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Google Hires Bouncer to Give Android Malware the Heave-Ho February 03, 2012 
Google announced a new layer of security for its Android Market on Thursday, unveiling a program called "Bouncer" that will automatically scan apps for malware. Bouncer works by analyzing each app as it's uploaded to the Market, scanning for threats, spyware and trojans.
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Verisign Fesses Up About 2010 Hack Attacks February 03, 2012 
Verisign has alarmed the online security industry with its reluctant disclosure of repeated hack attacks on its network in 2010. The infrastructure company supports key servers of the Internet's backbone, serving as Top Level Domain host for .com, .org and .gov. That it was repeatedly penetrated in 2010 was first quietly disclosed in an SEC filing in October 2011.
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Measure to Ease Video-Rental Privacy Curbs Catches Flack in Senate February 02, 2012 
A change to the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act recently sailed through the House of Representatives without a hitch. The bill would allow a provider of rental DVDs or videos to get consent to share their customers' title selections, as long as users were provided with an opportunity to withdraw that consent. That smooth ride ended in the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law.
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Google Defends 'Simpler' Privacy Policy in 13-Page Letter to Congress January 31, 2012 
Google has responded to a letter from members of Congress with its own 13-page missive explaining changes to its privacy policy that will take effect on March 1. Among other things, the letter signed by eight legislators stated that "consumers should have the ability to opt out of data collection when they are not comfortable with a company's term of service."
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Facebook's IPO May Be the Last Straw for Privacy-Minded Users January 31, 2012 
Zero hour is approaching as the certainty grows that Facebook will be filing for its initial public offering this week. Zero hour for excited investors and Wall Street banks -- and zero hour for privacy advocates. Even as a private company, Facebook had no problem pushing the envelope, said Consumer Watchdog spokesperson Carmen Balber. "Facebook is already treading dangerous waters ... ."
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New Android Scare: Just How Malignant Is That Malware? January 31, 2012 
Antivirus vendor Symantec announced recently that up to 5 million Android devices may have been infected with a particular type of malware. Multiple publishers were pushing out apps -- some of which were found in the official Android Market -- containing malware known as "Counterclank," according to the AV company.
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New Email Spec Aims to Tangle Phishing Lines January 30, 2012 
Fifteen leading email service providers and tech companies have announced a joint effort to fight phishers. Google, Facebook, PayPal, Yahoo and Agari are among the companies behind the Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance spec. DMARC is a technical specification that standardizes how email receivers perform email authentication using well-known mechanisms.
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FBI Looking to 'Friend' Terrorists January 30, 2012 
Social networks are popular with lots of folks, including terrorists. That's why the FBI is looking for a contractor that will design an "early warning system" for it based on monitoring chatter on the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
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Apple Does the Money Dance January 28, 2012 
pple's first fiscal quarter is usually a big one. The way its financial calendar works out, what it considers Q1 ends on Dec. 31, meaning it covers the entire holiday period, as well as maybe a little back-to-school action. But the numbers Apple posted about its most recent Q1 were in an entirely different class than the usual money bender it wakes up from this time of year.
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Facebook Slaps Likejackers With Lawsuit January 27, 2012 
Facebook and Washington state filed federal lawsuits on Thursday against Adscend Media for "clickjacking," a form of spamming that fools users into visiting advertising sites and divulging personal information. "Likejacking" is similar. Users believe links to spam sites are being sent to them by friends.
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FBI's Most Wanted: A Social Media Monitoring Tool January 27, 2012 
The FBI wants to keep its eye on social media users, according to a job post that invites software developers to submit applications capable of mining through sites such as Twitter and Facebook to identify possible threats. The post can be found on FedBizOpps.gov. The bureau has a detailed list of requirements for the app.
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Privacy Advocates, Businesses Dig In for EU Lobbying Campaign January 26, 2012 
Both privacy advocates and representatives of businesses that handle consumer data are flocking to Brussels. Why? The EU has proposed a strict set of new data privacy rules that would restrict companies such as Facebook even more than they currently do.
Facebook, et al., have descended on the city in the hope of softening some of the restrictions, while privacy advocates are there to keep the EU on its intended path.
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Privacy Advocates Fiercely Furrow Brows at Google January 25, 2012 
Google will consolidate about 60 of its privacy policies across its products in March, creating one overarching policy and leaving only about another 10 unchanged for legal and other reasons. The company is also changing its terms of service. It may combine information on Google account holders across all the company's services the account holder uses.
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Take the 5th? Not With Encrypted Hard Drives, Says Fed Judge January 25, 2012 
Encrypting data on your computer may protect you from hackers and thieves, but it won't protect you from crime investigators. That was the finding of a federal district court in Colorado Monday in a case involving a woman who refused to decrypt the files on her laptop for government prosecutors.
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SC Rules Cops Need Warrant to Slap GPS on Cars January 24, 2012 
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday that law enforcement officials need a court-approved warrant before using a GPS device to track a suspect. Justices offered different opinions regarding how Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures apply to the balance between law enforcement and privacy.
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A Strategy for Post-Virtualization Security January 24, 2012 
Virtualization has been one of the most rapidly and widely adopted technologies in recent memory. It's huge, and it's here to stay. And as security professionals know, setting up a virtual environment securely isn't easy. Significant effort goes into tasks like evaluating off-premise service providers, ensuring regulatory compliance, and standing up technical controls like monitoring and encryption.
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