Communications of the ACM
An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.
From ACM News
Cops Wanted to Keep Mass Surveillance App Secret; Privacy Advocates Refused
Fog Reveal is "almost invisible" when attempting to search for it online.
From ACM TechNews
Organizations Spending Billions on Easy-to-Bypass Malware Defense
Research suggests that hackers can easily circumvent Endpoint Detection and Response systems, the malware detecting and blocking solutions on which organizations...
From ACM News
FCC Lets Starlink Offer Internet Service in Moving Vehicles
"These services, never before available, promise the potential for expanding reach to remote and rural areas and facilitating higher quality broadband services...
From ACM TechNews
Wide Range of Routers Under Attack by Sophisticated Malware
Researchers have discovered at least 80 routers in North America and Europe have been infected by a remote access Trojan as part of a larger hacking campaign.
From ACM TechNews
'Tough to Forge' Digital Driver's License Actually Easy to Forge
Security researchers have found that the supposedly hard-to-counterfeit digital driver's licenses in use in New South Wales, Australia, actually can be altered...
From ACM TechNews
Bluetooth Hack Can Unlock Tesla, Devices
Sultan Qasim Khan at U.K.-based security firm NCC Group devised an exploit for unlocking Teslas and countless other devices.
From ACM TechNews
Some Top 100,000 Websites Collect Everything You Type--Before You Hit Submit
Researchers analyzed the top 100,000 websites and found a significant number record some or all of visitors' typewritten data.
From ACM TechNews
Apple, Google, Microsoft Want to Kill the Password with 'Passkey' Standard
Apple, Google, and Microsoft are launching a "joint effort" to "expand support for a common password-less sign-in standard created by the FIDO Alliance and the...
From ACM TechNews
Your iOS App May Still Be Covertly Tracking You, Despite What Apple Says
Researchers at the U.K.’s University of Oxford found that iOS apps can still track users without explicit permission.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Use Decommissioned Satellite to Broadcast Hacker TV
Researchers in the Shadytel telecommunications and embedded device hacking group used a decommissioned Canadian satellite to broadcast a livestream to the Northern...
From ACM TechNews
Data-Harvesting Code in Mobile Apps Sends User Data to 'Russia's Google'
A researcher found that Yandex, known as "Russia's Google," embedded code in apps for mobile devices that allows data to be sent to servers in Russia.
From ACM TechNews
Bug Lurking for 12 Years Gives Attackers Root on Most Major Linux Distros
Polkit, a system-wide privilege manager for Unix-like operating systems, contains a 12-year-old memory-corruption vulnerability.
From ACM TechNews
Thousands of AT&T Customers in the U.S. Infected by Data-Stealing Malware
Researchers at China's Qihoo 360 reported that the EWDoor malware has infected the networking devices of thousands of AT&T Internet customers in the U.S.
From ACM News
EU Announces Plans to Require All Mobile Devices to Use USB-C
Devices using only wireless charging would be exempt from the mandate.
From ACM TechNews
Chinese Phone Games Now Require Facial Scans to Play at Night
Chinese video game publisher Tencent has added a facial recognition system to more than 60 of its China-specific smartphone games.
From ACM TechNews
Newly Discovered Vigilante Malware Outs Software Pirates, Blocks Them
SophosLabs researcher Andrew Brandt has discovered malware that identifies and blocks software pirates.
From ACM TechNews
Google Play Apps Steal Texts, Pepper You With Unauthorized Purchases
McAfee mobile researchers have discovered malware hidden in eight Google Play apps that steals users' text messages and makes unauthorized purchases.
From ACM TechNews
Android Sends 20x More Data to Google Than iOS Sends to Apple, Study Says
A researcher says the Android operating system transmits about 20 times more information from smartphone handsets to Google than iOS sends to Apple.
From ACM News
New Android Malware Found with Full Range of Spying Capabilities
Despite its sophistication, the app can be easy for more experienced users to spot.
From ACM TechNews