Security

NSA Plans to ‘Act Now’ to Ensure Quantum Computers Can’t Break Encryption

The NSA is worried about quantum computers. It warns that it “must act now” to ensure that encryption systems can’t be broken wide open by the new super-fast hardware. In a document outlining common concerns about the effects that quantum computing may have on national security and encryption of sensitive data, the NSA warns that…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe

New Hacker-Proof RFID Chips Make Great Gifts for Paranoid Friends

Credit cards and passports are filled with microchips brimming with your personal information—and give off radio waves to any nearby sleazebag that wants to steal your identity. A new generation of those chips stands to stop hackers in their tracks. MIT and Texas instruments teamed up to develop new RFID chips that block identity theft.…

Privacy & Security Bryan Lufkin

Creepy Bear Toy Creepier Than You Could Even Imagine

A new internet-connected stuffed bear capable of learning a kid’s name shipped with some scary security flaws. Researchers found holes that could let creeps steal children’s personal info. Mattel and the researchers say the flaws on its Fisher-Price “Smart Toy” were fixed before anything bad happened, but this incident underlines how vulnerable internet-connected toys are…

Privacy & Security Kate Knibbs

Report: NSA Hacked Israeli Drones

The National Security Agency hacked Israeli drones, working with the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters to surreptitiously track developments in the Middle East, according to a new report from The Intercept. The Intercept published a report on this mission, code-named “Anarchist,” using files obtained by Edward Snowden. The NSA and GCHQ watched for operations in Palestine,…

Privacy & Security Kate Knibbs

Wendy’s Is Investigating a Credit Card Data Attack

Been eating at Wendy’s? You might want to check your credit card statements: The restaurant chain has admitted that it’s investigating a credit card data breach. Speaking to Krebs on Security, Bob Bertini from Wendy’s explained that: We have received this month from our payment industry contacts reports of unusual activity involving payment cards at…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe

A Health Insurer Lost Six Hard Drives Holding Data About 1 Million Customers

The health insurer Centene has admitted that it’s performing an “ongoing comprehensive internal search” for six hard drives. Sadly, those hard drives contain personal details about 1 million of its customers. Oops. Centene, based in St Louis, says that the hard drives in question contain personal data about people who received laboratory services between 2009…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe

Uber Screwup Exposed Driver’s Social Security Number and Tax Info

Tax season already sucks for independent contractors, but some Uber drivers who logged on to the company’s Partners portal to receive their 1099s are complaining about an especially nasty surprise: Instead of their own information, drivers say they received the tax forms of other drivers. According to Uber drivers posting to Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, and…

Privacy & Security Kate Knibbs

3D Cameras Will Help Tokyo Cops Take Futuristic Mugshots in Scary Detail

Soon, police stations could have a lot more dirt on you than just your fingerprints. Cops could soon be taking 3D mugshots that’ll give them unprecedented details of your face, and they’ll store it in a creepy nanny state database to help nail crooks. That’s what’s happening in Tokyo. Starting in April, all 102 of…

Privacy & Security Bryan Lufkin

Skype Finally Hides Your IP Address

Way back in 2012, it came to light that a flaw in Skype made it easy for hackers to acquire your IP address. Now, finally, Microsoft has updated the software so those details are hidden by default. Skype has offered the option to hide your IP address for a little while, but the update ,which…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe

The Crazy Weapons TSA Confiscated In 2015: It Gets Worse Every Year

Are you traveling anytime soon? Well, rather than sneering at the mere sight of a TSA agent, maybe you should be stopping to give them a hug—because there’s a good chance that they’ve seen some crazy shit. In its annual report, the TSA announced that it found 2,653 guns stowed in carry-on bags last year.…

Privacy & Security Michael Nunez

Nest Thermostats Leaked User Data But Don’t Freak Out Quite Yet

It’s no secret that connected home devices are riddled with security concerns. A recent investigation into Nest thermostats leaking user data onto the internet seemed especially anxiety-inducing, given how incredibly popular the gadgets are. But the story’s not as scary as some reports might lead you to believe. The new research comes out of Princeton’s…

Privacy & Security Bryan Lufkin

Overlooked Linux Bug Puts ‘Tens of Millions’ of Computers and Phones at Risk

A bug that’s been present in Linux for almost three years can be used by hackers to gain almost total control over a device, say security researchers. It could affect tens of millions of PCs and servers, as well as 66 percent of all Android phones and tablets. Perception Point reports that the newly discovered…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe

The 25 Most Popular Passwords of 2015: We’re All Such Idiots

It’s 2016 and you may have thought we’d all be a little older and wiser than this time last year. But as you read this list of 2015’s most popular passwords, you will shake your head, mumble unmentionables and reach the firm conclusion that, no, we are in fact all still complete and utter morons.…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe

How To Use a USB Stick To Securely Log In to Gmail

If you’ve configured two-step verification for your Gmail account, rather than checking your mobile for codes you can plug in a verified USB stick instead. You can carry it wherever you go, and of course, it doesn’t lose battery or signal. According to Google, it also offers better protection against phishing attacks. Here’s how you…

Gadgets David Nield

Ukraine Power Outages Caused By Malware, Say Researchers

On December 23rd, a large swathe of Ukraine suffered a massive power outage. This week, it’s come to the light that it could have been the result of destructive malware. In a blog post, a team from security researchers iSIGHT explains that the attack seems to have used a piece of malware called BlackEnergy which…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe

Throw Your Valuables In This Wifi-Connected, Motion-Sensing Safe

In today’s world of constant mass breaches of personal data, fears of spying drones, and nightmarish visions of AI-fueled robot rebellions, it’s nice to know that some new technologies can fall squarely into the category of “wholly secure”—like this nifty wifi-connected safe. Security company First Alert is announcing a host of new products at CES…

Privacy & Security Bryan Lufkin

Microsoft Got Hacked and Didn’t Tell Anyone

Microsoft knew that Chinese spies hacked Hotmail users—and didn’t tell any of the people who were hacked, even though it knew for years. Today, Reuters confirmed that Microsoft had agreed to change its hush-up policy about state-sponsored hacks: Microsoft Corp experts concluded several years ago that Chinese authorities had hacked into more than a thousand…

Tech News Kate Knibbs

Your Smartwatch’s Motion Sensors Can Reveal Everything You Type (Including Passwords)

You can now add smartwatches to the list of potential ways your private data could be leaked. Tony Beltramelli, a Master’s students at the IT University of Copenhagen, has shown that even your wearable could be used to compromise your privacy by tracking your every keystroke. That’s not to say that out of the box…

Privacy & Security Andrew Liszewski

How To View Your Saved Chrome Passwords

Google Chrome comes with a decent password manager that remembers all of your online login details, if you want it to—you can call them up any time from the Settings tab in the browser. This same database of username and passwords also lives on the web, letting you to bring up a password you’ve forgotten…

Gadgets David Nield

191 Million Voter Records Discovered Just Chilling Online

We’ve seen boat loads of personal info dumps online in the last year, but none as bizarre as this: A discovery of personal data from millions of Americans who’ve voted since 2000, found by a researcher and sitting in a sloppily configured database. In other words, it was just hanging out on the web. For…

Privacy & Security Bryan Lufkin

NSA Plans to ‘Act Now’ to Ensure Quantum Computers Can’t Break Encryption

New Hacker-Proof RFID Chips Make Great Gifts for Paranoid Friends

Creepy Bear Toy Creepier Than You Could Even Imagine

Report: NSA Hacked Israeli Drones

Wendy’s Is Investigating a Credit Card Data Attack

A Health Insurer Lost Six Hard Drives Holding Data About 1 Million Customers

Uber Screwup Exposed Driver’s Social Security Number and Tax Info

3D Cameras Will Help Tokyo Cops Take Futuristic Mugshots in Scary Detail

Skype Finally Hides Your IP Address

The Crazy Weapons TSA Confiscated In 2015: It Gets Worse Every Year

Nest Thermostats Leaked User Data But Don’t Freak Out Quite Yet

Overlooked Linux Bug Puts ‘Tens of Millions’ of Computers and Phones at Risk

The 25 Most Popular Passwords of 2015: We’re All Such Idiots

How To Use a USB Stick To Securely Log In to Gmail

Ukraine Power Outages Caused By Malware, Say Researchers

Throw Your Valuables In This Wifi-Connected, Motion-Sensing Safe

Microsoft Got Hacked and Didn’t Tell Anyone

Your Smartwatch’s Motion Sensors Can Reveal Everything You Type (Including Passwords)

How To View Your Saved Chrome Passwords

191 Million Voter Records Discovered Just Chilling Online

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Ahead of the SpaceX IPO, xAI Has Now Shed All 11 of Its Non-Elon Musk Founders

Do ‘Disclosure Day’ Prep With a Spielberg Sci-Fi Marathon

How to Watch the F1 Japanese GP 2026 on a Free Channel

Ranking 2016’s Superhero Debuts, 10 Years Later

Fourth Most Populous Country in the World Bans Most Social Media for Kids

How to watch UFC Fight Night Adesanya vs Pyfer live this Saturday

‘Steel Ball Run’ Will Return This Year…Eventually

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

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