The security & privacy stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Verifone, which makes many shop card readers, has added screening that adjusts to new fraud tactics, built with Visa. Shop owners should ask what it costs.
Read more: Verifone adds smarter fraud screening to card payments, with VisaGoogle Photos is working on Overnight backups, an option that waits until night to upload your photos and videos. It is not released yet.
Read more: Google Photos tests a backup option that waits until nightA payments expert at G2A.COM says fraud is shifting from stolen card details to tricking buyers into approving payments themselves, and instant payments are hard to undo.
Read more: Scammers now trick buyers into paying instead of stealing card dataTSB says one in three UK shoppers has been scammed on social media or resale sites, and fake sellers are expected to be busy before Black Friday and Christmas.
Read more: One in three UK shoppers has been scammed on social media or resale sitesHackers raised temperature settings at three French blood storage sites, part of a wave of fridge attacks across Europe. Any business with cold storage should take note.
Read more: Hackers raise temperatures at French blood storage sitesScammers are sending AI-made photos of missing pets, then demanding reward money and threatening the animals. Anyone searching for a lost pet should know the signs.
Read more: Scammers use fake AI photos of missing pets to demand reward moneyA researcher says an OpenAI model helped him find a flaw in popular open-source software that could let someone hack into major data centers.
Read more: AI model helped find a flaw that could open major data centersHCA Healthcare, Blossom Health, El Camino Health and UMMC reported breaches. Some exposed Social Security numbers and medical details, so patients should watch for letters.
Read more: Four health systems report data breaches, including HCA HealthcareUniversity Hospitals in Ohio still had systems offline on November 2 after a cyberattack. Two other recent incidents exposed Social Security numbers.
Read more: Ohio hospital system still has systems offline after cyberattackFiserv says AI agents now review flagged Clover payments in a third of the time, with far fewer false alarms. Shop owners may see fewer held payments.
Read more: Fiserv says AI cut fraud review times by two-thirds at CloverA new survey finds 68% of US adults use an AI agent weekly, but few trust one with a credit card, and many are unsure who pays if it goes wrong.
Read more: Most Americans use AI helpers but won't let them spend moneyA Russian-linked group booby-trapped real and fake websites to attack iPhones and Android phones that are missing updates. The fixes already exist.
Read more: Russian hackers can infect phones just from visiting a websiteGoogle's November Android update fixes a critical flaw that could let an attacker run code on a phone with no action from the owner. Here is how to check yours.
Read more: Google fixes Android flaw that could take over a phone untouchedThe U.S. cyber agency says attackers are using a WordPress flaw during site upgrades, so anyone running a WordPress site should update now.
Read more: Hackers are attacking WordPress sites while they updateThe Financial Times says the Binance hack is a warning that a larger AI-driven attack on a bank is likely, which matters to anyone who keeps money online.
Read more: An AI-driven bank breach is a matter of when, not ifThe FBI in Honolulu says scammers are copying real federal office phone numbers and even staging fake offices on video calls to look official.
Read more: Scammers posing as FBI agents are faking caller IDs in HawaiiSingapore Airlines is the latest carrier hit by a software provider breach that has exposed over 200,000 bookings, which could fuel convincing travel scams.
Read more: Singapore Airlines hit by airline software provider breachA Windows 11 update grayed out the switch for Smart App Control on some PCs. Microsoft has fixed it, so anyone who had the feature off can now turn it on.
Read more: Microsoft fixes Windows 11 bug that blocked a key security switchCasap, a New York startup, raised $56 million for AI that handles card disputes. It says cases now close in 8 days, not up to 90, but the figures are its own.
Read more: Casap raises $56M to use AI to settle card disputes fasterA Russia-aligned group called Gorbag is using basic data-stealing software against Ukrainian police, courts and local governments, and its tricks work anywhere.
Read more: Russia-linked hackers use simple data-stealing software against UkraineThree Fulton County voters got texts naming the wrong polling place on Election Day. The county says it did not send them, so check your site before you go.
Read more: Georgia voters get fake texts sending them to the wrong pollsA ransomware gang locked about 37 computers across a UK school group, and researchers say the way it worked suggests AI may have helped run the attack.
Read more: Hackers locked up 37 school computers in the UK, possibly using AIMashreq, a bank in the United Arab Emirates, is adding generative AI to its fraud checks, which could mean faster flags on suspicious payments for customers.
Read more: Mashreq bank adds generative AI to its fraud detection systemAARP's Fraud Watch series with Phil and Pam now covers veteran scams. The advice: check who is contacting you before you share any personal details.
Read more: AARP's Fraud Watch turns to scams that target veterans
