(in)Secure

Cyber security has rapidly evolved from a minor concern to a serious problem. Breaches routinely expose our personal data, making it hard to know what and who we can trust. Even governments are frequently victims, and perpetrators, of major hacks.

The news breaks so quickly that it’s almost impossible to keep track of it all. (in)Secure, a weekly column, follows the trends, and screw-ups, you need to know about. We’ll touch on topics ranging from the laws behind cyber security, to the latest major breaches, to new methods that can help keep your data safe or, at least, minimize the damage.

Is your PC safe? Foreshadow is the security flaw Intel should have predicted

By Kevin Parrish - Fri August 17, 2018

How A.I. can defeat malware that doesn’t even exist yet

By Jon Martindale - Fri August 3, 2018
Recent Stories
ASRock X10 IoT Router
Computing

WPA3, the third generation of Wi-Fi security, has one giant flaw: You

WPA3 is set to improve security on wireless networks for everyone who connects to them with compatible hardware. But it's not a silver bullet. Hackers have already figured out its biggest weakness and it's probably you.
Posted — By Jon Martindale
Spectre Meltdown
Computing

Intel and AMD may never make a CPU we can fully trust, but others might

Fixes for speculative exploits like Spectre and Meltdown comes with problems of their own. But a new approach could simply make them redundant as potential attacks without drawbacks, while making the whole system more secure.
Posted — By Jon Martindale
brave browser
Computing

The internet’s free-wheeling spirit is dying, and we have malware to thank

An indirect effect of the modern malware landscape is that it's forcing us to use an increasingly narrow field of services to keep ourselves safe. But what does that mean for new, more varied application alternatives?
Posted — By Jon Martindale
smishing example on phone
Computing

Smishing sounds funny, but it’s a serious threat to your phone’s security

We all know phishing is a huge security problem, but most people still believe it’s a problem limited to email. According to new reports, however, phishing scams are attempting to exploit your trust in text messages.
Posted — By Luke Larsen
quantum xchanges john prisco
Computing

Quantum computers could break encryption, so it’s going quantum too

Quantum computers could defeat conventional encryption, but that doesn’t mean our data is doomed. Quantum encryption can be used for defense. We spoke to John Prisco, CEO of Quantum Xchange, about how quantum keys will keep us safe.
Posted — By Matthew S. Smith
adware doctor mac app store
Computing

Apple’s unsafe Mac App Store is simply inexcusable

Multiple reports have indicated top apps in the Mac App Store have been stealing sensitive data right. Not only did Apple fail to properly vet them, it ignored warnings from security researchers for weeks. Is a safe app store too much to…
Posted — By Luke Larsen
Faxploitation printer
Computing

Faxploitation: Hackers can use old-school printers to invade your home network

You likely don’t give much thought to printers and fax machines. But a group of researchers recently showed hackers can fax their way into a network and make it out with whatever data they wanted.
Posted — By Luke Larsen
yahoo mail blocks users install ad blockers browsers part test
Computing

Garbage to gold: How Yahoo unethically sells your spam email

Think you’re safe from Yahoo’s unethical data mining practices because it’s not your primary email account? As it turns out, Yahoo knows you use it for spam -- and it's turning a quick buck on your junk mail anyways.
Posted — By Luke Larsen
Fortnite v-bucks scam warning
Computing

What does that high score cost you? Why one in five gamers falls victim to fraud

Financial fraud is a problem for many industries, but as micro-transactions become more commonplace in gaming, fraud is proving problematic for developers and gamers alike.
Posted — By Jon Martindale
Intel Chip being removed from a computer panel
Computing

Is your PC safe? Foreshadow is the security flaw Intel should have predicted

Three new processor vulnerabilities have appeared under the 'Foreshadow' banner. They're similar in nature to Meltdown and Spectre, only they steal data from different memory spaces. Here's everything you need to know.
Posted — By Kevin Parrish
outlook email
Computing

Just when you thought spam was dead, it’s back and worse than ever

Spam emails might seem like an outdated way to spread malware, but in 2018 they are proving to be the most effective attack vector thanks to new techniques and tricks.
Posted — By Jon Martindale
malwarebytes laptop
Computing

How A.I. can defeat malware that doesn’t even exist yet

Cylance Smart Antivirus is a brand new consumer protection application that claims to only need its AI machine learning algorithm to protect you. Can ditching signatures really make for a safer future?
Posted — By Jon Martindale
Cybersecurity Pay-and-Pray
Computing

Pay-n-pray cybersecurity isn’t working. What if we just paid when it works?

Companies and individuals sink loads of money into cybersecurity each year, and yet with each passing month, the situation seems to worsen. Area 1 Security has a new philosophy -- and it could totally change the game.
Posted — By Luke Larsen
Mark Zuckerberg Tagged
Computing

Facebook wants to own your face. Here’s why that’s a privacy disaster

(in)Secure is a weekly column that dives into the rapidly escalating topic of cybersecurity. Scanning your face is easier than remembering a password, that’s for sure. But while facial recognition technology has gone mainstream with…
Posted — By Luke Larsen
how to enable new gmail updates sq2
Computing

People are reading your email. Here’s how to make them stop

The contents of your email are no private, at least not to third party applications that connect to Gmail. That should be enough to worry most people. Here's how to know exactly who is reading your email and how to turn them away.
Posted — By Luke Larsen
Linksys WRT3200 ACM router review
Computing

After 14 years, a new generation of Wi-Fi security is coming. Here’s what to know

Wireless security rarely gets as big an upgrade as WPA3 will bring about. As new hardware begins to support it, we should see much better password protections for all Wi-Fi users whether at home or in public.
Posted — By Jon Martindale
Samsung Fingerprint Sensor Login Biometric
Computing

Improving security means killing the password, but that battle has just begun

Although password use is in decline, switching to biometrics or machine-learning algorithms may not be enough to fix our digital security woes. We need to change the way we store login credentials, as well.
Posted — By Jon Martindale
how mastercard is making real money more like bitcoin insecure 1
Computing

Why Mastercard is ripping a page from Bitcoin’s book

Mastercard's new blockchain patent seeks to put an end to credit card skimmers and make money safer. Regardless of what you think of cryptocurrency, the largest financial institutions are transforming real money to become more like it every…
Posted — By Luke Larsen