Security

White House questions CISPA cybersecurity bill

The White House today expressed concerns about a controversial cybersecurity bill that would authorize Internet companies to divulge confidential customer records and communications.

Opposition from the Obama administration -- which stopped short of a veto threat -- could imperil the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, which is scheduled for a House of Representatives floor vote next week. CISPA is intended to improve computer security by allowing companies and government agencies to share sensitive information.

In a statement provided to The Hill newspaper, National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said:

While information sharing legislation is an essential component of comprehensive … Read more

CISPA gets a rewrite but still threatens Americans' privacy

New revisions to a proposed federal cybersecurity law still would permit Internet companies to hand over confidential customer records and communications to the National Security Agency.

A recent torrent of criticism prompted the politicians behind the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act to circulate a revised version (PDF) of CISPA this evening before an expected floor vote next week. But the authors made only relatively minor tweaks.

The legislation remains so broad that the NSA could vacuum up "all sorts of sensitive information like Internet use information and the contents of e-mails," ACLU legislative counsel Michelle Richardson told … Read more

Six tips to make your Mac safer

The Flashback Trojan went viral last week, infecting an estimated 1 percent of OS X computers worldwide. While the infection rate has subsided since then, that doesn't mean Mac owners should return to complacency.

It doesn't mean that there's cause for panic, either. Here are some common sense, effective tips for safeguarding your Mac against more malware.

Get a security suite: You can stop rolling your eyes now. Concerns about security suite performance generally come from the way that most security programs used to tie Windows into knots. While the Windows suites have gotten significantly better, their … Read more

How to switch to a standard user account in OS X

One of the commonly recommended safe-computing practices is to run your day-to-day activities in a standard user account and reserve administrative accounts purely for installing applications, adjusting system settings, and otherwise reconfiguring the system. This setup helps prevent mishaps performed in a standard account from affecting global system resources. For instance, a malware attack or bug in an application will have easier access to the Applications folder, global Library folders, and other resources open to admin accounts. Therefore, by using an account with standard permissions you will help prevent problems or dangers from affecting system resources without your explicit permission.… Read more

IoSafe Solo G3 review: There's hope

Beside death and taxes -- and April 17 is approaching, in case you don't pay attention -- the loss of data might be the third thing that's certain in life; it's just a matter of time. But there's hope.

Since you can file an extension to do the tax return, which you should avoid, there's also a way for you to further prevent data loss, which you definitely should do. And the Solo G3 from IoSafe is one of the best, if not the best solution, all things considered.

In a nutshell it's an … Read more

IBM-patented floor could detect a heart attack, call the cops

File this under the bizarre but potentially life-saving category of new tech: an intelligent floor that knows who is doing what on a given surface, and can alert police or first responders in the event of an intrusion or medical emergency.

IBM, which filed for a patent describing such a system in February 2009, is now, just more than three years later, the proud holder of said patent. What it does with it remains to be seen, but the initial vision is clear.

From the patent abstract, IBM reports on an approach that "uses an electronic multitouch floor covering that has numerous sensors to identify shapes."… Read more

iCam is the cheap, easy way to get remote video surveillance

Video surveillance, often associated with bank-robbing and 7-11s, isn't just for retailers. Thanks to dirt-cheap apps like iCam, anyone with a computer and smartphone can set up their own video surveillance with little effort and without breaking the bank.

When you're on vacation, traveling for work, or even want to set up baby monitoring, iCam provides the tools to turn your computer's Webcam (or an IP camera) into a surveillance camera that you can monitor remotely with your smartphone or tablet.

You'll spend $5 total, and get access to features like motion detection, multi-camera monitoring, audio … Read more

How to reinstall OS X after malware infection

The recent Flashback malware for OS X has caused a bit of a stir in the Mac community, and while it has only affected a fraction of the OS X install base, it still has had people who have indeed found the malware on their systems writing in to CNET and on the Apple Discussion boards.

For the most part, people have been finding the malware on their systems by having an antivirus scanner or reverse firewall such as Little Snitch installed, and have either been given an alert that the malware was either found or a program file with … Read more

Friday Poll: Are you adding anti-malware to your Mac?

Macs have long had a reputation as machines that rarely catch malicious bugs like trojans and spyware. Windows computers were always the sickly cousins, in need of having an antivirus doctor on hand at all times to ward against illness.

Mac's ironclad image may need to be revised. Russian antivirus company Dr. Web has come out with a report saying 600,000 Macs around the globe are infected with the Flashback Trojan. The report says more than half of those Macs are located in the United States.… Read more