Cyberseurity

U.S. customs agents are searching more cellphones — including those belonging to Americans

U.S. customs agents conducted 60 percent more searches of travelers’ cellphones, laptops and other electronic devices during the government’s 2017 fiscal year, according to statistics released Friday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The agency said it searched 30,200 devices but the inspections affected only 0.007 percent of the 397 million travelers — including American citizens as well as foreign visitors — who arrived from abroad during the 12-month period that ended Sept 30.

CBP published the figures as it issued new guidelines formalizing the way its officers conduct searches and handle the information they obtain.

The agency said the increase was not the result of a policy directive, but rather an indication that electronic devices are increasingly viewed as critical sources of information on potential security threats.

Cyberseurity

Webcams used to attack Reddit and Twitter recalled

Home webcams that were hijacked to help knock popular websites offline last week are being recalled in the US.

Chinese electronics firm Hangzhou Xiongmai issued the recall soon after its cameras were identified as aiding the massive web attacks.

They made access to popular websites, such as Reddit, Twitter, Spotify and many other sites, intermittent.

Security experts said easy-to-guess default passwords, used on Xiongmai webcams, aided the hijacking.

The web attack enrolled thousands of devices that make up the internet of things - smart devices used to oversee homes and which can be controlled remotely.