John Lister

Google is fixing an Android bug that let hackers remotely capture videos and images without permission. The bug could also have revealed the user's precise location, making it particularly dangerous if exploited by stalkers. Security researchers at ... Checkmarx discovered the bug in several default camera apps on a variety of Android phones, including the Google and Samsung apps. (Source: arstechnica.com ) The bug could only be exploited once malware was on the phone, but even then it still shouldn't have allowed such an attack. That's because it involved using a rogue app on the phone to access ... (view more)

A man who launched millions of separate attacks on websites has been jailed for 13 months for conspiracy to damage Internet-connected computers. Sergiy Usatyuk, who is 20, offered an attacks-for-hire service using Distributed Denial of Service ... (DDoS) tactics. A Denial Of Service attack is a crude but often effective technique that simply involves flooding a site with bogus "visits" until the web server becomes overloaded, which then causes the website to become inaccessible for ordinary users. It's roughly equivalent to tying up a company's switchboard with prank calls. The "distributed" ... (view more)

A court says US customs officials can't examine the contents of phones and laptops at the border without reasonable suspicion of illegal activity. It said current policies violate the Fourth Amendment. The amendment prevents "unreasonable searches ... and seizures" and requires warrants based on probable cause. It's been at the centre of numerous technology-related cases as courts decide what constitutes property and searches when it comes to digital devices and information. The latest case, first brought in 2017, covers the policies of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency and the ... (view more)

Google is experimenting with ways to inform Chrome users when a web site likely to be slow to load. In doing so, it wants to penalize poorly coded sites - though critics say that's not always the main reason for a delay. The idea is a form of ... "badging" that will appear in the browser. It's a sign of how potentially controversial the subject is that Google is thinking of informing users in this way rather than simply downgrading such sites so they appear lower in search rankings. The initial tests will be based around the general point of whether a site is slow to load. Later on, Google may ... (view more)

Google is to use outside help to scan apps before they go into the Google Play store. It says the move is needed to cope with the continuing increase in the number of rogue Android apps. Just two weeks ago, 21 Android apps were reported to be rogue ... ; in early September, 24 apps were found to be rogue . The new "App Defense Alliance" involves Google working with three security companies, namely: ESET, Lookout and Zimperium. They all specialize in mobile security with a particular emphasis not just on spotting individual rogue apps, but on figuring out common characteristics and clues ... (view more)

Microsoft's revamped version of the Edge browser will launch on January 15, 2020. It's based on the same code as Google's Chrome and will be able to run Chrome extensions. Designed as a replacement for the much maligned Internet Explorer, Edge ... debuted with the release of Windows 10 back in July, 2015. The original version was built from scratch using Microsoft's own browser engine, which is the component that turns a web page's code into what users actually see on the screen. The new edition isn't simply an update but rather a complete rebuild. It will now use code and ... (view more)

Mozilla is reducing the likelihood Firefox users will be bothered by website notification requests. It will make browsing a lot less frustrating, but will upset some website owners. What are Website Notifications? Notifications in web browsers work ... in a similar way to notifications from apps on a mobile phone or tablet. As an example, a user of a streaming video site might agree to accept browser notifications. They could then get notifications whenever the site adds a new episode of a TV series they've previously watched on the site. On Windows 10, this notification might appear in the ... (view more)

Ask online about ways to improve the Internet connection around your home, and you'll often come across users recommending that you use a "mesh WiFi" system. So, what is mesh WiFi? Is mesh WiFi better than regular WiFi? What about mesh vs an ... extender, or mesh vs a router? How does mesh compare to Google Nest? How do you set up a mesh Wifi network? We'll answer those questions and more below. Related: How to Fix: Stop Neighbors Stealing My WiFi Related : Are you looking for the best possible way to extend the WiFi signal in your home , but don't have the technical expertise? Tired of ... (view more)

Google has taken yet another step to try to kill off Adobe Flash. The move will dramatically reduce the visibility of Flash content in its search results. Adobe Flash was once innovative and the primary way for delivering animated and interactive ... content online, including online-based browser games and even advertisements. Even so, many web designers seemed more interested in showing off their creativity with Flash rather than making a usable and useful site. Adobe Flash Security Bugs Severe As far back as 2010, Apple made the decision to ditch Flash entirely from its devices - a move that ... (view more)

Most people know not to open an executable file or document attached to an email unless they were expecting it. But a new example of malware means even an audio file could trigger a payload. Researchers at Blackberry Cylance Threat recently ... uncovered malicious code hidden inside WAV files. That's a computer format for audio that was common for music on PCs before MP3 became established. The attackers are using a technique called steganography, which is a way to hide a file inside another file in a way that normally cannot be detected. Steganography has previously been used in image files, and ... (view more)