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NSA Plays With Google Play

May 27, 2015 — Leave a comment

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To tell you the truth, we are not quite sure if this is one more of those crazy urban legends or a lost page from Edward Snowden’s diary. However, for what is worth, at some point in time the NSA planed or still plans to get its cyber hands on Google Play. What for? What is there to gain for them, in the first place?

Well, you do not have to be a rocket scientist nor a notorious NSA man in black to know for sure, do you? Instead of paying the countless malicious visits to mobile devices all over the world, it is a much smarter thing to get yourself a nice seat in Google Play and wait for the potential victims. Right?

Google is more or less surprisingly silent on this one. On the other side, it would be ridiculous to think that a users’ exodus is going to take place, if this information proves itself to be true, after all. We are all aware that our cyber privacy is nothing more than a huge and powerful illusion, aren’t we?

In addition, why bother with an expensive, complex and above all a compromising Google Play invasion? We have every reason to believe that for quite some time Google has been giving everything and anything the NSA asked for on a silver plate. We sure hope that Google Play is not a foul play.

The Pessimistic Percentages

April 11, 2015 — Leave a comment

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Here is a disturbingly disappointing news. For the seven percent of all Americans their smartphone is the only Internet source. This may seem as an acceptable figure at the first glance. However, when you take into consideration that we are talking about almost 20 million users, then you get our point.

So, what is that supposed to mean? The land, which gave birth to Apple and Google, limits the option of people less fortunate to earn less than $30,000 a year. They do not have any kind of the Internet at home. All they have and use is a smart device in the palm of their hands. No more. No less.

The sad thing in this story is that we have the third world Internet conditions for a significant number of people, who live in, the number one country out of all first world countries – the one and only USA. We can talk all day long about our fascinating progress, but all of that is actually in vain.

The proper access to the Internet with a decent connection speed is the very mirror of our current level of achievements. So, the moral of our dark-cloud-story is that the busy little US bees have to find a way to “wire” this mobile-Internet-nation. Until then do not brag around, because it sounds bad.

The Certification Wars

April 9, 2015 — Leave a comment

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Google has a new cyber enemy made in China. The CNNIC or the China Internet Network Information Center is at least to say furious about Google’s rejection to accept its web certificates. So, what is the big deal with these certificates? Does it really have to be this way for these “old cyber friends”?

Do we really need an additional chapter in the book of conflicts between Google and China? Well, it seems that there is no other choice. This can be a disturbing and annoying thing for the Chinese website owners. Why? Each time someone uses the Chrome to check out your website, there is a surprise.

As a matter of facts, this surprise is not a nice one. You get a warning that this particular website does not play by the Google web security certification rules. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to guess twice how is this tiny detail going to affect the number of total visits, do you?

Maybe, this is a Google way of paying back some old dues for all the inconveniences associated with the rigid, but extremely profitable Chinese market. Unfortunately, while these two giants are fighting, we, the mortals, are going to suffer either way. What happened to a magical word called compromise?

The Self-Destructive Cyber Desires

March 22, 2015 — Leave a comment

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There is one busy little cyber bee called Matthew Rothenberg, who has run an interesting experiment. He launched a self-destructive website called the Unindexed. So, how does it work? This website is alive and healthy, as long it has not been indexed by Google at some point in time. And then, what?

The code inside it does not allow for a website to survive, once it is being indexed by Google. Again, why it is so important? Well, in the first place, this gives you an orientation how long it takes for Google to catch your website in its indexing structure. For your information, around three weeks, give it or take.

Matthew had a goal to examine how long we can express our thoughts in the cyber place, with no fear that our posts will be indexed, and therefore “immortalized”. Now, you see what was this all about. It can work with the apps. Just think about the Snapchat and its self-destructive messages.

However, once you get on the Web, you have the Google rules of indexing you have to deal with.  So, what is our only option? You have to launch a new website every three weeks. It does not sound like a good plan, does it? How to hide effectively from the bad indexing Google boys? Any ideas?

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?

Forshaw’s Patch

January 8, 2015 — Leave a comment

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There is a busy little cyber bee, who works in Google. One day, we are not quite sure if he was curious or bored, this bee has discovered a serious security flaw in Windows 8.1. This guy works and publish under a nickname Forshaw. So, are you eager to know what went wrong with Windows 8.1?

Apparently, there is a way for you to gain administrator’s privileges, and all of that completely undetected. What can you do with them? Well, it comes without saying that in this case sky is the limit. Literally. Forshaw has done both necessary things in this unfortunate and embarrassing situation.

On the side, he has informed Microsoft directly about his findings. On the other side, he has published his conclusions supported with the proper evidence. So far, Microsoft has been silent on this one. Nevertheless, it is only a matter of time before the new patch hits our cyber shores with a solution.

For what is worth, Microsoft itself has some other troubles on its mind. What is going to happen with the new Windows 10 and how successful it is going to be? This is undoubtedly the mother of all questions for Microsoft at this moment. We sure hope that this bug will not wish to move to the new OS version.

The Internet 2015

January 2, 2015 — Leave a comment

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What is going to happen to the Internet in 2015? What should happen, in the first place? The father of the World Wide Web has spoken one more time. Sir Tim Berners – Lee has some word of advice. The only trouble is that we have to find some careful listeners and quick doers to follow his footsteps.

Let us narrow our ambition to two things only, shall we? The first one is to do something about the 60% of people on our planet, who still live in the Internet darkness. How to ensure them access to the Net? Google will send drones and Facebook balloons. Would that be enough? Let us wait and see.

The second thing is associated directly with our heavily compromised and jeopardized online privacy. Mr. Berners – Lee believes that we desperately need some kind of a Privacy Constitution, which will guarantee the rights, as well as online obligations of all participants in the cyber universe, for real.

Let us forget about our shiny little gadgets and fascinating Internet speed we like to brag around, shall we? Without these two requirements, our good old Internet will remain to be nothing more than a convenient toy in an enlightening package. We hope that Tim will live long enough to see it all happen.  

Google vs Russia

December 27, 2014 — Leave a comment

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Relax, for the time being, there is no conflict between Google and Russia. However, some more or less malicious comments pointed out some obvious facts and comparisons. Does it really matter, if it is because of the politics, or only economic and business related purposes? So, let us see what is happening here.

The estimated value of the entire Russian stock market is around $325 billions. On the other hand, the estimated worth of Google is more than $340 billions. It is worth mentioning that both Apple and Microsoft are already in this big boys club with the estimated worth of more than $350 billions.

So, what is that supposed to mean? Something, anything and everything. All of that at the same time. Maybe, someone wants to make a point that the USA has more than one company, which is worth more than an entire Russian stock market. This sounds and looks a little bit childish, isn’t it?

What is the next move? The Russians can brag around with their oil, gas and gold reserves. It is ridiculous, but for some people obviously necessary to cheer up the tense situation over the Ukraine crisis. Oh dear, has it really come down to this? This is so disappointing on so many levels, isn’t it?

The Net Lords

December 20, 2014 — Leave a comment

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We really do not know, who are the seven richest or popular people in the world, but we certainly know that seven people have the destiny of the entire World Wide Web in their hands, or better to say the keys. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has introduced a legendary procedure.

Every three months we have the new DNS codes for the seven guardians to take care of. These Internet keys are the most valuable things in the cyber world. They come from the seven different countries and they are responsible for the renewal and safekeeping of these master keys in the top secret environment.

As you might have guessed there was more than one attempt from numerous governments to change this procedure. However, there are quite a few busy little stubborn cyber bees in the ICANN, who are not willing to allow for any government to control the Internet. Better experts, than governments.

For the time being our cyber destiny is in good expert hands. We sure hope that will not change in the near or far future. With these seven keys you can demand seven billion wishes. We can only wish all the luck in the world to these seven cyber dwarfs. The last thing we need is an evil witch to spoil all the fun. Right?