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An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.


Stingrays, the Spy Tool the Government Tried, and Failed, to Hide
From ACM News

Stingrays, the Spy Tool the Government Tried, and Failed, to Hide

Stingrays, a secretive law enforcement surveillance tool, are one of the most controversial technologies in the government’s spy kit.

The Critical Hole at the Heart of Our Cell Phone Networks
From ACM News

The Critical Hole at the Heart of Our Cell Phone Networks

In February 2014, the US ambassador to Ukraine suffered an embarrassing leak.

Two Tips to Keep Your Phone's Encrypted Messages Encrypted
From ACM News

Two Tips to Keep Your Phone's Encrypted Messages Encrypted

End-to-end encryption by default is quickly becoming the new standard for any communications app that claims to care about the privacy of those who use it.

Researchers Crack Microsoft and Google's Shortened ­rls to Spy on People
From ACM TechNews

Researchers Crack Microsoft and Google's Shortened ­rls to Spy on People

Cornell Tech researchers have shown brute-force attacks against shortened uniform resource locators can enable hackers to spread malware on victims' computers.

A Scheme to Encrypt the Entire Web Is Actually Working
From ACM News

A Scheme to Encrypt the Entire Web Is Actually Working

Apple's move to encrypt your iPhone and WhatsApp's rollout of end-to-end encrypted messaging have generated plenty of privacy applause and law enforcement controversy...

Forget Apple vs. the Fbi: Whatsapp Just Switched on Encryption For a Billion People
From ACM News

Forget Apple vs. the Fbi: Whatsapp Just Switched on Encryption For a Billion People

For most of the past six weeks, the biggest story out of Silicon Valley was Apple's battle with the FBI over a federal order to unlock the iPhone of a mass shooter...

Why Do the Feds ­sually Try to ­nlock Phones? It's Drugs, Not Terrorism
From ACM News

Why Do the Feds ­sually Try to ­nlock Phones? It's Drugs, Not Terrorism

Until the FBI backed down from its battle with Apple over accessing the iPhone 5c of San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook, it seemed the agency had chosen...

The Apple-Fbi Battle Is Over, But the New Crypto Wars Have Just Begun
From ACM News

The Apple-Fbi Battle Is Over, But the New Crypto Wars Have Just Begun

Apple's standoff with the FBI unfolded over the course of several weeks, but ended in a matter of days.

­tah's Online Caucus Gives Security Experts Heart Attacks
From ACM News

­tah's Online Caucus Gives Security Experts Heart Attacks

Security researchers pretty much uniformly agree that letting people vote online is a very bad idea, one that is fraught with risks and vulnerabilities that could...

Long Before the Apple-Fbi Battle, Lavabit Sounded a Warning
From ACM News

Long Before the Apple-Fbi Battle, Lavabit Sounded a Warning

Three years ago, Ladar Levison, the founder of the now-defunct secure email service known as Lavabit, was in the same position Apple finds itself today: facing...

The Fbi Warns That Car Hacking Is a Real Risk
From ACM News

The Fbi Warns That Car Hacking Is a Real Risk

It's been eight months since a pair of security researchers proved beyond any doubt that car hacking is more than an action movie plot device when they remotely ...

Biometrics Are Coming, Along With Serious Security Concerns
From ACM News

Biometrics Are Coming, Along With Serious Security Concerns

You're buying a pair of jeans. At the register, instead of reaching for your wallet or phone, you pull back your hair.

Inside the Cunning, Unprecedented Hack of Ukraine's Power Grid
From ACM News

Inside the Cunning, Unprecedented Hack of Ukraine's Power Grid

It was 3:30 p.m. last December 23, and residents of the Ivano-Frankivsk region of Western Ukraine were preparing to end their workday and head home through the...

How the Feds Could Get Into Iphones Without Apple's Help
From ACM News

How the Feds Could Get Into Iphones Without Apple's Help

It's a showdown that has the country mesmerized.

Apple's Fbi Battle Is Complicated. Here's What's Really Going On
From ACM News

Apple's Fbi Battle Is Complicated. Here's What's Really Going On

The news this week that a magistrate ordered Apple to help the FBI hack an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooter suspects has polarized the nation—and...

If You Go Near the Super Bowl, You Will Be Surveilled Hard
From ACM News

If You Go Near the Super Bowl, You Will Be Surveilled Hard

Super Bowl 50 will be big in every way.

Nsa Hacker Chief Explains How to Keep Him Out of Your System
From ACM News

Nsa Hacker Chief Explains How to Keep Him Out of Your System

It was the talk most anticipated at this year's inaugural Usenix Enigma security conference in San Francisco and one that even the other speakers were eager to...

Scientists Capture Crispr's Gene-Cutting in Action
From ACM News

Scientists Capture Crispr's Gene-Cutting in Action

For all the furious hype around the gene-editing tool Crispr/Cas9, no one has ever really seen it in action. Like really seen it.

An Easy Way For Hackers to Remotely Burn Industrial Motors
From ACM News

An Easy Way For Hackers to Remotely Burn Industrial Motors

Hacks that cause physical destruction are so rare they can be counted on one hand.

Science Can Tell If North Korea's Test Was Really an H-Bomb
From ACM News

Science Can Tell If North Korea's Test Was Really an H-Bomb

It was the whomp felt 'round the world.
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