Philippines Suffers Massive Breach; Your Next Car Needs a Firewall

Posted April 7th, 2016 at 12:01 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings:

Before revelations of this recent voter database breach,  millions of funds stolen from Bangladesh were diverted online to accounts in the Philippines. (L-R) Lorenzo Tan, President of Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, Mohammad Abdur Rab, Joint Director, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, John Gomes, Bangladeshi Ambassador to the Philippines, Jaker Hossain, Bank of Bangladesh Deputy General Manager, Accounts and Budgeting Department listen during a Philippine Senate probe into the missing funds, April 5, 2016, Manila.

Before revelations of the voter database breach, millions of funds stolen from Bangladesh were diverted online to accounts in the Philippines. (L-R) Lorenzo Tan, President of Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, Mohammad Abdur Rab, Joint Director, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, John Gomes, Bangladeshi Ambassador to the Philippines, Jaker Hossain, Bank of Bangladesh Deputy General Manager, Accounts and Budgeting Department listen during a Senate probe into the missing funds in Manila, April 5, 2016.

Megabreach Leaves 55 Million Philippine Voters Exposed

The database of the Philippines’ Commission on Elections has been compromised in what could be the biggest government-related breach ever. Researchers at cybersecurity firm Trend Micro found sensitive information, including passport and fingerprint data, among the compromised files. Officials played down the incident, saying sensitive information was not compromised.

‘Malicious’ Twitter Posts Blamed for Fanning Run on Kenya Bank

The Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya Patrick Njoroge is blaming social media users for “malicious” comments that sparked a run on deposits at Chase Bank Kenya Ltd. This, in turn, prompted regulators to place the bank under creditor protection. Njoroge blamed #KOT or Kenyans on Twitter for spreading reckless rumors leading up to the frenzy.

Your Next Car Will Need a Firewall

Welcome to the age of ubiquitous connectivity where your car is as connected as your smartphone and desktop. The only difference is that your firewall-protected PC probably has a bunch of utilities that help protect it from viruses and other malicious software. Now, there are calls to equip connected cars with the same level of protection against hackers.

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Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

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