Security News This Week: Yahoo Got Hacked Again
Security News This Week: Yahoo Got Hacked Again. No, Gravely
Security News This Week: Yahoo Got Hacked Again. No, Gravely
It was a busy week in security, but aren’t they all these days! It’s always something when yet another Yahoo hack finishes up somehow not even cracking the top news.
What did? With the latest Customs and Border Patrol crackdown, we suggested a guide on how to come in the US with your digital privacy intact . Privacy was on Edward Snowden’s mind as well, as he starts his fresh gig as the president of the Freedom of the Press Foundation , helping protect journalists from snooping spies. One thing that should help? Popular encrypted talk app Signal added movie this week, albeit it comes with a potential privacy tradeoff.
Secrecy was a central issue in the White House this week as well. Encrypted apps like Confide and Signal are helping staffers leak , but also may be helping them break the law. One thing that’s certain? Leaks themselves are as American as apple pie. Albeit secrecy still has its place; for example, it’s very likely not ideal to hold high-level national security conversations in total view in the Mar-a-Lago resort dining room https://stag-komodo.wired.com/2017/02/trump-north-korea-scif/.
Not everything touched on politics this week, thank goodness. IBM introduced a cybersecurity-focused voice assistant, called Havyn , that an 11-year-old helped invent. A chip-level flaw leaves millions of devices exposed to previously innocuous bugs. And if you’re using an Android app to control your car , well, read this quick-like.
And there’s more. Each Saturday we round up the news stories that we didn’t break or cover in depth but that still deserve your attention. As always, click on the headlines to read the total story in each link posted. And stay safe out there.
Russian Spies Have Let out Malware for Macs
The same Russian hacking group responsible for accessing and leaking DNC emails during last year’s presidential campaign, APT28, shows up to have created a variant of its go-to trojan software for Mac. Known as X-Agent, the malware had previously been available for iOS, Android, Windows, and Linux, but this is believed to be the very first time researchers have spotted a macOS variant in the wild. Mac malware remains comparatively infrequent, but high-profile targets who use MacBooks or iMacs should know they’re not immune.
The Yahoo! Hack Parade Marches On
After disclosing two distinct hacks late last year, one of which implicated a billion users, Yahoo has once again sent an email to users warning them of potentially compromised accounts. The scope is more limited than previously reported breaches, but the threat is both more specific and more devious. This time, it’s from state-sponsored hackers using forged cookies to dig into their information without needing their passwords.
Hackers Target… Opponents of Mexico’s Soda Tax
In a reminder that malware and phishing campaigns can target just about anyone for every reason, the Citizen Lab reported last weekend that spyware targeted opponents of a years-old soda tax in Mexico. The software emerges to have been made by NSO group, a shadowy Israeli organization that commonly works with nation-states in criminal or terrorism investigations. Not, as in this case, on behalf of Big Sugar.
Microsoft Cancels Its Monthly Patch, So Be Safe Out There
Every month, Microsoft holds a “Patch Tuesday,” wherein it shoves out software fixes that keep Windows and more safe and stable. Not so this February. The company very first announced that it would delay the originally scheduled update, only to cancel it wholesale shortly thereafter. The March fourteen patch-fest shows up to still be on track, so just attempt not to click too many suspicious links inbetween now and then.