And they say politics can be a slow-moving system. Within hours of it being revealed that Apple has been tracking the location of iPhones since the release of iOS4, Senator Al Franken had written to Apple CEO Steve Jobs wanting answers. Writing that “there are numerous ways in which this information could be abused by criminals and bad …
security
iPhone Geo Data Row Rumbles On
The row about iPhone data logging rumbles on today. One security expert says your iPhone sends your location to Apple “twice a day” – and that you agreed to it (even if you didn’t realize it at the time).
Another says the data file at the center of the row is nothing new, and that Apple never gets its hands on it.
Hidden iPhone File Records Your Location Coordinates
That iPhone of yours has apparently been storing your whereabouts to a file that gets backed up every time you synchronize your phone with iTunes. The same happens if you’ve got a 3G-enabled iPad, too.
As detailed in a post on O’Reilly Radar, two developers discovered the following:
“All iPhones appear to log your location to a file
…
Wanna Know UK Nuclear Sub Secrets? Just Ask For The Redacted Version
Military officials in the British Ministry of Defense released a highly sensitive document about nuclear submarine security with key sections redacted simply by changing the background color from white to black.
The document was given an official release following a Freedom of Information request by anti-nuclear campaigners. Under …
Toshiba: This Hard Drive Will Self Destruct (if Stolen)
Greetings, friend. Has the following scenario happened to you?
After years of meticulously collecting multiple gigabytes of lolcat photos and hilarious e-mail forwards, you find that your house—er, garden-level studio apartment—has been broken into. The thieves seemingly take nothing.
And then you try to boot your …
Weakness in Skype Android App Can Expose Your Personal Info
Heads up on a recently revealed vulnerability in the popular Skype app for Android. While the app itself hasn’t been exposing anyone’s personal information, various rogue Android apps could theoretically exploit a weakness in how Skype handles things like your username, phone number, e-mail address, chat logs and more.
Apparently the …
Cyber Criminals Turning to Social Networks and Cell Phones
Cyber criminals are turning their attention to social networks and cell phones, according to this year’s Internet Security Report by Symantec.
It makes perfect sense, if you think about it. Just like pickpockets on the street, internet criminals are going to do better if they hang out where most people are.
A decade ago, that was …
Android Malware Outs App Pirates With Text Messages
Unscrupulous Android users are the target of a new malware app, which aims to humiliate software pirates by sending text messages to all their contacts.
The app is called Android.Walkinwat, and was reported by security firm Symantec. But unlike the two malware apps that appeared in the Android Market last month, this one is only …
Going to Copenhagen? Prepare to be Tracked via Wi-Fi
It’s a paranoid conspiracy theorist’s dream – well, nightmare, really – come true: officials are tracking the movement of visitors to Copenhagen International Airport in real time using their mobile and WiFi devices.
The New York Times has the story, and despite attempts to paint the whole thing as benign (movements are being tracked …
Security Firm RSA Suffers Computer Attack, Leaving Corporations Vulnerable
Thursday, the RSA Security division of EMC Corporation reported a security breach, potentially leaving many corporations and governments vulnerable who rely on its products.
In an open letter, the company revealed that the “advanced persistent threat” had managed to pull information from the company. According to CNET, these …
Twitter Boosts Security with Permanent HTTPS Support
First Google did it, then Facebook, and now Twitter’s following suit, adding an option to permanently shore up your account’s defenses courtesy the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, commonly abbreviated HTTPS.
Normally you type ‘http’ into your URL bar to conjure a website, but if you’ve ever used a service like online banking, you …
“Doodle 4 Google” Contest No Longer Needs Your Kid’s SSN
Good news everyone: Thanks to the protests of parents and other activists who were worried that Google was using children’s social security numbers for nefarious activities, kids no longer need to provide the last four digits in order to enter the Doodle 4 Google contest.
To recap, New York Magazine pointed out that the first five …