information

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned that the boom in Internet-connected home gadgets could increase security risks significantly. It's put together consumer advice and says it will work on applying the law to this new area of tech. The FTC ... has published a report on the " Internet of Things ". That's something of a vague term, but the commission defines it as any physical object that can connect to the Internet. Today, the Internet of Things doesn't simply apply to computer and smart phones -- it also applies to billions of other objects, including cameras, home ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'r clee' writes: " Dear Dennis, Every web browser I've used has the option to 'disable third party cookies'. Most articles I've read on privacy say not to allow third party cookies; however, recently, I visited tripadvisor.com to ... read a post, but found my comment wouldn't be accepted unless I enabled third-party cookies. Now, Google is telling me that my Firefox is 'outdated'. When I click the link to find out more detail, it says if I don't enable third party cookies, my email interface will switch to the plain vanilla HTML format ... [Is this] a stab at deeper data mining ... (view more)

Reports that Windows 10 Technical Preview contain spyware-like features have been dismissed as overblown. However, the issue should raise awareness of some of the limitations of using preview software. Several news outlets have made startling claims ... about Windows 10 Technical Preview, suggesting it collects confidential data; some have gone as far to suggest that the operating system contains a keylogger . That's a nasty feature found in some malicious software that tracks what you type on your keyboard, looking for sensitive information such as passwords or financial account details, ... (view more)

A new report suggests that consumers are concerned about digital security threats -- like the rapidly spreading 'Backoff' malware -- but very few make any changes in an effort to better protect their most sensitive information. The report comes from ... Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab, which recently carried out an online survey of 11,000 people based in 23 countries. (Source: kaspersky.com ) Kaspersky's survey revealed that over three-quarters of all respondents use several devices to connect to the Internet. About one in four respondents said they do most of their Internet ... (view more)

A Russian gang is believed to have stolen more than a billion online passwords. But the security firm that discovered the breach has also caused controversy over its handling of the situation, including paid-for services to deal with the breach. ... Hold Security of Milwaukee discovered and publicized the breach. The company is legitimate, and its previous claims of breaches have checked out: it was responsible for detecting a massive breach at Adobe last year. The company says it discovered that a Russian group named CyberVor (which translates as cyber-thief) has gathered together data from 420, ... (view more)

Edward Snowden thinks you should avoid using popular cloud storage service Dropbox . In a recent interview with United Kingdom news source The Guardian, Snowden suggested that the information stored through Dropbox is not secure. As a former systems ... administrator with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Agency (NSA) , Edward Snowden made headlines last year when he released documents unveiling the United States government's invasive PRISM program . The U.S. Department of Justice then charged Snowden with violating the Espionage Act, which prompted him to flee to ... (view more)

USBDeview 2.35 This small but very handy program lists all of the USB devices currently connected to your system. It can even provide users with a list of USB devices previously connected to the computer. Displayed information includes device type, ... serial number, date and time, and vendor ID. http://www.nirsoft.net LastActivityView 1.05 This program tracks the activity on your system and displays useful and pertinent information. Displayed information includes description (like run .exe file), file name, full path, and action time. This program can even show you when popular tools (like ... (view more)

Facebook wants its users to carry out regular 'privacy checkups' in hopes of winning back trust. The privacy checkup features allows users to choose how much of their personal information is visible to the general public, including photographs, ... email addresses, and smartphone numbers. According to The New York Times, Facebook's new privacy checkup is a response to user and investor concerns that the social networking site's privacy settings are too complicated , making it difficult for many users to protect their personal data. Privacy Checkup to Include Walkthrough of New App ... (view more)

A new electronic device promises to help drivers tailor their driving habits in order to save money on fuel. The device, which is called "Automatic" and developed by a company of the same name, plugs into your car's computer socket. Most cars have ... this type of socket if the vehicle was made after 1996. The socket connects directly to the car's onboard computer, and is typically located under the steering wheel, not far from the gas and brake pedals. Users then pair Automatic's hardware device with a special smartphone application that is compatible with both Apple's iOS and ... (view more)

Facebook has officially released a new and somewhat controversial feature that allows users to track the location of their friends. But if used maliciously, the app raises major privacy concerns. The application is called "Nearby Friends" and it ... uses location information collected by smartphones. Facebook says its goal is to make it simple for people to find their friends and meet up in real life. When it's enabled, Nearby Friends shows users a list of Facebook friends who have agreed to share their location. The app can also alert a user if a friend comes within range (such as ... (view more)