Adobe VoCo May Raise New Voice Security Concerns
As voice has continued to emerge as one of the key interfaces for new devices and apps, including vehicles, bank accounts, and home automation systems, concerns about the security of these systems have evolved, as well. Now, as both Google and Adobe have demonstrated systems that can insert and replace words in recorded speech or mimic human […]
Most Commercial Robotexts Illegal, FCC Warns
The FCC is warning consumers, as well as marketers, that robotexts sent by autodialers to mobile phones are illegal and the commission says it will be cracking down on the practice. Robotexts are the younger cousin of the robocalls that have been plaguing consumers and businesses for a long time. Whereas robocalls typically are made […]
FCC, Canadian Authorities to Cooperate on Robocall Enforcement
Federal authorities in the United States and Canada have signed an agreement that will allow them to share information on robocalls and caller ID spoofing and cooperate on investigations and enforcement actions. The new memorandum of understanding between the FCC and the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission will allow the two agencies to share a wide […]
New Bills Seek to Delay Expanded Hacking Powers Under Rule 41
As the deadline for Congress to act on a proposed change that would give federal law enforcement agencies expanded power to hack remote computers, a group of senators has introduced a bill to delay the rule change until next summer. The proposed change to Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure would allow […]
On the Wire Podcast: Samy Kamkar
Samy Kamkar spends a lot of time coming up with clever hardware hacks, and his latest project, PoisonTap, may be at the top of the heap. Built on a $5 Raspberry Pi Zero board, the device can be plugged into the USB port on any locked or password protected machine and will perform a long […]
Carbanak Gang Calling Hotels to Convince Victims to Install Malware
The Carbanak gang, one of the more successful and prolific cybercrime groups at work today, is using a new tactic to get its malware onto target networks: calls to customer service representatives at hotels that convince victims to open malicious attachments. The technique is a simple one but has proven to be quite effective. Rather […]
Lawmakers Ponder Regulatory Remedy for IoT Security
The recent DDoS attacks by the Mirai botnet against various targets, including DNS provider Dyn, have drawn the attention of congressional leaders, who say there may be a need for regulation of IoT device security in order to address the problem of vulnerable embedded devices. In a joint hearing on Wednesday, the House Subcommittee on Communications and […]
PoisonTap: The Tiny Internet-Hijacking, Cookie-Stealing, Backdoor-on-a-Board
A renowned hardware hacker has released a cheap USB device that, when plugged in to any computer–even password-protected or locked ones–can hijack all of the Internet traffic from the PC, steal web cookies, and install a persistent backdoor that survives after device is removed. Known as PoisonTap, the device is the work of Samy Kamkar, […]
EPIC Sues FBI Over Biometric Database Records
A major privacy group has filed a lawsuit against the FBI to force the bureau to release all relevant documents about its plan to share a huge amount of biometric information with the Department of Defense. The lawsuit filed by EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center) concerns the FBI’s Next Generation Identification system, which comprises fingerprint, […]