John Lister

A company that helps protect websites against a popular form of cyber attacks says it's solved a major security concern. The change could mean high-profile websites can be much more resilient and secure. The company in question is CloudFlare, which ... offers services to defend against denial of service attacks (DoS) , including distributed denial of services attacks (DDoS) . That's where cyber attackers flood a website with bogus data requests, until the site (or server) is no longer able to deal with legitimate requests. Oftentimes such an attack will bring a web server to a grinding ... (view more)

California has passed a law that means companies can no longer ban customers from writing negative reviews on websites. Even attempting to do so could mean they firms face a financial penalty. The new law follows a protracted court battle that ... concluded this summer after an online gadget seller tried to "fine" a couple $3,500 for leaving a negative review on an independent website. A court eventually ordered KlearGear to pay more than $300,000 to the couple after its attempts to collect the "debt" hurt their credit rating. KlearGear had been trying to enforce a clause in ... (view more)

To some, Apple's new high-tech watch could be the device that helps bring electronic wireless charging technology to the masses. But to others, Apple's latest offering may not be enough of a breakthrough to overcome years of stalemate between rival ... technologies. As expected, Apple unveiled a smartwatch this week. As with several similar devices, the watch connects wirelessly to a nearby smartphone (in this case, an iPhone). The smartwatch then allows users to quickly check phone alerts and details, including text messages and emails without the need to pull the phone from their ... (view more)

Apple has denied any responsibility for the recent theft and publication of compromising photographs of celebrities. But some analysts say the pictures were vulnerable thanks to a combination of Apple's technical setups, plus the easy availability ... of password cracking software designed specifically for law enforcement authorities. Pictures and videos of famous females such as Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst and Kate Upton began circulating earlier this week after being posted at controversial website 4chan. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is said to be investigating, but it ... (view more)

Facebook says there's no truth to claims that its Messaging app is spying on smartphone users. It says the confusion over wiretapping stems from security measures on iPhones and Android handsets. The issue involves the tool for Facebook users to ... exchange messages with one another. Whereas computer users are able to message other members through the Facebook website, this same feature is no longer supported in the official Facebook app that runs on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Instead, these users must install and run a separate app called Messenger. The Messenger app ... (view more)

Twitter says it will remove some images of deceased people upon request from members of family. But the new policy has limitations and may not cover two high-profile situations that brought attention to the issue. Following the death of Robin ... Williams last week, his daughter Zelda announced she would no longer use Twitter. She claims to have been abused by " Internet trolls " that produced digitally altered images of her father, and then posted them on Twitter, along with her name tagged in the post. It's believed the images depicted her father's death based on media reports ... (view more)

Comcast has been embarrassed yet again by a recording of a call to its customer service team. This time, a representative was caught trying to charge a Comcast customer for repairs , despite the company already promising the work would be done free ... of charge. Last month, Comcast came under fire when another customer repeatedly tried to cancel his Comcast service over the telephone. During the recording, which reportedly lasted eighteen minutes, the customer service representative repeatedly badgered the customer and demanded to know why he wanted to cancel his service. The audio recording was ... (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)

President Obama is expected to sign a bill in the coming weeks to make it legal to unlock cellphones. That may give users more choice about the cellphone network they use to get service, though there will still be technical restrictions. Most new ... cellphones are sold in a 'locked' state, meaning that they can only run on a particular cellphone network carrier. Usually that's because the network sells the handset at a reduced cost, hoping to make money back from associated monthly service fees and call charges. Unlocking a cellphone effectively modifies the phone's software, and thus allows ... (view more)

Google is teaming up with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers to try to make " green energy " more practical. It's running a million dollar contest called " Little Box Challenge " to try and reduce the size of a key component in ... bringing renewable power to homes and businesses. The competition is based around the fact that electricity comes in two forms: alternating current (AC), and direct current (DC). Alternating power is used in homes and offices, with its flow of electrical charge changing direction continuously. On the other hand, direct current ... (view more)