Questions tagged [security]

Questions about security; as it applies to any vulnerable and valuable asset, such as a person, dwelling, community, nation, or organization.

Security

noun, plural: securities.

  1. freedom from danger, risk, etc.; safety.

  2. freedom from care, anxiety, or doubt; well-founded confidence.

  3. something that secures or makes safe; protection; defense.

  4. freedom from financial cares or from want. "The insurance policy gave the family security."

  5. precautions taken to guard against crime, attack, sabotage, espionage, etc. "claims that security was lax at the embassy; the importance of computer security to prevent hackers from gaining access."

  6. a department or organization responsible for protection or safety. "He called security when he spotted the intruder."

  7. protection or precautions taken against escape; custody. "The dangerous criminal was placed under maximum security."

  8. an assurance; guarantee.

  9. Law.
    a. something given or deposited as surety for the fulfillment of a promise or an obligation, the payment of a debt, etc.
    b. one who becomes surety for another.

  10. an evidence of debt or of property, as a bond or a certificate of stock.

  11. Usually, securities. stocks and bonds.

  12. Archaic. overconfidence; cockiness.

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or serving as security. "The company has instituted stricter security measures."
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Have "backdoors" in software programs been seen in the real world?

Has there ever been a software program that has been shown to have an in-bad-faith "backdoor" allowing privileged access? When I say "in bad faith" I mean, "that cannot be credibly explained by incompetence." At SD Times, we received a letter today…
Larry OBrien
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Does US Intelligence have built-in interfaces in major social networking sites that allow them to browse personal information at will?

From this interview from Julian Assange: He believes the social network is joined by Google, Yahoo and other major US organisations that have “built in interfaces for US Intelligence”: It’s not a matter of serving a subpoena, they have an…
Sklivvz
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Is the trending Facebook "privacy notice" necessary and/or effective?

This facebook post has gone viral among my friends PRIVACY NOTICE: Warning - any person and/or institution and/or Agent and/or Agency of any governmental structure including but not limited to the United States Federal Government also using or…
Binary Worrier
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Have ATMs across the US "spat out money" in the second half of January 2018?

In a response to the DDoS attacks on several Dutch banks and other institutions, "cybersecurity specialist" Rian van Rijbroek claimed on 29 January 2018 on the Dutch news programme Nieuwsuur that banks in the USA had been hit with DDoS attacks,…
SQB
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Can aircraft be hacked and "commandeered remotely"?

This sensationalist article by John McAfee on Business Insider makes a number of unsupported claims about cybersecurity. In the article, he claims that (emphasis mine): For the purpose of our discussion I'm going to ignore the near certainty that…
March Ho
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Can cardiac rhythms be used to uniquely identify a person?

Nymi, claims: "Like a fingerprint, your heartbeat is unique", and "Your Nymi lets you use your unique cardiac rhythm to authenticate your identity" Is it true that heartbeats are unique, like fingerprints? Is it true that Nymi can use your unique…
Oded
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Do home alarm systems reduce burglaries?

Does installing an alarm system in your home have an effect on the number or results of burglaries? I am about to buy a house with an alarm system installed, with a siren/flash light on the front wall. I hate it when I have to enter a house like…
Jan Fabry
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Does aluminum foil safeguard your credit card from RFID attacks?

Evidence against Does Aluminum Foil Stop Identity Theft? Some sources say that if you actually have an RFID-enabled credit card, aluminum foil does the same job, if not better, than an expensive RFID-blocking sleeve. Other sources say that…
user16959
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Did Facebook allow Netflix, Spotify, and the Royal Bank of Canada to read users' private messages?

From As Facebook Raised a Privacy Wall, It Carved an Opening for Tech Giants Facebook allowed Microsoft’s Bing search engine to see the names of virtually all Facebook users’ friends without consent, the records show, and gave Netflix and Spotify…
Curious
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Did Seth Rich give Wikileaks the DNC leak emails?

This image has a few claims, are they true? Image text: Hi, I'm Seth Rich. I was the DNC staffer who gave Wikileaks the DNC emails proving that they had rigged the primaries against Bernie Sanders for Hillary Clinton. Soon after, I was shot twice…
Wayne Werner
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Did two brothers steal credit card information worth millions and walked away scot-free because banks were embarrassed?

In this DEFCON talk at around 24:52 minute mark, the speaker (a Cambridge professor) tells a story of two brothers stealing millions of dollars using a weakness in credit card terminal technology, and then walking away scot-free because banks were…
Xyzk
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Do 1.4 million Americans have Top Secret clearance?

One of the claims related to the PRISM scandal is that, regardless what NSA and other agencies assert, leaks are inevitable because of sheer number of people with access to secrets. According to this claim, 1.4 million Americans hold Top Secret…
vartec
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Can diabetics with pumps be killed from a half mile away?

Black Hat: Lethal Hack and wireless attack on insulin pumps to kill people Like something straight out of science fiction, an attacker with a powerful antenna could be up to a half mile away from a victim yet launch a wireless hack to…
user179700
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Were the BOSS Linux update servers hacked in 2015?

The Hackology Blog claims that update servers for BOSS Linux were hacked in 2015, eventually allowing access to Indian military and government servers. This website claims that: Hackers infected the update servers and repositories which means they…
merecske
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Was John Podesta's email password "password"?

Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, said in a recent interview with Sean Hannity that John Podesta’s password was 'password'. The Daily Mail reports: In an interview, Assange revealed the campaign chairman's password was 'password' and that he…
user36356