http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/hacking/ Hacking and computer security. Read today's research news on hacking and protecting against codebreakers. New software, secure data sharing, and more. en-us Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:05:02 EST Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:05:02 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/hacking/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209135831.htm A new study suggests that parents and carers could be putting children at risk if they upload digital photos that are automatically "geotagged" by their camera. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:58:58 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209135831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131135753.htm Intensive screening of all airline passengers actually makes the system less secure by overtaxing security resources, while risk-based methods increase overall security, according to new research. The researchers developed three algorithms dealing with risk uncertainty in the passenger population. Then, they ran simulations to demonstrate how their algorithms could estimate risk in the overall passenger population and how errors in this estimation procedure can be mitigated to reduce the risk to the overall system. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131135753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119143326.htm Researchers have succeeded in combining the power of quantum computing with the security of quantum cryptography and have shown that perfectly secure cloud computing can be achieved using the principles of quantum mechanics. They have performed an experimental demonstration of quantum computation in which the input, the data processing, and the output remain unknown to the quantum computer. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119143326.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118122829.htm An expert comments on the Zappos web site breach by hackers. He said that information about a customer can be used to 'de-anonymize' other databases on other Web sites, further invading customer privacy. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118122829.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118122618.htm As an estimated 24 million Zappos.com customers begin receiving notifications that some of their personal data have been compromised, an expert is warning those affected to be on the lookout for targeted fraud attempts. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118122618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120106164915.htm A revolutionary new technology helps with cyber security. Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:49:49 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120106164915.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221105826.htm A new draft computer security publication provides guidance for vendors and security professionals as they work to protect personal computers as they start up. Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:58:58 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221105826.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111216112905.htm With the computerization of databases in healthcare, forensics, telecommunications, and other fields, ensuring security for such databases has become increasingly important. Researchers have now analyzed a new security-control model for statistical databases. Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111216112905.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215095454.htm New encryption research may lead to improved data security, even for operations performed on remote servers. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:54:54 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215095454.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205082301.htm A sign-up interface for Facebook apps could help members prevent personal information -- and their friends' information -- from leaking out through third-party games and apps to hackers and identity thieves. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:23:23 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205082301.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201200240.htm Scientists and engineers have proven the worth of quantum cryptography in telecommunication networks by demonstrating its long-term effectiveness in a real-time network. Their international network, created in collaboration with ID Quantique and installed in the Geneva metropolitan area and crossing over to the site of CERN in France, ran for more than one-and-a-half years from the end of March 2009 to the beginning of January 2011. Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:02:02 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201200240.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130100228.htm Some smartphones specifically designed to support the Android mobile platform have incorporated additional features that can be used by hackers to bypass Android's security features, making them more vulnerable to attack. Android has the largest share of the smartphone market in the US. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:02:02 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130100228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111106150759.htm Scientists in China have produced a theory for a quantum cloning machine able to produce several copies of the state of a particle at atomic or sub-atomic scale, or quantum state. The advance could have implications for quantum information processing methods used, for example, in message encryption systems. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:07:07 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111106150759.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111103081340.htm Professional safecrackers use a stethoscope to find the correct combination by listening to the clicks of the lock. Researchers have now demonstrated how to bypass the security mechanisms of a widely used contactless smartcard in a similar way. Employing so-called “Side-Channel Analysis” the researchers can break the cryptography of millions of cards that are used all around the world. Thu, 03 Nov 2011 08:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111103081340.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027163117.htm Managing light to carry computer data, such as text, audio and video, is possible today with laser light beams that are guided along a fiber-optic cable. These waves consist of countless billions of photons, which carry information down the fiber across continents. A research team wants to refine the optical transmission of information by using a single photon, the fundamental building block of light that can allow unprecedented applications in optical information transfer. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:31:31 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027163117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019104907.htm Standards are supposed to guarantee security, especially in the WWW. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is the main force behind standards like HTML, XML, and XML Encryption. But implementing a W3C standard does not mean that a system is secure. Researchers from the chair of network and data security have found a serious attack against XML Encryption. "Everything is insecure", is the uncomfortable message from the researchers. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:49:49 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019104907.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111018131345.htm Engineers have discovered how to program a smartphone to sense nearby keyboard vibrations and decipher complete sentences with up to 80 percent accuracy. Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111018131345.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111014104409.htm Digital security specialists, major European electronics makers, and experts in biometrics worked together to make passport control at airports faster. The technology also could have broader applications on the way our identity documents are design and on the way we access public services. Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:44:44 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111014104409.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111013162940.htm Experts are concerned with potential issues with mobile applications (commonly referred to as apps) written for the Android system using the WebView platform. Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111013162940.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111011132050.htm The year ahead will feature new and increasingly sophisticated means to capture and exploit user data, as well as escalating battles over the control of online information that threatens to compromise content and erode public trust and privacy, according to computer security experts. Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111011132050.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111007103237.htm More and more companies are providing their employees with smartphones. While companies seek the best security available for their data, employees would also like to install apps of their own. Security experts have now developed equipment software with two separate areas: the business area and the personal area. Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:32:32 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111007103237.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005110955.htm Researchers have developed a new, experimental technique to better protect sensitive information in cloud computing -- without significantly affecting the system's overall performance. Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:09:09 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005110955.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005110229.htm At the push of a button by the driver, control units download the car manufacturer's new software -- such as enhanced map material for the navigation system. To ensure that this data channel is protected from hacker attack, the system needs the right cryptographic key. To date, these keys have been stored in each one of a vehicle's electronic control units. Thanks to a new form of trust anchor, this will be simpler and more economical in the future. Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:02:02 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005110229.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111004123604.htm Physicists have created a tiny "electron superhighway" that could one day be useful for building a quantum computer -- a new type of computer that will use quantum particles in place of the digital transistors found in today's microchips. Researchers now describe how to make a "topological insulator," a much-sought device that could help physicists create elusive pairs of quantum particles that are particularly useful for storing information. Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:36:36 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111004123604.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110915113754.htm Many governments in Europe and the US are looking at ways to make more data publicly available. Federally, there is also an open government initiative in Canada. Privacy concerns may be leading to some hesitation in pushing forward with such efforts -- but as demonstrated in this study, privacy concerns can be addressed in a defensible manner. Thu, 15 Sep 2011 11:37:37 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110915113754.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110914100548.htm The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released four new publications that detail specifications to be used by the latest version of the Security Content Automation Protocol for managing IT security in large organizations. Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:05:05 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110914100548.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913103213.htm Developing self-learning, self aware cyber security technologies, protecting smart utility grids and enhancing the security of mobile networks are among the top research priorities needed to safeguard the internet of tomorrow, according to a new report. Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:32:32 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913103213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110901155259.htm A new paradigm in quantum information processing has been demonstrated. Physicists have developed a quantum integrated circuit that implements the quantum von Neumann architecture. In this architecture, a long-lived quantum random access memory can be programmed using a quantum central processing unit, all constructed on a single chip, providing the key components for a quantum version of a classical computer. Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:52:52 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110901155259.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110901135110.htm A digital dumping ground lies inside most computers, a wasteland where old, rarely used and unneeded files pile up. Such data can deplete precious storage space, bog down the system's efficiency and sap its energy. Computer scientists now propose adapting a real-world approach to the cleanup effort. Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:51:51 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110901135110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110831115808.htm Physicists have achieved a record-low probability of error in quantum information processing with a single quantum bit (qubit) -- the first published error rate small enough to meet theoretical requirements for building viable quantum computers. Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:58:58 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110831115808.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110826085153.htm When your email program or word processor "hangs" it is annoying, you lose messages or have to reboot your computer and start that writing project again if you hadn't saved the text. But, we depending increasingly on computers in almost all walks of life, not least critical systems such as air-traffic control, in which the computer "hanging" can be life threatening. Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:51:51 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110826085153.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110822111751.htm Researchers have demonstrated the first wireless security scheme that can protect against "man-in-the-middle" attacks -- but doesn't require a password. Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110822111751.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110817075424.htm Researchers have found a weakness in the AES algorithm used worldwide to protect internet banking, wireless communications, and data on hard disks. They managed to come up with a clever new attack that can recover the secret key four times easier than anticipated by experts. However the attack has no practical implications on the security of user data due to various complexities. Wed, 17 Aug 2011 07:54:54 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110817075424.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110810133023.htm A radical new approach to thwarting Internet censorship would essentially turn the whole Web into a proxy server, making it virtually impossible for a censoring government to block individual Web sites. Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:30:30 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110810133023.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110810132850.htm Physicists have for the first time linked the quantum properties of two separated ions (electrically charged atoms) by manipulating them with microwaves instead of the usual laser beams. Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110810132850.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110810085459.htm Two completely different quantum systems have been successfully joined. This should pave the way to feasible quantum-computer microchips. Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:54:54 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110810085459.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110809083450.htm Scientists have developed a new technique that may help photographers protect their anonymity. This idea came from a technology expert, after seeing how public authorities had used pictures of demonstrations to hunt down those people that had been carrying cameras. The new technique makes location detection of a photographer considerably more difficult. Tue, 09 Aug 2011 08:34:34 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110809083450.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808115416.htm Professors have developed a high-powered context-based search algorithm to analyze digital data on-the-fly to support ongoing criminal investigations. The research not only gives crime-fighters a new tool, but also may be used for more legitimate location-based marketing. Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:54:54 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808115416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808104616.htm There are increasing pressures for health care providers to make individual-level data readily available for research and policy making. But Canadians are more likely to allow the sharing of their personal data if they believe that their privacy is protected. A new report suggests that Canadians can be uniquely identified from their date of birth, postal code, and gender. This means if this triad of data exists in any database, even if it has no names or other identifying information, it would be possible to determine the identity of those individuals. Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:46:46 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808104616.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110804081737.htm Scientists have found a way to promptly detect hacker attacks on virtual machines. Companies and government agencies that employ virtual machines can thus protect data stored on them against theft. Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110804081737.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801105642.htm Miniaturization in computer hard drives allows us to store vast amounts of digital data in a very small space, but it has created numerous problems that physicists and engineers are struggling to solve. The process of writing information on tiny magnetic bits one by one, as fast as possible, and with little energy consumption, represents one of the biggest hurdles in this field. Now, scientists in Europe have discovered a new method to write magnetic data that fulfills all of these requirements. Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:56:56 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801105642.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110728111452.htm Industry experts and researchers may be underestimating the threat to Internet security posed by physical attacks to telecommunications infrastructure, according to new research. Only nine percent of industry experts and researchers who responded to an international survey considered physical attacks to the infrastructure to be a likely threat to future Internet security. Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:14:14 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110728111452.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110727131418.htm Information technologists have used game theory to develop a defense mechanism for networks that is more effective than previous approaches. Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:14:14 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110727131418.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110725152925.htm Americans are used to drinking from the kitchen tap without fear of harm, even though water utilities might be vulnerable to terrorist attacks or natural contaminants. Now, thanks to new open-source software -- public water systems can be protected through enhanced detection of such threats. Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110725152925.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110715135547.htm To build a quantum computer, one needs to create and precisely control individual quantum memory units, called qubits, for information processing. Scientists have made a breakthrough in the creation of massive numbers of entangled qubits, more precisely a multilevel variant thereof called Qmodes. Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:55:55 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110715135547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110623130753.htm Peer influence and low self-control appear to be the major factors fueling juvenile cybercrime such as computer hacking and online bullying, according to a new study. Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:07:07 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110623130753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110620095240.htm Scientists in Germany have discovered major security vulnerabilities in numerous virtual machines published by customers of Amazon's cloud. Among 1100 public Amazon Machine Images (AMIs), which are used to provide cloud services, about 30 percent are vulnerable, allowing attackers to manipulate or compromise web services or virtual infrastructures, the researchers say. Mon, 20 Jun 2011 09:52:52 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110620095240.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110617080824.htm Website CAPTCHA technology used to protect sites from hackers, bots and spammers is making those same sites inaccessible to many potential users, according to a survey of 150 typical online forums and other sites. Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:08:08 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110617080824.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110616092650.htm Canadian privacy experts have issued a new report that strongly backs the practice of de-identification as a key element in the protection of personal information. The report validates that that anonymizing data is a reliable, safe and practical way to protect personal information. Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:26:26 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110616092650.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110614154546.htm A new system would jam wireless signals sent to medical implants by unauthorized users. Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:45:45 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110614154546.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110614115031.htm Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a tool to provide confidential communication between two remote parties. QKD is perfectly secure in principle, but researchers have long been aware that loopholes may arise when QKD is put into practice. Now, for the first time, researchers have implemented a "perfect eavesdropper" that exploits just such a loophole. The results highlight the importance of identifying imperfections in the implementation of QKD as a step towards fixing them. Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:50:50 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110614115031.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110602111437.htm A study of more than 100 popular web sites has found that three-quarters leak either private information or users' unique identifiers to third-party tracking sites. The study showed how such leakage could permit tracking sites to link bits of information to create detailed profiles of individuals. Efforts to date to curb such leakage and linkage of personal information, including proposals made in a 2010 Federal Trade Commission report, would be largely ineffective, the study concluded. Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:14:14 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110602111437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110531155354.htm A new system called EnerJ helps computer programmers go green, letting them cut a program's energy consumption by up to 50 percent. Tue, 31 May 2011 15:53:53 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110531155354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110526141501.htm Physicists have demonstrated a crucial element for a future functioning quantum computer: repetitive error correction. This allows scientists to correct errors occurring in a quantum computer efficiently. Thu, 26 May 2011 14:15:15 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110526141501.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110524070200.htm Researchers have developed an anonymous system with automatic routing management. The system sets up a data transmission communication environment whose users are unidentifiable. This safeguards user privacy, as well as improving information exchange security, making both data sending and receiving more effective. To do this, it uses multipoint software based on client-server applications. Tue, 24 May 2011 07:02:02 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110524070200.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110517110308.htm Security concerns are one of the key obstacles to the adoption of new non-volatile main memory (NVMM) technology in next-generation computers, which would improve computer start times and boost memory capacity. But now researchers have developed new encryption hardware for use with NVMM to protect personal information and other data. Tue, 17 May 2011 11:03:03 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110517110308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110511162533.htm A new publication provides guidelines to secure the earliest stages of the computer boot process, the so-called BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) that initializes the computer hardware when you switch on the machine. Wed, 11 May 2011 16:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110511162533.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110509101153.htm A new approach to hiding data within executable computer program files could make it almost impossible to detect hidden documents. Mon, 09 May 2011 10:11:11 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110509101153.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110502122138.htm A powerful quantum computer could be designed with an incredibly tiny memory. Researchers wrote the quantum state of single photons, i.e. particles of light, into a rubidium atom and read it out again after a certain storage time. This technique can be used in principle to design powerful quantum computers and to network them with each other across large distances. Mon, 02 May 2011 12:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110502122138.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110413093223.htm Researchers have developed software that helps Android smartphone users prevent their personal information from being stolen by hackers. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 09:32:32 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110413093223.htm