Andrew Blake

China stole data from 600 American cyber targets, says NSA

The Chinese government has successfully stolen data from the computer systems of more than 600 American targets during the course of the Obama administration, including private sector and military entities.

July 31, 2015

OnStar exploit gives hackers access to car engine, locks

GM's OnStar system is supposed to make being behind the wheel all the more easier, but a hacker has found a flaw that could cause chaos for millions of drivers.

July 31, 2015

Commerce Dept. dumps plans for software exports after outcry

An uproar over proposed export restrictions on software used to break into computers and smartphones has caused the Department of Commerce to go back to the drawing board.

July 30, 2015

Senate panel wants DHS to control .gov domains

A Senate committee is quickly moving forward on a proposal that gives the U.S. Department of Homeland Security more authority in protecting government websites.

July 30, 2015

Anti-spy browser tool combats monitoring of behavioral biometrics

You can learn a lot about a person by the websites they visit, but what can be inferred by the speed of their keystrokes? Two privacy-minded security experts have released a tool that they say obscures the digital footprints left not by metadata, but behavioral biometrics.

July 30, 2015

Russia to blame for stealthy cyber campaign that uses Twitter, security firm says

Security experts suspect that hackers working on behalf of the Russian government are behind a sophisticated cyber campaign in which infected computers are controlled through hidden messages embedded within image files shared over Twitter.

July 30, 2015

David Vincenzetti, Hacking Team CEO, says terrorists and criminals are benefiting from breach

The CEO of a recently hacked spyware vendor says the attack against his company has made it easier for criminals and terrorists to operate, but privacy advocates say the breach has been instrumental in propelling an international discussion on surveillance tech.

July 29, 2015

CISA, or Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, likely delayed until fall

Consideration of a controversial cybersecurity bill that encourages private companies to share data with the federal government is now expected to be delayed until the fall, with opponents attributing the holdup to their grassroots efforts aimed at derailing the act.

July 29, 2015

Florida cop accused of treating inmate like animal, caught on camera

A Florida police officer is under investigation after a local newspaper obtained jailhouse footage of the cop tossing peanuts into the mouth of a homeless man and reportedly barking "dog commands" at him.

July 28, 2015

NSA bulk-collected phone records to be purged in November

Historic phone records collected in bulk by the National Security Agency are poised to be purged from the NSA's database later this year, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said this week.

July 28, 2015

Stephen Leber, Mass. detective, caught on video threatening to ‘put a hole’ in driver’s head

A veteran Boston-area police detective is under investigation after video surfaced of him threatening to "put a hole" in a motorist's head after a minor traffic infraction.

July 28, 2015

Cyber bill opponents fight CISA with the power of fax

Activists opposed to an information sharing proposal about to be brought back up in the Senate are asking others to fax their complaints to Capitol Hill.

July 27, 2015

Satanic Temple unveils statue in Detroit, says Arkansas State House is next

The Satanic Temple of Detroit has successfully unveiled a 9-foot-tall bronze sculpture of the hooved goat-headed figure Baphomet in the Motor City, notwithstanding efforts to quash a weekend event that organizers had billed as the "largest Satanic ceremony in history."

July 27, 2015