Andrew Blake
Articles by Andrew Blake
John Kerry: ‘Very likely’ cyberspies read my email
Secretary of State John Kerry said "it is very likely" that his emails are being read by foreign cyberspies and that he purposely drafts correspondence under the assumption that his words are being watched. Published August 12, 2015
WikiLeaks launches campaign to crowdfund reward for info on bilateral trade proposal
Secret-spilling group WikiLeaks wants its hands on a bilateral trade agreement being discussed behind closed doors, and it's raising money to reward anyone willing to help make it happen. Published August 11, 2015
Pentagon network back online after cyberattack
The Pentagon says that a Joint Chiefs of Staff computer network taken offline last week after it was discovered to have been infiltrated by hackers is once again up and running. Published August 11, 2015
Hackers worked with Wall Street to make $30M off insider trading, feds charge
Federal prosecutors said they've broken up an international insider trading ring in which participants netted some $30 million by hacking press release distributors and profiting off of corporate news before it could be made public. Published August 11, 2015
Google unveils new parent venture, to be called Alphabet
It's not an easy feat in the tech world to get any bigger than Google. But a new entity unveiled by the Silicon Valley giant's top executives has managed to accomplish the feat instantly this week with the creation of Alphabet, a holding company under which the globe's dominant search engine will operate as part of sweeping new structural corporate changes. Published August 10, 2015
Chinese spies targeting personal emails of top Obama admin officials: NSA leak
The personal email accounts of several high-ranking White House officials have been directly targeted by Chinese cyberspies -- and some are still actively under attack, according to U.S. intelligence reports. Published August 10, 2015
Rise of ad blockers costing Internet $22B in revenue: report
No one likes wading through a sea of advertisements while surfing the Web, but a report suggests an explosion in the use of ad-blocking software is on course to cost publishers $22 billion in revenue by the end of the year. Published August 10, 2015
Facebook says emojis used more often than LOL
Do animated cat GIFs make you LOL? Or are you more likely to evoke the emoji when entertained on the Web? A new report conducted by researchers with Facebook reveals that the laugh-out-loud acronym might soon go the way of Hamster Dance and Hotmail as Internet users embrace alternative ways of expressing emotions online. Published August 10, 2015
Hackers detail car, gun exploits at Las Vegas convention
The surge of high-tech smart cars on the roads is a surefire sign the auto industry is embracing the so-called "Internet of things." But at a hacker conference in Las Vegas on Friday, researchers said poor security practices could pose some very serious problems down the road. Published August 7, 2015
HHS hacked five times in three years, House committee says
A House committee is now acknowledging that no fewer than five separate divisions within the Department of Health and Human Services have been breached by hackers during the past three years. Published August 7, 2015
Medical devices too prone to hackers, researchers warn
At a conference in Las Vegas on Thursday, security researchers said that hundreds of common medical devices, ranging from X-ray machines to MRIs, have been vulnerable to attack by hackers. Published August 6, 2015
White House endorses CISA cyber bill amid Senate stalemate
Democrats and Republicans are both applauding the White House for coming out in support of a cybersecurity bill that lawmakers in the Senate are trying to pass before breaking for recess later this week. Published August 5, 2015
Cops under fire for pot dispensary raid want surveillance footage tossed
Police officers in California are in hot water for their actions during a recent medical marijuana dispensary raid. An internal affairs probe could become problematic, however, if a lawsuit is successful in keeping surveillance footage from being used against the officers. Published August 5, 2015
Fadi Chehade, ICANN chief, warns of potential problems as U.S. prepares to relinquish Web oversight
NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW: A year away from a historic transition affecting the digital landscape, the head of the organization that regulates Web addresses warns that much still needs to be done to keep the Internet intact, regardless of whether the U.S. relinquishes its oversight as expected. Published August 4, 2015
John McCain warns of ‘dire consequences’ if cyber bill doesn’t pass
The Senate only has until the end of the week to decide the fate of a cybersecurity bill before breaking for recess, and one long-time lawmaker says there will be dire consequences if his colleagues continue to wait. Published August 4, 2015
CISA showdown: Senate leaders look toward last-minute cybervote
Leadership in the Senate from both sides of the aisle are gunning to get a controversial cybersecurity proposal up for a vote before the start of summer recess, but concerns from lawmakers and tech experts alike may delay attempts to pass the proposal until Congress convenes again in September. Published August 4, 2015
IT worker gets 10 years for hacking military email
A Florida man contracted to perform IT work for the Pentagon has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to crimes connected to the hacking of a military email account and theft of sensitive files. Published August 3, 2015
Trump.com defaced by Jon Stewart-loving hacktivists
New poll numbers continue to show Donald Trump as the favorite among Republican voters ahead of next year's presidential election, but the billionaire business tycoon is attracting attention now not just from conservatives, but computer hackers too. Published August 3, 2015
No charges yet for Navy officer who fired back during Chattanooga rampage; probe continues
The Pentagon says it's far from finishing its review of last month's rampage in Chattanooga, rejecting reports that charges are about to be brought against a Navy officer who engaged the man accused of opening fire at two military installations, killing five. Published August 3, 2015
Anti-virus maker BitDefender admits hacker stole user data
BitDefender, a Romanian software company that supplies Internet security products to hundreds of millions of clients both in the workplace and at home, admits hackers have made off with the usernames and passwords of an undisclosed number of customers. Published July 31, 2015
