Security

Microsoft has detailed the intricate and carefully crafted attack techniques of a longstanding group of online spies. They include taking advantage of a now-retired Windows feature for easier updates. Thankfully for home users, the attacks from the ... group Microsoft dubs "Platinum" have been highly targeted at government, defense, communications and intelligence agencies and organizations. That's promoted speculation a government may be behind the attacks. The details come in a report by Microsoft's Windows Defender Advanced Threat Hunting. It notes that while some attacks are ... (view more)

One of the nastiest ransomware variants may have been defeated. Two security researchers have reportedly figured out a way to recover access to an encrypted computer without paying an extortion fee. Most forms of ransomware involve infecting a ... victim's computer and then individually encrypts files. That leaves the victim able to run Windows, but unable to access any of their data. The Petya variant is more dangerous as it encrypts the hard drive's master file table. That's a database which has the details of every files on a computer, including those for Windows itself. If the master ... (view more)

The people behind phishing emails appear to be getting more sophisticated. Reports from both sides of the Atlantic say such emails are including more personal details, something that was previously used only for high value target. Phishing emails ... are a way to try to trick people into either providing confidential information such as bank details or online passwords, or by clicking on links that install malware, usually through security weaknesses in web browsers or office software. More and more phishing attacks now involve trying to install ransomware that locks up a computer until the ... (view more)

The FBI has asked businesses for urgent help dealing with a new form of ransomware. The attack is designed to compromise an entire network, rather than just a single computer. Ransomware is a form of malware that damages a computer in a way that's ... usually reversible - but only by the malware creators. Commonly it involves encrypting files or even an entire hard drive so that they can't be accessed without a key, which is only provided when the victim hands over a fee. Last month the FBI put out a warning of a form of ransomware dubbed MSIL/Samas.A. It targets a security vulnerability ... (view more)

The FBI says it may be able to unlock the San Bernadino shooter's phone without Apple's help. But it's refusing to reveal details of its apparent solution. Apple recently refused to comply with an order to assist law enforcement officials with ... unlocking the phone, leading to a planned courtroom hearing this week. The FBI then asked for the case to be put on hold until next month, saying it wanted to investigate a method it discovered this past weekend that may make Apple's help irrelevant. The argument isn't about decrypting the data on the phone, something that's ... (view more)

Some of the biggest tech firms have joined together to call for new standards that could make emails more secure. The proposals have gone to the Internet Engineering Task Force, which develops voluntary but widely used technical standards for the ... Internet. These days around 30 percent of Internet traffic from North American users is encrypted, meaning that if somebody intercepts it on route, they'll struggle to be able to read it. That figure is expected to jump to 60 percent this year, though that's largely a quirk caused by a change in policy by Netflix. In any case, it's now ... (view more)

An estimated 11 million secure websites could be vulnerable to hackers exploiting a security bug. Amazingly, the bug has to do with technology that is over 20 years old. There's little, if anything website visitors can do as the bug needs fixing by ... site operators. However, it is possible to check if a site appears to be vulnerable. The bug has been dubbed Drown, a name rather tenuously derived from "Decrypting the RSA algorithm with Obsolete and Weakened eNcryption." Researchers who uncovered the bug aren't publishing the precise details. At the moment it's not known if ... (view more)

ASUS has agreed to government supervision for 20 years after exaggerating the security of its routers. Officials say the company put hundreds of thousands of computers at risk. The company has agreed to a settlement in response to Federal Trade ... Commission (FTC) charges. The alleged breach of rules wasn't in the security flaws themselves, but rather that ASUS continuing to market the routers as "safe" was misleading to customers. Among ASUS's bold claims was that its routers could "protect computers from any unauthorized access, hacking, and virus attacks." This ... (view more)

Tech company leaders are backing Apple in its defiance of a court order to make it easier for the FBI to access a murderer's iPhone. However, a poll shows public support for officials despite Apple's claims that the order threatens security. The ... case involves a phone belonging to Syed Farook who, along with his wife, shot dead 14 people in California last December. He was killed in a police shootout, but the FBI wants to examine his phone to see if it contains any details about the planning of the attacks and links to terrorist groups. FBI Needs More Than 10 Password Attempts The ... (view more)

A California hospital has been unable to use its computer system for more than a week thanks to a ransomware attack. The hackers are said to be demanding more than $3 million in return for returning access. The Hollywood Presbytarian Medical Center ... has confirmed the attack but is keeping many of the details quiet. Local news outlets say it doesn't appear any personal data has been compromised and no patients have been put at medical risk. However, the attack has been highly disruptive. Staff are having to register new patients and update medical records on paper. Some patients and family ... (view more)