Month: January 2015

One In Four

January 31, 2015 — Leave a comment

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There are some impressive and intriguing statistics, we just cannot decide whether or not they are pessimistic or optimistic ones. We leave it up to you to decide. Here is goes. Buckle up for this ground shaking news. It seems that one in four hackers in the USA is actually working for the FBI.

Or, some other government agency. So, what is the trouble with this discovery? We hate to disappoint you, but you have no other choice than to look for the bigger picture. When you hear something like this, it can mean only one thing. The government is in the full control of the entire situation.

If you have so many whistleblowers deeply incorporated into the living tissue of the US hackers’ community, then there is nothing to worry about. Right? Or, maybe we are facing a much greater danger than the hackers themselves. What are your feelings about the state sponsored hackers?

We like to complain about the North Korean, Chinese or Russian state sponsored hacker groups. However, we tend to forget our own good boys in black, who are doing the bad things in the cyber world. What if this one in four is actually a hacker’s team leader? Who is responsible for all the trouble?

A Smartwatch On A Watch

January 31, 2015 — Leave a comment

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You know how it goes, don’t you? The ignorance is the mother of all cyber troubles. We are so blindly focused on smartwatch performances that we are completely neglecting the serious threats and potential damages in this field. Are you confused, or maybe you think that we are exaggerating?

Who in the world would hack a smartwatch and why? Well, you should know better or at least think twice. When you attack a smartwatch, you are actually after the bigger target. A smartphone is something you are trying it to reach through a smartwatch. How? Communication is the key here.

What is that supposed to mean? You do not have to be a rocket scientist to know that your smartphone and smartwatch have to communicate and exchange tones of data almost each second, do you? This is exactly what the hackers are aiming at. This is the Achilles’ heel of modern smartwatches.

What can we do about it? It is not such a bad start to be fully aware of this serious danger. Now, we are ready to do something about it for real. We need to implement some effective measures in order to prevent that our data transfers are intercepted and misused. How hard could it be? Right?

Jailbreak IOS 8.1.2

January 30, 2015 — Leave a comment

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Hold your horses, and be extremely careful about this one. Just because it is out there somewhere, it does not necessarily mean it is absolutely safe. We should be fully aware about two extremely dangerous things. On the one side, there is the dark side of the jailbreak’s moon. Who is responsible for it?

Well, who else then the hackers themselves. They give you something useful, just like this tool, but they also ask something in return. How about a secret door for an uninvited visit to your device, whenever they feel good about it. On the other side, there is an ever present instability danger.

When it comes to this one, there is not much you can actually do about it. Why? Who knows, what the jailbreak operation can do to your system’s stability. That is why this a tricky thing to do, and as a matter of fact, it has always been. So, what is the moral of our story? Have we learned something?

It all comes down to, you should better think twice that is our only advice. Really? Honestly, there is no other thing we can offer you. For what is worth, no one can. On the second thought, we feel guilty for sharing this one with you. Maybe, it is better for you not to be aware about all available options.

The Security Patch Wars

January 29, 2015 — Leave a comment

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It all started when Google had published a report about one extremely security flaw in the Windows 8 system. Microsoft was furious. For them that was an obvious sign of practices, which cannot be treated as fair and positive in their nature. In its defense Google said that it has waited long enough.

How long exactly? Well, more than 90 days, that was for sure. There is an unwritten rule that you have to wait for 90 days before you go public with your security flaw discovery. Why? This is a time period left for the warned party to do something about it and come up with the proper security patch.

Then, Microsoft decided to fight back with an announcement about the security trouble with the latest Android 5.0, or better known as the Lollipop. In the meantime, Google has found some security risks in the IOS, as well. Huh, and there is more. Google has just published two additional Windows security risks.

What is there for us, the users? This war of security patches is supposed to improve our safety and privacy. Instead, all what is left for hackers to do is to sit and wait for the next I-found-something-wrong report. By the time the appropriate security patch hits the network, you can rest assured they will take an advantage of the situation.

Google Bug Whistleblower

January 27, 2015 — Leave a comment

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What is happening with Google? It seems that they just cannot have enough of their a finger in the eye policy. What are we talking about? Well, the busy little bees in Google identify a bug in their competitor’s system. The worse it gets, the better it works for Google security experts. What is the next move?

They wait for 90 days and then they go public with their findings. This is exactly what happened with Microsoft. It was definitely a painful thing for someone to publish a detailed explanationnabout a bug in your system. This MS bug allows hackers to pay an unwanted visit to your Windows 8 at any given moment.

Now, Apple is in a similar situation. There is a similar bug in the OS. We also had the 90-day waiting period. The word about this bug is out. Just like with the Microsoft, in the previous case, Apple itself cannot do much about it. Actually, there is one thing to be done in this situation, which makes sense.

You have to come up with the appropriate security patch, haven’t you? That is the trouble. This is not something you can do in a blink of an eye. While you are waiting the users are trembling, and the competitors are celebrating. You can rest assured that your damage report at the end of the day is going to be a huge one.

The 1st MS Security Patch In 2015

January 26, 2015 — Leave a comment

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Well, hell, it is about time. Why did we have to wait so long? To tell the absolute truth, we do not have a clue. Yet, for what is worth, Microsoft has closed the security door opened by Google. To be quite honest, Google has not done anything wrong, it just warned about the serious security flaw in Windows 8.

On the other hand, Microsoft was obviously hit straight into its most serious nerve. Microsoft replied that Google worries too much about its competitors, rather and more than its own customers. Then, we had to wait for more than four months to get this security patch in order to have careless dreams.

At the same Google has troubles of its own with the Android 5.0, or better known as the Lollipop. However, it is obviously easier to deal with other people’s problems, than your own, isn’t it? In addition, Microsoft just could not have issued a security patch for a single issue, regardless of its seriousness.

So, what is going to happen now? Are we to expect that Microsoft is to strike back? How? Well, it can find some vulnerability in Google’s system in return. In the meantime, while these two IT giants play their vanity games, we the users, still have to tremble. Does it really have to be this way? For real?

iPhone 6 Minus

January 24, 2015 — Leave a comment

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Here is a story, you can easily use to make the next big Hollywood summer hit. There was a crew in China, which managed to dig a tunnel not longer than a single meter into the iPhone warehouse. As a result, these guys got their hands on more than $200,000 worth of merchandise. Can you do the math?

How many iPhones, you have to steal to reach this amount? If one is to cost $600, that is more than 3,000 models. Or, maybe we are not good at math. Honestly speaking, we are too lazy to get a calculator. Either way, an entire iPhone store was on the street with a much affordable and hard to resist offer. Right?

What happened to the thieves? Did they manage to get away with it, eventually? Well, these guys are in prison. This is how we can tell you this story, in the first place. They were reckless in the most unimaginable way. They were buying cars, gold and spending in the night clubs like crazy. What was the result?

The police first located the stolen iPhones thanks to their serial numbers. On the other hand, La Vida Loca boys were the easy catch for the cops. At the end of their tunnel was not the light of profit, but rather the prison darkness. What is the moral of this story? Sell the movie rights, what else could it be.

The SmartBed

January 24, 2015 — Leave a comment

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The CES or the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas has just announced that we have one more member of our growing smart family. Among other things and gadgets, from now on, you can sleep in a smart bed. Actually, your kids can be privileged to dream sweet electronic dreams. What is this all about?

Well, in plain English, a smart bed is a bed with a brain of its own. By using your smartphone or tablet, you can connect and check what is going with your sleeping beauties and princes. Your smart bed will be able to monitor all crucial elements for a careless dream and give you appropriate notifications.

On the other hand, youncan adjust additional lights and angles of your kids’ bed. All functions are fully automatized and adjustable. It is a great thing to have a piece of furniture, which can follow your nocturnal activities in an appropriate way. There is only one thing left to be asked. Can you guess what it is?

Well, how much is going to cost to have your own guardian angel at night? You will have to pay more than $1,000 to get it, that is for sure. For the families with more than children this can be a serious investment. What do you think? Does a good night’s sleep has a price for you? Or maybe, it is truly priceless.

Bad Apps

January 22, 2015 — Leave a comment

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Is there such a thing as a bad app? Well, it is hard to tell. Why? On the one hand, you newbie apps, which are jumping out in an unprecedented number. On the other hand, it all comes down to the matter of your personal preferences. However, some apps are really the bad ones. No question about it.

Here is a quick overview of the most notorious ones. Unfortunately, this list can never be a final one. Girls Around Me is not a nice thing, if you are a girl whose movement is being tracked by an app. What about the app called Me So Holly? It shows you how would you look like a Jesus. The Door of Hope is not what you think.

This app tries to cure your homosexuality in 60 days. In addition, do you really want to know Who Is Jew? This app included a list of celebrity names for such a purpose. I Am Rich app allowed you to brag around for a symbolic price of only $999,99. With the Phone Story you could see how it looks making a phone in the third world country.

So, why are we telling you this story about the controversial apps? Well, there is no such a thing as a bad app police. That is why you have to keep your eyes open and alarm the cyber community as soon as you see one. There is no more efficient way to ensure the removal of a harmful app, than through a powerful public criticism. Have you seen one?

Matrix Unloaded

January 21, 2015 — Leave a comment

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What is wrong with these guys? What is the catch with this rage-against-the-machines attitude? Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk, among other Terminator haters, are dead worried about the possible implications of the AI and highly advanced robots in our lives. Have they seen too many movies?

We do not even dare to claim that at some point in time we will not witness the SkyNet scenario more or less. However, our sarcasm and fully revealed bitter tone have quite a practical cause. While we are examining various SF scenarios our friendly neighbors hackers are having the time of their cyber lives.

To tell you the truth, one efficient computer virus is a more serious reason for our deepest concern, than an entire army of Terminators. Why do you think that the Terminator in a real life situation will have time or nerves to chase you around? Why? He will soon figure out what needs to be done.

You can rest assured that our worst case scenario Terminator will gladly trade all of his weapons for some basic hacking skills. While we are thinking and predicting big, some hacker busy little bees are rocking small. Do you remember how The War Of The Worlds eventually ends? Read it again guys.