A researcher unlocked an encrypted laptop in about five minutes
A 2020 demonstration called Thunderspy unlocked encrypted Windows and Linux laptops in minutes. A separate flaw breaks the security chip in Macs.
category archive
Cybersecurity.
Digital trust, careful design and the people behind resilient systems.
The first known state hack began with a 75-cent error
In 1986 astronomer Cliff Stoll chased a 75-cent gap in a lab's computer bill and found German hackers who had sold their access to the KGB.
How a VPN works, and who still gets to watch you
A VPN encrypts your traffic and routes it through a company's server, so the question is which watcher you trust more, not whether one exists.
Certificate authorities check who owns a site before signing
Your browser trusts over 100 certificate authorities. CISA warns they vary in how strictly they check, and only a fingerprint check by phone is certain.
Researchers keep breaking the memory shuffle that stops exploits
ASLR hides code at random memory addresses so exploits miss. Researchers found it anyway by timing the CPU from JavaScript and by probing Chrome's memory.
Ransomware: the four checks before a company pays
The National Cyber Security Centre says the choice to pay is the victim's. Payment buys no certainty, as attackers can still sell the data.
Encryption hides what you say, not who you said it to
End-to-end encryption stops a provider reading your words, but it still knows who messaged whom, when, and how the chat moved.
Let's Encrypt made HTTPS certificates free and automatic
Let's Encrypt automated the forms, waiting and server setup as well, then issued its billionth HTTPS certificate in February 2020.