Content by Mathew J. Schwartz

Google's Psychological Patch Warfare

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 25, 2015

Psychologically speaking, nothing beats the power of a well-timed deadline. And love it or hate it, Google's 90-day "Project Zero" deadline for fixing flaws - before they get publicly disclosed - has rewritten bug-patching rules.

Target Settlement: What About the Banks?

Tracy Kitten , Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 23, 2015

Target Corp.'s pending settlement of a consumer class action lawsuit is more about public relations than compensating victims, some observers say. But will it have an impact on a pending suit filed by banks?

Was Register.com Breached?

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 19, 2015

Web.com won't confirm or deny that its Register.com subsidiary, which manages more than 2 million domain names, has been breached. But a news report claims the FBI is investigating a year-old intrusion.

Judge OK's Target Breach Settlement

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 19, 2015

A federal judge has granted preliminary approval of a $10 million settlement of a consolidated class action lawsuit filed on behalf of consumers affected by the massive 2013 Target data breach.

Microsoft Blacklists Fake Certificate

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 17, 2015

Microsoft has revoked a fraudulent SSL digital certificate issued in the name of its Finnish Windows Live service. But security experts warn that some software may "trust" the certificate for years, so it could be exploited in phishing campaigns.

Arrests Pending in Chase Breach?

Tracy Kitten , Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 17, 2015

Experts analyze a news report that the investigation into the hack attack against JPMorgan Chase could result in criminal charges being filed in the "coming months" because investigators believe at least some suspects can be extradited.

Hackers Wield Extortion

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 16, 2015

More hackers are holding data for ransom, demanding everything from bitcoins to the shutdown of nuclear reactors, under the threat of leaking sensitive information. But it's not clear how many such attacks generate revenue for attackers.

Google Leaked Whois Data

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 13, 2015

Google has warned Google Apps administrators that their private Whois contact information has been exposed. The leak affects more than 282,000 administrators, and places them at greater risk of ID theft and spam attacks, according to Cisco.

Who Hacked Barbie?

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 13, 2015

Mattel will sell a cloud-connected $75 "Hello Barbie" doll that can "listen" to what kids are saying and talk back. But security experts warn that anything that connects to the Internet can - and will - be hacked.

Apple, Microsoft Issue Freak Flaw Fixes

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 12, 2015

Both Microsoft and Apple this week released patches to address the so-called "Freak" flaw in SSL/TLS. Microsoft also released a fix that addresses a failed 2010 patch for a vulnerability that was exploited by the Stuxnet malware.

Spikes CEO on 'Air-Gapped' Browsers

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 11, 2015

When IT veteran Branden Spikes founded his own company devoted to isolating browsers from attacks, he thought building the technology would be the top challenge. The venture capital community proved him wrong.

Apple Watch: 8 Security Issues

Tracy Kitten , Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 10, 2015

Apple has unveiled its long-awaited Apple Watch, which the company will begin shipping in nine countries on April 24. Security experts highlight the use of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi as potential security concerns and discuss other security-related issues.

Biggest-Ever Data Breach: 3 Charged

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 9, 2015

The U.S. Justice Department has charged three men - two are in custody - for hacks against email service providers - including Epsilon - that allegedly resulted in the theft of 1 billion email addresses, many later used in massive spam campaigns.

Real Hackers Wield Social Engineering

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 6, 2015

Weaponized roller coasters? Kidnappers hacking babycams? Forget over-the-top "CSI: Cyber" hacking plots. The hackers behind the Rogers ISP breach, in their quest for bitcoins, claim they wielded nothing more serious than a telephone call.

'Freak' Flaw Also Affects Windows

Mathew J. Schwartz  •  March 6, 2015

All Windows operating systems are at risk from the SSL/TLS vulnerability known as Freak, Microsoft warns. The company has outlined temporary workarounds - except for Windows Server 2003. Experts say no in-the-wild attacks have yet been seen.