Remote control for virtualized desktops

UK home Wi-Fi security is as bad as PC security was in the 1990s, according to a new study.

Security software firm Avast found that more than half of all routers are poorly protected by default or common, easily hacked password/ID combinations. Easily hacked password combinations such as admin/admin or admin/password, or even admin/ are commonplace.

The survey of 2,000 UK households also found that an additional 23 per cent of consumers use their address, name, phone number, street name, or other easily guessed terms as their passwords.

Unsecured routers create an easy entry point for hackers, opening the door to all kinds of attacks ranging from stealing personal information to hijacking browser sessions.

One of the biggest risks on any Wi-Fi network is DNS hijacking. Malware can be used to screw with DNS settings in order to surreptitiously redirects prospective victims from a known site, such as a bank website, to a counterfeit site controlled by cybercriminals.

A big majority (88 per cent) of wired households in the UK have six or more devices connected to a Wi-Fi network. In addition to PCs and laptops, users have mobile devices (28 per cent), printers and scanners (17 per cent), smart TVs (12 per cent), and DVD or Blu-ray players (4 per cent) connected to their Wi-Fi networks.

The Avast poll found that nearly three in four (74 per cent) respondents would be extremely uncomfortable if they found out a neighbour or uninvited guest were secretly logging onto their personal home Wi-Fi network. A minority (8 per cent) admitted they had used a neighbours Wi-Fi network without the neighbours knowledge or permission.

Todays router security situation is very reminiscent of PCs in the 1990s, with lax attitudes towards security combined with new vulnerabilities being discovered every day creating an easily exploitable environment," said Vince Steckler, chief executive officer of Avast. "The main difference is people have much more personal information stored on their devices today than they did back then."

Internet Security Threat Report 2014

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Home Wi-Fi security's just as good as '90s PC security! Wait, what?

GLENDALE (WITI) A Glendale man says he let a worker into his home, and soon realized that worker wasnt who he claimed to be. Now, the Glendale manis warning others by sharing his story.

Constantine Savagios and his family have a new security system after what happened to them last week. They say they believe the only reason the worker entered their home was to see whether there was anything to steal.

It was around 7:30 a.m. last Tuesday, December 2nd.

It was early in the morning. I was disoriented. He said he was from We Energies and he needed to check the gas pipes, Savagios said.

Savagios, a stay-at-home father of a six-month-old girl let the man into his basement. He was only inside for about five minutes, but after he left, Savagios became suspicious.

There was no We Energies truck. You know, there was nothing in the mail saying we will be in the area. Everything is just going through my mind like wow, where was the notice?' Savagios said.

We Energies confirmed the man who stopped by Savagios home was not one of their employees.

Just within the past week or two, we have seen a couple reports come in where customers have called saying that an individual has shown up attheir home, claiming to be from We Energies when they really arent, We Energies spokeswoman Cathy Schulze said.

Glendale police say they believe the man was casing the home for items to steal. They say what happened to Savagios appears to be an isolated incident.

All our folks in the field, whether its a contract worker or a We Energies worker, we do all have ID badges. We are clearly identified they can look for a company car sometimes as well, Schulze said.

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Im on edge: Renter warns others after he lets man claiming to be from We Energies into his home

Home Of The Future - home security
In the past couple of years the emergence of connected devices have opened up new ways of interacting with everything in our home from the thermostat to locking our doors to turning off...

By: kgun9

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Home Of The Future - home security - Video

RubyConf 2014 - Sauron: DIY Home Security with Ruby! by Jonan Scheffler
This is the story of how I built an all-seeing eye with Ruby, and how I use it to defend the sanctity of my suburban home. Using a Raspberry Pi and some homemade motion detection software...

By: Confreaks

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RubyConf 2014 - Sauron: DIY Home Security with Ruby! by Jonan Scheffler - Video

A ghostly looking image of a mountain lion, pale and blurry, was caught via home security camera by a resident near Beverly Park, east of the 405 Freeway, last week.

Though the photo raises alarm among area residents, it also raises questions for local wildlife experts. This could be the second mountain lion to have crossed the 405.

The image, circulated on Twitter, shows a mountain lion that looks to be at least a year old running down a street about 4:30 a.m, said Seth Riley, wildlife ecologist for the National Park Service.

If the photo was actually shot in the Beverly Park area -- and Riley said there's no reason to assume it was not -- the cat could have crossed over the 405 from the Santa Monica Mountains to reach the neighborhood.

The image was posted Nov. 29 on the account of musician and actor Christopher Stills, son of musician Stephen Stills.

P-22, the resident Griffith Park mountain lion, had been thought to be the first to journey across the 405. Before ecologists were tracking P-22 by radio, it's assumed the big cat crossed two freeways to reach the park.

"It's very likely [P-22] came from the Santa Monica Mountains," Riley said, so "he would have had to cross the 405 and the Hollywood Freeway."

The angle and quality of the photo provides little clues as to the gender and exact age of the mountain lion.

The puma in the photo is part of a small community. Riley said an estimated eight or nine mountain lions, not including kittens, live in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Pumas in the Santa Monicas are trapped on an island of habitat, bound by freeways, the ocean and Oxnard's agricultural fields.

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Mountain lion spotted in Beverly Park probably dashed across the 405

Apparent burglars identified with help of home security camera
A home burglary caught on video, in which suspects were identified has gone viral. Subscribe to WPTZ on YouTube now for more: http://bit.ly/1e9vG0j Get more Burlington/Plattsburgh news:...

By: WPTZ NewsChannel 5

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Apparent burglars identified with help of home security camera - Video

Updated: Thursday, December 4 2014, 11:37 AM EST

Rochester, N.Y. - You can see who is at your front door before you open it.

You can check in on your loved ones in the palm of your hand.

With technology increasing at a rapid rate, more families are choosing to install home security cameras.

The Caufields wanted their security system for peace of mind.

It was my husband's decision, he felt safer knowing that I'd be protected, that we'd have the camera and the alarm, homeowner Cassandra Caufield said.

But that peace of mind can be disrupted by hackers gaining access to your home.

The New York State Attorney General issued a warning.

Using simple software, anyone can find internet cameras whose default security settings have not been changed.

Not only can criminals see your live feed but they can change settings, taking complete control of your security system.

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Protecting your home security cameras

Updated: Thursday, December 4 2014, 11:37 AM EST

Rochester, N.Y. - You can see who is at your front door before you open it.

You can check in on your loved ones in the palm of your hand.

With technology increasing at a rapid rate, more families are choosing to install home security cameras.

The Caufields wanted their security system for peace of mind.

It was my husband's decision, he felt safer knowing that I'd be protected, that we'd have the camera and the alarm, homeowner Cassandra Caufield said.

But that peace of mind can be disrupted by hackers gaining access to your home.

The New York State Attorney General issued a warning.

Using simple software, anyone can find internet cameras whose default security settings have not been changed.

Not only can criminals see your live feed but they can change settings, taking complete control of your security system.

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Protecting your home security cameras from hackers

The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to gain steam in Japan, Korea, and the U.S. aswearable and mobile device usage grows every day. As a result of the benefits of smart home products, which include increased efficiency, cost savings, and even saving lives, the technology looks to explode over the next few years. In fact, according to research from Intel Corp., the IoT market is expected to grow from 2 billion objects in 2006 to 200 billion by 2020.

Thats a lot of gadgets expected to hit the market, and even in 2014 we got a glimpse of how popular IoT has become. Kickstarter, Inc.and Indiegogo, Inc. put out dozens of IoT-related projects daily, supporting a startup community of crowd-funded business opportunities. Traditional technology providers are also making the shift to IoT services, with smart home security offerings from AT&T, remote control appliance management from Samsung and a dedicated storefront for smart home gadgets at top retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.

As weve seen with the smartphone market, gadget trends are fleeting as manufacturers fight to differentiate their products in a consumer-driven market. We can expect that IoT devices will face the same plight - just over the past two years weve seen dozens oftypes of object trackers launched, including 8.3 million wearable trackersbought by consumers in 2012 alone, and over 97,000 applications for monitoring health were recorded in 2013.

How can an IoT business devise a plan to factor fickle consumer trends while also curbing competition from industry stalwarts that can bundle services to existing customers, as well as disruptive startups crafting breakthrough products?

Today we hear from a handful of executives facing the challenges of excelling in the rapidly evolving world of IoT.Products like AOptix Technologies, Inc.s wireless fiber is literally laying the groundwork to support an IoT industry far into the future.And retailer Staples Inc. has made future-proofing a selling point with its Staples Connect platform powered by Zonoff Inc. software. Hewlett-Packard Co. sees new opportunity in providing the backend for businesses looking to prepare for future consumer demand, offering Unified Information Access technology that integrates the old and the new instantiations of machine-to-machine communications required for a profitable IoT market.

Kevin Meagher, VP and GM, Lowes Companies, Inc. Smart Home Division

We are working to make sure our retail strategy is future proof by providing an open platform that will scale to meet our customers needs over time. Lowes Companies, Inc. was the first to target the mass consumer market with a broad home automation solution, Iris, which makes smart homes easily accessible and affordable. We took technology that is perceived as expensive and difficult to install and made it available and easy-to-use by creating simple Do-it-Yourself (DIY) kits at affordable price points.

Getting new technology to work with old is a challenge. For example, some homes have the old type security systems with wired sensors that have limited functionality. We can connect these to Iris, but its old technology that would need a professional to rewire. An Iris Safe and Secure system has so much more functionality; its simple to install, and at $179 for a complete kit, it is cheaper than trying to rework the old security systems.

In the future, everything in the home will be connected to the Internet. Common home improvement products will offer connectivity to better provide consumers with safety, convenience, and overall peace of mind. Smart devices in-store today, such as door locks, thermostats, and even garage door openers, work and operate like traditional components of home improvement, but they bring the consumer-added functionality and ease to make managing their home simpler and more affordable. They give consumers the ability to remotely monitor and control their home so they have greater peace of mind.

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The future-proof smart home: How Lowes, Vivint and iControl build business for tomorrow

Documents leaked online include the personal information, salaries, and home addresses for employees and freelancers who worked at the studio, a data security analyst finds.

Much of the data leaked from Sony hack was stored in Microsoft Excel files without password protection.

The security breach suffered by Sony Pictures Entertainment last month appears to have leaked far more personal information than previously believed, revealing the Social Security numbers of more than 47,000 celebrities, freelancers, and current and former Sony employees.

An analysis of 33,000 leaked SPE documents by data security software firm Identity Finder found the leaked files included the personal information, salaries, and home addresses for employees and freelancers who worked at the studio. Some of the celebrities include Sylvester Stallone, director Judd Apatow and Australian actress Rebel Wilson, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the analysis.

Other data identified as leaked to file-sharing networks after the breach include contracts, termination dates, termination reason, and other sensitive information, nearly all of which was stored in Microsoft Excel files without password protection, said Identity Finder CEO Todd Feinman.

SPE representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

The leak highlights the risk posed to large companies and organizations that store customer and employee information on computers attached to the Internet, Feinman said.

"This is a common theme of corporations today," Feinman told CNET, ticking off a list of recent security breach victims including Target, Home Depot and PF Changs. "They think they are protected by firewalls and perimeter security, but the border is becoming blurred, and attacks get through."

Identity Finder said it discovered more than 1.1 million SSNs in the files, but that many were duplicates. Sony Entertainment co-chair Amy Pascal's Social Security number was found in 104 separate locations, while Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton's was found in 93 files.

The discovery of multiple copies of data this sensitive on multiple employees' computers or multiple times on a single employee's computer is unusual and dramatically raises a company's security risk, Feinman said.

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Sony hack leaked 47,000 Social Security numbers, celebrity data