Houzz resets user passwords after data breach

Houzz, a $4 billion-valued home improvement startup that recently laid off 10 percent of its staff, has admitted a data breach. A reader contacted TechCrunch on Thursday with a copy of an email sent by the company. It doesn’t say much — such as when the breach happened, or if a hacker to blame or if […]

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Data management giant Rubrik leaked a massive database of client data in security lapse

A server security lapse has exposed a massive database of customer information belonging to Rubrik, an IT security and cloud data management giant. The company pulled the server offline Tuesday within an hour of TechCrunch alerting the company, after the data was found by security researcher Oliver Hough. The exposed server wasn’t protected with a […]

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Fortnite bugs put accounts at risk of takeover

With one click, any semi-skilled hacker could have silently taken over a Fortnite account, according to a cybersecurity firm who says the bug is now fixed. Researchers at Check Point say the three vulnerabilities chained together could have affected any of its 200 million players. The flaws, if exploited, would have stolen the account access token […]

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Tesla is entering the Model 3 into Pwn2Own, one of the world’s toughest hacking contests

Tesla is handing over its new Model 3 sedan to Pwn2Own this year, the first time a car has been included in the annual high-profile hacking contest. The prize for the winning security researcher: a Model 3. Pwn2Own, which is in its 12th year and run by Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative, is known as […]

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Some US government websites won’t load after HTTPS certificates expire during shutdown

In a government shutdown, everything deemed non-essential stops. As we found out, renewing the certificates on its websites is considered non-essential. Several government sites are currently inaccessible or blocked by most browsers after their HTTPS certificate expired. With nobody available to renew them during the government shutdown, these sites are kicking back warning errors. According […]

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Cybersecurity 101: Five simple security guides for protecting your privacy

With hundreds of millions of people home for the holidays, now is a better time than ever to spread good tidings and cheer, and — well, some much-needed security advice for all the family. Security sounds complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. Privacy is more important than ever. With an ever-changing and evolving landscape […]

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Why you need to use a password manager

If you thought passwords will soon be dead, think again. They’re here to stay — for now. Passwords are cumbersome and hard to remember — and just when you did, you’re told to change it again. And sometimes passwords can be guessed and are easily hackable. Nobody likes passwords but they’re a fact of life. […]

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Two-factor authentication can save you from hackers

If you find passwords annoying, you might not like two-factor authentication much. But security experts say it’s one of the best ways to protect your online accounts. Simply put, two-factor authentication adds a second step in your usual log-in process. Once you enter your username and password, you’ll be prompted to enter a code sent […]

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How to protect your cell phone number and why you should care

Assuming you have your strong passwords in place and your two-factor authentication set up, you think your accounts are now safe? Think again. There’s much more to be done. You might think your Social Security or bank account numbers are the most sensitive digits in your life. Nowadays, hackers can do far more damage with […]

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How to choose and use an encrypted messaging app

Text messaging has been around since the dawn of cellular technology, and sparked its own unique language. But it’s time to put sending regular SMS messages out to pasture. If you have an iPhone, you’re already on your way. iPhones (as well as iPads and Macs) use iMessage to send messages between Apple devices. It’s […]

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Australia rushes its ‘dangerous’ anti-encryption bill into parliament, despite massive opposition

Australia’s controversial anti-encryption bill is one step closer to becoming law, after the two leading but sparring party political giants struck a deal to pass the legislation. The bill, in short, grants Australian police greater powers to issue “technical notices” — a nice way of forcing companies — even websites — operating in Australia to […]

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Sennheiser’s flawed headphone software opened PCs and Macs to HTTPS site spoofing

Headphone maker Sennheiser has patched its software after the company admitted a serious vulnerability that made it easy for hackers to impersonate any website — even encrypted pages. The software, which helps Mac and Windows users to connects their headphones to other devices, also installed a self-signed root certificates with an easily obtainable private key. […]

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