Security

The NSA and Your Mobile Phone

September 10, 2013 By noemi Leave a Comment

It’s the era of spying, monitoring, and of course, whistleblowers. We’ve had so many news items on governments making sure that they know what’s going on – hence the monitoring of practically all kinds of communication. We’ve also had quite a few high profile cases wherein people in the know have come public.

What’s the truth?

Remember, there are always at least two sides to a story, and the average person will probably never get to know the whole picture, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that the government is keeping tabs on what’s floating in the airwaves – or cables, for that matter. Whether you send an email or a text message or make a phone call, the chances are that there might be someone else listening in.[Read More]

Google Looking at USB Sticks to Replace Passwords

March 18, 2013 By noemi 1 Comment

How many passwords do you have for all your online accounts? From email accounts – of which you probably have at least a handful – to social networking accounts to online banking portals to forums to shopping web sites – we have so many passwords to remember that it can be a headache. Especially when you visit a long ago forgotten site. Then it could be such a hassle to remember the password, that is unless you’ve got a vault where you keep all your passwords. (I highly recommend Lastpass for this.)

If Google’s vision becomes a reality – which I don’t doubt it will at some point – we just might a solution to this password headache. At a recent RSA security event held in San Francisco, Google principal engineer, Mayank Upadhyay has revealed the interesting direction that the company is going in regard to passwords.[Read More]

Top 5 Password Management Tools

October 9, 2012 By noemi 3 Comments

Password Management Tools

I have made a reputation for myself in that I tend to forget my passwords. It’s not something to be proud of, for sure, and I still cannot live down the instance when I had just gotten my first MacBook. I set a user password, only to have forgotten it right after restarting! For the life of me, I cannot explain how that happened, but you get the picture…Writing on more blogs than I can count on one hand and having to access even more password-protected sites, I am absolutely reliant on password management tools.

If you are anything like me, you would benefit from an efficient password management tool as well. There are many choices, and let me share five of the best password management tools with you.[Read More]

Wi-Fi Blocking Wallpaper to Keep Signal Thieves Away

May 11, 2012 By noemi Leave a Comment

Wi-Fi Wallpaper

How many stories can you tell about your neighbors stealing your Wi-Fi signal? Or maybe it is the other way around? If you live in a building, then the chances are that you will have quite some stories to tell.

If you are tired of having people leeching off you, you will love what a team of researchers from Grenoble Institut Polytechnique and the Centre Technique du Papier (France) have developed: Wi-Fi blocking wallpaper.

The researchers may or may not have had their own experiences with Wi-Fi thieves, but they seem to be passionate about keeping homes more secure. Sure, the first step is to make sure that you have a strong password, but just in case that is not enough for you, you just might be able to purchase this Wi-Fi blocking wallpaper some time next year.[Read More]

Russian ATM That Can Detect Lies

June 10, 2011 By noemi Leave a Comment

Thieves who make their living out of unauthorized ATM access are soon going to have to find a different source of income. I have, fortunately, never been a victim of ATM theft, but there are countless people who have been victimized via all sorts of modus operandi.

If Russian company Speed Technology Center succeeds in its latest project, however, ATM theft may become a thing of the past – and not soon enough, in my opinion! The company is currently in the testing stage of a cutting edge ATM that adds several layers of security. Currently, we rely heavily on the Personal Identification Number (PIN) for security. Banks and security experts give out all sorts of tips on how to keep the PIN safe, but inevitably, breaches occur – resulting in unauthorized access.

With Speed Technology Center’s new machines, the dependence on the PIN will be gone. Instead, the addition of voice recognition software plus the application of lie-detector technology will make security a tough nut to crack. More than that, however, the new machines are equipped with high tech measures such as the ability to scan passports, record fingerprints, and do a 3D facial scan. Impressive, really, but I am worried that thieves might resort to cutting of their victims’ fingers!

Seriously, though, this system seems to be working, as is being observed by Sberbank, the Russian bank doing the testing. The plan is to roll out these machines across Russia, in banks and malls. I think that it is a brilliant idea and that other countries/banks should follow suit. What do you think?