Intel’s McAfee buys Finnish firewall specialist Stonesoft for $389M
photo: Shutterstock / deepspacedave
Assuming the deal goes through, Intel will see a boost in the firewall, evasion prevention and SSL VPN parts of its portfolio. Read more »
Funding soars for security startups as cyberattacks keep coming
photo: Shutterstock / LeventeGyori
Venture capitalists are seeing all the headlines about cyberattacks, and they’re moving quickly to fund security startups that could solve problems. Read more »
Facebook puts a friendly spin on password security with launch of Trusted Contacts
As the issue of password security and online identity becomes more important than ever, Facebook has re-vamped its password security measures, allowing you to contact friends in case of trouble. Read more »
AP returns to Twitter after hack — but where are its 2 million followers?
The Twitter account of the Associated Press has been restored nearly 20 hours after it was suspended following a hacking incident. But, as of Wednesday morning, 95 percent of its followers are missing. Read more »
On big data, the Boston Marathon and civil liberties
photo: Shutterstock / Faraways
The FBI has amassed terabytes of data from sources near the terrorist attack that occured during the Boston Marathon. This raises a question about the role crowdsourcing could play in solving some crimes while protecting citizens’ privacy. Read more »
ACLU: Carriers leave consumers exposed by withholding Android updates
Carriers and handset makers have long made Android updates a patchwork process, leading to long delays in new getting new OS updates. The ACLU claims that practice poses big cybersecurity risks. Read more »
Searching for document hidden in multiple clouds? Simplexo wants to help you with that
photo: Simplexo
Employees use multiple cloud services, and IT wants document security. Enter Simplexo with its SearchYourCloud software for encryption and searching across multiple cloud storage services. Read more »
Secure cloud storage outfit Tresorit posts $10K hacker bounty
The Hungarian firm is trying to set itself apart from rivals by inviting hackers to do their worst on its cryptography. GigaOM readers can also get a free 50GB account for life. Read more »
What you need to know about the world’s biggest DDoS attack
At peak traffic of 300Gbps, the Spamhaus attack is probably unprecedented. But has it really had as big an effect as is suggested in some reports? Here’s what’s going on. Read more »
As OpenDNS focuses on security, investors offer a Series B
OpenDNS has transitioned from providing only domain name servers to offering a security product designed with insecure mobile devices accessing corporate networks in mind. Now it has raised an undisclosed Series B. Read more »
Apple does the two-step: new layer of security added to Apple ID, iCloud
The company introduced two-step authentication for Apple ID and iCloud accounts on Thursday. Read more »
Did British spies shoot down BlackBerry 10 for security reasons? Not quite
Both BlackBerry and the UK intelligence services have denied reports that the Z10 and its BlackBerry 10 software have been nixed for governmental use due to security fears. Read more »
Don’t blame security breaches on open source technology – the problem is lack of oversight
photo: pryzmat/Shutterstock.com
Open source software is an easy punching bag when security breaches arise. But getting rid of open source isn’t the answer — it is too valuable. Instead, we need to take some key steps to ensure the security of components throughout development. Read more »
IoT podcast: When devices can talk, will they conspire against you?
photo: smartthings
We chat with Alex Hawkinson, the CEO of SmartThigns on the problems and possibilities of the internet of things. Some of his use cases will surprise you. Read more »
Hacking Sand Hill: How the cloud will help security startups lure VCs
photo: alexmillos/Shutterstock.com
Online security is big business, and is only increasing as private data moves to the public cloud. So while it’s a tough market to break into, there are also great opportunities for focused startups. Read more »
Can evil data scientists fool us all with the world’s best spam?
Just when you thought spam was under control, a new breed of spammers is taking up new methods to infiltrate our inboxes, search results and social media feeds. Data science could make them very effective. Read more »
Site used in malware attack on Apple, Facebook explains how it happened
photo: Shutterstock / deepspacedave
The owner of the website that was used to launch hacking attacks on Apple and Facebook explains how his site was compromised. Read more »
Apple says some employee computers were breached by hackers
photo: Shutterstock / mkabakov
They found their way in through a vulnerability in Java. But the company says there is no evidence that “any data left Apple.” Read more »
The Hacker Way runs both directions: Facebook suffers from a malware attack
photo: Facebook / Matt Harnack
A malicious hacker group infiltrated the confines of Facebook’s corporate network last month, the company revealed on Friday. Facebook said that the threat was contained and there is no evidence of any user data being compromised. Read more »
Security startup Nok Nok Labs wants to rid the world of passwords
photo: Nok Nok Labs
Fingerprinting, voice recognition and even a glance in a smartphone camera could become the standard for user authentication in cloud applications if a new security protocol from Nok Nok Labs takes off. Read more »
Which apps will drain your battery and data plan? Verizon’s got a list
Verizon is now reviewing iPhone and Android apps, but not based on how fun or useful they are. It’s concerned about the resources they consume, which means Facebook and many popular games get docked. Read more »
Where Kim Dotcom and Mega have the edge on Dropbox and Box.net
Alleged pirate Kim Dotcom’s latest venture, Mega, tackles cloud storage. Whatever Dotcom’s motives, Andy Manoske, of GGV Capital, says his startup is bringing a much-needed upgrade to security standards for the cloud storage business. Read more »
Group calls on Skype to release a Google-like transparency report
After Microsoft bought Skype, some were concerned about the security of their Skype calls. Microsoft did little to assuage those concerns, so a group of human rights organizations and journalists are demanding more transparency. Read more »
Is it too easy for your cloud provider to snoop on your business?
photo: fotohunter/Shutterstock.com
Without needing to snoop, your cloud provider has access to crucial data about your business. Allan Leinwand, of ServiceNow, says that’s why you may need a Chinese Wall between you and your cloud provider. Read more »
Apple disables Java 7 OS X plug-in after security threat found
photo: Flickr/spcbrass
Apple stopped developing Java for OS X in late 2010 and no longer includes it as pre-installed software on new Macs. But for those who manually installed the plug-in, Apple has blocked Java 7 for now. Read more »
Nokia: Yes, we decrypt your HTTPS data, but don’t worry about it
The company has confirmed that the Xpress Browser used on its Asha and Lumia handsets does route HTTPS traffic via its servers, temporarily decrypting it as it does so. However, Nokia maintains that it wouldn’t access complete unencrypted information. Read more »
Healthcare needs a lesson in cybersecurity 101, report says
The rise of electronic health records, other digital health platforms and connected devices has made healthcare more vulnerable to security breaches almost any other industry, according to a recent investigation by The Washington Post. Read more »
Dropbox, Google Drive get in-browser security boost through BoxCryptor plugin
It’s very much an alpha product for now, but BoxCryptor’s Chrome plugin promises in-browser, client-side encryption and decryption for commonly-used cloud storage services. Read more »
1Password update for iOS adds better syncing, browsing
With its latest release of 1Password, AgileBits has taken user feedback to heart and really enhanced an already great product: a total overhaul of the look and feel and user interface makes it much easier to use. Read more »
6 ways big data is helping reinvent enterprise security
photo: Shutterstock / mkabakov
What’s true in the rest of the world is true for security software, as well: more data means more intelligence. Thanks to the emergence of new techniques for storing, collecting and analyzing data, there’s a new wave of security companies looking smarter than ever. Read more »
EMC buys big-data-plus-security startup Silver Tail
EMC is beefing up its RSA security division with the planned acquisition of big-data-focused startup Silver Tail Systems. The company’s software detects malicious activity by monitoring and analyzing site visitors’ behavior in order to determine whether it’s harmless or potentially harmful. The company claims multiple large […] Read more »
It’s time to take election voting online
photo: Image courtesy of Flickr user Lower Columbia College
Identity fraud, hanging chads, voter list purges: such analog issues don’t belong in the digital age. Ori Eisen of online security firm 41st Parameter says we can cure those ills and increase voter turnouts, too, by dragging our voting system into the 21st century. Read more »
Spectrum sharing opens a potential attack route
Thanks to a recent government report, the idea of spectrum sharing between federal agencies and consumer broadband applications is gaining ground. But before we encourage sharing, we should ask tough questions about security. Can we share our airwaves without compromising them? Read more »
Why nobody really wants to get to the bottom of China, ZTE and Huawei
The U.S. Congress is set to release a report that tells U.S. firms not to buy gear from Chinese telecoms vendors Huawei and ZTE. But is the report a real assessment of a threat or just economic protectionism? Here’s how we might be able to tell. Read more »
One line of HTML can wipe or reset Samsung smartphones
photo: Shutterstock / 3Dstock
At a security conference a scary demonstration showed that a single line of HTML code can remotely wipe out a Samsung Galaxy S III handset. Worse: It appears to work on many Samsung smartphones that run TouchWiz, which is most of Samsung’s line of handsets. Read more »
The Apple Roundup: Don’t forget about the iPod
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: The iPhone 5 event will also include iPods, Apple’s winning event formula, the security expert who solved the Apple UDID mystery, more iPads in the air, and more. Read more »
Tips for integrating Documents in the Cloud into your life
I need a central place to store all my files, and Documents in the Cloud is an easy way for me to access them from any of my devices. Here’s a walk through how I’m using the software, as well as some pitfalls to avoid. Read more »
Accel pumps $50M into Tenable Network Security
photo: Shutterstock/kentoh
Some of the largest companies in the world use Tenable Network Security’s vulnerability-management software, and now the company has a $50 million investment from Accel Partners. Between its voluminous vulnerability database and its ability to track mobile devices, Tenable thinks it’s poised to grow even more. Read more »
Anonymous reminds Apple that UDIDs are creepy
The publication of 1 million unique iOS unique device identifiers serves as a reminder that Apple has not instituted a new anonymous identifier system for iOS devices that would not be tied to devices. Read more »
Mocana raises $25M to secure the enterprise app boom
photo: Mocana
Mocana, a startup that is dedicated to securing the Internet of things has raised $25 million in a Series D round led by Trident Capital. While securing devices is Mocana’s biggest business, the fastest growing product is Mocana’s solution for protecting mobile applications. Read more »
