Zack Whittaker
TechCrunch
New York, NY, United States
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Recent articles by Zack:
Amazon under greater shareholder pressure to limit sale of facial recognition tech to the government –
This week could mark a significant setback for Amazon’s facial recognition business if privacy and civil liberties advocates — and some shareholders — get their way. Months earlier, shareholders tabled a resolution to limit the sale of Amazon’s facial recognition tech giant calls Rekognition to law enforcement and government agencies. It followed accusations of bias […] → Read More
Google’s own data proves two-factor is the best defense against most account hacks –
Every once in a while someone will ask me what is the best security advice. The long answer is “it depends on your threat model,” which is just a fancy way of saying what’s good security advice for the vast majority isn’t necessarily what nuclear scientists and government spies require. My short answer is, “turn […] → Read More
Identity platform Auth0 raises $103M, pushing its valuation over $1B –
Auth0, a 2013-founded identity and authentication platform, has pushed into unicorn territory with a $1 billion valuation after raising $103 million in its latest Series E round. The round was led by Sapphire Ventures, with participation from K9 Ventures, Telstra Ventures and several others. In all, Auth0 total funding tops $210 million to date. Auth0 […] → Read More
‘Crypto exchange’ Goxtrade caught using other people’s photos on its staff page –
Alleged cryptocurrency exchange Goxtrade bills itself as a “trusted platform for trading bitcoins,” but its staff page is filled with photos of people of pulled seemingly at random from the internet. The alleged exchange, which claimed to debut in 2017 yet its website is only a little more than a week old, used photos taken […] → Read More
After breach, Stack Overflow says some user data exposed –
After disclosing a breach earlier this week, Stack Overflow has confirmed some user data was accessed. In case you missed it, the developer knowledge sharing site confirmed Thursday a breach of its systems last weekend, resulting in unauthorized access to production systems — the front-facing servers that actively powers the site. The company gave few […] → Read More
Stack Overflow confirms breach, but customer data said to be unaffected –
Developer knowledge sharing site Stack Overflow has confirmed hackers breached its systems, but said customer data is unaffected. “Over the weekend, there was an attack on Stack Overflow,” wrote Mary Ferguson, vice president of engineering. “We have confirmed that some level of production access was gained on May 11.” “We discovered and investigated the extent […] → Read More
Europol, DOJ announce the takedown of the GozNym banking malware –
Europol and the U.S. Justice Department, with the help from six other countries, have disrupted and dismantled the GozNym malware, which they say stole more than $100 million from bank accounts since it first emerged. In a press conference in The Hague, prosecutors said 10 defendants in five countries are accused of using the malware […] → Read More
Apple, Google and Microsoft release patches for ZombieLoad chip flaws –
Big tech is stepping in to patch newly disclosed security flaws affecting almost every Intel chip since 2011. Researchers on Tuesday released details of the vulnerability, known as ZombieLoad — or microarchitectural data sampling as its technical name — which can leaked sensitive data stored in the processor, such as passwords, secret keys and account […] → Read More
New secret-spilling flaw affects almost every Intel chip since 2011 –
Security researchers have found a new class of vulnerabilities in Intel chips which, if exploited, can be used to steal sensitive information directly from the processor., The bugs are reminiscent of Meltdown and Spectre, which exploited a weakness in speculative execution, an important part of how modern processors work. Speculative execution helps processors predict to […] → Read More
You probably weren’t a target of the WhatsApp surveillance hack –
Every once in a while a major bug, vulnerability or security scare will spark panic. In most cases, it’s absolutely unnecessary panic. Take yesterday’s reported vulnerability. Israeli hacking outfit NSO Group, a developer of malware typically used by governments, was caught using a hack targeting WhatsApp that allowed the attackers to remotely spy on the […] → Read More
Boost Mobile says hackers broke into customer accounts –
Boost Mobile, a virtual mobile network owned by Sprint, has confirmed hackers have broken into an unknown number of customer accounts. The company quietly posted a notification of its data breach almost exactly two months after March 14 when Boost said the breach happened. “Boost.com experienced unauthorized online account activity in which an unauthorized person […] → Read More
Yes, Americans can opt-out of airport facial recognition. Here’s how –
Whether you like it or not, facial recognition tech to check in for your flight will soon be coming to an airport near you. Over a dozen U.S. airports are already rolling out the technology, with many more to go before the U.S. government hits its target of enrolling the largest 20 airports in the […] → Read More
Two years after WannaCry, a million computers remain at risk –
Two years ago today, a powerful ransomware began spreading across the world. WannaCry began encrypting hundreds of thousands of computers in over 150 countries in a matter of hours. It was the first time that ransomware, a malware that encrypts a user’s files and demands cryptocurrency in ransom to unlock them, had spread across the […] → Read More
‘Unhackable’ encrypted flash drive eyeDisk is, as it happens, hackable –
In security, nothing is “unhackable.” When it’s claimed, security researchers see nothing more than a challenge. Enter the latest findings from Pen Test Partners, a U.K.-based cybersecurity firm. Their latest project was ripping apart the “unhackable” eyeDisk, an allegedly secure USB flash drive that uses iris recognition to unlock and decrypt the device. eyeDisk raised […] → Read More
Flaws in a popular GPS tracker leak real-time locations and can remotely activate its microphone –
A popular GPS tracker — used as a panic alarm for elderly patients, to monitor kids, and track vehicles — contains security flaws, which security researchers say are so severe the device should be recalled. The Chinese manufactured white-label location tracker, rebranded and sold by over a dozen companies — including Pebbell by HoIP Telecom, […] → Read More
Justice Department charges Chinese hacker for 2015 Anthem breach –
U.S prosecutors have brought charges against a Chinese national for his alleged involvement of the 2015 data breach at health insurance giant Anthem, which resulted in the theft of 78 million medical records. Fujie Wang, 32, and other unnamed members of a China-based hacking group, are charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit fraud, […] → Read More
An unsecured SMS spam operation doxxed its owners –
A massive SMS spamming operation kicked out tens of millions of text messages, pestering unsuspecting recipients with links to fake sites flogging loans and free money. The operation was simple but smart. The system processed vast batches of phone numbers and curated custom messages on the fly with links to the fake sites. These fake […] → Read More
Twitter publishes latest government data request figures –
Twitter’s latest transparency report is out. The social media giant said it received six percent fewer requests for user data from governments between June and December 2018 than during its previous reporting period. According to the newly released data, Twitter received 6,904 government requests for information on 11,112 accounts — the exact number of requests as […] → Read More
Cybersecurity insurance startup Coalition raises $40M in Series B funding –
Coalition, a cybersecurity insurance company, has raised $40 million in its latest round of funding. Fintech investment giant Ribbit Capital led the investment with participation from Greenoaks Capital and Hillhouse Capital. Coalition’s insurance covers expenses incurred from liabilities related to third-parties, such as fines and penalties — as well as fraud, breach response, extortion and […] → Read More
Justice Department charge Deep Dot Web administrators with money laundering –
U.S. prosecutors have formally brought charges against the alleged co-owners and administrators of Deep Dot Web, who were arrested Tuesday. Tal Prihar, 37, and Michael Phan, 34 — both Israeli citizens — were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to a now-unsealed indictment. Prihar, who resided in Brazil, was arrested […] → Read More