Category: Security

Internet Security news and articles on the Privacy Online News blog from Private Internet Access VPN Service.
  • Jul 11, 2018 |
  • Derek Zimmer |
  • Linux, Open Source, Programming, Security,

Reproducible Builds – Solving an Old Open Source Problem to Improve Security

One of the billion-dollar problems in the world of computers is getting software to act reliably. Fundamentally, when software misbehaves, it leads to flaws that can impact performance, reliability and security. One of the best things about computers is that they do exactly what you tell them to do. One of the worst things about … Continue reading “Reproducible Builds – Solving an Old Open Source Problem to Improve Security”

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  • Jul 4, 2018 |
  • Derek Zimmer |
  • BitTorrent, Governments, Privacy, Security,

Oppression for Pennies – The Cost of Surveillance is Falling

Oppression for Pennies – The Cost of Surveillance is Falling If there’s one thing the Internet has taught us over the last 40 years, it is that information is power. The Internet has made and ruined careers, toppled corrupt regimes, made and broken millions of relationships, disrupted entire sectors of economies and created new markets … Continue reading “Oppression for Pennies – The Cost of Surveillance is Falling”

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RainClouds – The Case Against Cloud Computing Security

In the computing world, there’s always a new buzzword or trend that everyone chases as the next “big thing.” Software Defined Networks (SDNs) will replace most network technicians. Augmented Reality will be a part of our daily lives. Everyone will have a 3-D TV by 2020. Who needs an audio jack on their phone? Quantum … Continue reading “RainClouds – The Case Against Cloud Computing Security”

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  • Jun 22, 2018 |
  • Glyn Moody |
  • Governments, News, Privacy, Security,

Maybe “smart” devices are too clever: they know all about your Facebook friends, and can spy on you and your family

The Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed the power of psychological profiling and hyper-targeted advertising based on personal data collected and stored by Facebook. As it became aware of these privacy violations, Facebook tightened up the rules governing what data the apps running on its platform could access. However, in a further blow to Facebook’s reputation as … Continue reading “Maybe “smart” devices are too clever: they know all about your Facebook friends, and can spy on you and your family”

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  • May 28, 2018 |
  • Glyn Moody |
  • Governments, News, Privacy, Security,

In China’s footsteps: Amazon and US schools normalize automatic facial recognition and constant surveillance

Amazon has developed a powerful cloud-based facial recognition system called “Rekognition”, which has major implications for privacy. It is already being used by multiple US police forces to carry out surveillance and make arrests, the ACLU has learned. Amazon claims that Rekognition offers real-time face matching across tens of millions of individuals held in a … Continue reading “In China’s footsteps: Amazon and US schools normalize automatic facial recognition and constant surveillance”

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If You Have a Comcast Xfinity Router, You Need to Install a VPN (Now)

If you lease an Xfinity router from internet service provider (ISP) Comcast, you need to install a VPN as soon as possible. According to security researchers Karan Saini and Ryan Stevenson, the telecom giant, which operates in 40 states as well as the District of Columbia, leaked router login informat through a website designed to … Continue reading “If You Have a Comcast Xfinity Router, You Need to Install a VPN (Now)”

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Your Cell Phone Carrier Is Selling Your Real-Time Location Data to Third Parties

All major cell phone carriers collect and sell their customers’ real-time location data to third-party advertisers, information disclosed in a recent court case has revealed. Krebs On Security even discovered that LocationS According to AndroidCentral, the case hearkens back to 2014 when a sheriff in Missouri began using a prison telecommunications service called “Securus” to … Continue reading “Your Cell Phone Carrier Is Selling Your Real-Time Location Data to Third Parties”

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  • May 9, 2018 |
  • Glyn Moody |
  • Governments, News, Privacy, Security,

Crypto backdoors are in the news again, and as bad for privacy as ever

VPNs are an indispensable part of online life, and they protect many aspects of privacy. But there’s a class of threats that VPNs can’t defend against: crypto backdoors, which allow even the strongest encryption to be bypassed. That’s why it’s important for everyone who cares about their privacy and security to be aware of any … Continue reading “Crypto backdoors are in the news again, and as bad for privacy as ever”

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Another day, another breach: At what point does storing passwords in plaintext become criminally negligent?

The third largest breach ever in Finland happened yesterday. Passwords were stored in plaintext. At T-Mobile Austria, they explain that of course they store the password in plaintext, but they have so good security so it’s nothing to worry about. At what point does this become criminally negligent? News of the Finnish breach (Google Translate) … Continue reading “Another day, another breach: At what point does storing passwords in plaintext become criminally negligent?”

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  • Mar 4, 2018 |
  • Caleb Chen |
  • Networking, News, Security,

Researchers detail new 4G LTE vulnerabilities allowing spoofing, tracking, and spamming

4G LTE isn’t nearly as secure or private as you think it is. Mobile privacy and security are both at risk. Researchers from Purdue University and the University of Iowa have released a new research paper detailing ten attacks on 4G LTE networks. Some attacks allow fake emergency alerts to be sent to a phone, … Continue reading “Researchers detail new 4G LTE vulnerabilities allowing spoofing, tracking, and spamming”

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