£120 Code Cracker That Can Unlock An iPhone In Six Hours
April 5, 2016 | Technology
Tens of millions of bestselling smartphones can easily be hacked by criminals using a £120 device that cracks their four-digit passcode.
An investigation by The Mail on Sunday found the gadget, sold openly on the internet, could be used to gain access to private and confidential details stored on Apple iPhones, including photographs, emails, contact details and call histories.
Using the device – called an IP Box – this newspaper was able to break the passcode of an Apple iPhone 5C, the model that America’s Federal Bureau of Investiga…
How To See The Terrifying Things Google Knows About You
March 21, 2016 | Technology
We have come to accept that the technology we interact with on a daily basis is tracking and recording our every move.
Your iPhone knows everywhere you've been, Google Maps is always tracking your location, and Facebook has built a detailed character profile of all its users.
By following these five steps you can see just how much Google knows about you, your interests, the places you have visited, and your search habits.
1. Go to history.google.com/history
2. Make sure you're logged into a Google account
Google only saves the…
Ransomware Holds World Hostage
March 16, 2016 | Technology
If you are targeted by ransomware you'll have a matter of hours to unlock your computer, lose the data, or pay the fee. Attacks are on the rise and already affecting a large number of New Zealand business and personal users.
Ransomware is one of the most nerve-jangling types of cyber-attacks that can happen to a person or business.
A recent spate of attacks in New Zealand displayed a message from 'the police' on mobiles stating the victim had been found with child pornography and that if a $200 (ransom) wasn't paid, the message would…
Infected Smartphones Are Visiting Porn Sites Behind Your Back
March 8, 2016 | Technology
Porn-loving malware is regularly sneaking into Android's Google Play store, with hundreds of seemingly legit apps secretly visiting porn sites to click on the ads.
Over the last seven months more than 300 malicious porn clicker trojan apps have snuck past Google's security checks into Android's app store, resulting in millions of downloads, according to ESET security researchers.
Unlike many trojans, this porn clicker malware is not designed to steal passwords, hold your data to ransom or empty your bank account.
Instead it quietly …
Over Half of NZ Companies Exposed To Cybercrime
February 26, 2016 | Technology
More than half of New Zealand organisations are not prepared for cybercrime according to a report from financial services firm PWC.
Its Global Economic Crime Survey found that 40 percent of New Zealand respondents think it is likely they will be the victim of cybercrime over the next two years.
But 55 percent of the organisations told PwC they do not have a plan to respond to an incident of cybercrime, or have one but it is not yet been activated.
PwC Forensic Services Partner Eric Lucas says: "There is too much being left to chance"…
What Is A Cyber Investigation?
February 25, 2016 | Technology
Cyber investigation is the process law enforcement officers use to track criminals via the computer. This process may be to investigate computer crimes or it may be to track records of criminals using computer forensics.
Most branches of law enforcement from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to small town police departments have departments or officers dedicated to catching criminals via the World Wide Web. Computer crimes is an area of criminal activity that includes Internet fraud, pornography, hacking, copyright infringemen…
Warning Over Buying 'Locked' Secondhand Devices
February 4, 2016 | Technology
An Australian consumer organisation is warning people about buying second-hand devices after reports people are buying locked iPads.
The warning is applicable to Kiwis who buy thousands of secondhand smartphones and tablets.
Sydney retiree Suzanne McCarthy was excited to start using her first iPad 3, which she had nabbed at Sydney Airport's lost property auction for AU$330 (NZ$360).
But the excitement turned to anger when she realised the device was activation (or iCloud) locked, and essentially a "brick". No one could help her and …
US Police Destroy Evidence With 10 Failed Passcode Attempts On iPhone
January 29, 2016 | Technology
In January 2014, a Massachusetts cop was swearing into his mobile phone while working a traffic detail at a construction site.
The F bombs appeared to upset an elderly lady walking by, so a man on a nearby front porch asked the officer, Thomas Barboza, to stop swearing.
The cop’s response: “Shut the f–k up and mind your own business.”
George Thompson’s response: he started recording Barboza on his iPhone.
According to court documents, Barboza shoved 53-year-old Thompson to the ground, arrested him, handcuffed him, and put him in ja…
The GRID - Uber-esque Technology For Security On Demand
January 13, 2016 | Technology
The GRID is the very first 'live' On Demand technology for contracting and dispatching Security Guard services via an easy to use smartphone application.
From the website:
Rising crime rates are impacting our local communities every day, with many infractions not being responded to by police timely due to lack of priority over more serious crimes.
The GRID links qualified Guard Services On Demand 24/7 to a registered customer for any security related purpose. The GRID will dispatch registered guard providers to both business and cit…
Government's New Strategy To Take On Cybercrime
December 11, 2015 | Technology
People will be able to look for an official "cyber security tick" when they use businesses, under a Government proposal to reduce cybercrime.
Those with good cyber security practices would be able to display the tick, in a similar way to schemes that acknowledge healthy food or energy efficient appliances.
The tick scheme is proposed in the Government's refreshed cyber security strategy, launched in Auckland today by Communications Minister Amy Adams.
Other new initiatives include:
• The establishment of a national "CERT" - a compu…