Security Breaches

Security breaches are an almost daily occurrence and something for which none of us are immune. If anything they provide a stark reminder of the dangers of reusing the same password across multiple sites - if a user’s account is compromised on one, they can often be compromised on others also.

Breaches also serve to remind us of the amount of data we may have given away historically across the range of companies we have transacted with over the years (many would have sought to learn as much about their users as they could).

The following articles help flag some of the more serious breaches that impact readers in the UK and Europe.

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NHS approved apps found leaking ID data

Many NHS-accredited smartphone health apps leak data that could be used for ID theft and fraud, a study has found. The apps are included in NHS England’s Health Apps Library, which tests programs to ensure they meet standards of clinical and data safety.

Carphone warehouse in customer data breach

Personal details of up to 2.4 million Carphone Warehouse customers may have been accessed in a cyber-attack, the mobile phone retailer says. Up to 90,000 customers may also have had their encrypted credit card details accessed, it said in a statement.

Password manager lastpass hacked, exposing encrypted master passwords

Password manager LastPass said Monday that email addresses and encrypted master passwords were compromised in a breach. LastPass CEO Joe Siegrist wrote in a blog post that the company does not believe user accounts were accessed in the attack, but the company recommended that users change the master password they use to access their account.

BY Kate Vinton

FBI seeks hacker after 1.2 billion logins are stolen

The FBI has linked a hacker to the theft of 1.2 billion internet credentials - the largest heist of its kind. A hacker known as “mr.grey” is named in court documents filed by the bureau last year, according to the Reuters news agency. The hacker was linked to the stolen logins via a Russian email address.

Suddenly hot smart home devices are ripe for hacking, experts warn

Experts expect the number of attacks on the Internet of Things (IoT) will likely increase in 2017. IoT includes devices like webcams, DVRs and connected thermostats that make life easier for homeowners, but are susceptible to cyber-intrusions.

BY Jennifer Schlesinger

More than 200 mobile websites and apps leaked personally identifiable information

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwired - Dec 13, 2016) - Wandera, the leader in enterprise mobile security and data usage management, today announced the findings of a global analysis of nearly four billion requests across hundreds of thousands of corporate-liable devices for over 500 enterprises. The findings, available in the 2017 Mobile Leak Report, reveal more than 200 mobile websites and apps that were exposing sensitive consumer and enterprise information over the past year.

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