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Category — online privacy
Save the Internet: FCC Unveils Plan to Rollback Net-Neutrality Rules

Save the Internet: FCC Unveils Plan to Rollback Net-Neutrality Rules

Apr 27, 2017
After crushing a set of privacy rules on ISPs that restrict them from sharing your online data with third parties without your consent, President Donald Trump's newly appointed FCC chairman Ajit Pai has announced the first move in its efforts to kill off Net Neutrality. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that it will roll back net neutrality rules that require Internet service providers (ISPs) to treat all services and websites on the Internet equally. Before moving forward, let's first understand What does Net Neutrality mean? What is Net Neutrality And Why It's Important? Net Neutrality is simply the Internet Freedom — Free, Fast and Open Internet for all. Net Neutrality is the principle that ISPs should give consumers access to all and every contents and application on an equal basis, treating all Internet traffic equally. Today, if there is something that makes everyone across the world 'Equal,' it's the Internet. Equality over...
Websites Can Now Track You Online Across Multiple Web Browsers

Websites Can Now Track You Online Across Multiple Web Browsers

Feb 15, 2017
You might be aware of websites, banks, retailers, and advertisers tracking your online activities using different Web "fingerprinting" techniques even in incognito/private mode, but now sites can track you anywhere online — even if you switch browsers. A team of researchers has recently developed a cross-browser fingerprinting technique — the first reliable technique to accurately track users across multiple browsers based on information like extensions, plugins, time zone and whether or not an ad blocker is installed. Previous fingerprinting methods usually only work across a single browser, but the new method uses operating system and hardware level features and works across multiple browsers. This new fingerprinting technique ties digital fingerprint left behind by a Firefox browser to the fingerprint from a Chrome browser or Windows Edge running on the same device. This makes the method particularly useful to advertisers, enabling them to continue serving tar...
Want to Grow Vulnerability Management into Exposure Management? Start Here!

Want to Grow Vulnerability Management into Exposure Management? Start Here!

Dec 05, 2024Attack Surface / Exposure Management
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...
US Judge Ordered Google to Hand Over Emails Stored On Foreign Servers to FBI

US Judge Ordered Google to Hand Over Emails Stored On Foreign Servers to FBI

Feb 07, 2017
In this world of global mass surveillance by not the only US, but also intelligence agencies across the world, every other country wants tech companies including Google, Apple, and Microsoft to set-up and maintain their servers in their country to keep their citizen data within boundaries. Last year, Microsoft won a case which ruled that the US government cannot force tech companies to hand over their non-US customers' data stored on servers located in other countries to the FBI or any other federal authorities. However, a new notable ruling just goes against the court judgment last year, raising concerns regarding people's privacy. A US magistrate reportedly ruled Friday that Google has to comply with FBI search warrants seeking customer emails stored on servers outside of the United States, according to RT . U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Rueter in Philadelphia noted that transferring emails from outside servers so FBI could read them locally as part of a domestic f...
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New Privacy Rules require ISPs to must Ask you before Sharing your Sensitive Data

New Privacy Rules require ISPs to must Ask you before Sharing your Sensitive Data

Oct 28, 2016
Good News for privacy concerned people! Now, your online data will not be marketed for business; at least by your Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Yes, it's time for your ISPs to ask your permission in order to share your sensitive data for marketing or advertisement purposes, the FCC rules. On Thursday, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has imposed new privacy rules on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that restrict them from sharing your online history with third parties without your consent. In a 3-2 vote, the FCC approved the new rules by which many privacy advocates seem pleased, while some of them wanted the Commission to even apply the same rules to web-based services like Google and Facebook as well. Initially proposed earlier this year, the new rule says : "ISPs are required to obtain affirmative 'opt-in' consent from consumers to use and share sensitive information." What does 'sensitive' information mean h...
FBI Director — You Should Cover Your Webcam With Tape

FBI Director — You Should Cover Your Webcam With Tape

Sep 15, 2016
Should you put a tape or a sticker over the lens of your laptop's webcam? Yes, even Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and FBI Director James Comey do that. Covering your laptop's webcam might be a hell cheap and good idea to guard against hackers and intruders who might want to watch your private life and environment through your devices. In fact, Comey recently came out defending his own use of tape to cover his personal laptop's webcam. People Are Responsible for Their Safety, Security & Privacy During a conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, when Comey was asked that he still put tape over his cameras at home, he replied: "Heck yeah, heck yeah. And also, I get mocked for a lot of things, and I am much mocked for that, but I hope people lock their cars… lock your doors at night. I have an alarm system. If you have an alarm system you should use it, I use mine." Comey went on to explain that it was common practice at ...
Dutch Police Seize Two VPN Servers, But Without Explaining... Why?

Dutch Police Seize Two VPN Servers, But Without Explaining... Why?

Sep 03, 2016
Recently, two European countries, France and Germany, have declared war against encryption with an objective to force major technology companies to built encryption backdoors in their secure messaging services. However, another neighborhood country, Netherlands, is proactively taking down cyber criminals, but do you know how? Dutch Police has seized two servers belonging to Virtual Private Network (VPN) provider Perfect Privacy , as part of an investigation, without even providing any reason for seizures. Switzerland-based VPN provider said they came to know about the servers seizure from I3D, the company that provides server hosting across Rotterdam. For those unfamiliar, Virtual Private Networks or VPNs are easy security and privacy tools that route your Internet traffic through a distant connection, protecting your browsing, hiding your location data and accessing restricted resources. VPNs have now become a great tool not just for large companies, but also for individual...
Omegle, the Popular 'Chat with Strangers' Service Leaks Your Dirty Chats and Personal Info

Omegle, the Popular 'Chat with Strangers' Service Leaks Your Dirty Chats and Personal Info

Aug 19, 2016
Ever since the creation of online chat rooms and then social networking, people have changed the way they interact with their friends and associates. However, when it comes to anonymous chatting services, you don't even know what kinds of individuals you are dealing with. Sharing identifiable information about yourself with them could put you at risk of becoming a victim of stalking, harassment, identity theft, webcam blackmail, and even phishing scams. Have you heard of Omegle? The popular, free online anonymous chat service that allows you to chat with random strangers, without any registration. The service randomly pairs you in one-on-one chat window where you can chat anonymously over text or webcam. But, are your chats actually Anonymous? No, all your chats are recorded and saved by the service. So, if you have shared your personal details such as your name, phone number, or email address, with anyone over the service, you are no more anonymous. Even the websi...
Pokémon GO — 6 Important Things You Should Know Before Playing this Game

Pokémon GO — 6 Important Things You Should Know Before Playing this Game

Jul 18, 2016
Pokémon GO launched just two weeks ago, and people have been getting crazy to catch 'em all. Users, on an average, are spending more time engaged with the new Pokémon GO app than any other apps like Snapchat. But, before downloading and playing Nintendo's new location-based augmented reality game, users are required to keep the following points in their minds: 1. Unofficial Pokémon GO app might contain Malware Since Pokémon GO is currently available in only a few countries, many third-party gaming websites are offering tutorials due to huge interest surrounding the app, recommending users to download the APK from a non-Google Play link. Users need to "side-load" the malicious app to install the APK by modifying their Android core security settings, which allows their device's OS to install apps from " untrusted sources ." However, researchers have discovered that many of these online tutorials are linked to malicious versions of the Pokém...
Photo reveals even Zuckerberg tapes his Webcam and Microphone for Privacy

Photo reveals even Zuckerberg tapes his Webcam and Microphone for Privacy

Jun 22, 2016
What do you do to protect your 'Privacy' and keep yourself safe from potential hackers? Well, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg just need a bit of tape to cover his laptop webcam and mic jack in order to protect his privacy. Yes, Zuck also does the same as the FBI Director James Comey . Zuckerberg posted a photo on Tuesday to celebrate Instagram's 500 Million monthly user milestone, but the picture end up revealing about another security measure he takes to ensure that nobody is spying on him – and it's surprisingly simple. Some eagle-eyed observers quickly noticed that the MacBook Pro on Zuckerberg's desk in the background of the image has the tape covering not only the webcam, but also the laptop's dual microphones. While some tried to argue that it was not Zuckerberg's desk, Gizmodo pointed out that Zuckerberg has posted videos, live streams and images from there before, so it seems like a safe assumption. So, Zuckerberg joins FBI director Jam...
Facebook Sued for illegally Scanning Users' Private Messages

Facebook Sued for illegally Scanning Users' Private Messages

May 20, 2016
Facebook is in trouble once again regarding its users' privacy. Facebook is facing a class-action lawsuit in Northern California over allegations that the company systematically scans its users' private messages on the social network without their consent and makes the profit by sharing the data with advertisers and marketers. According to the lawsuit filing, Facebook might have violated federal privacy laws by scanning users' private messages. Facebook routinely scans the URLs within users' private messages for several purposes like anti-malware protection and industry-standard searches for child pornography, but it has been claimed that the company is also using this data for advertising and other user-targeting services. Also Read:   Google to Face a Record $3.4 Billion AntiTrust Fine in Europe The plaintiffs, Matthew Campbell, and Michael Hurley argue that the Facebook is scanning and collecting URLs-related data in a searchable form, violating both the...
Microsoft Sues US Govt Over Unconstitutional Secret Data Requests

Microsoft Sues US Govt Over Unconstitutional Secret Data Requests

Apr 14, 2016
Microsoft is suing the Department of Justice (DoJ) to protest the gag order that prevents technology companies from telling their customers when their cloud data is handed over to authorities. In layman's terms, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) allows the government to issue gag orders saying that the people or companies involved in a legal case cannot talk about the case or anything related to it in public. So, the government is continuously forcing tech companies to hand over their customers' emails or personal records stored in the cloud servers without their clients' knowledge. Microsoft has filed a lawsuit [ PDF ] against the DoJ, arguing that it is " unconstitutional " and violates constitutional protection of free speech to force the tech companies for not informing their customers when their stored data has been shared with authorities. "We believe these actions violate two of the fundamental rights that have been part of this countr...
Anti-Encryption Bill Released, would Kill your Privacy and Security

Anti-Encryption Bill Released, would Kill your Privacy and Security

Apr 14, 2016
The United States anti-encryption bill will kill your Privacy. In the wake of the Apple vs. FBI case, two leading Intelligence Committee Senators have introduced an anti-encryption bill that would effectively ban strong encryption. Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) released the official version of their bill today in response to concerns that criminals and terrorists are increasingly using encrypted devices to hide their plans and plots from authorities. As its name suggests, the Compliance with Court Orders Act of 2016 [ PDF ] would require people and technology firms like Apple and Google to comply with court orders to decrypt phones and its data. The draft copy of the Burr-Feinstein proposal was leaked last week, which has already faced heavy criticism from both the technology and legislative communities. Even the White House has declined to support the bill. The official version of the anti-encryption bill seems to be even wors...
ISPs Sell Your Data to Advertisers, But FCC has a Plan to Protect Privacy

ISPs Sell Your Data to Advertisers, But FCC has a Plan to Protect Privacy

Mar 12, 2016
The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has put forward a proposal that aims to protect Internet user's privacy. The proposal [ pdf] will regulate the amount of customers' online data the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are able to collect and sell to the advertising companies. Currently, there is no particular rule by law covering broadband providers and customer privacy, and if adopted, this would be the first privacy rule for ISPs. The FCC already governs how phone companies can use and resell customer data, and the Chairman Tom Wheeler believes similar rules should be applied to ISPs. Is Your ISP Tracking Your Web Surfing and Selling Data to Advertisers? Your complete Internet traffic passes through your Internet Service Provider, which gives it the ability to access to vast and potentially lucrative amount of your web-browsing activity. If you are using a mobile phone, your ISP can also track your physical location throughout the day in real time. ISPs ...
South Carolina Bill Targets Cybercrimes with Up to 10-Year Prison Terms

South Carolina Bill Targets Cybercrimes with Up to 10-Year Prison Terms

Dec 21, 2010
Computer hackers and unauthorized informants could face up to 10 years in prison under a proposed state law designed to protect South Carolina military installations from WikiLeaks-type scandals. Charleston Republican Rep. Chip Limehouse announced on Monday that his bill, which will be considered when the legislature reconvenes next month, aims to strengthen the state's laws against computer crimes. The bill also seeks to complement federal laws by imposing additional penalties if classified or confidential information from Shaw Air Force Base, the Marine Corps' Parris Island, or other South Carolina military sites is disclosed. "It will essentially give South Carolina the means to pursue computer criminals," Limehouse said. "Our laws need to keep pace with the evolving digital landscape." Limehouse's bill builds on existing legislation that makes online fraud a felony, punishable by up to a $50,000 fine and five years in prison. Unauthorized public r...
Gawker Media Hacked by Gnosis, Source Code Leaked

Gawker Media Hacked by Gnosis, Source Code Leaked

Dec 16, 2010
A lot of people are gawking at Gawker Media this morning, though not for reasons that will bring much cheer to its founder, Nick Denton. Gawker, the parent company of popular blogs like Gizmodo, Lifehacker, Jezebel, and ValleyWag, has suffered a significant breach. A hacker group known as Gnosis has taken over the site. Gnosis accessed Gawker's source code and posted it on torrent sites. They also hacked into Gawker's content management system, posting a fake story on the home page linking to the source code torrents. Additionally, the group infiltrated the site's database, gaining access to the email addresses and passwords of Gawker's staff and over 1 million registered readers. These details have also been released on torrent sites, available for free download. Why is Gnosis targeting Gawker? They believe Gawker was picking on 4chan, a group known for creating the vigilante group Anonymous and various internet memes like lolcats and Rickrolling. Gnosis hacked Gawke...
Major Facebook Pages Compromised by Sendible App Bug

Major Facebook Pages Compromised by Sendible App Bug

Nov 13, 2010
We've received several rapid-fire tips indicating a major compromise in the Facebook app Sendible. Several prominent Facebook Pages, including Google, Coca-Cola, YouTube, South Park, The Daily Show, and Team Coco, are sending out a malicious link to their followers. The link reads, "Change Your Facebook Background Here!" It's crucial not to click on this link. Those who clicked on the link reported being redirected to a page outside Facebook that asked for personal information. The bottom of this page reads, "Powered By AWeber Email Marketing." Oddly, many other Facebook users are "liking" these links. We've contacted Facebook about the issue and will update once we receive their response. The compromised accounts suggest that this malicious link is appearing in tens of millions of feeds right now. Most of the malicious links have been removed, but tips indicate the attack is ongoing, with new links continuing to appear. We still have not heard bac...
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