Stories by Robert Vamosi

Protect online privacy without reading the fine print

Your personal data is out there. Every thought you tap out on Twitter, every status update you post on Facebook, and even the last credit card purchase you made is accessible via the Internet.

By Robert Vamosi | 01 April, 2011 01:23

Tags: applications, data protection, Facebook, Federal Trade Commission, Google, Microsoft, mozilla, privacy, privacy legislation, security, social networks, software, twitter, U.S. Federal Trade Commission

Keep your credit cards safe from skimmers

You're in a restaurant, enjoying a deep conversation. Peripherally, you see the waiter take your credit card and return a few minutes with a slip for you to sign. You think nothing of it until a few hours later when you receive a call from your bank: Someone is racking up serious debt on your credit card, mostly for electronics purchases. Is it you?

By Robert Vamosi | 10 December, 2010 02:31

Tags: security

Cross-site scripting: An old problem returns

In May, Web security consultant George Deglin discovered a cross-site scripting (XSS) exploit that involved Facebook's controversial Instant Personalization feature. The exploit ran on Yelp, one of the three sites that Facebook had selected to test Instant Personalization. Deglin was able to obtain not only Facebook profile information shared with Yelp but also the e-mail addresses for that profile's Facebook friends--a potential gold mine for marketers and spammers alike.

By Robert Vamosi | 18 June, 2010 10:21

Tags: cross-site scripting, security

Bugnets Could Spy on You via Mobile Devices

Imagine sitting in a café and discussing the details of a business proposal with a potential client. Neither you nor the client has a laptop; you're just two people having a conversation. But unbeknownst to you, someone half a world away is listening to every word you say. Later, as you leave, you receive a text message referring to the proposal and demanding money in exchange for silence.

By Robert Vamosi | 24 May, 2010 06:30

Tags: bugs, mobile malware, mobility, spying

Protect data with on-the-go drive encryption

This past January, the health organisation Kaiser Permanente reported a theft of an external hard drive from an em­­ployee's car. The hard drive contained data on about 15,500 Northern California patients, including their full names, medical record numbers, and, in some cases, gender, dates of birth, and other info on treatment and care received at Kaiser (but not patients' social security numbers or financial data).

By Robert Vamosi | 03 March, 2010 03:59

Tags: data encryption, data security

New banking trojan horses gain polish

Criminals today can hijack active online banking sessions, and new Trojan horses can fake the account balance to prevent victims from seeing that they're being defrauded.

By Robert Vamosi | 25 November, 2009 06:09

Tags: phishing, security, URLzone Trojan

Is your PC bot-infested? here's how to tell

As fireworks boomed on the Fourth of July, thousands of compromised computers attacked U.S. government Web sites. A botnet of more than 200,000 computers, infected with a strain of 2004's MyDoom virus, attempted to deny legitimate access to sites such as those of the Federal Trade Commission and the White House. The assault was a bold reminder that botnets continue to be a massive problem.

By Robert Vamosi | 25 August, 2009 02:32

Tags: botnets, security

Former Google VP Suggests User-Based Security

At the Black Hat security conference on Wednesday, former Google VP of Engineering Douglas Merrill gave the opening keynote presentation, and it wasn't a traditional security industry talk. The takeaway: Let users dictate enterprise security needs.

By Robert Vamosi | 31 July, 2009 04:02

Tags: black hat, security

Twitter: a growing security minefield

In June, the world watched as tweets from the streets of Tehran flooded Twitter. Frequent Twitter users--and people who hadn't even heard of the microblogging service--were suddenly and simultaneously witnessing its potential.

By Robert Vamosi | 23 July, 2009 06:51

Tags: security, social networking, twitter

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