In-brief: A serious security hole in the software that runs certain models of wifi routers made by the firm Netgear prompted warnings to customers to stop using them until a fix can be found. (Editor’s Note: updated with comment from Netgear. PFR 12/12/2016)
Researchers from universities in Belgium and the UK have published research showing that a wide range of implantable medical devices, including implantable defibrillators are still vulnerable to wireless snooping and denial of service attacks. The research, which mimicked the work of a naive (or “weak”) adversary, found that few security protections have been added to such devices, years after researchers first demonstrated that they are vulnerable to wireless attacks and other manipulation. The discoveries apply to at least 10 types of implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) that are currently on the market, though the devices and manufacturers are not named. The researchers, from Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven in Belgium (KU Leuven) and the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom echoes the claims made by the firm MedSec earlier this year, which warned of security holes in ICD devices made by St. Jude in August. That research was the foundation of a call […]
In-brief: Attacks that took 900,000 broadband routers offline in Germany have hit other countries as well, as security experts warn that the number of devices vulnerable to attack could number in the millions.
In-brief: software used in at least one brand of smart phones sold in the U.S. was found to secretly send private information about the phone’s owner back to servers in China, according to a report by the security firm Kryptowire.
In-brief: A survey of customer networks by the firm zScaler found that cameras, printers, video recorders and other devices are common – and often easy to snoop on and attack.
