Security

In light of recent hacks, you might be interested in the groups that pose the greatest threats to our cybersecurity.

Ironically, the hacker groups that you should be afraid of also have the least intimidating names. Deep Panda, Putter Panda, and Flying Kitten have been listed by security technology firm CrowdStrike as the groups to watch out for. While they may seem cuddly, these hackers continue to be some of the most dangerous in the world.

The Linux OS is likely to become even more popular as 32bit computing becomes a commodity and projects like Yocto make it easier to create, develop and maintain Linux based systems for embedded applications.

One of the advantages of Linux is that it enables OEMs to become more like startups, where agile hardware development teams speed time to market by using an OS to abstract the underlying hardware details. However, despite its benefits, a Linux system can be vulnerable to rootkits unless its embedded processor is booted properly.

Credit cards. You can't live without them.

Of course, some people do try -- but I'm not one of them. My lifestyle has now become virtually cashless in the course of the last ten years.

The spate of Automated Teller Machines (ATM) hacks last month were due to financial institutions' continued use of obsolete operating systems and lack of "penetration testing", opined an IT security consultant.

Jacco Van Tuijl, who conducts penetration testing (sanctioned hacking into systems to determine their vulnerability to attacks) for banks in the Netherlands, pointed out that many ATMs still use the now-obsolete, 13-year-old Windows XP operating system.

In looking for new opportunities in security and many other sectors, we look for the echoes of the current IT mega-trends: cloud, mobile, big data. These trends, and especially the interactions between them, are dramatically changing security needs. Add to that the changing profile of would-be hackers — now a frightening mix of international organized crime and employees of enemy governments — and we see the potential for several new solutions that can each be the foundation of one or more successful companies.

Samsung has smacked down claims that a major vulnerability has been discovered in Samsung KNOX security for Android, just days after it received approval from the US Government.

Samsung KNOX is an Android-based solution specifically designed to enhance security of the current open source Android platform.

Is Apple Pay safe? Are there any known security issues? With this week's release of iOS 8.1, came also the launch of the Apple Pay system – a new NFC payment system that allows users to make purchases in stores, online and through apps with just the press of a finger on the Touch ID. While many users are excited about the ease of payment now available on iPhone 6 and above running iOS 8.1, it does come with some reservations by those within the security community.

A new security feature for Google’s services will help users better protect their data by requiring that they insert a USB security key to log in to their account.

On Friday, a Monterey County woman was charged with wiretapping a police officer and possessing "illegal interception devices,” according to the Northern California District Attorney’s office. The District Attorney said that Kristin Nyunt, age 40, allegedly intercepted communications made by a police officer on his mobile phone.

L33tdawg: Mark your calendars! #HITB #GSEC is coming to Singapore in October 2015! Can't make it to SG? Come to Amsterdam! #HITB2015AMS (May 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th 2015) & #HITB #Haxpo (May 28th, 29th, 30th) @ Beurs van Berlage. Site opens at the end of Nov