Andrew Blake

Rupert Murdoch raises encryption concerns: ‘Vast majority want safety over privacy’

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has endorsed Republican presidential contender Lindsey Graham's stance on encryption after the former South Carolina senator said American tech businesses should stop allowing customers to communicate in secret.

December 11, 2015

Hacker group Anonymous to Donald Trump: ‘You have been warned’

Hacktivists involved with the Anonymous movement said recently in a video that they've begun a cyber campaign against GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump for his proposed moratorium on Muslims entering the U.S., and they have taken credit for briefly disrupting a website affiliated with the real estate mogul.

December 11, 2015

Michael Ford, ex-State Dept. employee, pleads guilty to ‘sextortion’ campaign

A former State Dept. employee has pleaded guilty to counts related to what the FBI described as "a widespread, international computer hacking, cyberstalking and 'sextortion' campaign" that targeted hundreds of women during a two-year span.

December 10, 2015

Hackers likely to breach 1 in 3 health care customers during 2016: report

Hackers already managed to compromise the health records of nearly 80 million Anthem customers in a high-profile breach earlier this year, but now analysts expect 1 in 3 patients will be similarly affected in 2016.

December 10, 2015

Tourists in Colorado say marijuana laws play a part in planning vacations

As Colorado nears its second anniversary of legalizing recreational marijuana for adults, nearly half of all tourists surveyed recently said the state's lax pot laws factored into their recent decisions to visit.

December 10, 2015

Trump credited with boosting traffic to white nationalist website Stormfront

As Donald Trump maintains a resounding lead among likely Republican voters nearly a year before the presidential election, the real estate mogul's message is resonating strongly among a much more niche group of Americans: white nationalists.

December 10, 2015

Putin says he hopes Russia won’t need to nuke ISIS

Nearly three months after Russia began its own campaign against the Islamic State in Syria, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he hopes his military won't have to rely on nuclear weapons to wipe out the terror group.

December 10, 2015

White House wants public’s input during ‘critical conversation’ on encryption

After an online petition urging the Obama administration to endorse strong encryption managed to garner more than 100,000 signatures, the White House said this week that it wants Americans to be involved in a "critical conversation" that has already widened a rift between Washington and Silicon Valley in recent months.

December 9, 2015

Timothy French, NullCrew hacker, faces decade in prison for breaching telecoms, universities

A Tennessee man faces 10 years in prison after admitting to participating in a series of computer hacks that targeted colleges, government agencies and telecommunications companies around the world and caused more than $750,000 in damages.

December 9, 2015

‘Hello Barbie’ makers sued after security researcher says doll can be hacked

The makers of a high-tech, talking Barbie doll have been hit with a class-action suit by parents who say a security flaw with the toy has allowed hackers to compromise their children's privacy.

December 9, 2015

Signs depicting Donald Trump as Adolf Hitler prompt Atlanta police to open investigation

The Atlanta Police Department has opened up an investigation after at least two homemade signs were discovered plastered along roadways early Wednesday depicting Republican Party frontrunner Donald Trump as Adolf Hitler.

December 9, 2015

Counterterrorism social media bills see bipartisan support in House and Senate

As terrorists continue to turn to social media for amplifying ideologies and scouting new recruits, Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate are pushing a pair of legislative proposals to ensure companies like Facebook and Twitter are properly informing the federal government about suspected extremist activity as it unfolds on their networks.

December 9, 2015

FBI to start tracking police officer-involved shootings in 2016 as response to ‘human outcry’

The FBI plans to start keeping count in 2016 of the number of civilians either seriously hurt or killed by police, as independent tallies put this year's number of fatal officer-involved shootings at close to 1,000.

December 9, 2015

Cleveland votes to ban tobacco sales to anyone under 21

Cleveland will soon be the third city in the state of Ohio to ban the sale of tobacco products to persons under the age of 21.

December 8, 2015

Erika Christakis, Yale lecturer, to stop teaching at school in wake of protests

Yale University lecturer Erika Christakis had decided to stop teaching with the Ivy League school less than six weeks after sparking protests by telling students they shouldn't be discouraged from wearing Halloween costumes that could be considered "culturally appropriating."

December 8, 2015

As hacking suspects get younger, parents urged to patrol kids’ computer habits

The U.K.'s federal law enforcement agency is asking British parents to keep an eye on their kids' computer habits after determining that the average age of individuals suspected of hacking is only 17 years old.

December 8, 2015

Arlington police encourage use of smartphone app after San Bernardino shooting

Police in Arlington County are encouraging local residents to download a smartphone app that allows users to anonymously report suspicious activity in the wake of last week's shooting rampage in San Bernardino, California.

December 8, 2015

Justin Payne gets 30 months in prison for hacking police Website after Ferguson shooting

A protester who promoted cyberattacks against a St. Louis police union website after the fatal officer-involved shooting of a teenager in nearby Ferguson has been handed a 30-month prison sentence.

December 8, 2015

Colorado college kicks out students for social media posts, South Park screenshot

A small liberal arts school in Colorado has kicked out two of its students for anonymously penning offensive social media posts and sharing a screenshot from an episode of South Park.

December 7, 2015

Social media companies, politicians push to ax pro-ISIS accounts

Social media companies as Twitter and Facebook have been purging pro-Islamic State accounts, but politicians are pushing Silicon Valley to ratchet up efforts even more in the wake of several high-profile terrorist attacks.

December 7, 2015