security

Given how regularly browser makers like Google and Mozilla release new versions of their software, a sudden new release is almost surprising. Firefox 67.0.3, however, is no simple minor release. Users are urged to make sure they're running this latest version of the browser because while it seems to fix just one thing, it is a critical security fix that could cause users headaches or maybe even lost cryptocurrencies.

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Robocalls have become such a significant issue that the FCC recently ruled wireless carriers can start blocking these calls by default. The decision came amid growing frustration over the huge number of robocalls consumers are receiving, with some people reporting more than a dozen calls a day. As it turns out, this problem is impacting hospitals, too.

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There is no shortage of malware around the world but the most vicious kind are the ones that hold people's precious files for ransom. Even worse are the ransomware that demand payment from victims knowing fully well that there is actually no way to recover those files. One of the most recent and most egregious is the GrandCrab strain of ransomware. The good news is that its principal owners and operators have announced their "retirement". The bad news is that they're doing so because they claim to have already earned $2 billion from the operation.

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The United States Air Force's first flight test of the AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) was a success, officials have announced. The flight test was conducted with a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft at the Edwards Air Force Base on June 12; it involved a prototype version of the hypersonic weapon that featured only sensors.

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With a social network as big as Instagram, users getting their accounts hacked and hijacked is a common problem. Instagram has rolled out some measures to keep accounts secure, but users are saying those aren't enough, especially when it comes to reclaiming a hijacked account. Today, Instagram detailed some more security methods for user accounts - including a way for users to get their usernames back, even after it's been changed by hackers.

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Add your smart TV to the list of things you need to run antivirus on, with Samsung surprising - and worrying - some of its owners with the advice that they should've been scanning their sets for malware. The unexpected guidance came courtesy of Samsung's support account on Twitter, which warned that WiFi-connected TVs should be regularly checked for viruses and other potentially damaging software.

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Most of the rhetoric in tech these days revolve around privacy, especially when it comes to smartphones and data on the cloud. Manufacturers and platform makers are, at least in public, committed to thwarting attempts to break into users' phones but, almost ironically, one of the most persistent threats aren't criminals. Governments are just as interested in breaking their way into mobile devices, often for the stated sake of law enforcement, and Cellebrite is only too happy to have them as buyers of its new UEFD Premium system.

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Windows 10 updates have become a game of chance. You almost never know when an update will break something and make your PC unusable. While Microsoft does try to fix things after the fact, often the damage is already done. Now Microsoft is taking the initiative to warn users that an upcoming update may cause Bluetooth devices to lose their connection to Windows PCs. And, no, isn't a bug but a feature.

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Remember that time in Batman: The Dark Knight when they hacked into every phone in the city and used audio matching and GPS to locate The Joker? It would seem that the app developers behind the app LaLiga had the same idea as Bruce Wayne - because they've essentially made that nightmare a reality. With their app, they've been detecting pubs and bars broadcasting pirated football (soccer) matches illegally, using geofencing and live audio from everyday users with their LaLiga app.

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In April, Google announced that consumers could start using their Android phones as physical security keys for two-factor authentication. The new option enables users to require login verification using a physical device, but eliminates the need to use a separate dongle. In an update about the feature today, Google revealed that Android phones can now be used as physical security keys for iOS devices, too.

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The United States Navy has released two videos showing the 'unsafe maneuver' Russian Destroyer UDALOY I DD 572 made toward the USS Chancellorsville, a guided missile cruiser, while in the Philippine Sea. The incident took place at around 11:45AM on Friday, June 7, and involved the destroyer coming within approximately 50ft - 100ft of the USS Chancellorsville.

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It's probably nothing new by now whenever news about this or that malware getting into Google Play Store's automated "bouncer" but few have probably achieved the same mass reach as this one. Called BeiTaAd or BeitaPlugin, the particular strain of adware will perhaps go down in history for having taking great pains to hide its nature from security measures and being found in 238 unique apps. It is, perhaps, no coincidence that those apps were all made by the same Chinese company as well.

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