Andrew Smith

With somewhere in the region of 1.3 billion users, Facebook is the largest ever internet social engagement phenomenon.

Recent reports of celebrities having nude or risqué photos of themselves leaked online highlights the serious risk of hackers getting access to our personal pictures.

Over the past few months, the Android platform developed by Google and based on the Linux operating system has been having a difficult time. Hackers, with malicious intent and those without, have been investing time in finding out how weak this operating system is.

Computer users everywhere are looking at the USB stick sat next to their computer this week with trepidation. Many are now wondering if this trusted friend has turned against them now that cybersecurity experts say they’ve found a massive flaw in the very make up of these devices. It seems the humble USB drive can easily be used to compromise basic security principles in your machine.

James Lyne from IT security firm Sophos recently carried out a two-day public awareness exercise as part of the InfoSec 2014 conference.

It would have soon become apparent that someone had completed the kind of database query they are now reporting. In theory, this is a large and unusual database request for the personal details of a large number of users.

As each new computer virus attack or vulnerability comes to light, millions instinctively check their computer to see if their anti-malware application is up to date. This is a good idea and they are wise to do it but a large number of us still forget about their smartphone.