on the internet , allowing anyone with a web connection to peruse them without authorisation and no need for a password . The discoveryVulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerabilitywas made by security researchers at MacKeeper who said that they had foundVulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerabilitygigabytes of files on an internet-connected backup drive that was not password-protected : The most shocking document was a spreadsheet of open investigations that included the name , rank , location , and a detailed description of the accusations . The investigations range from discrimination and sexual harassment to more serious claims . One example is an investigation into a Major General who is accused of accepting $ 50k a year from a sports commission that was supposedly funneled into the National Guard . As ZDNet reports , the names and addresses , ranks , and social security numbers of more than 4000 US Air Force officers were included in the stash of personal information . Further documents included phone numbers and contact information for workers and their spouses . Clearly some of the details exposedAttack.Databreachthrough the security lapse would be of value to foreign intelligence agencies and criminal gangs , and could lead to blackmail attempts or identity theft . What we don ’ t know is how long the information has been accessibleAttack.Databreachonline , and we also do not know if anyone other than the security researchers had managed to stumble acrossAttack.Databreachthe exposed information . But the truth of the matter is that we shouldn ’ t ever have to find ourselves in a question to ask such questions . Whenever you decide to store information on the internet , particularly sensitive data , you should be doing your utmost to ensure that you have minimised the risk of it falling into the wrong hands . That means always keeping your computer patchedVulnerability-related.PatchVulnerabilityand running an up-to-date anti-virus , using encryption , enabling passwords and ensuring that the password chosen is a strong one , turning on additional authentication checks such as two-step verification and restricting the range of trusted IP addresses from where users can login from
Some medical devices , smartphones and internet of things gadgets contain certain types of sensors that are vulnerableVulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerabilityto potential hacking using sound waves , saysVulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerabilitycybersecurity researcher Kevin Fu . `` This is now a risk that all manufacturers should be aware of , and in their hazard analysis , it has to be a part of their cybersecurity risk management , '' says Fu , explaining findings of a recent research study conducted by the University of Michigan and the University of South Carolina . The microelectromechanical systems - or MEMS accelerometers - that the research team foundVulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerabilityto contain these vulnerabilities - are sensors used in various devices to measure acceleration or velocity , and then report those readings to a microprocessor . `` What we looked atVulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerabilitywas the ability to trick these sensors into delivering false readings to the microprocessor by using sound waves , '' he says in an interview with Information Security Media Group . `` What medical devices contain these sensors is still an open question . The main hazard of this sound wave vulnerability is the threat to the integrity and availability of the sensor , he explainsVulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability. Prior studies by other researchers had foundVulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerabilitythat sound waves can be used to disable these sensors . `` What 's new here is that it is now known that one can actually damage the integrity of the reading , '' he says . `` If you were trusting this reading to do something automated , such as rate-adapt a pacemaker , perhaps based on changing activity of a patient , you now need a second way to verify the integrity of that reading . '' The study lists 20 accelerometers for which the researchers were able to change the output of the sensors using sound waves , Fu says . `` In some devices , we found that there is a speaker built in right next to the sensor , which means there is a remote ability to cause these changes without an adversary being near the chip . '' Fu recommends that manufacturers assess the researchers ' list of accelerometers that contain the sound wave vulnerability `` and ask [ suppliers ] for specific parameters , including the resident frequencies , to understand the risks and mitigations .