Superdrug is reported to have advised online customers to change their passwords after it was targeted by hackers who claim to have stolen the details of approximately 20,000 Superdrug customers. Hundreds Compromised - Could Be More To date, Superdrug has confirmed that 386 customer accounts are known to have been compromised, but that it is still working to try to establish the exact number. It is possible, therefore, that the number could be many more. Contacted By Hackers Superdrug is reported to have been contacted by a person representing a hacking group and claiming to have hacked their systems, and [...]

It has been reported that Facebook allocates a trustworthiness score to some members to help it manage misinformation issues such as some members continually flagging / reporting stories as fake if they don’t agree with the content. Score? It is not publicly known exactly how the score is arrived at, but it has been reported recently in the Washington Posts that Facebook’s ‘Misinformation Team’ will be making use of the metric, a system that has taken a year to develop. Why? It is understood that the system, which Facebook denies amounts to a reputation score, is part of an initiative [...]

In Australia, a new draft Bill proposing ways for tech firms, software developers and others to assist security agencies and police has been given the thumbs-down by a major industry group over its ambiguity, and the potential security risks it could create. What Bill? The new “Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018” is a Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to telecommunications, computer access warrants and search warrants, and for 'other purposes'. The bill proposes that a 'technical assistance request' may be given to a tech company e.g. a social media or chat [...]

Among the findings of a recent government report about superfast broadband in the UK are claims that superfast broadband rollout so far has led to job creation and a £12.28 benefit for firms for every £1 invested by central and local authorities. Measurable Benefits The Evaluation of the Economic Impact and Public Value of the Superfast Broadband Programme report, by The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), covering 2012 to 2016, claims that the fact that superfast broadband has now reached almost five million homes and businesses (Openeach puts the figure at 10 million) has provided noticeable, measurable and [...]

In Windows now, by default, your File Explorer opens the Quick Access screen when launched. If you’d rather go back to the old way of displaying your system drives first, here’s how: - Right-click the Quick access link on the left. - Choose Options- - Choose ‘This PC’ from the top drop-down menu.

An Associated Press report has accused Google of recording the locations of its users via their mobile devices, even when they have requested not to be tracked by turning their “Location History” off. Discovered The apparent tracking without permission was discovered as part of research, when a Princeton privacy researcher noticed in his account that Google has tracked his many different locations along a route after he had been travelling for several days, despite his Location History being turned off. Also, research has revealed that, even when Location History is paused / switched off, some Google apps store time-stamped location [...]

It has been reported that Microsoft is to launch InPrivate Desktop for a future version of Windows 10, a kind of throwaway sandbox that gives Admins a secure way to operate one-time tests of any untrusted apps / software. Like A Virtual Machine Although the new feature is still a bit hush-hush, and has actually been removed from the Windows 10 Insider programme, it is believed to act like a kind of in-box, speedy VM (virtual machine) that is then refreshed to use again after it has been used on a particular App. Why? The reason for the new feature [...]

IBM has announced that it has created its own stealth, ultra-evasive AI malware called ‘DeepLocker’ that can evade all traditional cyber-security protection, hide in normal applications, and only strike when it is sure it has reached its intended target. Why? Cyber-criminals are becoming ever-more sophisticated in their methods, and the resources available to them have increased e.g. as hackers have also worked in state-sponsored activities. Also, the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come along leaps and bounds in recent years, and the fear is that cyber criminals could soon be deploying their own AI-powered malware. IBM has, therefore decided [...]

The latest Office for National Statistics' annual Internet Access and Use report has revealed that there has been a big rise in the number of people using commercial video streaming services. Video Streaming Popular The report shows a big jump from 29% of those watching online video-on-demand from commercial services in 2016 to 46% in 2018. The figures for 2018 refer to data collected in the January, February and April 2018 modules of the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) conducted by the ONS. The popular video-on-demand services referred to in the report include Netflix, Now TV, and Amazon Prime. More [...]