Why you should never borrow someone else's charging cable:
We've all been there. Your smartphone or tablet is low on power and you've left your charging cable at home. There's no harm in borrowing one from a fellow passenger in the airport departure lounge or from your hotel's front desk clerk, right?“There are certain things in life that you just don't borrow,” says Charles Henderson, Global Managing Partner and Head ofat IBM Security.
Last week, at the annual DEF CON Hacking Conference in Las Vegas — “hacker summer camp,” says Henderson — a hacker who goes by"MG” demonstrated an iPhone lightning cable that he had modified. After using the cable to connect an iPod to a Mac computer, MG remotely accessed the cable's IP address and took control of the Mac,. MG noted that he could later remotely “kill” the implanted malware and wipe out all evidence of its existence. The enterprising hacker had a stash of so-called O.
“But just because we haven't yet seen a widespread attack doesn't mean we won't see it, because it certainly does work,” says Henderson. “The technology is really small and really cheap. It can get so small that it looks like an ordinary cable but has the capability and the intelligence to plant malware on its victim.
“Being careful about what you plug into your devices is just good tech hygiene,” says Henderson. “Think of it in the same way that you think about opening mail attachments or sharing passwords. In a computing context, sharing cables is like sharing your password, because that's the level of access you're crucially conveying with these types of technology.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why Major League Soccer Chose St. Louis, And Why Sacramento, Charlotte Are Soccer's Next Expansion MarketsSt. Louis will become Major League Soccer's 28th team. I explain why MLS chose St. Louis, and why they will likely choose Sacramento and Charlotte next to reach 30 clubs.
Read more »
Why the Relationship Between Director and Editor Is Essential for Emmy-Nominated DocusUnlike narrative projects, documentaries are created in the edit suite. There, hundreds of hours of verité footage, archival materials, talking heads and even animated sequences need to be sorted t…
Read more »
'Why Women Kill': TV ReviewStarring Lucy Liu, Ginnifer Goodwin and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, CBS All Access' dark comedy from Marc Cherry follows three women across three timelines.
Read more »
NYFW At Hudson Yards: Here's Why Designers Are Pulling OutPresident Trump has a little something to do with it.
Read more »
13 Reasons Why Season 3 Gets an Official Release Date and Reveals a Major Character's Fate13ReasonsWhy Season 3 Gets an Official Release Date and Reveals a Major Character's Fate
Read more »
Why I Choose to Live Within My MeansBecause I live within my means, I enjoy a significant level of freedom that others do not. It allows me to sleep better, carry less stress, and live a more calm, relaxed life.
Read more »