Hackers Just Released A Tool That Could Threaten Everyone's iCloud Account

Hackers Can Attack I-Cloud

Your Secrets Aren't Safe

Data thieves are after your most private info—when you use Wi-Fi and shop online, and even when you store files in the cloud

4 Places Never to Swipe Your Debit Card

Now drones are being used to expose bank details and passwords

Hackers manage to access 150 phones an hour through Wi-Fi Experts in London have proved it's possible to use drones to steal data They modified an aircraft capable of tapping into a phone's Wi-Fi settings Once it had access, it was able to read and steal personal information Called Snoopy, the drone takes advantage of smartphones that actively search for networks From this it can also see networks those devices have accessed in the past During tests, hackers exposed credit card information and passwords By Sarah Griffiths News that hovering drones can now steal passwords from unsuspecting phones will do little to ease fears that the widespread use of unmanned aircraft could infringe upon our privacy. Hackers in the U.S have managed to 'steal' information, including Amazon passwords, bank details and even people’s home addresses using an aircraft. While it might sound like the crime of the century, the exercise was an experiment to show it is possible to use drones to tap into a smartphone’s Wi-Fi settings and access valuable information

Hackers have proved that it is possible to steal information, including Amazon passwords, bank details and even home addresses from smartphones that have Wi-Fi turned on, using specially adapted drones (a stock image of a quadcopter is pictured)

The test was conducted in London and the group will share their findings at the Black Hat Asia cybersecurity conference in Singapore next week, CNN reported. The drone, known as Snoopy, seeks out smartphones that have Wi-Fi turned on. It then makes use of built-in technology which can see what networks the phones have accessed in the past. In theory, almost any drone could be adapted to do this. HOW CAN A DRONE STEAL SOMEONE'S IDENTITY? The drone, known as Snoopy, seeks out smartphones that have Wi-Fi turned on. It then makes use of built-in technology which can see what networks the phones have accessed in the past. In theory, almost any drone could be adapted to do this. Phones 'noisily' reach out to networks, according to the experts. Snoopy looks for this activity and when hovering nearby it emits a signal masquerading as another network. The phone ‘trusts’ that it is accessing a trusted Wi-Fi network but instead connects to the quadcopter's network. Snoopy can then intercept everything a smartphone sends and receives and allows skilled hackers to see passwords, bank details and the phone's location. . London-based Sensepost security researcher Glenn Wilkinson, said: ‘Their phone will very noisily be shouting out the name of every network its ever connected to. 'They'll be shouting out, “Starbucks, are you there?...McDonald's Free Wi-Fi, are you there?”’ When this happens, Snoopy hovers nearby and emits a signal masquerading as another network and the phone ‘thinks’ it is accessing a trusted Wi-Fi network. However, when it connects to the quadcopter’s network, Snoopy will intercept everything a smartphone sends and receives using a complicated method described by the company. Wilkinson said: ‘Your phone connects to me and then I can see all of your traffic.’ He is able to see the websites a person visits, any credit card information entered or saved, their location, usernames and passwords. In the wrong hands, this could potentially leave a mystified smartphone user out of pocket. The hackers managed to gain access by looking at a unique identification number known as a Media Access Control (MAC) address. This number matches web traffic to a specific device. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the technology, Wilkinson spent an hour with CNN showing them how he could obtain network names and GPS coordinates for 150 smartphones used by Londoners. While collecting metadata and network names is not strictly illegal, intercepting passwords and credit card details with the intent of using them is. The ethical hackers said they're demonstrating the technology to highlight how vulnerable smartphone users can be. The drones might seem even more threatening to people than remote hackers because the aircraft can hover close to potential ‘victims’ are incredibly mobile. There is a prospect that the technology could be put to good use for law enforcement purposes, however, such as identifying looters in a riot. While it is not thought that anyone is currently using this snooping technique in the real world, smartphone users can protect themselves by shutting off their Wi-Fi when they are not using it, or only access secure networks.

The Dangers of Using Wi-Fi on Smart Phones

The Dangers of Using Wi-Fi on Smart Phones by Phillip Richards The next time you use your smart phone’s Wi-Fi to access the internet be careful that you are not also exposing yourself to hackers who can actually access information on your phone and login passwords as well. There is a growing threat with the broad use of internet hotspots for hackers to steal information that they gather with fake Wi-Fi gateways. And once these crooks get you to use their Wi-Fi connection they can decrypt the information on your phone and then sell it to 3rd parties or use it themselves to steal your identity. It has been estimated that there are over 100 million smart phone users in the United States alone. And this number continues to grow as smart phones overtake the use of feature phones and the ordinary cell phones that once dominated the market. One of the most useful features of these phones is the ability to access the internet via Wi-Fi. But since this wireless connection to the internet requires no identification, all mobile browsers see is a name of a Wi-Fi hotspot. And even with the best identity theft protection with services like Lifelock and Trusted ID, you are still at risk of identity theft if you access public Wi-Fi hotspots with your smart phone. To make the problem even worse, many smart phones will connect to an available hotspot automatically without the cell phone user doing anything about it. So even if your smart phone is just powered on and just sitting there a crook with the right software and hardware can hack into your personal life when your phone connects to the Wi-Fi connection he has setup. Companies are working on making Wi-Fi more secure, but it is increasingly difficult with more public places making free internet access available. All a hacker has to do is visit a high-traffic public coffee shop or park and setup his own fake Wi-Fi gateway. Then, while a user is surfing the internet and entering usernames and passwords, this information is automatically being picked up with the hacker’s software. Identity thieves are using the information picked up from fake Wi-Fi hotspots to access email accounts, bank accounts, and Facebook accounts and all of this information can be used to steal an identity while the hacker remains completely anonymous. So what can smart phone users do to prevent this? First of all, instead of using a public Wi-Fi hotspot you should just use your phones service provider to access personal accounts. So if you want to check your email, login to Facebook, or check your bank account, just use your phone’s 3g or 4g service. You can still use public Wi-Fi hotspots but only use it for generic internet surfing. Any internet usage that will not give away any personal data should be fine. However, if you know the internet connect is secure you should be ok to use it on your smart phone. If your cell phone has the ability to automatically connect to hotspots whenever they become available you should turn this feature off. Or you can just turn the Wi-Fi off until you know you are going to use it. Having it on just drains your battery anyway, so you really have no reason to leave it on.

Credit Card Theft

Yesterday's announcement of an unprecedented identity theft bust exposed just how difficult it is to protect commerce in the digital age.

The Justice Department charged 11 people with stealing more than 40 million credit card and debit card numbers.



This link leads to a series of reports on how difficult it's becoming to protect your personal info. As the holiday season approaches it's pays to be vigilant.

Notebook

Warning You Have Been Datamined!

Hello,
The holidays are approaching and the scam and con artists are getting redy to go shoppin too! There is a need to protect ourselves but balancing this while protecting our right to privacy is like walking a tightrope. What do you think?



Hundreds of millions are affected each day with little or no control of their destiny.


Datamining Warning