24 – 28 July 2017

Featuring news stories on the Amazon Echo hack, Apple removing VPN apps, Putin signing a new law and HBO being breached by a cyber attack. Read Cognosec’s round up of relevant news and happenings within the industry this week.

In the news this week… 

Amazon Echo Hacked

According to reports, the Amazon made Echo speaker system has been hacked to allow continuous eavesdropping. By accessing the internal systems, researcher Mark Barnes was able to watch the device boot up procedure. Through the use of software, Barnes created, he was able to send all of the sound data to an external server, allowing him to listen to anything happening around the device. Amazon said in a statement, "Customer trust is very important to us,” adding "To help ensure the latest safeguards are in place, as a general rule, we recommend customers purchase Amazon devices from Amazon or a trusted retailer and that they keep their software up-to-date."

Hospitals in England are diverting patients because of an ongoing cyber attack (the guardian reports). With a number of hospitals hit by the "Simultaneous" attack, some are suspending emergency services and telling patients not to go to their A&E departments.