Gmail’s ‘Undo Send’, Facebook ‘New Face Recognition’ and more news

Here are this week’s top stories, news and updates from the world of computer security.

Cover your face as much as you want to. Facebook can still identify you
Facebook is experimenting with a new technology that can enable people to identify you in photos even if your face is hidden. Reportedly, this facial recognition algorithm is known to gather information from hairstyle, body shape, clothing, and other such characteristics to identify you. What’s more interesting about this is that, this algorithm is being said to be 83% accurate. Know more about this here.

FBI Report: CryptoWall ransomware cost US victims $18 million
According to FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), since April 2014, US victims of the CryptoWall ransomware have lost a whopping $18 million. The FBI rates it as “the most current and significant ransomware threat targeting U.S. individuals and businesses.” CryptoWall ransomware is a malicious program that enters targeted machines via fake downloads and infected email messages. Upon successful infection, it encrypts all types of files and documents available on the machine, and then demands a ransom to release them. Read the complete story here.

Sent an Email by Mistake? Thanks to Gmail, you can UNDO that
If you have sent an email inadvertently or without reading it carefully, then Gmail can buy you some time to undo your mistake. Gmail has introduced a new feature that lets you halt an ‘already sent email’ for some time for you to rectify it before it reaches the recipient. Read more about how you can use this feature from Google’s official page here.

Radio Waves Generated by Laptops can Leak Encryption Keys to Hacker
By using a gadget so small that it can be fit inside a pita bread, hackers can scoop out encryption keys of a laptop from the system’s radio signals. Developed by Daniel Genkin and his colleagues at Tel Aviv University, this gadget can analyze the patterns of radio activity that takes place in a computer during its various operations. Read about how this is done here.

Rajiv Singha