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New NYU program creating troops for cybercrime defense

‘We really need more security professionals— the very foundation of our society is being threatened,” says Nasir Memon, a professor at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering. Memon is part of a multi-pronged effort at NYU to meet that need, with several online and on-site cybersecurity programs for newcomers as well as mid-career professionals,...

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How domestic abusers use smartphones to spy on their partners

More and more people who commit violence against their intimate partners are using technology to make their victims’ lives worse. … News media, academic researchers, and victim advocates have long acknowledged the threat of spyware in domestic abuse situations. But our research [conducted by NYU Tandon faculty and students] brings to light the ease with...

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DeepMasterPrints Developed To Access Smartphones Via Hacking

Researchers at New York University [Tandon School of Engineering] and Michigan State University have invented new artificial fingerprints, which they call DeepMasterPrints for hacking fingerprint sensor-enabled smartphones. According to a report by CNBC, the fake fingerprints, with the help of machine learning double as a ‘Masterkey’ to access one out of three smartphones which come...

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Biometrics in 2019: Increased Security or New Attack Vector?

Research cited is by CSE faculty Nasir Memon and Aditi Roy. Just two years ago, the industry began seeing the vulnerabilities of biometric authentication when researchers at Michigan State University discovered a simple and inexpensive way to print the image of a fingerprint using a standard inkjet printer. And last year, researchers at New York...

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Government shutdown poses cybersecurity threat

The partial government shutdown, which is delaying companies’ plans for initial public offerings, also could be making the nation more vulnerable to cyberattacks. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security, has furloughed 43% of its staff—more than 1,500 of its 3,541 employees.…The shutdown also doesn’t help with the long-term...

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Facebook investigates group backed by Reid Hoffman

Research project led by CSE Professor Damon McCoy. Facebook said it is investigating whether an organization backed by billionaire and Democratic mega-donor Reid Hoffman violated the social media giant’s policies when it set up a series of misleading news pages in a bid to target U.S. voters with left-leaning political messages. The probe focuses on...

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Artificial Fingerprints Can Be Used For Hacking, Researchers Say

Researchers have created artificial fingerprints that they say can be used to hack into smartphones and other devices. These “DeepMasterPrints” are machine-learning methods that act as a master key, according to the researchers from New York University [Tandon School of Engineering] and Michigan State University, CNBC reports. The researchers — Philip Bontrager, Aditi Roy, Julian...

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Internet billionaire Reid Hoffman apologizes for funding a group tied to disinformation in Alabama race

Article cites research by Damon McCoy, assistant professor of computer science and engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Internet billionaire Reid Hoffman apologized on Wednesday for funding a group linked to a “highly disturbing” effort that spread disinformation during last year’s Alabama special election for U.S. Senate, but said he was not aware...

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Facebook is investigating the political pages and ads of another group backed by Reid Hoffman

Article cites research led by Damon McCoy, assistant professor of computer science and engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Facebook said it is investigating whether an organization backed by Internet billionaire and Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman violated the social media giant’s policies when it set up several misleading news pages in a bid...