Tag Archives: information security & privacy

Privacy features in iOS 14

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Abstract

Apple has launched iOS version 14 and it has lots of good features however, most noticeable features are in privacy and security. Here is the list of major privacy features:

  • Not Every App Can Access Your Precise Geo location
  • Password Monitoring
  • Privacy Report
  • Camera/Mic Recording Indicator: Recording light when an app is using your iPhone’s camera or microphone 
  • Control On Cross-App Tracking
  • Limited Photos Library Access for Selected App
  • many more..

Read more in for details

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2020/06/23/apple-ios-14-revealed-3-awesome-iphone-security-features-youll-want-now/#2f45b066e7a6

https://thehackernews.com/2020/06/ios14-macos-big-sur-privacy.html

Good Read: Can you trust Tor’s exit nodes?

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Abstract

Tor is the encrypted, anonymous way to browse the web that keeps you safe from prying eyes, right?

Well, no, not always.

Blogger and security researcher Chloe spent a month tempting unscrupulous Tor exit node operators with a vulnerable honeypot website to see if anyone was looking for passwords to steal.

In all, the trap sprung for twelve exit nodes, raising a finger of suspicion for them and reminding us that you can’t get complacent about security even if you’re using Tor.

Tor is a bit of heavy duty open source security software that’s famously used to access anonymous, hidden services (the so-called Dark Web) but, more commonly, used as a way to access the regular internet anonymously and in a way that’s resistant to surveillance.

Tor (short for The Onion Router) works by sending your encrypted network traffic on an eccentric journey between Tor ‘nodes’. At each step along the way each Tor node helps keep you safe by never knowing what’s in your message and never knowing more about your data’s journey than the node it came from and the next one it’s going to.

Read more in

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2015/06/25/can-you-trust-tors-exit-nodes/

Browser privacy study: Brave browser is best for privacy & fast browsing

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Abstract

We study six browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Brave Browser, Microsoft Edge and Yandex Browser. Chrome is by far the most popular browser, followed by Safari and Firefox. Between them these browsers are used for the great majority of web access. Brave is a recent privacyorientated browser, Edge is the new Microsoft browser and Yandex is popular amongst Russian speakers (second only to Chrome).

In summary, based on our measurements we find that the browsers split into three distinct groups from this privacy perspective.

  • In the first (most private) group lies Brave
  • In the second Chrome, Firefox and Safari
  • And in the third (least private) group lie Edge and Yandex.

Used “out of the box” with its default settings Brave is by far the most private of the browsers studied. We did not find any use of identifiers allowing tracking of IP address over time, and no sharing of the details of web pages visited with backend servers

References

Web Browser Privacy: What Do Browsers Say When They Phone Home? https://www.scss.tcd.ie/Doug.Leith/pubs/browser_privacy.pdf

Brave beats other browsers in privacy study

Brave beats other browsers in privacy study

Good Read: 2020 Cybersecurity Trends to Watch

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The wheels of 2020’s biggest cybersecurity threats have already been set motion. Mobile, the cloud and artificial intelligence, to name a few, are trends that will continue to be exploited by criminals. Couple that with the rapid growth of software development and a cybersecurity skills shortage and that should be enough to keep security pros on their toes.

Here is what experts say the year ahead in cybersecurity has in store. Reference

https://threatpost.com/2020-cybersecurity-trends-to-watch/151459/

Mobile will become a primary phishing vector for credential attacks in 2020. “Traditional secure email gateways block potential phishing emails and malicious URLs, which works for protecting corporate email from account takeover attacks, but neglects mobile attack vectors, including personal email, social networking, and other mobile centric messaging platforms such as secure messaging apps and SMS/MMS,” according to Lookout security experts.

Impressive security & privacy features of Firefox

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When we all know that surveillance business has got free hand for long time but things are changing now. Not only Govts (i.e European union, USA, Germany) as an individual we are more cautious about our privacy. Privacy regulations like GDPR has made big impact. Big giants have no option but to regulate themselves or pay huge fine. We all know that Google & facebook have paid huge fine recently. We should also acknowledge facebook scandals contribution in whole privacy movement.

In a very recent move, Firefox has announced few important & impressive security features and some of them listed here:

Enhanced tracking protection

Firefox will be made available to new users with enhanced tracking protection enabled by default. Those already using Firefox will see the feature rolled out automatically in the coming months. Mozilla says the new feature will stop the “thousands of companies known for tracking” from accessing users’ personal data.

Password protection & inform user about data breaches

Another feature available on all browsers is a central dashboard called Firefox Monitor, originally announced in 2018 as a partnership with Troy Hunt’s Have I Been Pwned website. This is especially impressive because it allows users to search whether their details have been exposed in any known breaches, so they can change their passwords when needed.

For those who cares about security & privacy and don’t want websites to track everything. We could give a try on firefox. Below snapshot shows privacy options you have in Firefox.