Hard Drive LED Allows Data Theft From Air-Gapped PCs
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel have disclosed yet another method that can be used to exfiltrate data from air-gapped computers, and this time it involves the activity LED of hard disk drives (HDDs). Many desktop and laptop computers have an HDD activity indicator, which blinks when data is being read from…
IDG Contributor Network: Deletion is not destruction: ensuring the permanent removal of data
Some words of warning to all armchair data security “experts:” The Delete button is not a substitute for destruction; it no more eliminates data than a pink eraser removes magic marker, or a magic wand has the power to do anything more than — to ever be anything more than — a cheap prop. And…
Medical data: Accessible and irresistible for cyber criminals
How valuable is personal healthcare data? Apparently it depends. Based on at least some price comparisons on the Dark Web – the underground online marketplace for cyber criminals – electronic health records (EHR) are not even close to premium goods. McAfee, now a division of Intel Security, reported recently that the price for an individual medical…
What about the personal data on those millions of recalled Note7s?
The users of millions of faulty Samsung Galaxy Note7s, already turned in, face a bigger potential dilemma than whether the devices might blow up: The fate of their personal data on the devices. Many of the users of some 3 million Note7 devices sold were told by Samsung and government officials to immediately stop using…
5 apps for encrypting and shredding files
While safeguarding personal and business data has always been important, the necessity for maintaining digital privacy has become even more vital as more of our records are digitized. People are starting to realize that passwords alone aren’t enough. Even with password protection, anything on your computer can potentially be viewed by an enterprising hacker. And…