Security IT
Security
Why you should delete the online accounts you don't use anymore - right now
Brian Fung MySpace hack shows that your old information can be just as useful to criminals as your current details.
Security
IBM is training Watson to hunt hackers
Andrea Peterson Tech giant is taking a big data approach to cybersecurity that will have the supercomputer scour vast troves of security research at a rate humans could only dream of.
Privacy
Microsoft sues US government over gag orders on customer data grabs
Matt Day Tech company says US 'has exploited the transition to cloud computing as a means of expanding its power to conduct secret investigations'.
FBI paid professional hackers to crack San Bernardino iPhone
Ellen Nakashima The people who helped the US government come from the sometimes shadowy world of hackers and security researchers who profit from finding flaws in companies’ software or systems.
Security
FBI trick for breaking into iPhone likely to leak, experts say
Joseph Menn The FBI's method for breaking into a locked iPhone 5c is unlikely to stay secret for long, according to senior Apple engineers and outside experts.
Security
Barack Obama weighs in on iPhone access debate
Jeff Mason Aiming to sidestep Apple's dispute with the FBI, US president makes case for access to device data in certain circumstances.
Apple v FBI: what the fight is about and why you should care
Hannah Francis Apple is in the middle of a legal fight with the FBI over creating a 'back door' to unlock a terrorist's iPhone.
Scams
Hacking peak hour takes Aussies for a ride
Adam Turner Tuesday morning is peak hour for hackers as social engineering becomes their weapon of choice, shifting away from security exploits to focus on tricking people into doing their bidding.
Metadata
Ricochet uses power of the dark web to help journalists, sources dodge metadata laws
Andrew Colley A new internet messaging tool that sidesteps the federal government's metadata collection regime to help journalists protect whistle blowers and assists human rights activists has received a tick of approval from security experts.
Hack
US hospital pays $24k ransom after cyber attack locks medical records
Justin Wm. Moyer Not too long ago, taking the United States' wild, messy, unreliable system of medical records online seemed like a worthy goal. But there's a cost.
US had cyber attack planned if Iran nuclear deal failed
David E Sanger and Mark Mazzetti Documentary film shows program was boosted partly because of evidence Israel was preparing a strike against Iran's nuclear sites.
Security
Good riddance to the Java plugin
Brian Krebs Long overdue step should cut down dramatically on the number of computers infected with malicious software.
Australian companies 'open to cyber crime'
Stuart Condie Local super funds, insurers and corporates all guilty of caving to hackers, thereby perpetuating cyber-crime, according to Deloitte.
Security
Telstra privacy breach leaves customer's voicemail exposed
Hannah Francis Richard Thornton did a factory reset on his second-hand iPhone 5, but the buyer kept receiving his voicemail.
Anonymous hacks Thai police websites to protest Myanmar workers' death penalties
Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Panarat Thepgumpanat The words 'Failed Law', 'We Want Justice', and '#BoycottThailand' displayed to protest controversial trial over murders of two UK tourists.
Data
Personal information of more than 190m American voters appears online
Andrea Peterson Questions raised about the security chops of political campaigns who increasingly hold large caches of personal data.
Security
Hyatt Hotels attacked with malware
Merchants warned of new strain of payment-card-stealing malware which evades almost all security software.
Security
Makers of notoriously insecure Java software ordered to help PC users clean it up
Brian Fung Oracle, one of the world's largest tech companies, has been accused by the US government of misleading consumers about the security of its software Java, which is installed on roughly 850 million computers.
Security
Twitter warns users about potential 'state-sponsored' hacks
For the first time Twitter has issued a warning to certain users that their accounts may have been targets for attack
Security
In security, humans are the weakest link
Cynthia Karena A man on a suburban train in Sydney is on his phone, loudly discussing a current tender process for new desktops for Telstra. Behind him sits Milton Baar, director of security firm The Swoose Partnership, who recognises the guy on the phone, Richard, an employee from a major IT company that is a Telstra supplier.
