New Chip Cards May Not Be As Secure As Expected

August 29th, 2016

Remember not long ago, when the big credit card issuers went on at some length touting their latest advances in smart chip technology? The new tech was supposed to vastly improve the security of credit cards, rendering them virtually immune to hacking.

Watch Out for Windows Activation Scams on Your PC

August 27th, 2016

There have been a number of scams in recent years involving malware that creates false flag problems on your desktop. The faux problem is presented, along with a phone number you can call to get help resolving the issue. Consider this a kinder, gentler form of ransomware.

New Business Card Interacts With Mobile Devices

August 26th, 2016

Printing company MOO Labs has just brought the humble business card into the information age. Employing the same NFC (Near Field Communications) technology that makes it possible to make a credit card purchase without actually having to swipe your card, the new MOO Labs business card takes the technology in a whole new direction, and it’s definitely worth a look.

HIPAA Violations Are Turning Into Prison Sentences For Some

August 25th, 2016

The unfortunate reality is that most instances of hacking occur from within a company itself. It’s true that the high profile cases that make the news are successful breaches from outside the company, but the statistics bear out the fact that this is less common than internal breaches.

Hackers Can Now Change What You See On Your Monitor

August 24th, 2016

Do you trust what your eyes tell you? If you’re looking at a computer monitor, that trust might be misplaced.

At a recent DEFCON presentation in Las Vegas, researchers demonstrated how it’s possible to hack into a monitor’s firmware and make changes to what a user sees on their computer, without actually breaking into the PC itself.

Oracle Micros Point of Sale Customers Reset Your Passwords

August 23rd, 2016

Does your company rely on Oracle Systems’ Micros to handle point of sale transactions? If so, you should change your password immediately. The company has recently reported that a sophisticated Russian cybercrime syndicate has successfully breached their system, exposing the account information of more than 330,000 Micros users.

New Bluetooth Is Coming And It Sounds Awesome

August 22nd, 2016

In late 2016 or early 2017, Bluetooth 5.0 will be released, and by all indications, this will be the version of the technology we’ve all been waiting for. It’s about to take a giant leap forward in terms of functionality.

At present, Bluetooth’s primary purpose is to wirelessly connect devices, and to track Bluetooth beacons, which are passive beacons that an open app on your phone can track.

The WiFi of the Future May Consume Much Less Power

August 20th, 2016

Battery life for mobile devices is their single biggest weakness. The greatest challenge in growing and managing the exploding “Internet of Things” isn’t the devices themselves, but rather, the power required to wirelessly transmit the data they’re reporting.

Many Android Phones May Be Vulnerable To QuadRoot Hack

August 19th, 2016

Security researchers from Check Point have unearthed a new vulnerability dubbed QuadRoot that leaves potentially 900 million or more Android-based smartphones vulnerable. The attack manifests when a user unwittingly installs specially designed malware which executes the attack.

Frequent Password Changes May Compromise Security

August 18th, 2016

By now, it’s a familiar story. Conventional wisdom holds that you want to use a different password on every site or service you log into and that you want to change your passwords regularly, in order to maximize security. What if conventional wisdom isn’t true though? There’s a growing body of evidence that it isn’t.

Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing.