Security - SlashGear

‘security’ Stories

Laser liquid scanner could rescue water bottles from pre-flight trash

Chris Davies, Feb 14th 2012 Discuss [0]

Having to dump your bottled liquids as you go through airport security has become a frustrating addition to flying headaches in recent years, but the awesome power of lasers could soon ensure your flask contains Evian not napalm. Cobalt Light Systems has cooked up the INSIGHT100, a laser scanning system that can differentiate dangerous substances from safe ones while they're still in their container, opening the aircraft doors to water bottles, perfume and toothpaste. Read The Full Story

Google kills use of prepaid credit cards via Google Wallet

Shane McGlaun, Feb 13th 2012 Discuss [0]

Last week we learned that if you're using an Android smart phone there was a way the PIN for your Google Wallet can be accessed using an app called Wallet Cracker. Since that hack surfaced, Google has maintained that its wallet service is secure. However, Google is taking steps to protect the prepaid credit cards that are linked to your Wallet account. Read The Full Story

Hackers breach Indian Microsoft Store, passwords exposed

Shane McGlaun, Feb 13th 2012 Discuss [0]

Anyone who signed up for an account or purchased items from the Microsoft Store in India has reason to be concerned today. Over the weekend, hackers were able to break into the Microsoft India store and compromised the store database. The database breach apparently happened last night and the home page of the site was replaced with one showing the photo you see below. Read The Full Story

Google defends Google Wallet despite hacking wave

Mark Raby, Feb 11th 2012 Discuss [0]

Google Wallet has been the subject of the latest round of security paranoia, but Google has come forward to say there is nothing wrong with the product and anyone who is at risk of losing sensitive Google Wallet data is someone who made a specific decision to lower their entire phone's security, and it is their problem. The search giant is trying to prove that Google Wallet is safe, and this round of bad publicity should not be taken out of proportion. Read The Full Story

Anonymous takes credit for crashing CIA website

Rue Liu, Feb 10th 2012 Discuss [0]

Notorious hacker group Anonymous is claiming credit for taking down the CIA's website today, which went offline for about an hour. A public website for the state of Alabama was also knocked down by hackers today, says a state official. Read The Full Story

Google Wallet PIN on rooted Android devices at risk

Shane McGlaun, Feb 9th 2012 Discuss [0]

If you are an Android smartphone user who is taking advantage of Google Wallet on a smartphone that is rooted, you need to be aware of a potential major issue. As you know, when you're making a purchase with your Google Wallet must enter your PIN number to complete the transaction. A reputable security firm called Zvelo has alerted Google that it has discovered the PIN is at risk. Read The Full Story

Nintendo 3DS hack makes Nintendo Zone content available at home

Mark Raby, Feb 7th 2012 Discuss [0]

The Nintendo Zone is a special gateway for your Nintendo 3DS if you happen to be in one of the thousands of special Wi-Fi hotspot locations that Nintendo has set up across the country. These hotspots are in Best Buy stores, airports, malls, and many other locations throughout the country and give gamers with a 3DS access to special content. Now, though, it's possible to gain access to that same set of content without leaving your house. Read The Full Story

Trendnet error exposes thousands of home security video feeds

Rue Liu, Feb 7th 2012 Discuss [0]

A flaw discovered in the code of Trendnet's connected home security camera systems have made thousands of private video feeds accessible by almost anyone on the internet. More than two dozen models of Trendnet home security cameras are vulnerable, allowing people to access the video feeds via the camera's IP address without the need to enter a password. Read The Full Story

Hackers tried to extort $50,000 from Symantec

Shane McGlaun, Feb 7th 2012 Discuss [0]

An e-mail exchange been posted to Pastebin that allegedly outlines an attempt by hackers to extort $50,000 out of Symantec. According to the e-mail exchange, a Symantec employee named Sam Thomas was to negotiate payment with hackers who infiltrated Symantec servers and stole the source code to the popular Symantec applications pcAnywhere and Norton antivirus. The hacker/hackers who were conducting the extortion negotiations go by the name Yamatough. Read The Full Story

Apple iMessage bug allows others to spy on your convos

Mark Raby, Feb 5th 2012 Discuss [0]

For iPhone users, the iMessage platform is quite a popular alternative to traditional SMS text messaging. But did you know there's a glitch that allows a third party to sneak in, view, and even participate in your iMessage conversations? It doesn't matter if you reset your password, disable your iMessages app, or even perform a remote wipe of your phone. On the flip side, though, it also isn't exactly an easy glitch to exploit. Read The Full Story

Kelihos botnet claws its way out of the grave

Shane McGlaun, Feb 3rd 2012 Discuss [0]

We have some bad news today for haters of spam everywhere. Apparently, the Kelihos botnet that Microsoft and Kaspersky Lab shutdown in September 2011 is making a comeback. The botnet is spamming once again. The botnet was able to infect 45,000 computers before being shutdown and was sending out 4 billion spam messages a day. The spam messages flooded the web with promotions for porn, illegal drugs, and other scams. Read The Full Story

Google outlines Bouncer service for Android malware, touts lack thereof

Chris Burns, Feb 2nd 2012 Discuss [0]

Recent incidents in which the Android Market has been accused of hosting massive malware outbreaks have been responded to by Google today with a brand new system code-named Bouncer. With this new system, a completely non-invasive and potentially developer effort-free system will continue to build on Android’s security system blocking out all malicious software, especially here and now in the Android Market. This comes at a time when security group Symantec has changed their tune after a week of screaming about malware that the object they found wasn’t malicious at all in the first place.