Did Uber Use Spyware on Rival Taxi Firm? Yes (and No)

“Ride sharing” company stands accused of using spyware to damage a competitor’s business: An Australian taxi startup says Uber poached its drivers by spying on their movements.

Uber blames one rogue employee. But some commentators allege it’s not the first time the company’s used dirty tricks to boost its business. For example, there was that time Uber was banned from operating anywhere in London, England.

So what really happened here? In today’s SB Blogwatch, we make educated guesses.


Read more: securityboulevard.com/2019/03/did-uber-spyware-on-rival-taxi-firm-yes-and-no

The diagnosis for US electronic health records: Fatally flawed

EHR is badly broken. That’s the conclusion of a too-long report into electronic health records in the US.

It’s dangerous, buggy, expensive, over-complicated, and encourages fraud. And that’s even before we start to think of the likely security issues.

Stop. You’re killing me. In this week’s Security Blogwatch, we smell no evil.


Read more: techbeacon.com/security/diagnosis-us-electronic-health-records-fatally-flawed

Ransomware Fighter Lives in Fear for his Life

This hacker hacks the hackers. He reverse-engineers ransomware so that victims can decrypt their files without paying money to criminals.

But the polar bear-loving Fabian Wosar lives in hiding at an undisclosed location. It’s all thanks to the threats and abuse he receives from ransomware gangs, which he describes as “the Russian mob.”

Scary stuff. In today’s SB Blogwatch, we peek behind the curtain and marvel.


Read more: securityboulevard.com/2019/03/ransomware-fighter-lives-in-fear-for-his-life

Android Security is a Hot Mess (yet Again)

Google’s Android smartphone platform is under fire again. Hundreds of “legitimate” apps have been infected with malicious third-party libraries—and not for the first time. These apps account for more than 320 million downloads.

The so-called SimBad and Operation Sheep SDKs are malicious, according to researchers. They’re able to phish, steal data and pop up ads over other apps.

Google keeps talking a grand talk, but is it proactive enough about nuking malware in the Play Store? In today’s SB Blogwatch, we avoid an Android army ambush.


Read more: securityboulevard.com/2019/03/android-security-is-a-hot-mess-yet-again

30 years into the web, Sir Tim vents on scams, hacks and hate

Sir Tim Berners-Lee has been painting a slightly depressing picture of the web’s problems. But his recent open letter also celebrates the web’s extraordinary achievements.

So happy birthday, World Wide Web. It was 30 years ago when Sir Tim formally proposed Mesh, or Mine, or what we now know as the web.

As he super-tweeted in the 2012 Olympic Games, this is for everyone. But not everyone is on board the TBL-fanboi bus. In this week’s Security Blogwatch, we spin sticky silk.


Read more: techbeacon.com/security/30-years-web-sir-tim-vents-scams-hacks-hate