Month: November 2012

Originally published in ZDnet. A researcher has alerted the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) that Samsung printer firmware contains a hardcoded backdoor administrator account that could allow remote network access exploitation and device control. The admin account does not require verification, opening up the devices and users' networks to potentially serious remote attacks.  At the… Read more…

Originally published in ZDnet. In a closed-door meeting this weekend in Dubai, the telecommunications arm of the United Nations — the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) — plans to seize a big role in Internet governance. Credit: ITU The ITU is holding the World Conference on International Telecommunications from December 3-14 where countries will seek agreement… Read more…

Originally published in ZDnet. Traveling for the holidays is a good reason to familiarize yourself with protecting your privacy and data while traveling with digital devices, and knowing what security agents can – and can't – do to your devices when you travel. Anyone who travels with laptops, phones and tablets should know what to… Read more…

Originally published in ZDnet. Software security testing company Veracode's just-released Supplemental to its 2012 State of Software Security Report focuses on the software supply chain. It reveals that organizations are confronting externally developed application security risks more than ever – yet most enterprises place a reckless trust in their third-party software suppliers. Veracode has been publishing their State of Software Security… Read more…

Originally published in ZDnet. Data brokers have compiled secret dossiers on what's estimated to be 500 million people and they're refusing to name data sources to a Congressional inquiry – or transparently explain what's being done with the privacy-invading data they're collecting and compiling. Yet in their crafted responses to Congress, we learn important details: for instance,… Read more…

Originally published in ZDnet. After the 2012 U.S. Presidential election, vocal racists took to Twitter. It looks like the top state for the most racist Tweets is Alabama, closely followed by Mississippi. The top ten states for post-election Tacist tweets – according to Floating Sheep’s [interactive] GeoCommons map,  – are: State LQ of Racist Tweets… Read more…

Originally published in ZDnet. Juniper Networks’ Mobile Threat Center (MTC) analyzed over 1.7 million apps on the Google Play market from March 2011 to September 2012. Juniper found that most app users are being tracked, surveilled and put at risk for exposure, and this activity is disturbingly unjustified by the majority of app makers. Juniper wrote,… Read more…