Articles by John P. Mello Jr.

Data-robbing malicious software dubbed "KeyRaider" has stolen more than 225,000 valid Apple accounts and thousands of certificates, private keys and purchasing receipts, Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 reported last week. The firm identified the malware in cooperation with WeipTech, which found the accounts on a server while it was analyzing suspiciou...

Qualcomm on Monday announced Snapdragon Smart Protect, a hardware-software product that could make the world a safer place for Android smartphone users Snapdragon Smart Protect, which will become available with Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 820 processor, will provide real-time, on-device machine learning designed to support accurate and effective...

Despite disparaging sales reports, the Apple Watch is closing in on market leader Fitbit, according to an IDC report released Thursday During the second quarter, Apple shipped 3.6 million watches -- 800,000 units behind Fitbit's shipments for the period....

Shadow IT -- the use of unauthorized online services by company employees -- is a concern of cyberwarriors charged with defending business systems against network attacks. There's new evidence that those concerns are justified A new attack vector on business systems leverages the synchronization features of services like Dropbox and Google Drive to...

Online advertising that pushes malicious software to consumers has increased 325 percent over the past year, Cyphort Labs reported Tuesday. Malvertising is adding to what is already a significant problem for online advertisers.

The Ashley Madison hacker gang will be tough to apprehend, based on our informal survey of security experts. The hackers this week dumped nearly 10 gigabytes of stolen personal data onto the Web -- details gleaned from accounts established on the site, which is dedicated to matching up people who want to engage in extramarital affairs "In this case...

Google on Tuesday unveiled OnHub -- a router that is not only good looking but also fast, secure and easy-to-use. It developed the router in partnership with TP-Link "Many of us keep our router on the floor and out of sight, where it doesn't work as well," said Google Group Product Manager Trond Wuellner. "We replaced unruly cords and blinking ligh...

CEO Jeff Bezos on Sunday refuted contentions that Amazon has a draconian workplace culture, which were leveled in a lengthy article published in Saturday's New York Times "The NYT article prominently features anecdotes describing shockingly callous management practices, including people being treated without empathy while enduring family tragedies ...

A clandestine group of sophisticated Chinese hackers have infected scores of sites on the Web and stolen documents from industrial and government organizations with surgical precision, according to a Dell SecureWorks study released last week Dubbed "Threat Group 3390," the cybergang has used infected websites of some 100 organizations across the gl...

U.S. federal law enforcement authorities on Tuesday busted an insider trading ring that obtained market-timing information from overseas data thieves In two indictments unsealed by the U.S. Department of Justice in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Newark, N.J., nine people were charged in federal court with carrying out an international scheme to hack into thre...

The China-based hacking team that has been infiltrating U.S. government and business computer systems appears to be behind two newly discovered attacks -- this time on travel reservation processor Sabre and American Airlines, Bloomberg Business reported last week Sabre confirmed that its systems -- which contain sensitive records on as many as a bi...

Infamous security researcher Sammy Kamkar last week demonstrated a gadget that can intercept wireless signals to unlock cars and garage doors. Kamkar showed off the device, which cost him just US$32 to make, at the DefCon conference in Las Vegas Dubbed "RollJam," the wallet-sized gadget works like this:...

Google last week asked French regulators to withdraw a demand to universally delist from search results links to information about French citizens who wish to be forgotten on the Internet Any European can ask to have certain links about them removed from search results that appear in Europe, and Google will grant those requests if they meet specifi...

Demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to far outpace supply, according to aBurning Glass Technologies report released last week Cybersecurity hiring remains concentrated in government agencies and among defense contractors, the third annual cybersecurity job market report notes, but hiring has started to boom in industries handling consu...

Apple is in discussions to become a mobile virtual network operator in both Europe and the United States, where it's already running a trial of its service, Business Insider reported Monday The MVNO idea may not advance beyond the test phase -- and if it does, it won't happen for some time -- at least five years, according to the report....

Apple is working on a service that will enlist Siri to transcribe voice mail messages for iPhone users, Business Insider reported Monday Apple employees reportedly are testing the service in preparation for a 2016 rollout, possibly as a new feature in iOS 10....

Some proposed federal rules on the export of security tools created a tumult in cybersecurity circles -- a tumult that's pushed the rules into limbo The comment period for the rules, which the U.S. Department of Commerce first aired in May, ended July 20 -- and although the regulations have noble intentions, they also could have dire consequences....

Collecting health and fitness data through wearable devices is raising concerns among consumers about the security of that information Twenty-five percent of more than 3,500 consumers who participated in a recent survey did not believe their personal health data was safe on fitness trackers or in health-tracking apps, reported Healthline....

Best Buy on Monday said it would begin selling the Apple Watch in 100 of its stores on Aug. 7, as well as on BestBuy.com. As the holiday season rolls in, it expects to expand that number to 200 Sixteen models will be available at the Best Buy outlets, including the Apple Sport and Apple Watch models in 38- and 42-millimeter sizes. Best Buy also wil...

A type of fraud spreading through the mobile universe could cost advertisers more than US$1 billion globally this year, according to a July 2015 study released by Forensiq The fraud, called "mobile device hijacking," uses installed apps to rapidly load ads that no one sees -- but the fraudsters collect money for the ads as if they had been viewed....