security Archive

  • Privacy Star blocks your phone numbers from any type of solicitors, including pollsters. The PrivacyStar app will control and monitor your mobile device. Smart Block will crowdsource the top 25 numbers, then block those numbers for the week. They also have a caller ID function, which will tell you who is calling. With the Do Not Disturb mode, all unblocked numbers will be forwarded to...

    PrivacyStar: Block Phone Numbers from Calling – CES 2012

    Posted on February 5, 2012 | No Comments
    Privacy Star blocks your phone numbers from any type of solicitors, including pollsters. The PrivacyStar app will control and monitor your mobile device. Smart Block will crowdsource the top 25 numbers, then block those numbers for the week. They also have a caller ID function, which will tell you who is calling. With the Do Not Disturb mode, all unblocked numbers will be forwarded to...

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  • An explanation of Facebook's Opt in features like secure browsing.

    Facebook Security Settings Explained

    Posted on August 15, 2011 | No Comments
    An explanation of Facebook's Opt in features like secure browsing.

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  • When I got my T-Mobile Dash a couple of years ago, I toyed with getting an anti-virus program for it. After doing some research, I discarded the notion; although smartphone proof-of-concept viruses existed, there was no indication that there was anything in the wild for Windows or any other phone operating system. That is no longer the case. Reuters reports that two Windows mobile...

    Windows Mobile Viruses in the Wild

    Posted on June 5, 2010 | No Comments
    When I got my T-Mobile Dash a couple of years ago, I toyed with getting an anti-virus program for it. After doing some research, I discarded the notion; although smartphone proof-of-concept viruses existed, there was no indication that there was anything in the wild for Windows or any other phone operating system. That is no longer the case. Reuters reports that two Windows mobile...

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  • According to Reuters, the Financial Times (the FT requires a subscription for regular users.) reports that Google is phasing out Windows for its standard-issue employee computers. The final straw seems to have been the Chinese hack attack in April. According to the reports, Google is trying to reduce its computer security hassles. The Reuters story notes The FT quoted one Google employee as saying:...

    Google Closing Windows? (Updated)

    Posted on June 1, 2010 | No Comments
    According to Reuters, the Financial Times (the FT requires a subscription for regular users.) reports that Google is phasing out Windows for its standard-issue employee computers. The final straw seems to have been the Chinese hack attack in April. According to the reports, Google is trying to reduce its computer security hassles. The Reuters story notes The FT quoted one Google employee as saying:...

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  • Reuters is reporting that a security flaw in Twitter exposes users’ login credentials. It’s related to a known vulnerability in the Adobe Flash programming language. From the article: Adobe has told programmers how to address the vulnerability, which was first discovered in 2006, he added, but noted the operators of many websites have failed to respond to the warnings from Adobe. Some of the...

    Possible Twitter Security Flaw

    Posted on January 22, 2010 | No Comments
    Reuters is reporting that a security flaw in Twitter exposes users’ login credentials. It’s related to a known vulnerability in the Adobe Flash programming language. From the article: Adobe has told programmers how to address the vulnerability, which was first discovered in 2006, he added, but noted the operators of many websites have failed to respond to the warnings from Adobe. Some of the...

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  • In his most recent Geekazine podcast, Jeffrey expressed some concerns about open source software on cellphones. I do not share those concerns. The issue is not open source; the issue is the Linux/Unix security model, which underlies the open source cell phone operating systems (“*nix” is sometimes used to refer to Linux and Unix to the extent that they have common traits). That model...

    Cell Phones, Open Source, and Security

    Posted on December 20, 2009 | 1 Comment
    In his most recent Geekazine podcast, Jeffrey expressed some concerns about open source software on cellphones. I do not share those concerns. The issue is not open source; the issue is the Linux/Unix security model, which underlies the open source cell phone operating systems (“*nix” is sometimes used to refer to Linux and Unix to the extent that they have common traits). That model...

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  • Computer security. Not. From the Guardian. Highly sensitive details of a key US missile defence system have been found on the hard drive of a computer that was disposed of in California. (snip) The computer, which has been turned over to the FBI, was bought online as part of a global research project conducted by three universities – Longwood University in the US, Glamorgan...

    Second Hand

    Posted on May 8, 2009 | No Comments
    Computer security. Not. From the Guardian. Highly sensitive details of a key US missile defence system have been found on the hard drive of a computer that was disposed of in California. (snip) The computer, which has been turned over to the FBI, was bought online as part of a global research project conducted by three universities – Longwood University in the US, Glamorgan...

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  • The New York Times speculates on what the Conflicker worm is all about. Read the full story here: Speculation about Conficker’s purpose ranges from the benign — an April Fool’s Day prank — to far darker notions. One likely possibility is that the program will be used in the “rent-a-computer-crook” business, something that has been tried previously by the computer underground. Just like Amazon.com...

    Conflickerings

    Posted on March 20, 2009 | No Comments
    The New York Times speculates on what the Conflicker worm is all about. Read the full story here: Speculation about Conficker’s purpose ranges from the benign — an April Fool’s Day prank — to far darker notions. One likely possibility is that the program will be used in the “rent-a-computer-crook” business, something that has been tried previously by the computer underground. Just like Amazon.com...

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