Posts

Showing posts with the label technology

NEW: BlackBerry app store closing after 2019, BB10 gets two years of support

While the BlackBerry name isn’t much more than an afterthought in the Android market, users might be surprised to hear that some of the company’s legacy mobile services are still around. Unfortunately for those still using them, BlackBerry has announced that they’ll be shutting down over the next two years, including the platform’s app store. Since it’s been two years since a BlackBerry 10 device has actually shipped, it makes sense the company would want to kill off these aging services. First up on the chopping block are the BlackBerry Travel site and Playbook video calling, which will be discontinued in February and March 2018, respectively. The big shutdown, however, will take place on December 31st, 2019, when the BlackBerry World app store will be taken offline. This means devices like Passport or Classic will have no way to download new apps. For those who still rely on these phones, the clock is ticking down to the time when there’ll be no choice but to make the switch to An

China Blocks Foreign Autonomous Carmakers From Mapping Roads Over Spying Fears

Image
Chinese government’s fear that self-driving cars could be used for spying has forced them to block foreign automotive companies from mapping Chinese roads at the quality they need to make their autonomous-vehicle technology work well,in the world’s largest car market.The restrictions,however,do not apply to Chinese car-makers. Automated and self-driving cars rely on cameras, advanced sensors such as Lidar, and hyper accurate GPS maps to find their locations and avoid obstacles. China has restricted the recording of geographic information for more than a decade because it believes giving other countries access to that information constitutes a security risk. Geographic surveys can’t be performed without permission from the government, and many digital cameras don’t record GPS coordinates for geotagging, as they do in other countries. Chinese firms like Baidu( above pics ) and TuSimple are already working on autonomous driving. Their ability to map roads in their

Facebook: Jokes 'no excuse' for harassment

Image
Facebook has published its internal workplace harassment policy in part to help other companies, chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg has said. The policy's definitions of harassment include unwelcome sexual advances, threats, insensitive jokes and innuendo. It states that it is no defence to pass off an offensive comment as a joke or to blame the influence of alcohol. It also says harassment reports should be responded to within 24 hours. A team will then investigate the allegations but will not be responsible for the final outcome, which can range from no action to the accused employee being fired. Facebook also says it may consider an employee to be in breach of the policy even if their behaviour is not against the law. In the document, Facebook also suggests areas companies should consider when developing their own policies, including: whether colleagues can date each other what constitutes an appropriate greeting whether managers should connect with th

HP laptops found to have hidden keylogger

Image
Hundreds of HP laptop models were affected Hidden software that can record every letter typed on a computer keyboard has been discovered pre-installed on hundreds of HP laptop models. Security researcher Michael Myng found the keylogging code in software drivers preinstalled on HP laptops to make the keyboard work. HP said more than 460 models of laptop were affected by the "potential security vulnerability". It has issued a software patch for its customers to remove the keylogger. The issue affects laptops in the EliteBook, ProBook, Pavilion and Envy ranges, among others. HP has issued a full list of affected devices, dating back to 2012. In a statement, the company said: "HP uses Synaptics' touchpads in some of its mobile PCs and has worked with Synaptics to provide fixes to their error for impacted HP systems, available via the security bulletin on HP.com ." 'Loss of confidentiality' Mr Myng discovered the keylogger while inspe

Download New Telegram Messenger For Java, jar, Blackberry And Symbian

Image
Telegram  messenger  is a fast growing messaging app that offers free trial unlike whatsapp This app has digging hard to replace whats app, even whats app recently remove telegram links from their app. This messenger enables you to send SMS, photos and videos of unlimited size, you also have the opportunity to share different types of files including PDF,.Doc .Zip e.t.c and is both available for java, Symbian,  iOs , Android And Pc Benefits O f  Telegram M essenger This app is free of charge like I said above, you don’t have to panic for subscription fees  whats app  Free of ads and easy to connect even with a slow network Ability share files unlimited unlike  whatsapp  that enables only  16 mb  file With the new telegram update you can add up to 1000 members in a group and you can also add multiple admins who can add and remove member and also change group display picture Ability to access all your messages even on any PC The sweetest of it all is

Schools warned over hackable heating systems

Image
Dozens of British schools' heating systems have been found to be vulnerable to hackers, according to a probe by a security research firm. Pen Test Partners says the problem was caused by the equipment's controllers being connected to the wider internet, against the manufacturer's guidelines. It says it would be relatively easy for mischief-makers to switch off the heaters from afar. But an easy fix, pulling out the network cables, can address the threat. Even so, the company suggests the discovery highlights that building management systems are often installed by electricians and engineers that need to know more about cyber-security. "It would be really easy for someone with basic computer skills to have switched off a school's heating system - it's a matter of clicks and some simple typing," Pen Test's founder Ken Munro told the BBC. "It's a reflection of the current state of internet-of-things security. "Installers nee

Amazon backs down in Google streaming spat

Image
The row meant YouTube was not accessible via Amazon's Echo Show smart speaker Amazon has started selling Google's Chromecast devices two years after it originally removed them from its store. Amazon said it removed them to end customer confusion about which services were available on which device. Analysts said it was because they let people watch services that competed with Amazon's Prime Video. Google retaliated by blocking access to YouTube on some Amazon gadgets and threatening further restrictions. In September, Google stopped YouTube playing on the Amazon Echo Show. It said it took the step because the way Amazon got the video-sharing service working on the device was "broken". It also threatened to stop Amazon Fire TV sticks getting access to YouTube from January 2018. 'Productive discussions' The search giant said it took the decisions because of a lack of "reciprocity" by Amazon. In response, Amazon criticised Goog

Star Citizen game makers/progammers being sued

Image
Star Citizen players can become a pirate, a trader or a mercenary and travel between lots of solar systems The makers of the crowdfunded space game Star Citizen are being sued for copyright infringement and breach of contract by development studio Crytek. Crytek claims Roberts Space Industries (RSI) and Cloud Imperium Games "have caused substantial harm" to them. Crytek said it would seek damages and an injunction that stopped further use of its CryEngine game engine software. Star Citizen's creators said the suit was "meritless" and added that it would defend itself "vigorously". Development of Star Citizen began in 2012 and since then it has raised more than $170m (£126m) in crowdsourced funds from fans keen to play the ambitious space trading and combat game. Star Citizen is the creation of gaming veteran Chris Roberts, who was behind the development of the iconic Wing Commander series of space games. 'Recovering costs'

US woman used bitcoin to move cash to Islamic State, police say

Image
Bitcoin can be purchased online or via special ATMs A New York woman has been accused of laundering bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and wiring the money to help the so-called Islamic State. Zoobia Shahnaz, 27, was charged with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering and is being held without bail. Ms Shahnaz was born in Pakistan and worked as a lab technician in the US. Prosecutors say she took out fraudulent loans of $85,000 (£63,000) in order to buy the bitcoin online. Bitcoin is an online currency. Despite not being legal tender - it can't be used to pay for traditional goods and services - the value of bitcoin has rocketed this year. What is Bitcoin? It has been exploited by criminals to launder money. British authorities are pushing to increase regulation of the currency. According to court records, Ms Shahnaz, who lives in Brentwood on Long Island, was a lab technician at a Manhattan hospital until June. Prosecutors said

'Flirty secretary' smart assistant taken offline in China

Image
Image copyright IQIYI One of China's largest tech companies has taken its "flirtatious secretary" virtual assistant offline, following a suggestion that it objectified women. The avatar, called Vivi, was designed to be built-in on a new virtual reality headset sold by iQiyi, the video platform owned by search giant Baidu. The voice-controlled assistant could recommend films and video games, but could also be made to flirt and dance. Vivi has now been taken offline for "modification", said iQiyi. 'Beta-testing version' The virtual reality headset was first announced in March, and Vivi was promoted as a built-in "girlfriend". Vivi appeared in an office-like setting wearing a blouse and short skirt, and said phrases such as "I am your girlfriend. You must love and adore me". One reviewer said the avatar could "perform sexy dances with her enchanting figure". US newspaper the Wall Street Journal asked iQiy

NatWest bank spat prompts web security changes

Image
The Natwest website shows as "not secure"  in some  web browsers NatWest bank has enhanced the security of its website, following a spat with security experts who spotted a vulnerability. Several researchers had asked why some banks used encrypted HTTPS connections for online banking, but not on their main customer-facing websites. When security expert  Troy Hunt  told NatWest its site "needed fixing", the bank replied "sorry you feel this way". But the bank told the BBC it would make changes within 48 hours. The changes were implemented on Thursday night. Skip Twitter post by @NatWest_Help End of Twitter post by @NatWest_Help In a blog post, Mr Hunt suggested attackers could redirect visitors trying to access NatWest's online banking service, from the official address nwolb.com to something visually similar such as nuuolb.com. Shortly afterwards, NatWest registered the nuuolb.com web address. But Mr Hunt, who has previ

Facebook and Twitter: Nine Russian Brexit ads found by inquiries

Image
Image copyright Facebook says its investigation into Russian attempts to influence the Brexit vote has determined the activity amounted to just three adverts. Twitter says its own inquiry has linked six ads promoting referendum-related content on its platform to Russian sources. The Electoral Commission had asked the social media giants for the data. But an MP who had also demanded the review has said he is dissatisfied with Facebook's response. Skip Twitter post by @DamianCollins 2) It would appear that no work has been done by Facebook to look for other fake accounts and pages that could be linked to Russian backed agencies and which were active during the EU referendum, as I requested. — Damian Collins (@DamianCollins)  December 13, 2017 Report End of Twitter post by @DamianCollins Facebook said it had looked into activity by accounts and pages it had previously tied to a Russian organisation called the Internet Research Agency. It said the Brexit

Mirai botnet: Three admit creating and running attack tool

Image
Image copyright GETTY IMAGES Image caption Web-connected security cameras were among the many devices hijacked by botnet A US-based man has pleaded guilty to creating a giant botnet that was used to disrupt access to much of the web in October 2016. The Mirai malware also caused havoc later last year when it was used to stop people's internet routers working. Paras Jha has admitted working with others to infect more than 300,000 devices and using them to carry out distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and other criminal activity. He has yet to be sentenced. Two other people - Josiah White and Dalton Norman - have also agreed to plead guilty to using the botnet for criminal gain. The details were revealed in documents filed in May but which have only now been unsealed by an Alaskan court. Security blogger Brian Krebs has  published additional information stating  that Jha is 21 years old and from New Jersey, while White is 20 years old and from Washington, Pennsy