security

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

Earbuds, freight train a fatal mix for pedestrian, police say

Electronics give people the opportunity to live in a world of their own.

Sometimes, though, this may not end well.

A train struck a man who was walking on the railway tracks in Joppa, Md., Thursday.

Police say the freight train approached him from behind. Its conductor said he sounded the horn.

That seems to have had no effect on 37-year-old Kevin Scott Street. For, police say, he was wearing earbuds.

According to CBS Baltimore, Street was struck by the 20-car freight train just after noon.

Edward Hopkins, a spokesman for the Hartford County Sheriff's Office explained to The Baltimore Sun: &… Read more

Apple's two-step ID verification expands to more countries

Apple expanded the reach of one of its strongest security features to more users this week, following a limited rollout earlier this year.

Apple's two-step verification for its Apple ID account system is now in more than a dozen additional countries beyond the five it launched with in late March, 9to5Mac reports. Some of those newer countries include Canada, Mexico, Russia, and Italy.

The system sends a four-digit passcode by text message to a user's phone and must be used on top of a regular password. In practice, this could keep an account from being compromised by an … Read more

Free services make Gmail, Google Drive, Google search more private

It's no secret that any information you provide to a Google service is no secret.

When Google changed its terms of service last year, the company granted itself and any other company it chooses complete, unfettered access to anonymized (we hope) versions of all the messages you send and receive via Gmail, all the files you upload to Google Drive, and all the terms you enter in the Google search box.

As CNET's Rafe Needleman reported in April 2012, Google's rights go beyond simply perusing your personal information. Google's terms of service include the following:

When … Read more

How to set your Trusted Contacts on Facebook

Last week Facebook rolled out a new Trusted Contacts feature to help make your account more secure. Should you lose access to your account, either by forgetting your password or having your account "hacked," you can enlist the help of three to five friends to regain access.

Once you're locked out of your account, you'll need to reach out to those people you have added as Trusted Contacts and ask them to help you out. Here's what you'll need to do on your end to get it set up.

Log in to your Facebook … Read more

DOJ: We don't need warrants for e-mail, Facebook chats

The U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI believe they don't need a search warrant to review Americans' e-mails, Facebook chats, Twitter direct messages, and other private files, internal documents reveal.

Government documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union and provided to CNET show a split over electronic privacy rights within the Obama administration, with Justice Department prosecutors and investigators privately insisting they're not legally required to obtain search warrants for e-mail. The IRS, on the other hand, publicly said last month that it would abandon a controversial policy that claimed it could get warrantless access … Read more

Avast targets Facebook and VPN

Yesterday, Avast Software made news with its acquisition of privacy company Secure.Me, a small developer best known for its Facebook apps of the same name. Secure.Me protects users' Facebook accounts, monitoring all activity and photos, detecting malware links, and identifying content that is questionable or unsuitable for children.

Today, Avast makes news again with a minor update to its complete suite of Windows security applications--Avast Free Antivirus; Avast Pro Antivirus, Avast Internet Security, and the full monty, Avast Premier.

Avast version 8.0.1488.286 fixes some bugs in the interface, adds a progress bar to the … Read more