In the run up to the United Kingdom elections, Prime Minister Theresa May promised to “regulate cyberspace” to deny “safe spaces” to terrorists online. Though it doesn’t mention the word “cryptography,” her statement has has widely been interpreted as a vow to undermine end-to-en … | Continue reading
If you follow security news, you’ve probably heard about F-Secure SENSE — a totally new kind of security gadget first introduced by our Samu Konttinen at Slush 2015 that took place in Helsinki. Based on the buzz since our first announcement about F-Secure SENSE, it seems people w … | Continue reading
In this young century, webcams have transitioned from a futuristic novelty to being, well, everywhere. The ability to capture images and video of anything anywhere played a key role in the explosion of social media, but our camera-drenched society also can make us feel uniquely v … | Continue reading
If you’ve looked at our Careers page recently, you may note a couple of interesting things. Not only do we have a lot of open positions — more than 30! — but there’s also is a wide assortment of roles we’re filling. Andy Patel on the News from the Labs blog notes they range from … | Continue reading
For years, experts have tried have tried to warn consumers that if you’re getting something for free, you’re actually the product. And by “you,” experts generally mean, your “data.” This means that the actual consumers of a “free” product are the companies that either pay to adve … | Continue reading
…and what a journey has it been. I have enjoyed every minute of my first 365 days at F-Secure, even though (or because) every day has presented a new challenge. In its nearly three decades, this company has never had a dedicated resource for talent acquisition or employer brandin … | Continue reading
There’s a pretty good chance that you already have one internet-connected device in your home. In a recent survey, we found that 23 percent of consumers have bought a smart TV in the last year. That’s just about the same percentage who bought a desktop PC. And homes will likely b … | Continue reading
WannaCry is back in the news, building on initial reports attributing the now infamous crypto-ransomware family to North Korea. But the absence of a “smoking gun” makes attribution challenging, and according to F-Secure Security Advisor Sean Sullivan, WannaCry seems to fit into a … | Continue reading
If the experts are right, your home today is like a computer in the early 1990s. Sure, you connect it to the internet, but it takes initiative and a willingness to embrace new technologies before your neighbor. But in the next five years, that should change radically. If the adop … | Continue reading
This is a guest post from an F-Secure fellow. Hi, my name is Matti Aksela and I’m the head of the Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence at F-Secure. I recently joined the team to be a part of making something really exciting happen in the Cyber Security space through the u … | Continue reading
Like most of us, Mikko Hypponen doesn’t WannaCry. But he did use his keynote speech at our annual SPECIES conference to give the audience a peak into “what really happened” with the largest crypto-ransomware outbreak in history. Drawing on his over 25 years in the business of hun … | Continue reading
Last week’s WannaCry outbreak caused havoc in many parts of the world before subsiding thanks to the discovery of a “kill switch” hidden in the code. But that doesn’t mean it’s gone away. In fact, F-Secure Labs is detecting another large spike in WannaCry-related activity coming … | Continue reading
By the end of 2017, consumers will be using 5.2 billion connected things, according to Gartner. That number is set to more than double to 12.8 billion by 2020. Given that we’re already on the pace to have more IoT devices in our homes than people on Earth, chances are you will so … | Continue reading
What the hell happened? On May 12, 2017 multiple organizations were hit by crypto-ransomware called WannaCry. Infected users are unable to use their machines and their files get encrypted until they pay a ransom of up to $300 in Bitcoin. The ransom note in WannaCry though claims … | Continue reading
F-Secure Labs has been warning about the exponential growth of ransomware and the dangers of government surveillance tools unleashed into the wild. Cypto-ransomoware WannaCry — which exploded across the globe on Friday — seems to combine the worst of the dangers implied by both w … | Continue reading
In much of the world, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. For moms, it’s a moment to take be recognized for all you do. And for today’s mothers of digital natives — kids who grew up in a internet-connected world — it’s also a chance to recognize that your job … | Continue reading
You could argue that the attempt to “hack” the French elections was a failure. This argument makes sense because Emmanuel Macron — the target of the a leak of hacked documents revealed just hours before the “silent period” of the campaign began — won the presidency by a larger ma … | Continue reading
Free Wi-Fi is irresistible. Literally irresistible. From Punjab to Washington D.C., officials are doing everything they can to deliver the connectivity that draws people into public spaces. The EU is even considering spending €120 million to help“local authorities and providers o … | Continue reading
It’s conventional wisdom that Macs are more secure than Windows PCs. And while Macs and other platforms have traditionally not been targeted by malware to the same extent as Windows, new malware targeting European Mac users highlights that “security through obscurity” isn’t somet … | Continue reading
Data is becoming a new currency. When you use a “free” online service, such as those provided by Google and Facebook, you’re essentially paying for it with personal data. Companies use this personal data (in a broad sense) to help them generate advertising revenue. So companies a … | Continue reading
Hacks happen almost on a daily basis, if not every minute of every day. In fact, some say that every single Fortune 500 company has been hacked. But with rise of connected homes, these hacks will be very personal. Someone will hack into your living room, someone will hack into yo … | Continue reading
There was one known ransomware family variant in 2012, according to F-Secure’s State of Cyber Security 2017 report. By 2015, there were 35 variants of the online threat that infects your computer to hold your files hostage for ransom, which exploded to 193 in 2016. This eruption … | Continue reading
The old cliche “If these walls could talk…” is taking on new meaning in the world of the Internet of Things. Smart walls that actually talk aren’t on the market yet. But your connected home is capable of listening, remembering and divulging more about you than you may have imagin … | Continue reading
The New York Times calls it a “Wi-Fi Barbie Doll With the Soul of Siri” and for many kids it may be a dream come true: A doll that listens and responds to you. Mattel’s Hello Barbie has been one of the most buzzed about connected toys. And thanks to an app that connects the […] | Continue reading
The recent proposed revisions to U.S. privacy laws, viewed by many as a giant slap in the face to the general public, have caused a surge in the demand of VPN products. Unfortunately, this has also lead to a string of dishonest companies attempting to drain the wallets of privacy … | Continue reading
Android recently surpassed Windows to become the most popular operating system in the world. And based on survey results from F-Secure, this is both good and bad cyber security news. F-Secure conducted a survey in nine European countries and Japan, and collected responses from … | Continue reading
It’s easy to be pessimistic about how the Internet of Things (IoT) could change the world. Some people might see it as just a gimmick to sell new TVs or other devices. Others might feel that it’s more of the same old thing, or just a bunch of new mobile devices. Many people are c … | Continue reading
The insecurity of IoT devices is a common theme on this blog. Cool and novel yes, but smart “Things” often fall short on security and privacy. We’ve talked about the pitfalls of smart baby monitors, water kettles, cars, and Hello Barbie. Why do these connected things slip up so b … | Continue reading
Data is the new oil. And while governments in the US and EU are looking for opportunities to capitalize on this hot new commodity, they need to be aware that investments in surveillance can quickly backfire. A new paper from F-Secure Labs highlights these dangers by explaining ho … | Continue reading
If you have a QNAP network attached storage (NAS) device, you’d better make sure the firmware is updated. Earlier this year, F-Secure Senior Security Consultant Harry Sintonen presented research on a series of vulnerabilities he found in a QNAP network attached storage (NAS) de … | Continue reading
There’s an interesting set of competing objectives unfolding at present as it relates to the protection of our data while it flies around the internet: On the one hand, there’s unprecedented oversight of the bytes we’re sending backwards and forwards, especially on behalf of gove … | Continue reading
We’ve already told you about the recent law for internet service providers (ISPs) that has been passed in the United States. Now that it has been signed into law, it’s crucial that each of us understand what’s happening, the reason behind the new law, and how it affects each of u … | Continue reading
A bill that has now passed both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives would repeal a Federal Communications Commission rule issued last year that allows consumers to decide how internet service providers use their information. ISPs could then track you, sell that informati … | Continue reading
Unless you’ve built a bubble to seal them from the world, children grow up surrounded by technology. Households are full of devices connected to the Internet – some shared and some personal. For our children, technology is a normal part of their everyday life. They switch between … | Continue reading
Jailbreaking, a term almost certainly invented by a geek who wanted his hobby to sound cooler than it is, refers to removing software restrictions that Apple has imposed onto your iOS device. Removing these restrictions has numerous benefits, but can tinkering with your phone in … | Continue reading
This may sound like a nightmare or a Black Mirror episode about a dystopic future, but you now have to check your laptop if you’re flying to the United States or United Kingdom from 10 airports in 8 North African and Middle Eastern countries. Citing possible security risks — invo … | Continue reading
Cyber crime is getting worse. If the frequent accounts of online extortion and data breaches (you can check out our recent State of Cyber Security report for more info on these) aren’t enough to convince you, you should consider that in some parts of the world, cyber crime actual … | Continue reading
Imagine weapons that are cheaper, more effective and easier to target than convention weapons. Best of all these weapons make possible to hide who actually launched the attack. What government wouldn’t be rushing to develop these kinds of arms? “I believe we are at the beginning … | Continue reading
The Vault 7 leak that appeared early in March of 2017 either represents the most significant disclosure of classified information since documents taken from the U.S. government by former CIA employee Edward Snowden first began appearing in 2013, or it may be even “bigger than Sno … | Continue reading
Imagine losing all the photos, videos, messages, and documents you’ve stored on your computer. How much money would you be willing to pay to get it all back? Ransomware is malware that infects your computer, locks it, and demands payment for unlocking it. And the number of new ra … | Continue reading
Why is this still a problem? Most people are aware that their password security is an issue. A US survey from four years ago showed 73% of consumers realizing the need to use strong passwords. This result came before Yahoo!, LinkedIn, and plenty of other headline-grabbing passwor … | Continue reading
When it comes to discussing our favorite operating system, we can sometimes be… less than subjective. We all have our OS of choice and tend to have very set opinions about both the merits and users of other operating systems. But what do the cold hard facts say? We recently condu … | Continue reading
Online threats will always exist as long as they work. But just as persistent are online security myths. Here are eight classics that may be making you less safe. Myth 1: The risk of being attacked is small The Internet is huge. Why would anyone target my computer or phone? Of co … | Continue reading
The idea of giving your home a good, swift cleaning to celebrate the renewal of spring has persisted in several cultures for decades. But wouldn’t Late Winter Cleaning make more sense — at least when it comes to your digital life? While you’re still mostly — depending on where yo … | Continue reading
Finland is not part of Scandinavia. It’s not on the Scandinavian peninsula, nor do Finns speak one of the Scandinavian languages, which are Germanic. Finland is on a peninsula along the Gulf of Finland and Finns speak Finnish, which is a Uralic language — like Hungarian and a han … | Continue reading
In our 2017 State of Cyber Security Report, F-Secure’s experts, partners and collaborators aim to give you an overview of the Internet as it is now. And if you follow the news, you know that one threat that plagues both individuals and businesses — especially businesses with extr … | Continue reading
More than 99 percent of all malware designed for mobile devices targets Android devices, Olaf Pursche, Head of Communications at AV-TEST explains in the F-Secure State of Cyber Security 2017. “There are over 19 million malware programs developed especially for Android, making Goo … | Continue reading
“Human beings are notoriously bad at assessing risk,” Tom Van De Wiele, Principal Security Consultant for F-Secure’s Cyber Security Services, tells me. And he has proof. “We have a 100 percent hit rate,” he explains. Since 2004, Tom has done “red team” exercises that charge him a … | Continue reading