Beware! Cyber Criminals may spoil your Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day - a day of hearts, Chocolates, Flowers and Celebrations when people express their emotions to their loved ones and most of us send E-cards, purchase special gifts with the help of various Online Shop Sites and many other tantrums making them feel special. While you are busy in...

Google Pays $17 Million to Settle Privacy Violations

Thirty-seven states are claiming a privacy victory against Google and will split a $17 million settlement from the search giant. Google, which generated $2.97 billion in online advertising revenue in the third quarter, was deliberately bypassing default privacy settings in Apple’s Safari browser ...

LinkedIn Intro App a Man in the Middle Attack

This is one introduction you may not want to make. LinkedIn’s release of its Intro app yesterday for Apple iOS mobile devices raised more than a few eyebrows for behaviors that are causing security experts to worry. Intro is an integrated service that works hand-in-hand with the Apple Mail app...

Snoopy Project mobile tracking and intelligence grows up

A year ago, the Snoopy Project was a neat research initiative that packaged a number of existing technologies into a framework to profile and track mobile devices. After a summer of Snowden revelations, something like Snoopy takes on a whole new meaning. Snoopy devices, called drones by researche...

Amazon 1Button App for Chrome, Firefox Leaks Private Data

Amazon 1Button, a browser add-on that provides users with easy access to the Amazon online marketplace, is leaking private information like a sieve, according to a security researcher. Krzysztof Kotowicz, a researcher specializing in Web security, said the app reports every URL to visit to...

Google ordered to hand over sensitive users details to FBI without a warrant

Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Friday has ordered the Google to hand over customer details to FBI without a warrant. FBI counter terrorism agents began issuing the secret letters, which don't require a judge's approval, after Congress...

FTC Launches Investigations into Mobile Apps for Kids

The Federal Trade Commission on Monday said it’s launching “non-public investigations” to determine if mobile application providers are violating federal laws by collecting information on children without their parents’ permission. A report indicates almost 60 percent 235 of the children-centric...

Critics Continue Pushing for Bigger Probe into Google Street View Practices

Privacy advocates continue urging for a wider federal investigation into Google Street View practices following Google’s $25,000 fine for stonewalling federal officials during an earlier probe of Wi-Fi snooping allegations. The Federal Communications Commission late last week gave the Internet...

RockYou Agrees to $250K FTC Fine Over Loss Of 32m Passwords

The Federal Trade Commission announced on Tuesday that it had reached a settlement with RockYou over violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act COPPA after the Web site allowed hackers to gain access to the personal information of its 32 million members. In a statement published o...

Report: FTC Nears Deal with Facebook For Opt-In Privacy Changes

The deal will settle an FTC case alleging privacy violations on the social network by forcing users to opt in to any changes to default privacy settings, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The FTC inquiry dates back more than two years, and followed changes to the default privacy...

Blowback: Microsoft, OnStar Pump the Brakes on Location Tracking

Redmond, Washington software giant, Microsoft, and Detroit based GM subsidiary, OnStar backtracked on policies widely seen as egregious privacy violations following lawsuits and public outcry. Here’s the news: Windows Phone Update Requires User Consent For Tracking Microsoft released their “Mango...

Department of Homeland Security warns Anonymous Hackers

Department of Homeland Security warns Anonymous Hackers The Department of Homeland Security is beginning to take Anonymous and other non-professional cyber-attackers more seriously as it issues a warning about potential attacks. The 2 September security bulletin from the DHS National Cyber-Securi...

Anonymous Plans Sony Boycott on April 16

Anonymous Plans Sony Boycott on April 16 Say you're a hacker trying to cripple a major electronics company for suing its own users: how do you launch a cyberattack without harming the people you're trying to protect? In the case of hactivist group 'Anonymous,' which has spent the week targeting...

Facebook Revises Bug Disclosure Policy

Social networking behemoth Facebook revised their bug disclosure policy last week to protect well-intentioned vulnerability researchers from potential lawsuits stemming from their discoveries. The revisions, which were made with the assistance of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, are part of...

It's Time For a New Privacy Model

The current raft of stories about privacy problems on Facebook and other high-profile sites is leading to a renewed consideration in some circles of whether there’s a need for tighter government regulation of sites’ privacy policies and user notifications. Regulation, experts say, may be the only...

Consumer Advocates in Facebook's Face

This week, the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a 38-page complaint against Facebook with the Federal Trade Commission, demanding it cancel new features introduced in mid-April that compel users to share more information than before. Read the full article. Computerworld...

Report warns of 'web bugs' and privacy violations

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Information has released a report showing that the most popular Web sites in the United States all share data with their corporate affiliates and allow third parties to collect information directly by using tracking beacons known a...