14 iPhone apps covertly talking to suspect Golduck malware server

Security researchers say they’ve found more than a dozen iPhone apps covertly communicating with a server associated with Golduck, a historically Android-focused malware that infects popular classic game apps. The malware has been known about for over a year, after it was first discovered by Appthority infecting classic and retro games on Google Play, by …

$1 million may have been stolen from the Ethereum Classic blockchain in a “51%” hack attack

An attack on the Ethereum Classic blockchain may have helped hackers steal around $1.1 million worth of the currency from other users, according to popular cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. Ethereum what? Ethereum Classic is the original Ethereum blockchain. In 2016, to counter another, different kind of attack, Ethereum’s developers created a new version of the transaction history that returned …

Google announces Play Store policy to prevent intrusive Android apps accessing user call log and SMS data on devices

According to Google, only an app that has been selected as the phone’s default app for making calls or sending text messages will be able to access call logs and SMS data via the SMS and Call Log permissions. The new policy entered into effect yesterday. Android app developers have 90 days to update their …

Hackers force Thousands of Google Chromecast Devices, Smart TVs to play PewDiePie Videos

Thousands of Google’s Chromecast streaming adapters, Google Home smart speakers and smart TVs with built-in Chromecast technology were targeted by hackers Wednesday, who forced the devices to play a video of controversial YouTube star PewDiePie. The hack attack, which began Wednesday morning, took advantage of badly configured routers to find streaming devices exposed to the …

Microsoft releases Internet Explorer update to counter remote code execution flaw

Microsoft today issued an out-of-band security update to patch a critical zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer (IE) Web browser that attackers are already exploiting in the wild to hack into Windows computers. Discovered by security researcher Clement Lecigne of Google’s Threat Analysis Group, the vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2018-8653, is a remote code execution (RCE) flaw …

Just like the US, Huawei and ZTE 5G banned from Japanese govt computers

Japan’s government has issued instructions Monday effectively banning China’s Huawei and ZTE from official contracts, while the country’s top three telecom operators plan to follow suit, Japanese media reported Monday.  As if 5G equipment bans from the United States, Australia, and New Zealand weren’t enough this year, Huawei will end 2018 on an even worse …

Received an email about compromising browsing history? Its a SCAM, don’t fall for it

Have you recieved an email lately about your compromising browsing history? It is a huge scam, here is a true story from a BBC reporter. Don’t get pawned Thousands of people all over the world have been receiving sextortion emails from scammers. They’re different from garden-variety scam emails because they often include a hacked password …

Will physical security keys kill off need for passwords?

In 2012, Wired‘s Matt Honan wrote about the disastrous consequences of tying your entire digital life to a string of letters, digits, and symbols. Honan is just one of countless people whose online accounts were hijacked after hackers discovered their passwords; the list of victims also contains high-profile tech executives, including Mark Zuckerberg. The need …

Nominet suspends 32,000 .Uk domains in a crackdown on criminal use

Responsible for running and keeping the .UK internet infrastructure secure, Nominet has today given an update on .UK domains suspended for criminal activity over the 12 months to October 2018. Nominet suspends domains following notification from the police or other law enforcement agencies that the domain is being used for criminal activity. The criminality report …

We Care Initiative launched by GSMA in response to online child protection

Kenya’s mobile operators, regulator and government recently came together to support a major GSMA initiative aimed at ensuring a safe online environment for children and young citizens in Kenya. The Charter is backed by the Communications Authority (CA) of Kenya and the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology. We Care was launched in Latin America …