Last minute geek

1. Eminent psychologists condemn "emotion detection" systems as being grounded in junk science
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... about "micro-expressions" that are below the threshold of human detection, though some vendors have made billions getting security agencies to let them train officers in "behavior detection" grounded in ...

2. Equifax reportedly close to $700 million data breach settlement
(English/engadget)

Remember that time Equifax had a data breach and leaked an incredible amount of information -- addresses, social security numbers and even driver's licenses -- on more than 143 million people in the ...

3. Anti-vaxxer escalates from wishing children dead to threatening to kill adult lawmakers
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

A Pentagon cybersecurity contractor threatened to murder Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) if she advanced a bill to vaccinate children in public schools, The Daily Beast reports today. Yes, we are in a dystopian ...

4. Slack resets passwords for users who haven't updated since 2015 Slack Hack
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... our investigation continued, we determined that the majority of compromised credentials were from accounts that logged in to Slack during the 2015 security incident," Slack said. While the batch of compromised ...

5. Microsoft demos its bid at creating 'secure' voting systems
(English/engadget)

Microsoft is keen to show that its election security system is more than just a theoretical exercise. The company has demonstrated the first voting system to use its ElectionGuard tech, promising a vote ...

6. Keyport OmniFob, Ennercell wireless charger, Mokibo keyboard, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns
(English/the-gadgeteer)

... Smart Remote Fob – Home / Auto / Security / Locator What is it? The OmniFob is a … Keyport OmniFob, Ennercell wireless charger, Mokibo keyboard, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns Read ...

7. This top-rated password manager helps keeps your logins secure
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... the real strength of this service: Security. All that data gets digitally encrypted and locked down, accessible with two-factor authentication in your choice of methods: TOTP, Face ID, fingerprint, or ...

8. Bulgarian tax agency breach may have compromised 5 million people
(English/engadget)

Bulgaria's government is dealing with a massive security breach that might have affected almost all adult residents' information. According to Reuters, the country's finance minister has ...

9. Hackers broke into Sprint accounts through Samsung's website
(English/engadget)

Sprint's security team is having a very, very lousy 2019. On top of the earlier Boost Mobile breach, the carrier has revealed that hackers obtained "unauthorized access" to an unspecified ...

10. There's another macOS update to fix Zoom security exploits
(English/engadget)

Apple is still working to plug the holes created by a security exploit recently discovered in video conferencing app Zoom. According to The Verge, Apple quietly pushed out a security update for macOS that ...

11. US Treasury has 'serious concerns' Libra could be used for terrorism
(English/engadget)

The US government views cryptocurrencies, including Facebook-backed Libra, as a national security issue. In a press conference today, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the Treasury Department has ...

12. CNN: WikiLeaks' Julian Assange got 'new computing & network hardware,' maybe hacked 2016 election data, in weird Ecuador embassy meetings
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... operatives,” reports CNN. Excerpt from the CNN report: These stunning details come from hundreds of surveillance reports compiled for the Ecuadorian government by UC Global, a private Spanish security ...

13. 6 gadgets that make traveling more secure
(English/the-gadgeteer)

... security. Whether it’s door locks, alarms, slash-proof bags or otherwise, some simple preventative measures could make the difference between … 6 gadgets that make traveling more secure Read More ...

14. Crowdfunding public access to the Social Security death index
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

The Social Security Administration has a tool for looking up deaths in the USA that took place within the past three years, but older deaths are in the Social Security Death Master File (aka Death Index); ...

15. 10 deals this week that someone thought would make you shout
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

It's too hot for yard sales, but hey: The internet is here for you. Here are the top ten deals on some of the Boing Boing Store's best gear, just in time for summer. It's everything from grills to security ...

16. Computer password inventor Fernando Corbato dies at 93
(English/engadget)

Computer security just lost one of its founders. Fernando "Corby" Corbato, credited with inventing the computer password, has died at the age of 93. The MIT researcher devised the concept of ...

17. US Conference of Mayors adopts a resolution to never pay off ransomware attackers
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... IT security breach. Read the rest Read all  ...

18. TrickBot malware may have hacked 250 million email accounts
(English/engadget)

... since 2016. But according to cybersecurity firm Deep Insti... Read all  ...

19. Hardening Linux for Production Use
(English/Linuxtoday)

LinuxPro Magazine: To protect your production server from attacks, employ these common security tools to help safeguard your system. LinuxPro Magazine: To protect your production server from attacks, employ ...

20. Science offices throughout U.S. government closing under Trump at alarming rate
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... scientific, engineering, and technological aspects of the economy, national security, homeland security, health, foreign relations, the environment, and the technological recovery and use of resources, ...

21. Trump wants to fire DNI Dan Coats, eliminate 'unnecessary' Office of Director of National Intelligence: Axios
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... president and National Security Council, producing each day's top-secret Presidential Daily Brief. A source with direct knowledge told me that Trump has privately said he thinks the Office of the Director ...

22. Security camera shows Detroit cop causing serious road accident then detaining his victim
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

As Michigan State Police have it, 27-year old Carlos Martinez was at fault when his vehicle and one driven by an officer collided at a Detroit intersection. But security footage from a nearby porch has ...

23. FEC rules that campaigns can get discounts on cybersecurity
(English/engadget)

Political campaigns will need cybersecurity to avoid a repeat of the 2016 presidential election, but are often strapped for cash. The Federal Election Commission made a ruling today that will make it legal ...

24. A prolific credit-card theft ring is scanning for unsecured "buckets" in Amazon's cloud and has compromised 17,000 domains (so far)
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... errors that allow them to overwrite any Javascript files they find with credit-card stealing malware. Security researchers Riskiq have identified 17,000 domains that they say Magecart has compromised ...

25. Apple disables Walkie Talkie app for Apple Watch over eavesdropping vulnerability
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... are required to exploit it, we take the security and privacy of our customers extremely seriously. We concluded that disabling the app was the right course of action as this bug could allow someone to ...