To send notifications that wake the device and display on the screen without user interaction, app and smartphone operating system manufacturers must store a token that identifies the intended recipient's device. The system created what U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden called a “digital post office” that law enforcement could query to identify users of apps and communications platforms. And while it has served as a powerful tool for criminal surveillance, it can be used just as easily against others, including activists and people seeking abortions in states where abortion is currently illegal. Privacy advocates have warned that this could lead to attacks.
In many cases, tech companies don't even ask for a court order for the data. In fact, Apple only requested a subpoena for data through December. This allowed federal agents and police to obtain identifying information without the intervention of a judge, until the policy changed to requiring a judicial order.
Europe's comprehensive digital markets law will come into force next week, forcing large “gatekeeper” technology companies to open up their services. His WhatsApp, owned by Mehta, is exposing encryption to interoperate with other messaging apps. Google is giving European users more control over their data. And for the first time, Apple will allow third-party app stores and sideloading of apps.
Apple's proposed changes are controversial, but ahead of the March 7 enforcement date, the company reiterated its belief that sideloading apps poses even more security and privacy risks. The company said in a white paper that apps on third-party app stores could make it easier to contain malware or try to access people's iPhone data. Apple said it is introducing new checks to ensure apps are safe.
“While these safeguards are not on the same level as in other regions, they help keep EU users' iPhone experience as safe, private, and secure as possible,” the company claims. Apple also said it has heard from EU organizations such as banks and the defense industry that they are concerned about employees installing third-party apps on work devices.
WhatsApp this week won a landmark legal victory against notorious mercenary hacking firm NSO Group in a long-running lawsuit against the spyware vendor for allegedly infiltrating its app and users' devices. The judge in the case, Phyllis Hamilton, ordered NSO Group to submit the code for its Pegasus spyware, which has been considered one of the most sophisticated spywares to target mobile devices, sometimes using WhatsApp vulnerabilities. He sided with WhatsApp in calling for his extradition. . The code handover includes NSO's documents on versions of Pegagus and its spyware from 2018 to 2020, and shows that WhatsApp has reported that NSO has collected over 1,400 copies of Pegagus, including at least 100 members of “civil society” such as journalists and journalists. It could help prove a claim that a person's user was hacked. Human rights defender. “Spyware companies and other malicious actors need to understand that they can be caught and cannot ignore the law,” a WhatsApp spokesperson said. guardian.
This is a solid rule of thumb. Don't have devices in or around your home that have cameras or internet connections and are made by Chinese manufacturers you've never heard of. In the latest reminder of this adage, this week's Consumer Reports found that the security of countless brands' video-enabled doorbells is downright ridiculous, with many devices allowing anyone outside the door to walk up to them and press the button. It has become clear that you can keep pushing. Pair with your smartphone and monitor through your camera. Research shows that in some cases, it is possible to take over a device from anywhere in the world over the Internet by simply obtaining the device's serial number. Consumer Reports found that these devices were sold under his Eken and Tuck brand names, but appear to share the manufacturer with more than 10 other he devices of similar design. Did. These devices may sound vague, but they are reportedly being sold through major retail platforms such as Amazon, Walmart, Sears, Shein, and Temu. In some cases, Amazon marked devices with the “Amazon's Choice: Overall Choice” badge even after Consumer Reports alerted Amazon to the security flaws.
