In-brief: In just the last week, remotely exploitable security holes cropped up in hundreds of models of IP enabled security cameras and recorders as well as a popular line of network attached storage (NAS) devices. The culprit? Shoddy firmware and lax oversight by vendors. When will it end??
Software
9 Quintillion Tries Later: Researchers Crack SHA-1
In-brief: Researchers at Google and CWI Amsterdam say they produced the first “collision” of hashes produced with the SHA-1 algorithm, hastening the end of life for the 22-year-old encryption technology.
Late to Bed, Early to Rise: Security Ledger at The RSA Conference
In-brief: The Security Ledger’s Paul Roberts will be at the RSA Conference in San Francisco next week. You can see him at one of three panel discussions, or interviewing security luminaries on RSA Conference TV.
TV Maker Vizio Settles with FTC Over Selling Viewer Data
In-brief: Smart TV maker VIZIO agreed to pay $2.2 million to the FTC and the State of New Jersey to settle charges that it collected the viewing history of some 11 million smart televisions without users’ consent. The settlement stems from a 2014 case and requires the company to “prominently disclose and obtain affirmative express consent” for data collection and sharing.
NetGore: Simple Flaw Affects Hundreds of Thousands of Netgear Devices
In-brief: Weeks after the Federal Trade Commission sued the firm D-Link for weak security in its broadband routers, dozens of routers made by the firm NetGear are reported to also be vulnerable to trivial hacking attacks. Small businesses including restaurants and cafés are heavy users of the devices and may be particularly vulnerable, according to experts at the firm Trustwave.