consumer-security

They Didn't Get Your Password. They Got Everything Else.

John Z Black Apr 13, 2026

Incidents & Breaches #data-breach #booking.com #basic-fit #phishing #consumer-security #gdpr #social-engineering

Booking.com forced PIN resets. Basic-Fit disclosed a breach hitting roughly one million EU gym members. No passwords were stolen, both companies say. That's not the reassurance it sounds like.

Your 'Security' Camera Has a Backdoor the Manufacturer Put There on Purpose

John Z Black Apr 7, 2026

Privacy & Digital Rights #vstarcam #iot #backdoor #pppp #firmware #cameras #consumer-security

Researcher reveals VStarcam deliberately engineered password-leaking backdoors into camera firmware over four years.

The FCC Just Banned Foreign Routers. Almost Every Router You Own Is Foreign.

John Z Black Mar 25, 2026

Policy, Law & Governance #fcc #routers #national-security #consumer-security #tp-link #supply-chain

The FCC has declared foreign-made consumer routers a national security threat and blocked new ones from entering the US market. Here's what the rule actually covers, what it doesn't, and why the hard question about firmware goes unanswered.

Sears' AI Chatbot Stored 3.7 Million of Your Conversations. Could Be Read Online.

John Z Black Mar 22, 2026

Privacy & Digital Rights #ai-security #data-breach #privacy #sears #chatbot #consumer-security

Security researcher Jeremy Fowler found 3.7 million Sears chatbot conversations and 1.4 million audio files sitting wide open online -- including home addresses and appointment times. This one crosses into physical security territory.

Coinbase Is Asking You to Type Your Crypto Wallet Key Into a Website. Don't.

John Z Black Mar 22, 2026

Ransomware & Cybercrime #crypto #coinbase #phishing #seed-phrase #consumer-security #wallet-security

Coinbase Commerce shuts down March 31 and its migration tool asks users to enter their seed phrase into a web form. Security researchers are alarmed -- and they should be.

An Identity Theft Protection Company Was Just Hacked by a Phone Scammer

John Z Black Mar 22, 2026

Incidents & Breaches #data-breach #vishing #social-engineering #identity-protection #aura #consumer-security

Aura sells identity protection. A scammer called one employee, said the right things, and walked out with data on 900,000 people. The irony is real, but the lesson is bigger.

Russian Hackers Are Coming for Your Signal and WhatsApp

John Z Black Mar 10, 2026

Consumer Security #signal #whatsapp #russia #nation-state #linked-devices #encryption #consumer-security

Dutch intelligence says Russian state hackers are running a global campaign to hijack Signal and WhatsApp accounts by abusing the linked-device feature. Here's how to check if you're compromised.