The attackers who carried out the mass hack that Facebook disclosed two weeks ago obtained user account data belonging to as many as 30 million users, the social network said on Friday. Some of that data—including phone numbers, email addresses, birth dates, searches, location check-ins, and the types of devices used to access the site—came from private accounts or was supposed to be restricted only to friends. Read full story here: Here’s How To See If You’re Among The 30 Million Compromised Facebook Users | Ars Technica
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Google+ To Shut Down After Coverup Of Data-Exposing Bug | TechCrunch
Google is about to have its Cambridge Analytica moment. A security bug allowed third-party developers to access Google+ user profile data since 2015 until Google discovered and patched it in March, but decided not to inform the world. When a user gave permission to an app to access their public profile data, the bug also let those developers pull their and their friends’ non-public profile fields. Indeed, 496,951 users’ full names, email addresses, birth dates, gender, profile photos, places lived, occupation and relationship status were potentially exposed, though Google says it…
Read MoreHow Roadside Speed Signs In The U.S. Could Be Tracking You Using Canadian-Made Tech | National Post
Canadian drivers who venture south of the border can soon expect to have their licence plate logged surreptitiously by the United States’ newest public surveillance tool: roadside speed signs. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency plans to expand its efforts to track licence plates around the country by embedding recognition technology inside digital displays that indicate the speed at which a vehicle is travelling, the news website Quartz reported this week. In addition to fulfilling their chief purpose — warning people who drive faster than the limit to slow down —…
Read MoreFacebook Says At Least 50 million Users Affected By Account Takeover Bug | TechCrunch
Facebook has said 50 million user accounts may be at risk after hackers exploited a security vulnerability on the site. The company said in a blog post Friday that it discovered the bug earlier in the week. The bug is part of the site’s “View As” feature that lets a user see their profile as someone else. Facebook has switched off the “View As” feature in the meantime while it investigates the bug further. The bug allowed hackers to obtain account access tokens, which are used to keep users logged in…
Read More‘It’s Terrifying’: Marketplace’s Smart Home Hacking Tests Reveal Major Privacy Concerns | CBC News
All it took was a white van, a team of three hackers and a phishing email to remotely unlock Johanna Kenwood and Peter Yarema’s front door. The couple’s home in Oakville, Ont., is automated with a number of smart devices, including their lights, thermostat, security cameras and the deadbolt on their door. “I like the security and knowing what’s going on in my house when I’m away,” said Kenwood. And the couple enjoys the “convenience” of an automated home, said Yarema, for “some of the simpler things,” like when your…
Read MoreRCMP And Privacy Commissioner Probe Alleged NCIX Data Breach | CBC News
The RCMP and Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia are investigating allegations of a possible data breach involving the bankrupt computer retailer NCIX. Authorities are investigating a claim that NCIX’s database servers have been advertised for sale online with all of the information still intact. In doing so, it may have compromised the security of countless customers. According to a statement from Richmond RCMP, the case was opened Thursday and police have seized the servers. Read full story here: RCMP And Privacy Commissioner Probe Alleged NCIX Data Breach | CBC News
Read MorePrivacy Experts Say Choosing Life Insurance Tied To Fitness Tracking Could Have Unintended Consequences | CBC News
Privacy experts say they’re concerned life-insurance programs that reward customers for behaviours like logging their activity using a fitness tracker could have unintended consequences for the safety of their personal data. Insurance giant John Hancock, owned by Canadian company Manulife Financial Corp., announced Thursday a switch to “interactive” life-insurance policies only, which offer incentives for things like wearing a Fitbit or other fitness tracker. Customers in John Hancock’s program — a partnership with Vitality Group — do not have to log their activities to get coverage, but can receive discounts or other perks if they do. The…
Read MoreHackers Have Planted Credit Card Stealing Malware On Local Government Payment Sites | TechCrunch
Security firm FireEye has confirmed that a widely used web payment portal used to pay for local government services, like utilities and permits, has been targeted by hackers. Hackers have broken into self-hosted Click2Gov servers operated by local governments across the US, likely using a vulnerability in the portal’s web server that allowed the attacker to upload malware to siphon off payment card data over a period of “weeks to numerous months,” Nick Richard, principal threat intelligence analyst at FireEye, told TechCrunch. Read full story here: Hackers Have Planted Credit Card Stealing…
Read MoreWill Your Cannabis Credit Card Purchases Be Visible To U.S. Border Officials? (Some Might, Some Won’t.) – National | Globalnews.ca
Legalizing cannabis is a complicated business with lots of moving parts. The question of how a credit card marijuana purchase will appear on your statement would seem not to make a list of the top 50 issues. And it wouldn’t, except for two awkward facts: U.S. law allows border officials to ban Canadians for life from their country for using marijuana in this country, even when it’s legal here. (A senior official confirmed last week that they are willing to do this in practice.) Read full story here: Will Your Cannabis Credit…
Read MoreWho Has Your Data? Researchers Scrutinize Apps For Undisclosed Ties To Advertisers, Analytics Companies | CBC News
If you want to better understand how an app or a service plans to use your personal information, its privacy policy is often a good place to start. But a recent study found there can be a gap between what’s described in that privacy policy, and what the app actually collects and shares. An analysis by University of Toronto researchers found hundreds of Android apps that disclosed the collection of personal information for the app developer’s own purposes — but, at the same time, didn’t disclose the presence of third-party…
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