Password manager makers want to let you securely transfer passkeys
The FIDO Alliance, the organization that’s helping shepherd passkey adoption, announced a draft of new specifications that would let users securely move their passkeys across different password managers. Passkeys are great — it’s nice to be able to log in to apps and websites without entering a password. But there hasn’t been a standard protocol for transferring your passkeys across password managers. The new specifications, the Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP) and Credential Exchange Format (CXF), are designed to fill that gap.
Troubled US insurance giant hit by extortion after data leak
US insurance provider Globe Life, already grappling with legal troubles, now faces a fresh headache: an extortion attempt involving stolen customer data. In a report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission published today, Globe Life said it was recently contacted by an unknown threat actor asking for money in exchange for not publishing “certain information held and used by the Company and its independent agents.” The insurer said it doesn’t expect the extortion attempt to have any impact on its business and systems, which reportedly involves data belonging to, as far as the company can tell at this point, around 5,000 customers.
Intel hits back at China’s accusations it bakes in NSA backdoors
Intel has responded to Chinese claims that its chips include security backdoors at the direction of America’s NSA. The accusations were made earlier this week from industry group the Cybersecurity Association of China (CSAC) which alleged Chipzilla had embedded a backdoor “in almost all” of its CPUs since 2008 as part of a “next-generation security defense system.” The association also claimed Intel’s products often include exploitable vulnerabilities and have high failure rates. “Intel’s major defects in product quality and security management show its extremely irresponsible attitude towards customers,” alleged the group.
Cisco takes DevHub portal offline after hacker publishes stolen data
Cisco confirmed today that it took its public DevHub portal offline after a threat actor leaked “non-public” data, but it continues to state that there is no evidence that its systems were breached. “We have determined that the data in question is on a public-facing DevHub environment—a Cisco resource center that enables us to support our community by making available software code, scripts, etc. for customers to use as needed,” reads an updated statement from Cisco. “At this stage in our investigation, we have determined that a small number of files that were not authorized for public download may have been published.”
23andMe faces an uncertain future — so does your genetic data
DNA and genetic testing firm 23andMe is in turmoil following a data breach last year and its ongoing financial decline. The once-pioneering giant now faces an uncertain future amid efforts to take the company private, intensifying concerns about what might happen to the genetic data of 23andMe’s some 15 million customers. Best known for its saliva-based test kits that offer a glimpse into a person’s genetic ancestry, 23andMe has seen its value plummet more than 99% from its $6 billion peak since going public in early 2021 after failing to turn a profit.
The government is getting fed up with ransomware payments fueling endless cycle of cyberattacks
With ransomware attacks surging and 2024 on track to be one of the worst years on record, U.S. officials are seeking ways to counter the threat, in some cases, urging a new approach to ransom payments. Ann Neuberger, U.S. deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, wrote in a recent Financial Times opinion piece, that insurance policies — especially those covering ransomware payment reimbursements — are fueling the very same criminal ecosystems they seek to mitigate. “This is a troubling practice that must end,” she wrote, advocating for stricter cybersecurity requirements as a condition for coverage to discourage ransom payments.
The Internet Archive hackers still have access to its internal emailing tools
Early this morning, I received an email from “The Internet Archive Team,” replying to a message I’d sent on October 9th. Except its author doesn’t seem to have been the digital archivists’ support team — it was apparently written by the hackers who breached the site earlier this month and who evidently maintain some level of access to its systems. I’m not alone. Users on the Internet Archive subreddit are reporting getting the replies, as well.
Severe flaws in E2EE cloud storage platforms used by millions
Several end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) cloud storage platforms are vulnerable to a set of security issues that could expose user data to malicious actors. Cryptographic analysis from ETH Zurich researchers Jonas Hofmann and Kien Tuong Turong revealed issue with Sync, pCloud, Icedrive, Seafile, and Tresorit services, collectively used by more than 22 million people. The analysis was based on the threat model of an attacker controlling a malicious server that can read, modify, and inject data at will, which is realistic for nation-state actors and sophisticated hackers.