if successfully exploited, could have allowed remote control over key functions simply by using only a license plate. "These attacks could be executed remotely on any hardware-equipped vehicle in about 30 seconds, regardless of whether it had an active Kia Connect subscription," security researchers Neiko Rivera, Sam Curry, Justin Rhinehart, and Ian Carroll said . The issues impact almost all vehicles made after 2013, even letting attackers covertly gain access to sensitive information including the victim's name, phone number, email address, and physical address. Essentially, this could then be abused by the adversary to add themselves as an "invisible" second user on the car without the owner's knowledge. The crux of the research is that the issues exploit the Kia dealership infrastructure ("kiaconnect.kdealer[.]com") used for vehicle activat...

A now-patched security vulnerability in OpenAI's ChatGPT app for macOS could have made it possible for attackers to plant long-term persistent spyware into the artificial intelligence (AI) tool's memory. The technique, dubbed SpAIware , could be abused to facilitate "continuous data exfiltration of any information the user typed or responses received by ChatGPT, including any future chat sessions," security researcher Johann Rehberger said . The issue, at its core, abuses a feature called memory , which OpenAI introduced earlier this February before rolling it out to ChatGPT Free, Plus, Team, and Enterprise users at the start of the month. What it does is essentially allow ChatGPT to remember certain things across chats so that it saves users the effort of repeating the same information over and over again. Users also have the option to instruct the program to forget something. "ChatGPT's memories evolve with your interactions and aren't linked to s...

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) said it's proposing a ban on the import or sale of connected vehicles that integrate software and hardware made by foreign adversaries, particularly that of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Russia. "The proposed rule focuses on hardware and software integrated into the Vehicle Connectivity System (VCS) and software integrated into the Automated Driving System (ADS)," the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) said in a press statement. "These are the critical systems that, through specific hardware and software, allow for external connectivity and autonomous driving capabilities in connected vehicles." The agency said nefarious access to such systems could enable adversaries to harvest sensitive data and remotely manipulate cars on American roads.  The proposal extends to all wheeled on-road vehicles such as cars, trucks, and buses. Agricultural and mining vehicles are not included. The BIS said "cert...