Rob Waugh

Hackers targeting sensitive information or stealing from retailers work at such speed that customers often notice data breaches first - and for the first time, cybercriminals are ‘teaming up’ with spies, according to a new report.

A new, terrifying weapon is in the hands of hackers - the ability to stop a toilet flush working. We look at 2014’s silliest hacking predictions of gadget doom.

Google’s popular Chromebook laptops could soon do away with passwords entirely with a new system where simply bringing a phone near the laptop opens up the OS.

A 19-year-old teenager in London, Ontario, Canada has become the first criminal to be arrested for exploiting the ‘Heartbleed’ bug to steal information - in this case, private information on Canadian taxpayers.

Hard drive specialist LaCie has admitted a data breach that exposed customer emails and passwords - and the attack went undetected for an entire YEAR. Potential victims have been notified, but the scale and damage of the attack are yet to be assessed.

A crude fake fingerprint molded using wood glue, and based on a photo taken by a smartphone was enough to fool the much-hyped fingerprint sensor in Samsung’s new flagship S5. Worryingly, the sensor can be used to authenticate financial transactions.

Man challenges hackers to break into accounts after complaining Heartbleed was “overhyped” – and has online life destroyed in minutes.

The full scope of the Heartbleed bug came to light in a series of reports by researchers and white-hat hackers, with some claiming a billion smartphones may be at risk, as well as a statement allegedly from the US government over its use of the bug.

Scans of a huge botnet have revealed that it has harvested at least 16 million usernames and passwords for email sites and other online services, according to a report released by German security agency, the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI).