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Smashing Security #150: Liverpool WAGs, Facebook politics, and a selfie stalker
Footballers’ wives go to war over Instagram leaks, it turns out fake news is fine on Facebook (just so long as it’s in a political ad), and things take a horrific turn in Japan, as a stalker uses a scary technique to find out where his pop idol lives.
All this and much more is discussed in the latest edition of the award-winning “Smashing Security” podcast by computer security veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault, joined this week by Dave Bittner.
tripwire.com
Hackers hijack popular Chrome extension to inject code into web developers’ browsers
Criminals hacked into a developer’s account, and modified a Chrome browser extension used by over a million people to push unwanted adverts.
Read more in my article on the Tripwire State of Security blog.
Hackers hijack central Cardiff billboard to display swastikas and more…
Someone managed to seize control of a large digital advertising billboard on Cardiff’s main shopping street, forcing it to display a series of swastikas and far-right images.
The Magala trojan makes its money dishonestly by clicking on ads in your browser
Every click, a few cents are made…
David Bisson reports.
Adblock Plus wants to put more ads on your screen
When an ad blocker announces its plans to put more ads on users’ screens, you can probably imagine the internet’s reaction…
Facebook’s Like button is tracking all of us, to target us with ads
Facebook is now using its omnipresent Like button to track everyone on the internet, including those who don’t use Facebook.
David Bisson reports.
bitdefender.com
Microsoft sneaks nagging Windows 10 ads into critical security patch
Microsoft really really wants your business to upgrade to Windows 10 as soon as possible. But maybe sneaking adverts into security patches in order to shame sysadmins isn’t the right approach…
Read more in my article on the Bitdefender Business Insights blog.
bitdefender.com
Google says it blocked 780 million bad ads last year
All ad networks, not just Google, need to improve their policing of bad ads. Because if they don’t, they may simply find there is no-one left looking at them.
Read more in my article on the Hot for Security blog.
App broke ‘every rule in the book’, leaving billboards open to the threat of real-life ad-blocking
Vulnerabilities ahead! SmartLink app patched for allowing attackers to potentially control billboards, and steal users’ logins.
David Bisson reports.
The difference between newspaper and online ads
Have you installed an ad blocker on your laptop or desktop computer?
Chances are it’s because online ads are a wholly different beast than newspaper adverts.
Thousands of smartphone apps guilty of sophisticated ad fraud
iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices are being targeted by fraudsters, earning vast amounts of money through invisible ads that are feasting on your data plan and using up your battery.
bitdefender.com
Vile troll uses Twitter ads to urge transgender people to commit suicide
Shouldn’t Twitter do more to police promoted tweets, or could anyone buy a series of Twitter ads to spit out bile and hatred to thousands of others?
Read more in my article on the Hot for Security blog.
Hackers plant obscene image on electronic billboard in Atlanta
Hackers have remotely attacked an electronic billboard to display an obscene image to motorists and passers-by in Atlanta.
Is your computer plagued by ad injectors? Google shares staggering adware infection stats
5% of people who visit Google sites have at least one ad injector installed.
A staggering half of those have at least two installed, with nearly one-third having at least four!
The mind boggles… Could you have an ad injector running on your computer?
Why I’m ditching adverts on Graham Cluley Security News
Is your company interested in being an exclusive sponsor for Graham Cluley Security News?
Find out why I’m ditching display ads on my site, and what I’m planning to do next…
Why iOS 8 could be bad news for retailers who want to track your movements
The dramatic rise in popularity of iPhones and iPads in recent years means that Apple has had to become even more effective in protecting against hackers and snoopers.
