Security, Spoken

Latest Episodes:

Security News This Week: Air Marshals Have Been Surveilling Civilians Aug 07, 2018

Show notes

You might not be shocked that this week began with big news about a coordinated misinformation campaign on Facebook. But in a twist on the usual narrative, Facebook welcomed the media reports, calling a press conference to reveal that it had removed 35 fake accounts. The rare proactive step was a clear attempt to show the media and Congress that Facebook is tackling misinformation head in the runup to the midterm elections.

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Simple Steps to Protect Yourself on Public Wi-Fi Aug 06, 2018

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Accessing the internet isn't normally a problem when you're inside the confines of your own home—it's secure, it's easy to connect to, and it's relatively uncongested—unless the whole family is streaming Netflix on five separate devices. When you venture out though, it's a different story.

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A New DHS Cybersecurity Center Will Combat Infrastructure Hacks Aug 06, 2018

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As the threat of cyberattacks on the United States launched by foreign adversaries grows, the federal government has been slow to respond. But changes announced Tuesday at the Department of Homeland Security, along with a new bipartisan bill aimed at shoring up DHS cybersecurity initiatives, could give newfound purpose to defenses against critical infrastructure hacking.

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Reddit Got Hacked Thanks to a Woefully Insecure Two-Factor Setup Aug 03, 2018

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Reddit said in a blog post Wednesday that a hacker broke into the company's systems in June and gained access to a variety of data, including user emails, source code and internal files, and “all Reddit data from 2007 and before.” And it likely could have been avoided if some Reddit employees were using two-factor authentication apps or physical keys instead of their phone numbers.

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The DNC Enlists Kids in Its Fight Against Hackers Aug 03, 2018

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Voting systems in the United States are so woefully hackable, an eight-year-old could do it. At least, that’s the conceit of a competition co-sponsored by the Democratic National Committee at next week’s Def Con hacker conference in Las Vegas. The contest will include children, ages eight to 16, who will be tasked with penetrating replicas of the websites that secretaries of state across the country use to publish election results.

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The Wild Inner Workings of a Billion-Dollar Hacking Group Aug 02, 2018

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The Fin7 hacking group has leeched, by at least one estimate, well over a billion dollars from companies around the world. In the United States alone, Fin7 has stolen more than 15 million credit card numbers from over 3,600 business locations. On Wednesday, the Justice Department revealed that it had arrested three alleged members of the group—and even more important, detailed how it operates.

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DIY Gun Blueprints Have Been Taken Offline—For Now Aug 02, 2018

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A belated legal scramble to stop public access to 3-D printed gun blueprints has succeeded, at least for now. Late Tuesday, a federal judge granted a temporary nationwide injunction against Defense Distributed from making its designs available online. Several hours after the ruling, Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson has finally complied.

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The Last-Ditch Legal Fight to Stop 3-D Printed Guns Aug 01, 2018

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For the last half decade, 3-D printed pistols and metal-milled "ghost guns" have only rarely caught the attention of lawmakers, and have barely registered in the mainstream of America's gun control debate. But now, a controversial legal settlement may have unlocked a new era of digitally fabricated, DIY guns. It's also unleashed a political backlash unlike anything seen in the five years since the first 3-D printable firearm appeared online.

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Facebook Uncovers New Fake Accounts Ahead of Midterm Elections Aug 01, 2018

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Facebook has taken down 32 fake pages and accounts that it says were involved in coordinated campaigns on both Facebook and Instagram. Though the company has not yet attributed the accounts to any group, it says the campaign does bear some resemblance to the propaganda campaign run by Russia's Internet Research Agency in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. Facebook is now working with law enforcement to determine where the campaign originated.

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BurnBox Makes Hidden Files Look Like You've Deleted Them Jul 31, 2018

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Imagine you're a human rights activist, pulling up to a border crossing. The on-duty customs agent requests that you hand over your phone and unlock it, without a warrant—an increasingly common practice for US Customs and Border Protection. Your phone holds sensitive photographs documenting abuses abroad, but the agent can't find them. At most, he might notice that you've deleted some files recently.

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