Items tagged with Passwords
Has it been a long time since you've changed up your passwords? Now is a good time to think about doing so. A hacker or band of hackers obtained the login credentials of 45 million Internet users spread across 1,100 websites and communities, including many major and popular online destinations such as Motorcycle.com...
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It doesn't matter who you are or how much money you make, if you don't practice good security habits on the web you're likely to get hacked. Case in point, Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire whiz kid and co-founder of Facebook, the most popular social media site on the planet, had his Twitter and Pinterest accounts...
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Using passwords as a form of security may not be long for this world, not if Google gets its way. The Mountain View outfit's ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects) division is hard at work on Project Abacus, a scheme that relies on biometric data to determine a person's identity rather than relying on traditional...
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Internet and computer security is a very complex field that continues to challenge even the experts as new compromises and hacks are developed, discovered and exploited. However, password security, you would think is a pretty simple, straight-forward topic. Drop in a string of characters that are hard to guess and crooks and hackers looking
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Password security is one of those things you either have or you don't. If you're password is a combination of alphanumeric characters and symbols with varying punctuation, congratulations, you're in much better shape than the guy who uses "12345," the same as found on his luggage. That said, traditional password input...
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Some Amazon shoppers report having received an email from the online retailer to let them know that their passwords have been reset. Usually that's cause for concern, such as a security breach -- something that's become all too common as of late -- but in this case Amazon says it's simply being cautious.
If that's...
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Jan Souček, a security researcher from Prague, has uncovered a vulnerability in the security of the iOS Mail application that nefarious types can deploy against users of the app to gain access to their iCloud passwords.
The method published by Souček illustrates how an email can be sent to the hapless victim that...
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Like something out of a sci-fi movie, researchers from Binghamton University just published a study on the use of brain signals to replace traditional means of logging into secure accounts, such passwords, fingerprint reading, and even fancy retina scans. What the researchers found is that your brain responds to...
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At this point, the resetting of a mobile phone to a from-the-factory state is something we have all done, perhaps simply to get a fresh start with a device that has become sluggish and over-burdened with years of downloaded flotsam. But more likely, we do it for the purpose of selling the phone or passing it along to...
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Slack, the fast-growing startup previously known as Tiny Speck, has rolled out an optional two-factor authentication feature in response to a recent hacker attack. The company confirmed there was unauthorized access to its database containing user profile information, and though it was quick to respond and made...
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Attention all eBay users, go ahead and change your password to the auction site. Like, right now -- we'll wait. Take your time, we'll be here when you get back. Finished? Good! Don't worry, it wasn't an arbitrary exercise -- eBay later today will be sending out emails and posting notices asking you to change your...
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To those of you who are using "password" to secure an account, you can rest slightly easier at night knowing that it longer tops the list of worst passwords. Two-time runner up "123456" has taken the dishonor of being the most common used password found on the Internet, giving the six-character combination the...
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If you’re responsible about managing passwords for your email and other online accounts, you’re probably juggling a bunch of memorized passwords or using software that stores them for you. The FIDO Alliance wants to make online passwords a thing of the past and have us providing our credentials via pluggable devices, thumbprints,...
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Sony's been the target of more than one high profile hacker attack in the past few years, so it's understandable if the company is a bit on edge. To underscore that point, Sony Europe recently took the "precautionary measure" of resetting passwords for some PlayStation Network users in which irregularly activity was...
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These days, the old "when, not if" saying applies to websites getting hacked just as much as it does for the likelihood of getting into a car accident. LivingSocial is the latest site to fall victim to an attack, but the Amazon-backed company has clearly learned from the mistakes of others and rushed to get out in...
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Spammers are changing tactics, and Google is trying to get the word out. These days, the bad guys are using hijacked accounts to launch their scams. By now, spam filters can spot old-school spam mail with reliability, but it’s harder to snag emails that appear to be from your friends – both for the filter...
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There are some basic rules to follow when selecting a password. For example, while we're sure your significant other is a fine person, using their name as your password is a terrible idea. Same goes for your son's birthday. The object is to select a series of characters and symbols that's nigh impossible to guess, but it doesn't stop there....
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Most of us have dozens of passwords to remember, including for multiple email accounts, Google, Facebook, online banking and credit card accounts, services like Dropbox and Evernote, and on and on, and it’s simply a pain. It can be difficult to create a strong password that you’ll actually remember, and...
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Maybe it's because all the script kiddies are out of school for the summer, or perhaps there's something in the water that's to blame for the recent rash of hacker attacks. Whatever the reason, security breaches are once again starting to pile up. Following on the heels of a hack attack that compromised the passwords...
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Yesterday, there were rumors aplenty that around 6.5 million LinkedIn passwords were stolen and posted on a Russian hacker forum, where the poster presumably was looking for some help decrypting them. LinkedIn, by way of a blog post by CEO Vicente Silveira, has confirmed that at least some of the leaked passwords belong to LinkedIn accounts....
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Kudos to California's state Assembly for passing a bill that would make it illegal for employers to pry Facebook usernames and passwords from employees and potential job candidates. Assembly Bill 1844, sponsored by Assemblywoman Nora Campos (D-San Jose), would put all private content on social networks out of reach of...
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Whether true or not, Apple’s Mac OSX is typically perceived as being more secure than Windows. But according to Passware, Inc., a leading maker of password recovery and e-Discovery software for Federal and State agencies, law enforcement, and military organizations, among many other corporate clients, OSX has its fair share of vulnerabilities...
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