It’s not my fault, my brain implant made me do it

Laura Y. Cabrera, Michigan State University and Jennifer Carter-Johnson, Michigan State University Mr. B loves Johnny Cash, except when he doesn’t. Mr. X has watched his doctors morph into Italian chefs right before his eyes. The link between the two? Both Mr. B and Mr. X received deep brain stimulation (DBS), a procedure involving an… Continue reading It’s not my fault, my brain implant made me do it

Skills like ‘crap detection’ can help kids meet cybersecurity challenges head on

Matthew Riddle, The University of Melbourne How well are we preparing the typical primary school kid for life when they graduate in 2032? Current attitudes to education around cybersecurity and online safety skew towards caution at all costs. We often focus on schools’ duty of care rather than fostering skills and frameworks of digital ethics… Continue reading Skills like ‘crap detection’ can help kids meet cybersecurity challenges head on

How to break our bad online security habits – with a flashing cyber nudge

Emily Collins, University of Bath and Joanne Hinds, University of Bath The number of cyber attacks is estimated to have risen by 67% over the last five years, with the majority of these data breaches being traced back to human error. The potential risks of such attacks are vast and can have a serious impact… Continue reading How to break our bad online security habits – with a flashing cyber nudge

Hackers are making personalised ransomware to target the most profitable and vulnerable

Lena Connolly, University of Leeds and David S. Wall, University of Leeds Once a piece of ransomware has got hold of your valuable information, there is very little you can do to get it back other than accede to the attacker’s demands. Ransomware, a type of malware that holds a computer to ransom, has become… Continue reading Hackers are making personalised ransomware to target the most profitable and vulnerable

There’s a massive cybersecurity job gap – we should fill it by employing hackers

John McAlaney, Bournemouth University and Helen Thackray, University of Portsmouth Cybersecurity incidents are gaining an increasingly high profile. In the past, these incidents may have been perceived primarily as a somewhat distant issue for organisations such as banks to deal with. But recent attacks such as the 2017 Wannacry incident, in which a cyber attack… Continue reading There’s a massive cybersecurity job gap – we should fill it by employing hackers

Which is more vulnerable to viruses and hackers: Windows 10 or Mac OS X?

Robert Merkel, Monash University During the 2000s, Apple ran a hugely successful advertising campaign for its line of Macintosh desktop computers. The ads poked fun at some of the perceived bugbears of the Windows-based PCs of the era compared to the Mac. One recurring theme of these ads was the greater vulnerability of Microsoft’s PCs… Continue reading Which is more vulnerable to viruses and hackers: Windows 10 or Mac OS X?

What happens when people lose trust in the Internet?

David Glance, The University of Western Australia An April 2018 survey by the Pew Research Centre has found that fewer people believe that “the Internet has been mostly a good thing for society” as compared to four years ago. This worsening perspective on the social benefits of the Internet contrasts with the view that these… Continue reading What happens when people lose trust in the Internet?

How to spot a cyberbot – five tips to keep your device safe

Adrian Winckles, Anglia Ruskin University and Andrew Moore, Anglia Ruskin University You may know nothing about it, but your phone – or your laptop or tablet – could be taken over by someone else who has found their way in through a back door. They could have infected your device with malware to make it… Continue reading How to spot a cyberbot – five tips to keep your device safe

Brazil, US show that secure elections require agreement – not just cybersecurity and clear ballot records

Herbert Lin, Stanford University There are a number of ways to run a legitimate election. But the U.S. has learned in recent years, and Brazil learned in recent weeks, that it’s not always simple. There are technical mechanics and processes of how votes are cast, collected and counted. But those are ultimately less important than… Continue reading Brazil, US show that secure elections require agreement – not just cybersecurity and clear ballot records

Zoom security: I’ve researched problems with video conferencing for years – here’s what you need to know

Thomas Reisinger, De Montfort University The video conferencing app Zoom gained about 2 million new users in the first two months of 2020 – and that was before the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. With so many people now relying on video conferencing for contact with their friends, family and colleagues,… Continue reading Zoom security: I’ve researched problems with video conferencing for years – here’s what you need to know

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