Week in review: Snapchat hack, backdoor in Linksys and Netgear routers, and SD memory card hacking
Here’s an overview of some of last week’s most interesting news, articles and reviews:
Researchers demonstrate SD memory card hacking
Security researchers Andrew “bunnie” Huang and Sean “xobs” Cross have demonstrated that the only way to be absolutely sure that no one will be able to extract data from a SD memory card you used is to physically destroy it.
Free guide: 5 Best practices for BYOD
This how-to guide from IT Harvest covers 5 Best Practices for BYOD and includes a checklist for developing flexible, yet secure BYOD policy.
Key trends in ransomware, evasion techniques and social attacks
McAfee Labs released a predictions report, analyzing 2013 trends through its Global Threat Intelligence (GTI) service to forecast the threat landscape for the coming year.
Four reasons why audits matter
In light of numerous security breaches that appear almost daily, it is easy to understand why clients, management, and boards of directors need additional assurance on the reliability and security of the information they report to stakeholders, customers, partners, and management. So how do these stakeholders gain the confidence in their systems? In short, formal independent third-party audits of key systems and controls are a step in the right direction.
Mariposa bot author sentenced to prison
Matjaz Skorjanc, a.k.a. Iserdo, was sentenced to four years and ten months in prison last week by the District Court in Maribor, Slovenia.
BYOD and biometrics in the enterprise – ally or enemy?
As smartphone capabilities evolve, the balance between “IT friend” and “IT foe” must be constantly re-evaluated. The advent of mainstream biometric technology in smartphones is a great example of how the tables might be turning. But what is the true potential of this technology for the enterprise?
Review: Social Media Security
Social media is a firm part of our daily lives. Individuals use it to network and share a variety of information, while companies use it to communicate with their customers. However, it’s not all great since social media brings also copious privacy and security concerns. While individuals tend to over share sensitive information, the enterprise treads on even more sensitive ground with a varied set of potential disasters.
Critical backdoor in Linksys and Netgear routers found
A backdoor in some Linksys and Netgear wireless routers that allows malicious users to reset the devices’ configuration to factory settings and, therefore, to default router administration username and password, has been discovered and its existence shared with the world.
OpenSSL site hack wasn’t the result of vulnerability exploitation
After a few days of speculations fuelled by a not clear enough explanation, the OpenSSL Foundation has confirmed that the late December defacement of its Openssl.org website happened because of insecure passwords, and not a vulnerability in VMware software.
Snapchat makes no apology for breach, announces app update
One good thing to come from the leak of usernames and phone numbers of some 4.6 million Snapchat users is that the company is now forced to patch the exploited vulnerabilities.