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FTC Bows Out Of IOT Conference Amid Shutdown

October 1, 2013 Paul Roberts

Attendees at a high-level summit to discuss the fast-emerging Internet of Things in Washington D.C. were informed that a scheduled talk by Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairwoman Edith Ramirez would not take place because of a U.S. Government shutdown that began at Midnight. Ramirez was scheduled to address the 2013 M2M & Internet of Things Global Summit on Tuesday morning on “The FTC’s Interest in the Internet of Things,” but conference attendees told The Security Ledger that Ramirez was forced to cancel her talk because of a government shutdown. “Attendees were told she could not give it due to the shutdown,” said Torrey Barrett, a marketing professional attending the event, reported via Twitter. Ramirez was scheduled to speak at 9:00 AM on Tuesday as one of a series of keynote speakers, just after Michael Nelson (@MikeNelson), Microsoft’s Principal Technology Policy Strategist and just ahead of Chris Vein, a former deputy […]

With Settlement, FTC Issues Warning On IP-Enabled Cameras

September 4, 2013 Paul Roberts

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) made one of its strongest statements to date on the issue of consumer privacy in the fast-emerging market for “smart” electronics: settling a complaint with the maker of SecurView, a line of home surveillance cameras that, it turned out, were just as easily used to spy into the homes of SecurView customers. In a statement on Wednesday, the FTC said that it settled a complaint against TRENDnet, the maker of the SecurView home security cameras. The FTC had charged the Torrance, California company with misrepresenting the security of its products. TRENDnet sold “faulty software that left (the cameras) open to online viewing” by anyone who knew the device’s IP address. Under the terms of its settlement with the Commission, TRENDnet must stop misrepresenting the “security, privacy, confidentiality, or integrity of the information that its cameras or other devices transmit,” as well as “the extent […]

Privacy: From Right To Fight

August 14, 2013 Paul Roberts

As more and more of our public and private spaces are equipped with remote sensing and surveillance technology, personal privacy – at least as it has been understood for the last two or three centuries – is endangered. The solution, of course, is through improved privacy legislation and, perhaps, a more expansive reading of the U.S. Constitution’s 4th Amendment protecting against search and seizure. But, with policymakers in Washington D.C. stuck in a rut, and many EU nations as hooked on surveillance as the U.S., the onus falls to individuals to do what they can. That’s the subject of my latest column for ITWorld, where I talk about what is likely to be the next stage in our society’s rapid evolution on matters of privacy and security, what I’ve termed “The Jamming Wars.” Like other social movements, this will be fueled by a growing rift between the law and a […]

Update: Google Says BadNews Malware Not-So-Bad After All?

June 10, 2013 Paul Roberts

Editor’s Note: Updated to add comments from Lookout Mobile Security. – PFR 6/10/2013 When reports surfaced about “BadNews,” a new family of mobile malware that affected Google Android devices the news sounded…well…bad. BadNews was described as a new kind of mobile malware for the Android platform-one that harness mobile ad networks to push out malicious links, harvest information on compromised devices and more. Now, six weeks later, a senior member of Google’s Android security team claims that BadNews wasn’t really all that bad, after all. Speaking at an event in Washington D.C. sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission, Google employee and Android team member Adrian Ludwig threw cold water on reports linking BadNews to sites that installed malicious programs. The search giant, he said, had not found any evidence linking BadNews to so-called SMS “toll fraud” malware. “We’ve observed the app(lication) and we’ve reviewed all the logs we have access […]

New Malware Exploits Android Glitch To Block Removal

June 6, 2013 Paul Roberts

A new malicious program that runs on Android mobile devices exploits vulnerabilities in Google’s mobile operating system to extend the application’s permissions on the infected device, and to block attempts to remove the malicious application. Writing on securelist.com, Kaspersky Lab’s research blog, malware researcher Roman Unuchek called the newly discovered Trojan the “most sophisticated” malicious program yet detected that works with Android phones. He cited the Trojan’s advanced features, including complex obfuscation techniques that complicated analysis of the code, and the use of a previously unknown vulnerability in Android that allowed it to take control of and maintain a foothold on infected Android devices. Kaspersky said it has contacted Google regarding the malware and the alleged vulnerabilities in Android. Google was unable to confirm that prior to publication. The malware, dubbed Backdoor.AndroidOS.Obad.a, is described as a “multi function Trojan.” Like most profit-oriented mobile malware, Obad is primarily an SMS Trojan, […]