iThinQware » Security

Why Aren’t Chromebooks Saving Password Changes?

Sarah Perez — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:21:52 +0000

There's something weird going on with Chromebooks - the Google-branded laptop computers powered by the company's web-based operating system Chrome OS. They're not saving the password changes you make to your Google account. Basically, if you change your password, shut down your machine, then reboot, the Chromebook will ask you for your old password instead of the new one. The problem has to do with Google's sessions being persistent (that is, they don't log you out), and leads to a relatively minor security threat. Meaning, if someone was to take advantage of this threat, they would need physical access to your Chromebook. In the grand scheme of things, that puts this threat on the low-end of the risk spectrum. However, because Chromebooks are pitched as low-cost, secure, easy-to-use alternatives to traditional laptops for businesses and educational institutions, it's important to highlight issues such as this to make the community aware. Also, I just think it's annoying.

DNSSEC gains traction – Q&A about why you should care

Pingdom — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:47:43 +0000

Swedish hosting provider Binero has announced that it has DNSSEC-signed all of its customers’ .se domains. This brings the total amount of signed .se domains to more than 100,000 from the previous total of 5,000. “Nearly one in ten Swedish domains are now validated against attacks with manipulated dns-information, like phishing,” Binero’s press release said. It’s hard to find any worldwide numbers to compare to but ICANN reported yesterday that 88 TLDs (Top-Level Domains) are DNSSEC signed. But what is DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) and why should you care whether your domains are signed with it or not?

This was a post from the guys at Pingdom, a site monitoring service that makes sure you're the first to know when your site is down. Check it out for free.

Security in 2011 by the numbers

Pingdom — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:33:03 +0000

As 2011 draws to a close we wanted to take a look at computer and information security in the twelve months that have passed. What will probably stick in most people’s minds is the Sony PlayStation Network and Qriocity hack, which resulted in an outage lasting 23 days. In other developments, hacktivist groups like Anonymous and LulzSec took to social media to further their causes, and mobile malware got more attention than ever before. All in all, there’s no doubt that 2011 was a very busy year for IT security professionals.

This was a post from the guys at Pingdom, a site monitoring service that makes sure you're the first to know when your site is down. Check it out for free.

Windows Phone 7.5 SMS bug breaks messaging hub, hard reset is the only remedy

Joshua Tucker — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 03:24:00 +0000

An SMS message on your Windows 7.5 handset could knock messaging out cold, a one shot kill you can't prepare for. Apparently, WP devices that receive a text containing a certain string of characters will reboot and return with a non-functional mes...

9 WordPress Security Tips To Protect Your Website From Harm

Christian Vasile — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 10:00:25 +0000

WordPress is the most popular Content Management System in the world, used by more than 60 million people around the globe. WordPress hosts more than half of the blogs itself. The popular CMS is used by huge companies and associations in the world such as TechCrunch, NBC, CNN, CBS or the National Football League of the [...]

PSA: Steam Hacked, User Info May Be Stolen, But Personal Data Safe

Devin Coldewey — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:08:51 +0000

Valve CEO Gabe Newell has contacted all users of the Steam game distribution platform to let them know that the company has suffered a security breach. The hack was originally thought to be limited to the official Steam forums, but further investigation has revealed that the hackers had access to a database containing "user names, hashed and salted passwords, game purchases, email addresses, billing addresses and encrypted credit card information."

Locked Out Of Facebook? Your Friends Will Soon Be Able To Help You Get Back In

Sarah Perez — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:00:33 +0000

Facebook says it will soon allow you to get help from your friends when you get locked out of your Facebook account. According to a post on Facebook's official Security page, you'll be able to designate three to five friends as "Trusted Friends" who will be sent special codes in the event that you're locked out of your Facebook account and unable to access your email. It will also be introducing something called "App Passwords" to bring increased security to Facebook-enabled applications.

Facelock app hits the Ovi Store, Symbian handsets frame your face for security

Joseph Volpe — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:43:00 +0000

Unlocking your phone doesn't get any easier than a simple patterned swipe or pre-set pin. But for the fussy amongst you, there's an alternative solution to make you feel both confidently futuristic, and downright ridiculous. Facelock, the facial rec...