Amazon Admits Alexa Voice Recordings Saved Indefinitely

Amazon has acknowledged that it retains the voice recordings and transcripts of customers’ interactions with its Alexa voice assistant indefinitely. The admission raises questions about how long companies should be able to save highly-personal data collected from voice assistant devices. After U....

Threat Source newsletter (July 3, 2019)

Newsletter compiled by Jonathan Munshaw. Welcome to this week’s Threat Source newsletter — the perfect place to get caught up on all things Talos from the past week. We disclosed several vulnerabilities this week, including two in Simple DirectMedia Layer, and a memory corruption bug in the V8...

Match, Tinder Swipe Right For Privacy Red Flags, Say Experts

Over 70 percent of subscribers across Match.com express concern about the amount of data they share with the platform, according to a ProPrivacy.com survey. But despite those concerns, users of the service do it anyway and also remain unaware of just how much data the company collects and how the...

Consumers Urged to Junk Insecure IoT Devices

More than 2 million connected security cameras, baby monitors and other IoT devices have serious vulnerabilities that have been publicly disclosed for more than two months – yet they are still without a patch or even any vendor response. Security researcher Paul Marrapese, who disclosed the flaws...

Smart cities, difficult choices: privacy and security on the grid

All is not well in the land of smart city planning, as the latest major planned development from Google's sister company Sidewalk Labs continues to run into problems in Toronto, Canada. A groundswell of support? Building a city “From the ground up” is apparently no longer a thing: at least some...

Chinese Military Wants to Develop Custom OS

Citing security concerns, the Chinese military wants to replace Windows with its own custom operating system: Thanks to the Snowden, Shadow Brokers, and Vault7 leaks, Beijing officials are well aware of the US' hefty arsenal of hacking tools, available for anything from smart TVs to Linux servers...

Cryptocurrency Hacks Still Growing — What Does That Mean for the Industry?

Though once synonymous with underground networks and black hat hackers, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have gone mainstream over the past two years. In 2017, we saw the skyrocket of bitcoin to an all-time high of close to $20,000 followed by a significant decline the following year. But beyon...

How 5G could impact cybersecurity strategy

With the recent news that South Korea has rolled out the world’s first 5G network, it’s clear that we’re on the precipice of the wireless technology’s widespread launch. Offering speeds anywhere from 20 to 100 times faster than 4G long-term evolution LTE, the next generation of wireless networks...

Extinguishing the IoT Insecurity Dumpster Fire

It’s no secret IoT security has been a dumpster fire. Last week, it was reported two million IP security cameras, baby monitors and smart doorbells have serious IoT flaws with no known patches. The list, of course, is added to a long list of IoT nightmares that have been reported over the past fi...

Unprotected Database Exposes Personal Info of 80 Million American Households

A team of security researchers has claims to have found a publicly-accessible database that exposes information on more than 80 million U.S. households—nearly 65 percent of the total number of American households. Discovered by VPNMentor's research team lead by hacktivists Noam Rotem and Ran Loca...

Poll: Are You Creeped Out By Facial Recognition?

Several news incidents this week regarding facial recognition and biometrics have sparked discussions in the security space over privacy concerns and issues around consent. First, a JetBlue passenger made headlines in a now-viral Twitter exchange with the airline, about the facial-recognition...

Congress Asks Google 10 Questions On Its Location Tracking Database

U.S. Congress has sent an open letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai asking for more information about its Sensorvault database that's reportedly being used by law enforcement agencies to solve crime cases. Last week, we reported a story based upon NY Times findings that revealed how using a...

Tic Toc Pwned

We were recently tipped off that the Australian Tic Toc Track watch was almost undoubtedly just a version of the Gator kids GPS tracking watch. That’s the tracker watch which leaked real time kids position data to anyone, it also allowed anyone to silently listen to children through the watch...

This Week in Security News: 5G Security and Tax Scams

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, learn about cybersecurity and data concerns in 5G. Also, learn about cybercriminal threats during tax season. Read on: Securing Enterprises...

Trump’s Homeland Security Purge Worries Cybersecurity Experts

A leadership void at DHS means the White House is calling the shots where it wants to, cybersecurity experts warn, and other agencies can muscle in where it won’t...

William Barr Sends Troubling Signals Ahead of Mueller Report Release

Attorney general William Barr will have tremendous sway over how much of the Mueller report the public can see. Right now, it doesn't look promising...

Samsung Galaxy S10 Fingerprint Sensor Duped With 3D Print

A Samsung Galaxy S10 user said he was able to successfully bypass the phone’s fingerprint sensors using a 3D print of his own fingerprint. The Samsung user posted on Imgur this weekend under the alias, “darkshark” saying he was able to fool the Galaxy S10’s fingerprint using a simple technique – ...

Your Facebook Password Isn’t Safe. Neither Is Your Android Phone

Catch up on the most important tech news today in two minutes or less...

Google Gives Users More Choice with Location-Tracking Apps

Anyone who uses a mobile app knows how convenient the features that use location data can be, from getting turn-by-turn directions and finding nearby restaurants to fitness-tracking and weather integration. But these rich mobile “experiences” – as app developers call them – can be a double-edged...

Privacy Regulations Needed for Next-Gen Cars

Driverless automobiles, long-haul trucks and military transport vehicles are on a fast track for wide deployment over the next five to 10 years. That much is clear. Vehicle manufacturers are all in, and innovation is racing forward. Meanwhile, captains of industry and political leaders are eager ...