Read More: Cardless ATMs Will Make Hacking Much More Difficult

You already know that fingerprint locks can be faked, facial recognition can be tricked, and ATMs can be hacked. Now, it turns out that even the way you type your passcode into your Android smartphone can be used against you.

A new study published in the Journal of Information Security and Applications revealed that when you use the microphone, the camera, the GPS, the gyroscopes, and the accelerometers, — when you really look at it all as a whole — such detailed information can determine what a user is doing with his or her phone. This information can even decipher the password a smartphone owner is typing in to unlock it. Recognizing how your phone is tilted as you type in your password makes a pattern so distinct that your PIN can be easily determined.

All it takes for this to work is the installation of a bit of javascript into your Android cell phone. It pays attention to the motion and orientation of the sensors (remember, the GPS, microphone, etc. as mentioned above), to compromise your data. Yes, even while your phone is locked.

The co-author of the study, Dr. Maryam Mehrnezhad, shared a bit of insight on the Newcastle University blog: “We demonstrate the practicality of this attack by collecting data from real users and reporting high success rates, up to 70% identification of digits (PIN) in Android and 56% in iOS.”

That is no small number. It works because these sensors don’t need user permission to work. Once the code is installed on your phone, it can get to work. Think of all of the personal info you have stored inside accessible by your passwords. Hackers can then take your password from wherever you type it in: your email address, your social networks, and your bank account.

That’s why it’s vital to make sure you have an extra layer of protection like a virus and malware program. Also, try to utilize scheduled scans so you can feel assured the antivirus program is constantly checking your device.

The sirens are used to indicate extreme weather, such as tornados or other emergency situations. After officials concluded that there was no emergency situation, they began to disable the sirens. This was more difficult than anticipated, and the entire emergency notification system had to be shut down. Although Dallas officials would not reveal the specifics of the hack — due to fear of repeat attacks — they did reveal that the radio system was hacked, which means that it was not related to a software vulnerability.

Read More: What Are Smart Cities, and Are They Safer?

Who Hacked the Emergency System?

In order to sound all of the alarms at once, the hacker would have had to have been in the Dallas area. The hacker is still unknown, but it is believed that the hacker is a local, and that the sounding of the alarms may have been a prank.

The siren hack could also be a chance to discredit Dallas’ emergency notification system — if false alarms are likely to go off, then will locals respond accordingly in the event of a true emergency? Many Dallas locals treated the sounding of the sirens as a joke on social media, while others frantically called 911 to ask if there had been a terrorist attack.

Response to Dallas Siren Hack

In responding to the Dallas siren hack, officials stated that they were planning on upgrading the city’s infrastructure tech and security, to prevent future attacks. They also contacted the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for assistance in securing their emergency system.

Smart cities are more convenient and efficient, but they are also more susceptible to hacking. Other cities should take note of this incident in Dallas, and take measures to upgrade the security of their tech infrastructure. Attacks on tech infrastructure are increasing: roughly 300 attacks were reported in 2015. Hacking incidents like this are likely to further increase this year, which means that our cybersecurity efforts should increase, too.  

Other Issues with Dallas’ Emergency Systems

Last year, a hacker compromised Dallas traffic signs as a prank, and altered the signs to silly messages such as “Work is Canceled — Go Back Home.” More recently, Dallas has experienced issues with its 911 system. Locals have been experiencing prolonged wait times for emergency calls, often waiting more than 25 minutes.

If you are unsure of what we are talking about, allow us to wind the clocks back to August of 2014, when a collection of 500 private pictures taken by A-list celebrities such as actress Jennifer Lawrence, supermodel Kate Upton, and The Big Bang Theory actress Kaley Cuoco were illegally obtained through hacking their iCloud accounts. By the end of the month, after prior months of planning and collaborative work executed by hackers, these photos were leaked onto message boards like Reddit by the primary “collector” of these images. From there, the rest of the world begun to notice the leak that would later be known as “Celebgate.” Apple faced heat for its insufficient security measures, blogs devoted weeks of content to the leaks, Internet ethics, and the concept of privacy, and the celebrities victimized found themselves at the center of an unwanted controversy.

Read More: What You Need to Know About Acecard Trojan Malware

That was then, of course. Today, we know that the individual responsible for this gross violation of privacy was a man from Pennsylvania named Ryan Collins. We know this because Collins was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for his involvement in the hacks (he faced 5 years, but he got a shorter sentence thanks to a plea deal). According to authorities, the 36-year old man pled guilty to a felony hacking charge early in 2016, and used a phishing scheme to get the login credentials of 50 iCloud accounts and 72 Gmail accounts between November 2012 and September 2014 — shortly after nude photographs of Jennifer Lawrence become widely known to the public.

Though Collins himself was not identified as the man responsible for posting these private photos, he did admit he was guilty of the phishing scheme that collected these photos and made the massive leak possible. Still, this publicized event is a reminder that violating the privacy of others through their digital properties is a crime, and even the most covert of criminals will eventually have to answer for their deeds.

While this scheme only targeted celebrity actresses and models that are well-known public figures, such a leak can happen to anyone who stores their data on a cloud-based server. If you don’t want images and media intended for private purposes finding their way onto the Internet without your consent, be sure you carefully manage where you store them. Additionally, to lessen the chance that this happens to you, be sure you use PSafe Total and PSafe Total Windows to keep your digital devices safe from malicious hackers.

The transition process has been all but smooth. Anyone who has ever shopped with a credit card in the past year knows the struggle of juggling between swiping your card and inserting your chip. Considering how long it takes for the chip reader to recognize your card, many people are frustrated with this new technology.

However, this metallic chip was added as a safety precaution. It adds a new security measure that scrambles the transaction information. To elaborate, when you swipe your credit card the standard way, it records information that is unchanged. If this information were to be obtained by a hacker, they would have access to your sensitive information and could steal some of your funds.

Read More: Android vs. iPhone: Which One Has Better Security?

With the new chip technology, this information gets scrambled, and each transaction code is unique. If a hacker were to achieve this information, it would be of no value due to the altering of the transaction log.

MasterCard and Visa have reported that fraud rates have decreased since these chips were released. In May 2016, Visa reported that merchants equipped with the chip reading technology reported an overall 47% drop in fraud throughout the past year. Mastercard reported an astonishing 54% decrease in fraudulent activity from April 2015 to April 2016. Mastercard also stated that merchants who aren’t equipped with chip readers have had a 77% increase in fraud.

While this new security feature isn’t the silver bullet to end fraud, it is certainly a bonus that will make a hacker’s job much more difficult.

PSafe Total

While the chip readers will give hackers a harder job, PSafe Total will ruin their day. PSafe Total is an app that helps provide maximum security and optimal performance to your device. The Anti-Theft feature, for instance, can track, block, locate and even erase all of your data remotely in the case of loss or theft.

Some cars have something called an Electric Control Unit (ECU). This ECU system is contingent with several other devices within the vehicle, so once the hacker has access to the ECU, they can gain control of several vehicular functions. Some of these functions include windshield wipers, air conditioning, and most disconcertingly, the engine, brakes, and transmission.

Read More: Whatsapp Security Concerns to Worry About

Motives
So what are the motives behind car hacking? While no one can put a finger on the single cause of car hacking, there are a few reasons why someone would want to perform an act that is this malicious. On the one hand, people can hack cars for the sake of recreation, while others can use this act as a way to wreak some serious havoc.

Recreation
Hacking can be a fun hobby for those who are well versed in computer coding. As a result, hackers are constantly trying to find a new challenge to help hone their hacking skills. As computer viruses have been out for over 30 years, one could imagine that hackers are looking for a new electronic device. What better opportunity is there than cars? Keep in mind that this does not always have to be a malicious act. For instance, some people might just try to see if they can successfully hack a car for bragging rights.

Cyber-terrorism
Unfortunately, car hacking can be utilized to cause some serious damage to many people. Thus, this act of hacking can be a medium used by terrorists to commit heinous acts. As a result of this threat, car companies are finding ways to protect the internet systems in their cars. For instance, recent reports reveal that Tesla Motors Inc., Fiat Chrysler, and General Motors Co all had to reprogram their cars’ electronics due to their vulnerability to hacking.

The reason that the public loves WiFi hotspots is the same reason that eavesdropping hackers love them too: no authentication. Without requiring authentication to establish a network connection, a hacker can easily get access to any unsecured devices using the same network.

Read More: Mobile Malware is on the Rise — Find out Why

In short, the hacker works it out so that your information is sent directly to them. They then pass the information on — it doesn’t head to the original connection point.

What Information Can a Hacker Steal?
It turns out that a hacker can access a wealth of information over free, unsecured public WiFi.  You are potentially sharing with an eavesdropper your passwords, emails, texts, credit card information, and whatever you are doing over the free internet hotspot.

All of the information you send can then be used by a hacker whenever they want to use it. It could be that moment or it could be weeks later. He or she can then access whatever systems or programs you were using and pretend to be you.

What’s worse, these unsecured networks can be used to send malware your way. If you are allowing file-sharing over the network, your computer can easily become infected. In fact, some hackers are even making the hotspot itself a piece of malware. These attacks typically offer an upgrade to some sort of popular software, but when you click the window, malware will be installed.

How To Prevent Eavesdropping
You don’t have to skip the public WiFi — just be smart about using it. Try to connect to public networks that have good passwords instead of unsecured WiFi, and don’t browse through sensitive accounts like your online bank account while connected. If you don’t need WiFi, don’t automatically connect to it.

Finally, install PSafe TOTAL Windows on your computer and PSafe TOTAL on your Android smartphone to keep your devices safe from malware and viruses. Don’t access unsecured WiFi without them.

Who’s Responsible for the Yahoo Hack?
The short answer: we still don’t know. Yahoo previously stated that the hack was state-sponsored, meaning that a foreign government is likely responsible. However, InfoArmor, a cybersecurity company based in Arizona, recently claimed that an Eastern European gang was responsible. That gang then sold the stolen information to several clients, one of them being a state-sponsored group. This gang has also been responsible for several other major security breaches, including ones at LinkedIn and Tumblr. Neither answer, however, is definite. The Yahoo hack is still being investigated. It could be a while before there’s a definite answer as to who is responsible, or we may never really know. Unfortunately, cybersecurity breaches can be difficult to track.

Read More: 500 Million Yahoo Accounts Stolen

 The Known Information About the Hack
Yahoo has made plenty of excuses for this breach, one of them being that they couldn’t have prevented the attack. But it has been well documented now that the company didn’t have the right attitude towards security. While cybersecurity threats and large company breaches have become increasingly common, there are measures Yahoo could have taken to make their service more secure.

But this all happened two years ago. How are we just finding out about it now? Earlier this year, an online user bragged about having Yahoo account information for sale. A streak of other clues followed, and the breach was eventually confirmed. A lot of account information was stolen, such as personal information and passwords, and even recovery email addresses.

How to Respond to the Yahoo Cyberattack
This is a big deal. Even if you don’t currently use Yahoo, odds are you at one point had a Yahoo email address (considering how popular it used to be), so it’s a good idea to check on the status of that old account if it’s still around. As with all of your accounts, make sure to practice good password-making habits and to have unique passwords for each account. If you must use security questions, make your answers more complex or misleading. Make sure to be aware of current cyber threats and how you can protect your information. Finally, download PSafe Total and PSafe Total Windows for automatic, 24/7 virus scans on your devices.

We recommend PSafe Total users click below to Scan for Viruses immediately:

Emilio Simoni, PSafe’s Senior Security Researcher, confirms that for doing an attack such as this, it was necessary for many “zombie” computers and devices to be infected by a malware. “It created a big Botnet (device’s network controlled by a hacker for a specific goal).

In order to get device secured from the Botnet, it’s necessary to keep a reliable antivirus installed and download apps only by reliable sources