security

Review: B-Folders Secure Organizer encrypts your personal data

B-Folders Secure Organizer can remember dozens of passwords, banking details, and more. B-Folders Secure Organizer goes above and beyond the call of duty by adding some neat bonus features and powerful encryption, too.

It's hard to decide whether the app's plain menu is a curse or a blessing. On the one hand, it makes the app quick and light. On the other, it's an eyesore and small buttons could lead to a few accidental taps. Luckily, there are no ads or other traps to click on. The app boasts some neat features, including the ability to take … Read more

IObit Malware Fighter gets modernized in version 2.0

IObit's latest version release brings Malware Fighter to 2.0 and showcases a much more eye-popping design that is more consistent with the modern look and feel of Windows 8.

You'll be greeted with four basic options: Scan, Protect, Update, and Action Center. Since version 1.7, IObit's latest design feels much cleaner and certainly more intuitive for the average user. The original overview graph that the previous version opened with is now tucked away.

Previously included features like cloud scanning and quarantine lists are still present, but reside in a more modernized settings panel to the … Read more

Google security: You (still) are the weakest link

SAN FRANCISCO--Two of Google's top Chrome and Google Apps security experts confessed that the problem of passwords will continue to plague the people who use them and computer security for the foreseeable future.

On the second day of the company's I/O conference here on Thursday, Eran Feigenbaum, the director of security for Google Apps, suggested that people follow three recommendations to stay safer online.

"You should turn on two-step verification, make sure [the browser] is up to date, and make sure your password recovery options are set," the six-year veteran of Google said.

His colleague, … Read more

UniKey Bluetooth door lock emerges as Kevo

Joining Apigy's Lockitron, the Kevo represents another attempt to link door-entry management to your smartphone.

The core technology behind Kevo comes from a company called UniKey, which was featured last year on ABC's startup competition show "Shark Tank." The idea is that a UniKey-powered door lock allows you to open the lock simply by touching it when you're carrying a UniKey-enabled smartphone or an included key fob. The technology also lets you assign access to others who have a UniKey-compatible smartphone.

The Kevo lock bearing the UniKey technology will come to market through a partnership … Read more

New Mac spyware found in the Oslo Freedom Forum

F-secure is reporting on new malware found for OS X, which appears to be a backdoor application that so far is known to take screenshots of the user's computer and then attempt to upload them to remote servers. The malware is being called OSX/KitM.A.

It's a small application called macs.app and was found on the Mac of an African activist who was a member of of the Oslo Freedom Forum. When installed, the application is appended to the current Mac user's log-in items so it runs whenever the affected user account is logged in. … Read more

Homeland Security cuts off Dwolla bitcoin transfers

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed it has initiated legal action that prompted the Dwolla payment service to stop processing bitcoin transactions.

Nicole Navas, a representative for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, confirmed the legal action to CNET this afternoon.

Dwolla, a Des Moines, Iowa-based startup, which raised $16.5 million in funding two weeks ago, notified users about the move earlier Tuesday. It blamed the decision on "recent court orders" limiting its ability to send money through Mt. Gox, the largest bitcoin exchange.

"In order not to compromise this ongoing investigation being conducted … Read more

The right way and wrong way to use Twitter

"Thank you for sharing" takes on an entirely new meaning when using social media. Most of the people who use Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks intend their posts to enlighten, amuse, or inspire their friends and followers. It doesn't always work out that way.

For businesses, Twitter is primarily about customer relations, but this can backfire, too, as Customer Think's Trish Miller points out in the Top 10 Twitter Mistakes of 2012.

The first time you sat behind the wheel of a car you didn't just turn the key and head for the freeway … Read more

McAfee and Intel announce cross-device security service LiveSafe

As consumers begin to own more and more devices, the risks of increased security threats and a greater need for cross-platform protection have emerged, according to McAfee. In a joint partnership with Intel, McAfee announced on Tuesday the all-encompassing security suite LiveSafe.

LiveSafe is a comprehensive set of security measures that protect the files and digital assets that users value most. According to Mike DeCesare, president of McAfee, "Our digital lives have become more complex as we connect, share, and store data through multiple devices."

McAfee addresses the rising need for security across the fragmented landscape of gadgets … Read more

Home networking Part 7: Power line connections explained

Editors' note: This post is part of an ongoing series. For the other parts, check out the related stories section below.

Power line networking basically turns a building's existing electrical wiring -- the wires that carry electricity to different outlets in the house -- into network cables, meaning they also carry data signals for a computer network. And this means virtually all households, in the U.S at least, are "wired for" power line networking. It doesn't replace a regular network, so you'll still need a router, but it's a good way to extend … Read more