A Little Sunshine – Page 43 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Sat, 26 May 2018 16:18:48 +0000

The past month has seen one blockbuster revelation after another about how our mobile phone and broadband providers have been leaking highly sensitive customer information, including real-time location data and customer account details. In the wake of these consumer privacy debacles, many are left wondering who’s responsible for policing these industries? How exactly did we get to this point? What prospects are there for changes to address this national privacy crisis at the legislative and regulatory levels? These are some of the questions we’ll explore in this article.

Independent Krebs

May 24, 2018 admin

3 Charged In Fatal Kansas ‘Swatting’ Attack

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 24 May 2018 17:45:52 +0000

Federal prosecutors have charged three men with carrying out a deadly hoax known as “swatting,” in which perpetrators call or message a target’s local 911 operators claiming a fake hostage situation or a bomb threat in progress at the target’s address — with the expectation that local police may respond to the scene with deadly force. While only one of the three men is accused of making the phony call to police that got an innocent man shot and killed, investigators say the other two men’s efforts to taunt and deceive one another ultimately helped point the gun.

Independent Krebs

May 18, 2018 admin

T-Mobile Employee Made Unauthorized ‘SIM Swap’ to Steal Instagram Account

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 18 May 2018 18:35:24 +0000

T-Mobile is investigating a retail store employee who allegedly made unauthorized changes to a subscriber’s account in an elaborate scheme to steal the customer’s three-letter Instagram username. The modifications, which could have let the rogue employee empty bank accounts associated with the targeted T-Mobile subscriber, were made even though the victim customer already had taken steps recommended by the mobile carrier to help minimize the risks of account takeover. Here’s what happened, and some tips on how you can protect yourself from a similar fate.

Independent Krebs

May 17, 2018 admin

Tracking Firm LocationSmart Leaked Location Data for Customers of All Major U.S. Mobile Carriers Without Consent in Real Time Via Its Web Site

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 17 May 2018 18:29:18 +0000

LocationSmart, a U.S. based company that acts as an aggregator of real-time data about the precise location of mobile phone devices, has been leaking this information to anyone via a buggy component of its Web site — without the need for any password or other form of authentication or authorization — KrebsOnSecurity has learned. The company took the vulnerable service offline early this afternoon after being contacted by KrebsOnSecurity, which verified that it could be used to reveal the location of any AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon phone in the United States to an accuracy of within a few hundred yards.

Independent Krebs

May 9, 2018 admin

Think You’ve Got Your Credit Freezes Covered? Think Again.

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Wed, 09 May 2018 13:36:04 +0000

I spent a few days last week speaking at and attending a conference on responding to identity theft. The forum was held in Florida, one of the major epicenters for identity fraud complaints in United States. One gripe I heard from several presenters was that identity thieves increasingly are finding ways to open new mobile phone accounts in the names of people who have already frozen their credit files with the big-three credit bureaus. Here’s a look at what may be going on, and how you can protect yourself.

Independent Krebs

May 9, 2018 admin

Think You’ve Got Your Credit Freezes Covered? Think Again.

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Wed, 09 May 2018 13:36:04 +0000

I spent a few days last week speaking at and attending a conference on responding to identity theft. The forum was held in Florida, one of the major epicenters for identity fraud complaints in United States. One gripe I heard from several presenters was that identity thieves increasingly are finding ways to open new lines of credit for things like mobile phones on people who have already frozen their credit files with the big-three credit bureaus. Here’s a look at what may be going on, and how you can protect yourself.

Independent Krebs

April 20, 2018 admin

Is Facebook’s Anti-Abuse System Broken?

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2018 12:59:28 +0000

Facebook has built some of the most advanced algorithms for tracking users, but when it comes to acting on user abuse reports about Facebook groups and content that clearly violate the company’s “community standards,” the social media giant’s technology appears to be woefully inadequate.

Independent Krebs

April 18, 2018 admin

A Sobering Look at Fake Online Reviews

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2018 16:08:36 +0000

In 2016, KrebsOnSecurity exposed a network of phony Web sites and fake online reviews that funneled those seeking help for drug and alcohol addiction toward rehab centers that were secretly affiliated with the Church of Scientology. Not long after the story ran, that network of bogus reviews disappeared from the Web. Over the past few months, however, the same prolific purveyor of these phantom sites and reviews appears to be back at it again, enlisting the help of Internet users and paying people $25-$35 for each fake listing.