Microsoft has announced plans to automatically upgrade older versions of Internet Explorer, such as the much-maligned IE6, from January 2012. The decision is intended to bring Windows XP, Vista and 7 users up to date with safer, more efficient versions of the browser, though Microsoft is keen to point out that nobody will be forced to upgrade if they don't actually want to.
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‘security’ Stories
Microsoft to auto-update old Internet Explorer users
Windows Phone Mango SMS attack disables messaging hub and forces reboot
A new attack has been discovered that is focused on Windows Phone devices. The attack is an SMS message that forces the WinPo device to reboot and disables the messaging hub on the phone. Apparently, the entire range is susceptible to the SMS hack that only requires the attacked send an SMS message.
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Security of Google Wallet questioned by viaForensics
Most of us are very concerned about the security of the data that is stored on our smartphones. That concern is only going to grow as services like Google Wallet take more than our contacts or emails and store the data on phones. The security of Google Wallet has been called into question by a security firm called viaForensics. According to the security firm, the Google Wallet app has failed their security tests.
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Carrier IQ under investigation by European regulators
Carrier IQ has landed in an ocean of hot water for the alleged tracking and intercepting of keystrokes that the software is said to perform. It has been found that many of the more popular mobile phones and smartphones on the market are using the Carrier IQ software. While the company claims that the responsibility for the data stored falls on the carrier and not with it, the company is still under investigation by European regulators.
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Carrier IQ: Blame operators, not us
Carrier IQ has come out fighting amid the ongoing controversy around alleged cellphone tracking and covert customer data collection, claiming information gathered from users amounts to little more than crash logs. While security researchers originally claimed Carrier IQ was gathering text messages as well as location data, in fact “the content of the SMS is never stored and never transmitted” company marketing VP Andrew Coward told the Register. Instead, it’s claimed only certain keypresses are tracked to spot errors in a carrier’s network. Responsibility for what data is collected and stored rather than passing straight through Carrier IQ’s systems – and indeed loading the Carrier IQ software onto the phone you might be using – lies with your operator.
Carrier IQ tracking turns into wiretapping suit against it, Samsung ,and HTC
The tech world has blown up over the last several weeks with Carrier IQ's tacking software being sore point for just about every smartphone user out there that has the software on their devices and didn’t know it. Carrier IQ software was able to track all sorts of stuff on mobile devices without the user knowing it. Some of the biggest smartphone firms out there were using the software too.
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Security researcher shows how to game Facebook’s Three Trusted Friends recovery feature
A Brazilian security researcher has shown at a conference how hackers can use social engineering and the new three Trusted Friends password recovery feature to take over a real Facebook profile on the social networking site. The researcher started using LinkedIn, Amazon, and Facebook to try and get another security expert he calls SecGirl to friend him.
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Carrier IQ called out by Senator Al Franken
If you’re unaware of who Al Franken is in the US Senate, you sure as heck must at least remember him from his days on Saturday Night Live – but today’s nothing funny, fans of the giggles, because Franken has just laid down the law on our most recent group under suspicion of being less than honorable when it comes to recording our every move on smartphones. That’s right, Carrier IQ, you’ve been handed more than just a letter from the Franken camp, you’ve been served a pre-emptive smackdown for the future of your tap-collecting past. Have a look here at what Franken told Carrier IQ about what the Senate is about to investigate them on – bad news for them!
US forces AT&T and Verizon to fork over data in search for Chinese spying
The US has forced major telecommunications providers like AT&T and Verizon to fork over data using powers left over from the cold war. The reason for the demand for the data from the telecom providers is to ferret out Chinese spying on networks inside the US. Apparently, there is some sort of indication that chips and other Chinese hardware used in American networks may be giving the Chinese integrated spying capabilities on the US.
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Illinois hack scare mistook own team for Russian spies
Local and Federal blunders have been blamed for the false Illinois hack attack scare in November, described as a "comedy of errors" with investigators mistaking a contractor logging in for remote maintenance for an attack by Russian cyber-criminals. An initial report distributed by the Illinois Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center incorrectly assumed a remote log-in by one of the contractors behind the water pump system affected was an aggressive attack, Wired discovered, after he was asked to check data history charts in the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system (SCADA) while on holiday in Russia.
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Developer reveals hidden Carrier IQ smartphone app logging everything you do
What you’re about to see may send you into a fireball of fury, but before you have a triple heart attack, know this: though this app you might never have heard of is likely currently logging every keystroke you make, they’re almost certainly not using your information for anything ill-willed. Of course that’s no consolation for the idea that a number of HTC, Samsung, Nokia, and RIM (BlackBerry) phones have this software embedded in them, this perhaps proving the late Steve Jobs right when he said Android keeps track of everything you do — and what is the response on the part of the Carrier IQ crew? They’ve tried to sue the fellow who exposed how their application works.
TeaMp0isoN hacks UN and posts email addresses, passwords and logins
The hacking attacks continue to happen online around the world with some of the attacks resulting in serious data loss for the government and private companies. Hacker group TeaMp0isioN has hacked the UN and taken their stolen email addresses, usernames, and passwords and out them up on Paste Bin. Apparently, the hacker group thinks the UN is corrupt.
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