hacker

Apple has released a patch for a potentially serious iPhone bug. It's worth double-checking the patch was installed automatically and forcing it to do so if it has not. The fix comes in version 15.0.2 of iOS and patches an actively exploited ... zero-day bug. That means attackers not only know about the security hole but were already using it before Apple could release a fix. In other words, Apple had a "zero days" head start in the battle between patching and hacking. The bug involves memory corruption and means a correctly-targeted attack could allow malware to access parts of the memory that ... (view more)

T-Mobile is investigating claims a hacker stole sensitive data about more than 100 million customers. It hasn't confirmed or denied claims. The haul included social security numbers and driver license information. The alleged breach was first ... reported by Motherboard, which spotted a hacker forum post from somebody attempting to steal the data. The would-be seller says it comes from multiple T-Mobile servers and contains "full customer info" on US customers. The seller claims the haul includes names, phone numbers and physical addresses, along with IMEI numbers that identify individual ... (view more)

The word "hacked" is worth 16 points in Scrabble. It's also what appears to have happened to a database of 218 million users of the popular online game "Words With Friends." A few weeks ago game creators Zynga said it "recently discovered that ... certain player account information may have been illegally accessed by outside hackers." It didn't give any detail on numbers, but went on to say that account login information may have been accessed. (Source: zynga.com ) Now a hacker has come forth and is attempting to sell the details of 620 million Zynga game accounts, of which 218 million ... (view more)

Apple has released a patch for mobile devices which covers 51 security flaws. It's sparked debate over Apple's security levels and the way it issues such updates. The patch is for iOS, taking it up to version 12.2. Apple doesn't issue standalone ... security updates. Instead, it builds it into the main update for the system, which also includes new features or bug fixes. (Source: apple.com ) The most notable fix is a bug in an API (application program interface), which lets third party software interact with Apple services. In this case, the API bug could allow malware to access an iPhone, iPad ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Paul E. writes: " Dear Dennis, I read with interest John Lister's article on the WPA2 exploit (KRACKs) , which explains how hackers can break into any WiFi network. I have 4 TPLink routers in my home that I use as 'hot spots' in ... various locations. As per your suggestion, I have visited TPLink's website for firmware updates for my routers, but there are none available. I am worried that someone is going to break into my network and steal my financial information. What can I do? " My response: I own a few TP Link routers as well and what I've done is flashed the routers using ... (view more)

Stolen usernames and passwords from Yahoo, Google and Microsoft's webmail services are reportedly being traded by Russian criminals. They are said to be among a batch of 272.3 million accounts, though most are from a popular Russian service. The ... trade has been revealed by Hold Security in a discussion with Reuters. Hold's founder says his staff uncovered the batch when trawling an online forum used by hackers. The person who provided the information claimed he had a total of 1.17 billion records, but agreed to hand over a portion of them. It seems that while many criminals buy and ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Dean S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've read that most WiFi routers use weak passwords (example: admin / admin), or none by default. I understand that for security reasons, the router administrator user and password should be set to ... prevent outsiders / hackers from logging into the router and changing the WiFi settings. On my own router I am connected to it via cable, and can connect by WiFi if I login with the password set for WPA2 security. What I have not been able to understand is how does the hacker connect to the router, and how can they adjust my WiFi settings ... (view more)

To many, the use of fingerprint readers as a way of password protection may represent the future of high-tech security. But a hacker has recently demonstrated that it's really not that difficult to bypass the security system -- all it takes, in ... fact, is a high-quality digital image. There's no denying that fingerprint passwords are becoming more and more common. They can be used to access PCs and thumb drives, but are becoming most prevalent in the smartphone world, where a quick dab of the finger gives one access to their mobile device. It seems like the perfect security system; ... (view more)

The United States government has recommended the court trying world-renowned hacker Hector Xavier Monsegur -- better known as " Sabu " -- show leniency. It's a controversial recommendation that could see the hacker walk out of court a free man later ... this week. Monsegur has been in custody since 2011. He was once was a part of international hacking group LulzSec , which carried out a series of cyber crimes against major corporations, such as Sony. The group has also waged hacking campaigns against the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the U.S. Senate, and Infragard, a security ... (view more)

The first major arrest has been made in association with the recently discovered Heartbleed bug . The suspect is a 19-year-old Canadian hacker who exposed roughly 900 social insurance numbers of the Canada Revenue Agency. The Heartbleed bug first ... made headlines last week. It's a shocking vulnerability in the popular OpenSSL cryptographic software library that, if exploited, can be used to steal protected information from secure websites and similar web services. According to the Washington Post, the bug may affect as much as two-thirds of the entire Internet. (Source: washingtonpost.com ... (view more)