Apps and their permissions have been in the news recently, particularly in relation to tracking/privacy issues and Bluetooth. Why Bluetooth, though? What is it, and what is it doing to raise concerns in some security quarters? Bluetooth: your cool, then uncool, but mostly cool again cousin Bluetooth has had a slightly odd reputation down the years. Pre-smart phones, for many people it was … [Read more...]
June 30, 2020
June 18, 2020
Facial recognition: tech giants take a step back
Last week, a few major tech companies informed the public that they will not provide facial recognition software to law enforcement. These companies are concerned about the way in which their technology might be used. What happens when software that threatens our privacy falls into the hands of organization which we no longer trust? In general, being aware of tracking software causes a feeling … [Read more...]
June 17, 2020
End of line: supporting IoT in the home
Trouble is potentially brewing in Internet of Things (IoT) land, even if the consequences may still be a little way off. System updates and issues surrounding expiring certificates will pose problems for manufacturers and headaches for consumers. System updates for fun and profit One of the first mainstream collisions of putting updates out to pasture and angry device owners yelling “Why … [Read more...]
June 16, 2020
VPNs: should you use them?
We are going to talk today about something you’ve likely heard of before: VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks. We at Malwarebytes have delved into these tools in greater depth, and we’ve literally discussed them on the digital airwaves. But we want to answer a question we’ve been getting more and more. Folks aren’t as curious about what a VPN is anymore, as they are about whether they should use … [Read more...]
June 15, 2020
A week in security (June 8 – 14)
Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we looked into nasty search hijackers that worried a lot of Chrome users; a list of considerations for MSPs when looking for an RMM platform; the complaint faced by ParetoLogic, the company that issues SpeedyPC, a product that claims to find and remove various PC errors; and a ransomware attack that affected car manufacturers like Honda and Enel. Other … [Read more...]
June 3, 2020
Teaching from home might become part of every teachers’ job description
“Hey Joe, I wanted to remind you that starting next Monday you will be expected to teach from home. The lesson material is in your inbox along with the list of pupils that are expected to follow them. We are sure it will take some adjustments, but we trust that by working together we can make the best of the current situation. If you have any questions, feel free to let us … [Read more...]
May 22, 2020
Going dark: encryption and law enforcement
UPDATE, 05/22/2020: In the advent of the EARN IT Act, the debate on government subversion of encryption has reignited. Given that the material conditions of the technology have not changed, and the arguments given in favor of the bill are not novel, we’ve decided to republish the following blog outlining our stance on the subject. Originally published July 25, 2017 We’re hearing it a lot … [Read more...]
May 7, 2020
Data privacy law updates eyed by Singapore
In early 2019, Singapore’s data privacy regulators proposed that the country’s data privacy law could use two new updates—a data breach notification requirement and a right of data portability for the country’s residents. The proposed additions are commonplace in several data privacy laws around the world, including, most notably, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, … [Read more...]
April 30, 2020
Cybersecurity and the economy: when recession strikes
Cybercrime and the economy have always been intertwined, but with COVID-19 on the road to causing a seemingly inevitable global recession, many are asking what, exactly, will the impact be on cybercrime. Will criminals step up and increase malware production, ramp up phishing attacks, do whatever it takes to pull in some cash? Or will it cause a little downturn in malware making and other dubious … [Read more...]
April 29, 2020
VPNs are mainstream, which is good news
Virtual private networks (VPNs) have been growing in popularity for the last three years, a notable trend revealed in a collaborative report [PDF] by Top10VPN and GlobalWebIndex. This year is no different. When a majority of the world’s internet users are in isolation due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the increase in VPN usage is likely and expected, especially with so many people moving … [Read more...]
