The stealthy iPhone hacks that Apple can't seem to stop, and other security and privacy news

Security

Last week had news about some very serious hacks:

• -Mobile: Hackers Accessed Data on More Than 53 Million People. Now, their CEO calls latest data breach ‘humbling,’ claims it’s committed to security.

• Data leak exposed 38 million records, including COVID-19 vaccination statuses

• California Man Stole 620,000 iCloud Photos in Search of Nudes

• Cloudflare says it stopped the largest DDoS attack ever reported

Even more concerning, the breadth of vulnerabilities reported is staggering

• Microsoft Azure flaw left thousands of cloud customers' data vulnerable

• Microsoft warns of widespread open redirection phishing attack – which Defender can block, coincidentally

• You Can Gain Admin Privileges to Any Windows Machine by Plugging in a Razer Mouse While Razer is fixing a serious Windows security flaw caused by its mice the question remains why this is not considered a Windows problem rather than a Razer problem.

• Palantir glitch allegedly granted some FBI staff unauthorized access to a crypto hacker's data

• SophosLabs: Research shows BlackMatter ransomware is closely acquainted with DarkSide

• LockFile Ransomware Targets Microsoft Exchange Servers

• The Stealthy iPhone Hacks That Apple Still Can't Stop For more detail, see From Pearl to Pegasus

• Deepfakes in cyberattacks aren’t coming. They’re already here.

The potential impact is huge

• 40% of SaaS data access is unmanaged and publicly exposed

• We underestimated IoT security. Let’s not make that mistake with robotics.

• Ransomware: It's only a matter of time before a smart city falls victim, and we need to take action now

Biden tells top CEOs at White House summit to step up on cybersecurity. One proposal is To prevent cyberattacks, the government should limit the scope of a software bill of materials

In a final piece of curious good news, Crypto heist hacker returns all $610 million they stole

Privacy

Let us count the ways in which consumer data is collected, traded, and used

• How Data Brokers Sell Access to the Backbone of the Internet

• Privacy of Streaming Apps and Devices: Watching TV That Watches Us

• Explosion in Geofence Warrants Threatens Privacy Nationwide

• Apple Has Reportedly Been Scanning Your iCloud Mail for Child Abuse Images Since 2019

• There’s no escape from Facebook, even if you don’t use it

Federal government to expand use of facial recognition despite growing concerns

Samsung Can Remotely Disable Any of Its TVs Worldwide. The claimed purpose is to defeat use of stolen TVs. Uncontrollable actions on connected by manufacturers opens a whole new Pandora’s box, though.

Regulation

AI Weekly: Algorithmic discrimination highlights the need for regulation.

As China proposes strict control of algorithmsit’s not clear that limiting discrimination is the objective.

Move fast and break Facebook: A bull case for antitrust enforcement