Lawmakers Prod FCC to Act on SIM Swapping

Crooks have stolen tens of millions of dollars and other valuable commodities from thousands of consumers via "SIM swapping," a particularly invasive form of fraud that involves tricking a target's mobile carrier into transferring someone's wireless service to a device they control. But the U.S...

The FCC's Push to Purge Huawei From US Networks

The rural carriers who rely on Huawei are wary of a costly “rip and replace” effort...

A Bug in Popular Android Phones Gives Hackers Full Control

FCC comment bots, a "bulletproof" hosting takedown, and more of the week's top security news...

OSINT for Avionics

One of the biggest challenges with avionics research is simply getting hold of equipment to work on. Current equipment is frighteningly expensive – think $100,000 and up for some components, reflecting the relatively short production run, high reliability requirement and significant certification...

The FCC's Robocall Plan Sounds Awfully Familiar

FCC chairman Ajit Pai has proposed a set of rules to combat robocalls. Don't get your hopes up quite yet...

FCC Addresses Robocalling – But Questions Remain

Robocalls and text spam – often in the service of widespread fraud campaigns – continue to persist, dogging consumers despite the existence of the national Do Not Call registry and efforts like the Truth in Caller ID Act. In an effort to alleviate the situation, Federal Communications Commission...

Calif. Man Pleads Guilty in Fatal Swatting Case, Faces 20+ Years in Prison

A California man who pleaded guilty Tuesday to causing dozens of swatting attacks -- including a deadly incident in Kansas last year -- now faces 20 or more years in prison. Tyler Raj Barriss, in an undated selfie. Tyler Barriss, 25, went by the nickname SWAuTistic on Twitter, and reveled in...

Apple Data Downloads, A Dating App for Trump Fans, and More Security News This Week

North Korean bitcoin theft, Fake FCC complaints, and more security news this week...

IoT Adventures: The LeFun WiFi Camera

Recently I happened to be in the market for a baby monitor, so I decided to search Amazon for an affordable device that would fit my needs. A search for "baby monitor" within the "electronics" department brought me to the LeFun WiFi Camera. For $39.99 at the time of my purchase, this seemed like ...

California, U.S. Government Battle Over Net Neutrality State Law

The U.S. government and the state of California are butting heads over a newly-passed state law that enforces net neutrality regulations on internet service providers ISPs. And experts say that the outcome of the feud between federal and state law has long-standing implications for the future of...

Tamper proofing review: the iZettle card payment terminal

Tamper resistance is an increasingly important factor in smart devices. Together with secure hardware design and defensive coding, it can deliver a very secure device. One of the most common areas the average consumer will encounter tamper resistant devices is in payment terminals, or Pin Entry...

Why Is Your Location Data No Longer Private?

The past month has seen one blockbuster revelation after another about how our mobile phone and broadband providers have been leaking highly sensitive customer information, including real-time location data and customer account details. In the wake of these consumer privacy debacles, many are lef...

Hurdles Remain After Senate Votes To Restore Net Neutrality

The U.S. Senate this week gave the nod to restoring net neutrality regulations that would prevent ISPs from controlling access to certain websites. But roadblocks remain, even as the legislation is pushed on the fast track to a House vote: Bigwig ISPs, independent ISPs, small businesses, Democrat...

Supporters of Net Neutrality Vow to Fight Rule Changes

The repeal of network neutrality rules inched closer to reality on Thursday when the Federal Communications Commission submitted into the Federal Registry its controversial replacement called the Restoring Internet Freedom order. Opponents say the new order will create powerful internet gatekeepe...

Stop telephoning me-eh-eh-eh-eh: robocalls explained

If you've ever answered a call from anyone outside your contact list only to hear a recorded message playing back at you, you have just been robocalled. Unfortunately for American consumers, this happens several times a day, seven days a week. Suffice to say, this is beyond annoying—and it's...

Mozilla Joins U.S. Attorneys General In Bid to Restore Net Neutrality

Mozilla has joined a coalition of U.S. state attorneys general in battling the Federal Communications Commission’s controversial recent ruling that overturned net neutrality laws. “The internet is a global, public resource,” Mozilla wrote in a blog post. “It relies on the core principle of net...

Serial Swatter “SWAuTistic” Bragged He Hit 100 Schools, 10 Homes

The individual who allegedly made a fake emergency call to Kansas police last week that summoned them to shoot and kill an unarmed local man has claimed credit for raising dozens of these dangerous false alarms -- calling in bogus hostage situations and bomb threats at roughly 100 schools and at...

FCC Just Killed Net Neutrality—What Does This Mean? What Next?

Net neutrality is DEAD—3 out of 5 federal regulators voted Thursday to hand control of the future of the Internet to cable and telecommunication companies, giving them powers to speed up service for websites they favor or slow down others. As proposed this summer, the US Federal Communications...

FCC Promotes Best Practices for SS7 Communications

The Federal Communications Commission FCC has released a public notice encouraging communications service providers to voluntarily use security best practices recommended by the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council CSRIC, a federal advisory committee to the FCC. Thes...

Got Robocalled? Don’t Get Mad; Get Busy.

Several times a week my cell phone receives the telephonic equivalent of spam: A robocall. On each occasion the call seems to come from a local number, but when I answer there is that telltale pause followed by an automated voice pitching some product or service. So when I heard from a reader who...