IT Security

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IT Security

January

The 25 most popular passwords of 2013 prove people are just as naive as ever

Here's how well the top 100 online retailers secure your password

Malware on point-of-sale terminals behind Target hack, at least three other well-known US retailers hit using similar methods

Arts and crafts retailer Michaels latest victim of credit card data theft

NSA building quantum computer capable of cracking most forms of encryption

Snapchat data leaks, 4.6 million usernames and phone numbers exposed

Hackers steal card data from high-end retail chain Neiman Marcus

FBI has a complete copy of a Tor Mail server, is using it to catch hackers

February

Asus routers exploited, connected drives easily accessed

Kickstarter hacked, customer information compromised

Hackers steal more than 4,000 Bitcoins from Silk Road 2.0

British spy agency GCHQ collected millions of screenshots from Yahoo webcam chats

March

Target received multiple security alerts when Black Friday hack started but did nothing about it

300,000 routers hijacked, modified in malicious attack

Ex-Microsoft employee arrested for stealing and leaking copies of Windows 8

Hackers break into Mt. Gox's servers, claim the company still has customers' bitcoins

April

Popular Android security app 'Virus Shield' is a total scam with zero functionality

German programmer who inadvertently introduced the Heartbleed bug admits 'oversight'

Critical security vulnerability Heartbleed disclosed in OpenSSL

Heartbleed: Apple says iOS, OSX, and other key web services not affected

May

Clever anti-piracy tech Cinavia finally gets beaten

Hackers using Find My iPhone feature to hold Apple devices for ransom

Sentence handed down for LulzSec hacker turned FBI informant 'Sabu'

June

Geohot's Towelroot can root most Android devices including the Galaxy S5

Ex-Microsoft employee involved in Windows 8 leaks sentenced to three months in prison

NSA partners with 33 other countries to monitor global internet communications

More than 300,000 servers still vulnerable to Heartbleed

July

NSA classifies Linux Journal readers, Tor and Tails Linux users as "extremists"

NSA employees regularly pass around intercepted nude shots, says Snowden

Hackers have compromised the once anonymous Tor network

Trend Micro finds nearly 900,000 fake Android apps

Canvas Fingerprinting: a web-tracking technique that's nearly impossible to block

August

Hacker demonstrates how to remotely unlock a car in minutes

Department of Homeland Security warns retailers of 'Backoff' POS malware

Study says most "black hat" hackers don't believe what they do is wrong

Russian hacker group reportedly steals 1.2 billion passwords

White House cybersecurity coordinator Michael Daniel admits a lack of technical expertise

Snowden says the NSA was actually responsible for the 2012 Syrian internet blackout

Researcher claims he can hack passenger jets using in-flight Wi-Fi, entertainment systems

Google to give a search-ranking boost to websites using encrypted HTTPS connections

The FBI is using malware to track users across the Tor network

September

FBI reveals how it discovered the geographic location of Silk Road web servers

The FBI slams smartphone encryption because there's no backdoor

Google, Dropbox partner up to make security technology and tools simpler to use

Former world's most wanted hacker Kevin Mitnick now sells zero-day exploits

October

Verizon Wireless injecting unique identifiers to track subscribers' online activity

At least 200,000 Snapchat images stolen from third-party image-saving service

CurrentC, the Apple Pay and Google Wallet alternative, has already been hacked

November

Hackers create website with illegal streams from 73,000 private IP cameras

Widespread hack at Sony Pictures Entertainment reportedly brings down entire computer system

Electronic Frontier Foundation publishes Secure Messaging Scorecard, only six apps pass the test

Operation Onymous seizes hundreds of darknet sites, 17 arrested globally

Top-tier espionage malware 'Regin' has been spying on targets since 2008

FBI shuts down Silk Road 2.0, arrest alleged operator in San Francisco

Law enforcement reportedly use planes equipped with fake cell towers to track suspects

December

Sony Pictures hackers release passwords, employee social security numbers, salaries and more

Fury, Annie leak online in wake of Sony Picture hack

Sony pulls The Interview after US officials confirm North Korea's involvement in the cyberattack

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