data

United States officials believe Iran is responsible for a string of recent cyber attacks on American banks. They say the sophistication of the attacks and the hacks' aim of disrupting services rather than stealing cash both suggest government rather ... than private activity. The attacks have been coming since September and have disrupted the online services of many U.S. banking institutions, including Bank of America, BB ... (view more)

Facebook has implemented changes designed to simplify users control over their privacy on the site. The move follows complaints about, and even a government investigation into, the site's treatment of its members' personal data. According to ... Facebook, the changes are intended to improve privacy three ways: giving information when most needed; showing how data will appear; and improving removal of data that is already online. (Source: fb.com ) Privacy Information Easy to Find Because of the changes, you need no longer hunt through settings pages to find the most relevant privacy options. A ... (view more)

A group of hackers has gained access to an Australian medical center's electronic patient records. Until they receive a cash payout, the hackers say they won't relinquish control of the information. It's relatively common for hackers to access ... sensitive data and then threaten to expose it unless a victim pays up. There have been several cases where scammers have remotely installed viruses on computers, then threatened to wipe the hard drive of all its stored data unless they receive hefty payments. But this case, involving the Miami Family Medical Center (MFMC), is different. Rather than ... (view more)

We have received several technical inquiries much like this one from a long-time Infopackets subscriber: "Dear Infopackets: I have converted to Windows 8 and am getting along OK. But I'm worried about losing my data if this new operating system ... should contain a bad bug that hasn't yet been discovered. I knew what to do for data recovery in Windows 7, now I'm lost. You offered me lots of good information in the past, so I'm hoping now you can tell me how to do data recovery in Windows 8. Thanks, Charlene F." My Response: Few people have reported major problems with Windows 8 so far ( ... (view more)

A federal court has ruled that major cellphone carriers must let their smaller rivals use their data networks. This could mean more competitive deals and better coverage for smartphone and tablet owners, as well as those accessing mobile broadband ... on a laptop. The United States Court of Appeals has rejected a challenge by Verizon, thereby upholding an earlier ruling by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The original ruling primarily covered data roaming, the technique by which customers of one cellphone carrier access the data services of another carrier. The FCC had said that ... (view more)

News Flash May 7, 2013: Spring has sprung, and here at Infopackets we're cleaning up on some great savings. Act now and save a sizzling 40% to 70% off Ashampoo's flagship software, Burning Studio 12 -- both full and upgrade versions! The offer is ... good only until May 22, 2013, so don't delay. To help you decide, we've compiled a full review of Burning Studio 12, with links to this great discount offer you'll find at the bottom of the page . Don't forget: proceeds if this sale support our website, staff, and writers. We appreciate your support! Confusion Now Eliminated; Burning Discs Made Easy ... (view more)

A new security technique could completely prevent hackers from intercepting data communications. The technique involves hiding an encryption key inside the same light that travels through standard fiber optic cables. The technique, known as quantum ... key distribution, uses a small amount of data as a key for decrypting much larger quantities of data. Quantum key distribution conveys the encryption key in the form of photons, the fundamental elements of visible light. Polarized photons can be used to indicate a 0 or a 1 -- standard computer binary code -- which is enough to carry any digital ... (view more)

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says an Internet firm claiming it collected only shopper opinions about the products they bought was actually collecting personal data. The firm, Compete, is negotiating a court-approved settlement of the charges. ... So far, the punishment the company will face has not been publicly revealed. Compete used online ads to recruit customers into its "Consumer Input Panel", telling them they can give their opinions and win prizes. To participate, however, consumers needed to install special tracking software on their computers to monitor what websites they visited. ... (view more)

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has banned several companies from using spy software on computers they rent out. The banned software not only logged users' keystrokes but unobtrusively accessed the computers' webcams. PC Rental Agent is the ... software that appears to have been used in more than 400,000 "leasable" computers around the world, including those rented out by 1,617 rent-to-own stores in North America and Australia. (Source: ftc.gov ) The software is ostensibly designed to track down computers when rental customers disappear with the machines. However, the FTC has ... (view more)

Business groups are objecting to government proposals to restrict the way websites collect data about children. However, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly prepared to disregard that opposition. Back in early August the commission ... announced its proposed changes, designed to bring old rules (written in the 1980s) up-to-date. Advertisers Forced Into Major Changes The new rules dramatically change how online advertising works. Under the new scheme, advertisers could no longer show children behavioral ads, which are selected based on the child's browsing history. In addition, for ... (view more)