A thumbprint may seem simpler and more secure than a passcode or password. But one of the nation’s top computer scientists says he has discovered a security flaw with the kind of fingerprint identification technology often used to lock cellphones. We traveled to New York University Tandon School of Engineering to interview engineering professor Nasir...
Category: Press Highlights
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The Trump Administration’s Early (Appropriate) Focus on Botnets
President Donald Trump’s Executive Order on Cybersecurity, concentrating as it does on things largely within the authority of the executive branch, is a reasonable early approach to a very complicated public policy challenge. Its three components focus on preparatory steps to harmonize and modernize the federal government’s information technology (IT), better protect critical infrastructure, and improve...
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When a Hack Shuts Down a Hospital, Who’s to Blame?
… Justin Cappos, an assistant professor of computer systems and security at New York University [Tandon School of Engineering], suggested one quick fix for future security updates. Rather than telling users to update their systems for a “security patch,” Windows could offer a bleak warning: “Hackers can get into your computer right now, so please...
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WannaCry Malware Exploited OS Weakness to Spread
The recent ransomware cyberattack has claimed an estimated 300,000 computers in 150 countries. Cyber security expert Justin Cappos is a professor at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering. He described what the WannaCry malware is doing now and how it invades computers through a loophole in Microsoft Corp’s Windows operating system. He said the malware exploits...
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Global Cyber Attack Cripples British Hospitals
A massive cyberattack galloped across international borders on 12 May 2017, crippling such vital organizations as Telefonica (a telecom company in Spain), Britain’s network of hospitals run by the National Health Service (NHS), and the Russian Interior Ministry. … The attack utilized a type of malware called ransomware. … Damon McCoy, an assistant professor of...
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Researchers Use Digitally Created Fingerprints to Unlock Smartphones
A team of researchers from the Tandon School of Engineering at the New York University has created a method of generating fake digital fingerprints capable of unlocking random smartphones. According to the research team, their method works with an accuracy of 26% to 65% of all tested phones, assuming a maximum number of five attempts...
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Cyber Security R&D Showcase Coming in July
The 2017 Cyber Security R&D Showcase and Technical Workshop is scheduled for 11-13 July at Washington, D.C.’s Mayflower Hotel. This annual technology showcase event is expected to draw 1,000 government, industry and academia cybersecurity professionals from the United States and abroad over three days. The conference’s highlight is the 11 July R&D Showcase, during which...
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Nightly Business Report – May 9, 2017
… There were some reports last week that Apple was having a bit of trouble with key feature in its next iPhone: the fingerprint reader. But there may be other problems with these sensors. New research found that the way smart phones read fingerprints could make them vulnerable to hackers. [interview with Nasir Memon at...
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Task Force Holds Briefing on Terrorist Use of Virtual Currencies
On Wednesday, May 3, the bipartisan Task Force on Anti-Terrorism & Proliferation Financing hosted a “Brown Bag Lunch” briefing on “Terrorist Use of Virtual Currencies: Containing the Potential Threat.”
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Phishing, Hacks And Better Online Security
… This hour On Point, the Google email attack, an how to protect yourself from online scams, plunder, identity theft. Guests: Justin Cappos, assistant professor in systems and security at the New York University Computer Science and Engineering Department [at 21:10].