This Week’s Latest News on IT Security and Updates

IT Returns of SRK, Salman Khan, and Sachin Tendulkar Hacked
Looks like cyber criminals have their eyes on Bollywood as well. Reportedly, a Chartered Accountancy (CA) student has been charged with hacking into the income tax returns of Bollywood stars Sharukh Khan and Salman Khan. Industrialist Anil Ambani and sport stars Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, were also included in the list of the victims. The news was reported by Mumbai’s Police crime branch. To read the complete story, follow this link.

Looks Who’s Talking? A Bug in Google Talk
Google’s sleek and simple Instant Messaging service Google Talk is currently the talk of the online town. Users have reported an issue about Gtalk that only points to a serious privacy bug affecting the application. What’s happening is – user A sends a message to user B. Then, user C pops up, and tells user A “What the heck are you saying?” In other words, the message that you are sending to an intended recipient, might also get shared to unintended contacts in your address book. So, it goes without saying, until Google comes up with a fix, let’s mute our candidness in our conversations. Read more about this incident here.

Think before you use iMessage Chat for Android
A third party Android developer might have made many Android users happy. An application called “iMessage Chat” is out on Google Play that claims to work like iPhone’s patented iMessage service. With it, Android users can enjoy free texting with their friends who own iOS devices. Reportedly, the app has already been downloaded up to 50,000 times. And some users were, in fact, able to use it successfully. Some developers, however, are dubious about the app. Jay Freeman, the Cydia developer, has stated that data sent using this app is processed via servers in China before being sent to Apple’s servers. Another developer has claimed that iMessage Chat can download additional software without informing the user; which could be a big security threat. The bottom line is, iMessage Chat is far from being an official app created by Apple or Android. We advise our readers to stay away from it. Good news is, it has already been pulled out of Google Play. Read more about it here.

California to Grant Minors the Power to Wash off their Social Footprint
Children under 18, in California, would soon be able to gain control of the content they post online. If minors feel their online post could become a pain in the neck in future, they can place a request to get them removed. This legal move will require websites, apps and online services to oblige to such requests. Children do not put much thought into the type of information they post online. What they might think to be funny or awesome then, might leave them unemployed, get them fired, or even worse, land them in jail, in the future. So to help such little reckless minds wash off their regrettable internet affairs, California is going out of its way. Read the complete story about this development here.

Rajiv Singha