John Lister

US government officials have flatly denied having any advance knowledge of the Heartbleed bug . The bug, which has already been exploited by hackers, has resulted in exposed social security numbers of the Canada Revenue Agency and other personal ... data. It's estimated that the bug affects approximately six percent of all websites world-wide. Now, it's emerged that US spies who discover security bugs are sometimes allowed to exploit them, rather than warn the public of any imminent dangers. A report by the Bloomberg news agency suggested the National Security Agency (NSA) knew about Heartbleed ... (view more)

A massive number of websites could be affected by a critical security flaw used in conjunction with web sites and web browsers. Experts suggest that all web users change their passwords to all major web sites (including banking, social media, etc) - ... but doing so comes with a number of caveats. The security flaw is related to SSL (secure sockets layer) and is expected to affect approximately six percent of all websites world-wide. According to a recent survey that reviewed approximately 959 million websites, "66% ... are powered by technology built around SSL, and that doesn't include ... (view more)

Google says the rate at which governments and other groups ask it to hand over user data has more than doubled in the past five years. However, a growing proportion of those requests are proving unjustified. The figures come from Google's ... twice-yearly Transparency Report, which it has been publishing since the second half of 2009. Back then it received a total of 12,539 requests in six months. That figure has risen in every period and the latest data, covering the second half of 2013, shows 27,477 requests. Since the first report, the number of requests made by governments has increased ... (view more)

Google says it is going to mediation over claims it unlawfully scanned the contents of emails for advertising purposes. It's a surprise move, considering that Google recently won a major court victory over the affair. The legal dispute centers on ... the fact that Google's computers scan through the contents of email messages sent via its free Gmail service. Google then uses keywords that appear in messages to produce advertisements that appear alongside the message in the user's inbox. As an example: if you received a message from a friend mentioning an upcoming golf game, you might ... (view more)

Politicians in California are to consider a proposed law that would give drivers more control over what happens to data gathered in their high-tech cars. It's prompted a heated debate between driver clubs and automobile manufacturers. According to ... senator Bill Monning, around one in five new cars are designed to automatically send data to manufacturers. That proportion is expected to grow rapidly in the next 10 years as more cars integrate mobile technology and rely heavily on electronic control systems. (Source: latimes.com ) The type of data collected varies widely. In some cases it ... (view more)

Doctors in Britain have used a 3D printer to replace parts of the shattered face of a man who survived a serious motorbike crash. Although the surgery has only just taken place, Stephen Power's crash happened in 2012, where he spent four months ... unconscious in hospital. Mr. Power explained to the BBC that he broke his nose, jaw and both cheekbones in the crash, as well as his skull. Although he underwent several operations, surgeons had to act quickly to avoid breaking the bones around the eye socket and potentially causing major damage to his eyes. (Source: walesonline.co.uk ) After the ... (view more)

A major financial news outlet has accused Target of missing clear warning signals that it was being hacked and customer data put at risk. Target is the second largest discount retailer in the United States, next to Walmart. In December 2013, Target ... confirmed that hackers had stolen credit card data from 40 million customers. The attack happened approximately 19 days after American Thanksgiving (November 28, 2013). The theft not only affected customers who had used credit cards online, but in stores as well. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Target had already set up a security center in ... (view more)

A leaked set of documents reveals some additional changes planned for Windows 8 due next month. The changes are aimed at making the operating system easier to use with a mouse and keyboard, but without returning to the traditional Windows desktop ... interface. The free Windows 8 update will be officially released in April through Microsoft's Windows Update system. It will be known as Windows 8.1 Update 1 , a sign that the changes won't be as major as the previous update from version 8 to 8.1 (which was released October 2013). The details became public as Microsoft briefly made the update ... (view more)

Facebook is introducing new rules governing the way its users can offer to sell guns online its website. While it's not banning such posts altogether, Facebook is taking steps to ensure its users are complying with the law. According to Facebook ... policy chief Monika Bickert, the subject of gun sales means the site faces "a difficult challenge balancing individuals' desire to express themselves on our services, and recognizing that this speech may have consequences elsewhere." (Source: fb.com ) Facebook already has several policies on the sale of goods, which don't always ... (view more)

Computer researchers have created an 'airborne' computer virus that takes advantage of WiFi (wireless Internet) routers. The point of the study is to highlight the many ways in which wireless routers are open to abuse. The research studied wireless ... access points, and was completed by the University of Liverpool. Access points are electronic devices that relay information from a local wireless network to another (typically the Internet). For example: a PC or laptop connected to a wireless router (which is then connected to the Internet) would be considered an access point. The goal of ... (view more)