Cynja
The Cynja, Vol. 2: Hidden deep in cyber alleys
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Cybercrime / Privacy
Starbucks value creation gift card hack adds money for nothing, hacker says; firm criticizes ‘fraudulent activity’
A computer security researcher says he recently found a way to hack Starbucks’ gift card system and add value to a gift card essentially for free. Starbucks has not yet responded to my questions about the attack, but the researcher says the bug he exploited has been fixed. Computer security consultant Egor Homakov, [Keep reading]
Cybercrime / Privacy
AdultFriendFinder customers hacked, highly sensitive data leaked online
One of the Internet’s largest adult dating websites has suffered a major data breach, with up to 4 million members impacted, according to U.K. news station Channel 4, which broke the story today. Victims face potential embarrassment or other serious repercussions in addition to the usual potential for identity theft. [Keep reading]
The Restless Project
Even higher rents don’t push Americans into buying homes — ‘a rock and a hard place’
Rents are increasing in most parts of the country. That normally nudges apartment dwellers into the housing market — as rents rise, so do reasons to buy a home — but that doesn’t seem to be happening in today’s topsy-turvy housing market. Instead, many renters are swallowing the increases and [Keep reading]
Cybercrime / Privacy
Study: 9 in 10 Americans want privacy, but only 1 in 10 think they can get it
The disparity is as dramatic as any you’re likely to see in a public opinion survey. Nine out of 10 Americans say it’s important to control the information collected about them and who can see it, but fewer than 1 in 10 Americans are confident that either the government or corporations [Keep reading]
The Restless Project
Long vacations being replaced by weekend getaways, and that’s a shame (and unhealthy)
The summer vacation season begins this weekend — by tradition, anyway — as millions of you head out for Memorial Day fun. Regular readers of this space know that I think the classic American vacation season is under assault, thanks to a dastardly combination of a tough economy and always-on [Keep reading]
Gotchas / Consumer
These cancer charities kept most of the millions they raised, states and FTC allege
Whenever a story like this pops up, I think about how these things make life so much harder for folks trying to raise money for legitimate charities. Stealing money is bad enough, but hurting cancer research and the work of other charities is a special kind of evil. The Federal Trade Commission and [Keep reading]
Cybercrime / Privacy
Starbucks victim: ‘I had to beg and plead to get my money back’ — also, new security questions
Ryan Benharris had $200 stolen from his debit card after his Starbucks account was hijacked recently, but that’s not why he was furious at the firm. He was angry about what happened next. “I had to beg and plead to get my money back,” he said. “They lied to me…I’m [Keep reading]
Cybercrime / Privacy
Out of context: FBI says researcher claims he hacked airliner’s flight controls, but it’s not that simple
Headlines during the weekend screamed that a hacker had taken control of a commercial airliner and been able to make it move “sideways” in flight. There’s a lot to unpack about this story, but let me get out a few points quickly. 1) There is no evidence that a hacker [Keep reading]
Cybercrime / Privacy
Starbucks blaming passwords, victims doesn’t fix the problem; burning questions about attack remain
Since I broke news of the Starbucks mobile pay / gift card /credit card attack last Monday, there has been some confusion about what the real risk is, who is to blame, and how to fix the problem. This is not unusual when a security issue arises with a large [Keep reading]