Mobile network flaws could open Bitcoin wallets to hackers
An architecture flaw in mobile networks could allow hackers to intercept SMS one-time passwords and access Bitcoin wallets.
The vulnerability uncovered by enterprise security specialist Positive Technologies means that with just a person's first name, last name, and phone number, researchers were able learn the email address linked to the wallet, obtain control over it, and gain access to the wallet itself including withdrawing funds.
Cryptocurrency market recovers: Bitcoin back over $4,000, Ethereum rebounds to $290
The cryptocurrency market is recovering well after shedding over $75 billion last week in what was a major post-rally correction. News that China banned ICOs and a rumored ban on Bitcoin exchanges in the country have not brought the market to its knees, as its capitalization is now up by around $40 billion since the low reached only a few days ago.
Many "experts" have linked the correction to the bad news from China, claiming that it will be very hard for the major coins to recover. Ethereum was expected to be hit the most, as the ICO ban means its appeal in China would be severely limited, but it posts the second-largest growth post-correction of the top 10 coins.
Apple Watch Series 3 does not support roaming
When the Apple Watch Series 3 was revealed last week, there was much excitement about the fact that -- at long last -- it would be possible to make calls without the need to have an iPhone nearby. Built-in cellular connectivity is something Apple Watch users have been begging for, and the Series 3 model delivers LTE goodness.
But all is not quite as rosy as it might first seem. Yes, it's possible to use your new Apple Watch to make phone calls, but it's not going to be of any use to you if you go abroad. The smartwatch does not support roaming. On top of this, the device will only provide full functionality in the country of purchase -- so if you were thinking of buying a cheap Apple Watch abroad, you might want to think again.
Majority of enterprise cloud services still not ready for GDPR
With the EU's General Data Protection Regulation set to come into force in May next year, companies are rushing to ensure that their systems will comply with its rules.
Yet a new report from cloud security company Netskope finds that almost three-quarters of cloud services still lack key capabilities needed to ensure compliance with the GDPR regulations.
How to disable the Bixby button on your Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+
If you have a Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ you may well have a strong opinion about the dedicated Bixby button. For some people, one-click access to Samsung's digital assistant, Bixby, is a real boon -- for others it's just a pain in the butt.
The positioning of the button is such that it is incredibly easy to hit it by mistake, such as when you try to press the volume down button. With a new update Samsung is finally making it possible to disable the button.
First half of 2017 sees more mobile vulnerabilities than for the whole of 2016
A new report into mobile threats reveals that in the first half of 2017, there were more common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs) registered for Android and iOS than in all of 2016.
The study by mobile threat defense company Zimperium, based on data from its z3a app analysis tool, also shows that many devices aren't running the latest operating systems, leaving them vulnerable.
Security warning: Hackers compromised CCleaner and installed a backdoor
Users of cleanup, privacy and optimization tool CCleaner are being warned to update their software after it emerged the tool was compromised by hackers. Security researchers at Cisco Talos say that there are a "vast number of machines at risk."
CCleaner is produced by Piriform, now a subsidiary of security firm Avast, making the compromise not only serious, but also embarrassing. With 2 billion downloads -- a number that's rising at a rate of 5 million per week -- the software was targeted by hackers who added a backdoor that could be used to download malware, ransomware and keyloggers. The problem is being compared to the NotPetya ransomware threat.
Two strategies in leveraging a decentralized workforce
It’s no secret that the world has quickly moved toward distributed everything. From workplaces to transportation services to financial transactions, there are efficiency gains when the workload is no longer centralized. Take for example co-working spaces, which have reduced the burden of administrative overhead for organizations. Or, take for instance ride sharing services, which have reduced the cost of car ownership and maintenance. How about blockchains and cryptocurrencies, which are decentralizing consensus and authentication?
Even computational resources have moved away from the centralized approach. According to a survey by Rightscale in January 2017, 85 percent of businesses have multi-cloud strategies (up from 83 percent in the previous year), with an increased preference for public clouds, compared with private and hybrid cloud deployments.
Microsoft enters the fight against fake news as Bing gains Fact Check label
The "fake news" moniker may be a relatively recent one, but the phenomenon is not exactly new. Search engines and social media sites have long fought a battle against rogue news sources, and Microsoft's latest attack sees the company adding fact-checking to Bing.
The addition of Fact Check labels means that anyone looking at search results should be able to tell at a glance if a particular news story has been debunked. The label can be applied to sites as a whole as well as individual articles, making it easier for Microsoft to alert people about poor news sources -- although the company does not do any actual fact-checking itself.
New Google test drops app ratings in favor of download sizes in the Play Store
Some Android users have spotted a change in the Play Store. Since time immemorial, Google has shown star ratings in app listings and search results -- because that’s one of the ways in which users decide what to download. But for some people this has changed.
Rather than a star rating, apps are now listed with their download sizes. For the Android user who is worried about running out of space this is arguably a useful change, but it's not something that most people will regard as a step in the right direction.
Google launches Tez in India, a new digital payment app for iOS and Android
As had been widely expected, Google has unveiled its new mobile payment service for India. Called Tez, the service is Google's first step into digital payments in Asia.
Tez makes it possible for users to link their bank accounts to the app and then use their phones to make in-person payments and transfers. Support for the government-backed UPI (Unified Payments Interface) means the service is compatible with a number of major banks. At the moment, Tez is limited to India, but there appear to be plans to spread it further.
Instagram may have just solved the noisy autoplaying video problem
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and plenty of other social media platforms have all experienced a backlash from users at some point about how they handle autoplaying videos. Some users are not happy that videos play automatically because it eats into data, but the most vocal complaints come from those who hate videos that not only autoplay, but autoplay with sound.
Instagram is rolling out an update that acts as a brilliant compromise between silent autoplay and noisy autoplay. Simple yet clever, it's hard to imagine that the idea won’t be copied by all and sundry.
Kodi addons site TVAddons insists its domains are not being used to spy on users
The Kodi addons site TVAddons vanished from the internet a little while ago before reappearing with a new domain. The site faced legal action over claims it provides access to pirated content, and there have been suggestions that the original TVAddons domain is being used by a law firm to spy on users.
The team behind TVAddons insists that this is not the case, and wants to set the record straight once and for all. It says that, in fact, everything possible has been done to protect user privacy. So are tvaddons.ag and xbmchub.com being used to gather evidence about Kodi users?
Warning: Google may delete your Android backups without warning
You never fully appreciate the value of a backup until you need it. When you consider how much we all use our phones these days, our handsets contain a wealth of data -- and it make sense to back it up.
If you're using an Android smartphone, you can use an automated backup feature to safeguard the data from your phone by backing it up to Google Drive. With your data stashed in the cloud, you might think all is well -- but Google could delete your backups without giving you any warning.
Android root management tool SuperSU hits 100 million downloads
Just as there is quite a lot of interest in jailbreaking iPhones to allow for the installation of unofficial software, on Android there are a lot of users who root their handsets. If you ever wondered just how many people were into rooting, the success of SuperSU gives you an idea.
While this is not a tool for rooting your smartphone -- this is something that's easily achieved on most handsets using various tools and online instructions -- SuperSU is a valuable addition to the software toolkit of anyone who has gone down the rooting route. As an indication of the popularity of rooting, SuperSU has now been download 100 million times.
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