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Gerry Smith
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Gerry Smith is a technology reporter at The Huffington Post, based in New York. Previously, he was a Metro reporter at the Chicago Tribune. Gerry has a master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He can be reached at gerald.smith@huffingtonpost.com or at 212-402-4677.

Blog Entries by Gerry Smith

'Hacking Back' Could Deter Chinese Cyberattacks, Report Says

(26) Comments | Posted May 22, 2013 | 7:39 PM

A group assessing China's role in stealing trade secrets from American companies wants the U.S. government to consider a controversial method for protecting those firms from Chinese hackers: Let them hack back.

"Without damaging the intruder’s own network, companies that experience cyber theft ought to be able to retrieve their...

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Twitter Introduces 2-Factor Authentication To Protect Accounts From Hackers

(3) Comments | Posted May 22, 2013 | 4:36 PM

Twitter unveiled a new security feature on Wednesday to combat a recent spate of high-profile hacks of user accounts.

The feature, known as two-factor authentication, will require Twitter users to log in and then enter a six-digit code sent to their phones via text message. That way, a...

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Scripps Employees Called 'Hackers' For Exposing Massive Security Flaw

(76) Comments | Posted May 22, 2013 | 3:20 PM

Isaac Wolf, a reporter for Scripps Howard News Service, said he was just doing a basic Google search when he stumbled upon Social Security numbers and other sensitive records lying wide open on the Internet.

But after Wolf and his colleagues revealed in a story last week...

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Oklahoma City Area Hit By Phone, Internet Outages After Tornado

(1) Comments | Posted May 21, 2013 | 12:19 PM

Hundreds of residents around Oklahoma City and its suburbs struggled to communicate Tuesday after a huge tornado tore through the area and caused widespread disruptions of cellphone and Internet service.

Wireless providers urged residents to communicate via text message to save bandwidth that was overwhelmed by a spike...

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Alleged 'PayPal 14' Hackers Seek Deal To Stay Out Of Prison After Nearly 2 Years In Limbo

(8899) Comments | Posted May 18, 2013 | 6:26 PM

Before he was charged in July 2011 with aiding the hacker group Anonymous, Josh Covelli lived what he considered the life of an ordinary 26-year-old. He spent countless hours on the Internet. He had a girlfriend. He was a student and employee at Devry University in Dayton, Ohio.

But after...

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Driverless Car Could Be Hacked By '14-Year-Old From Indonesia,' Senator Warns

(300) Comments | Posted May 17, 2013 | 12:38 PM

Driverless cars have been touted as an innovative way of making roads safer by reducing human error. Computers don't get behind the wheel while drunk, or tired, or texting, proponents argue.

But self-driving cars also pose new safety risks, because computers are vulnerable to something that human drivers are not...

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Eric Schneiderman Pressures Apple, Samsung To Combat Smartphone Thefts

(114) Comments | Posted May 13, 2013 | 1:19 PM

New York's attorney general on Monday became the latest public official to pressure smartphone manufacturers to combat thefts, saying the rising number of phone robberies nationwide calls into question the companies' public commitments to protecting their customers.

In an emailed statement on Monday, Eric Schneiderman said he sent letters Friday...

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Wiretap Law May Create 'Backdoors' For Hackers, Experts Warn

(99) Comments | Posted May 8, 2013 | 3:45 PM

As the Obama administration considers supporting a proposal to help law enforcement eavesdrop on Internet communications, experts warn the measure could have an unintended consequence: creating digital "backdoors" for cybercriminals to exploit.

The FBI has been pushing for legislation that would force companies like Google and Facebook to...

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#OpUSA Hackers Plan 'Day To Remember' With May 7 Attacks On Banks, Government Agencies (UPDATE)

(897) Comments | Posted May 6, 2013 | 8:09 PM

A collective of hacker groups plans to attack the websites of major government agencies and banks on Tuesday to protest American foreign policy.

For weeks, the groups, which include Anonymous, have used social media to publicize their planned operation, dubbed "#OpUSA." In a post on the file-sharing site...

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Google Glass Flaw Lets Hackers 'Watch Your Every Move,' Researcher Says

(202) Comments | Posted May 1, 2013 | 1:10 PM

A security flaw in an early version of Google's new Internet-connected glasses could allow hackers to control the device remotely and use its camera to "watch your every move," according to one developer.

In a blog post this week, software developer Jay Freeman said he found...

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Undercover Police Stings Target Front Lines Of Stolen iPhone Market

(3411) Comments | Posted April 26, 2013 | 11:07 AM

SAN FRANCISCO -- On a cloudy afternoon in the Tenderloin district, a man in a hooded sweatshirt walks slowly along Market Street, stopping to engage people he encounters along the way. He offers a peek at the wares inside the backpack slung over his shoulder: Three new iPhones, each still...

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Senate Won't Vote On CISPA, Deals Blow To Controversial Cyber Bill

(330) Comments | Posted April 25, 2013 | 7:13 PM

The Senate will not vote on a cybersecurity bill that passed the House earlier this month, according to two Senate staffers, dealing a blow to a measure that sparked opposition from privacy advocates and the White House.

Earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed the Cyber Intelligence...

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AP Twitter Debacle Shows Why Companies Should Be Fined If They Get Hacked, Regulator Says

(188) Comments | Posted April 25, 2013 | 2:12 PM

In the wake of a brief stock market crash caused by hackers sending out a false tweet from the Associated Press' Twitter account, companies who fail to secure their social media accounts from hackers should face fines, one federal regulator told The Huffington Post.

Bart Chilton, a commissioner...

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Nir Goldshlager, Bug Bounty Hunter, Finds Facebook's Unlocked Doors -- And Gets Paid For It

(134) Comments | Posted April 25, 2013 | 8:49 AM

By his count, Nir Goldshlager has hacked Facebook more than 100 times. The 27-year-old Israeli researcher has found all sorts of ways to gain unauthorized access to Facebook accounts. He even titled one recent blog post: "How I Hacked Any Facebook Account...Again!"

But the team at...

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Syrian Electronic Army's AP Hack Just The Latest Phishing Attack On A Major News Organization

(21) Comments | Posted April 23, 2013 | 5:25 PM

A hacker group calling itself the Syrian Electronic Army took credit for hacking the Twitter account of the Associated Press Tuesday and sending out a fake tweet about an explosion at the White House that injured President Obama. The tweet, which was re-tweeted thousands of times in minutes,...

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Security Firms Stand To Profit In Wake Of Boston Marathon Bombings

(223) Comments | Posted April 16, 2013 | 5:00 PM

Less than a day after two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, Paul Stapleton's business had already doubled.

Stapleton is the corporate director of the New York-based Stapleton Group, which provides bomb-sniffing dogs. Since the explosions in Boston, he has fielded calls from...

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White House Threatens CISPA Veto, Says Revised Cybersecurity Bill Doesn't Adequately Protect Privacy, Civil Liberties

(280) Comments | Posted April 16, 2013 | 4:28 PM

The White House on Tuesday threatened to veto a controversial cybersecurity bill out of concern that it fails to protect the privacy of Internet users.

Reintroduced in February after failing to pass Congress last year, CISPA, or the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, would give businesses and the...

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Boston Cell Service Unavailable After Marathon Explosion

(24) Comments | Posted April 15, 2013 | 6:22 PM

Cell phone service was unavailable in parts of Boston Monday following a series of explosions near the finish line at the Boston marathon, according to reports.

News outlets and Twitter users reported that wireless coverage across the city was spotty after the explosions, which left two people dead and at...

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How Bitcoin Sales Of Guns Could Undermine New Rules

(1566) Comments | Posted April 15, 2013 | 7:30 AM

Even as Congress debates gun safety legislation, a flourishing new virtual currency could provide a way around new restrictions by enabling people to buy guns online almost anonymously.

Bitcoin, the currency that exists only on the Internet and is backed by the confidence of its users, rather than a government...

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How Bitcoin Sales Of Guns Could Undermine New Rules

(0) Comments | Posted April 15, 2013 | 7:30 AM

Even as Congress debates gun safety legislation, a flourishing new virtual currency could provide a way around new restrictions by enabling people to buy guns online almost anonymously.

Bitcoin, the currency that exists only on the Internet and is backed by the confidence of its users, rather than a government...

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