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Will 2015 be the 'year of the healthcare hack' wonder security pros

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Feb 11, 2015 6:20 PM CST

The recent breach of Anthem was a brutal wakeup call that cybercriminals want personal records, and healthcare data is near the top of their list. UnitedHealth Group, Aetna and other groups have issued cybercrime-related warnings since 2011, but it didn't seem like a major concern among members until recently.

"A name, address, social and a medical identity... that's incredibly easy to monetize fairly quickly," said Bob Gregg, CEO of ID Experts, in a statement published by Reuters. Cybersecurity experts have warned that health-related data tends to be extremely lucrative on the black market.

Organized groups will try to target healthcare providers in an effort to compromise insurance companies, hospitals, doctor's offices, and medical equipment makers - with companies urged to improve their cybersecurity protocols.

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Popular Android dating apps pose cybersecurity risks

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Feb 11, 2015 2:43 PM CST

More than 60 percent of popular dating mobile apps pose significant cybersecurity risks, with personal user information and corporate data at risk.

Twenty six of 41 dating apps available for Google Android had medium or high severity vulnerabilities, according to the IBM Security researchers. In addition, dating apps are being used to download malware, along with credit card data stolen and GPS information used to track movements.

"Many consumers use and trust their mobile phones for a variety of applications," said Caleb Barlow, VP of IBM Security. "It is this trust that gives hackers the opportunity to exploit vulnerabilities like the ones we found in these dating apps. Consumers need to be careful not to reveal too much personal information on these sites as they look to build a relationship."

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Mobile payments expected to see boost in 2015, thanks to Apple Pay

Michael Hatamoto | Mobile Devices | Feb 11, 2015 12:15 PM CST

A growing number of retailers are adopting various forms of mobile payments, and while consumers still prefer cash and debit/credit card payments, mobile payment could be on the upswing. US mobile payment volume will reach close to 15 percent, growing at 172 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) by 2019, according to a new Business Insider Intelligence report.

Apple Pay is the early leader among mobile payment services, though CurrentC and other platforms will be able to attract non-iPhone users. Google Android solutions, such as Softcard and Google Wallet, have seen increased interest following the launch of Apple Pay.

Mobile payments may still be in its infancy, and consumers are worried about security and ease-of-use, but providers will have time to work out the kinks. Meanwhile, additional retailers are expected to explore options available to give consumers more payment options at checkout.

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Smartphone kill switch legislation has led to drop in phone theft

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Feb 11, 2015 11:10 AM CST

The introduction of smartphone kill switches by manufacturers and wireless carriers helped reduce the number of device thefts in New York City, San Francisco, and London, supporters say. Apple iPhone theft in San Francisco dropped 40 percent, reported incidents slid 25 percent in New York, and thefts in London were cut in half.

The software kill switch allows phone owners to lock lost or stolen devices, along with bricking devices so they cannot be used or sold on the black market.

"The huge drops in smartphone theft have occurred since the kill switch has been on the market are evidence that our strategy is making people safer in our cities, and across the world," said Eric Schneiderman, New York State Attorney General, in a statement.

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Nation states launching cyberespionage attacks becoming normal

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Feb 11, 2015 10:25 AM CST

It's not just the United States and UK launching sophisticated cyberespionage attacks against foreign government states, with China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and other nations increasingly jumping into the fun. Groups in China and Russia have been linked to major data breaches, such as Target, The Home Depot, Anthem and Sony Pictures, with future breaches expected to happen.

China is the most active country involved in launching cyberattacks, routinely targeting US infrastructure - and other lucrative targets, such as financial institutions and government departments. As witnessed by CrowdStrike, skilled Chinese hacker groups are able to adapt their strategies while avoiding detection.

The Obama administration has publicly criticized China for its cyberespionage activities, but has been unable to launch any meaningful political crackdowns.

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Ransomware attacks increasing, as cybercriminals perfect their skills

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Feb 11, 2015 9:15 AM CST

Consumers and business users face a wide variety of different cyberattacks, and security experts are increasingly concerned about ransomware. Ransomware, a custom form of malware designed to hijack computers and work files, typically encrypt vital documents - unless a ransom is paid.

Microsoft Windows PC users face the largest threat from CryptoWall, a ransomware variation that has uncrackable encryption and uses anonymity networks to avoid detection.

Another nasty form of ransomware recently discovered is Invincea, which delivers the payload straight to system memory instead of targeting files on a hard drive.

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Report: Almost half of jobs under pressure from robotic advancements

Michael Hatamoto | Science, Space, & Robotics | Feb 11, 2015 7:20 AM CST

The development of robotics and big data are putting pressure on the US workforce, with almost half of US jobs facing pressure from robots, according to a report issued by Citigroup and University of Oxford researchers.

Robots and automated technology have had an impact in factories and mid-level positions, but developments could lead to increased pressure on low-skill occupations, the report notes. To make matters worse, manufacturers are adopting the use of more robots in factories and offices, with the humanoids able to better complete tasks.

"The bulk of service occupations, where the most US job growth has occurred over the past decades, are now at risk," according to the report. "Already the market for personal and household service robots is growing by about 20 percent annually - a trend that is likely to continue."

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Atari announces next-gen Asteroids, launches it as a survival game

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Feb 11, 2015 6:53 AM CST

I'm sure you remember Asteroids, but I bet you didn't see this one coming. Atari has just teased a multiplayer-focused survival game for the PC through Steam's Early Access program, called Asteroids: Outpost.

Atari describes the game as: "Set in the distant future, Asteroids: Outpost thrusts players into a harsh deep space environment. While on a massive, unforgiving asteroid, players face the challenges of exploring the asteroid, collecting resources, scavenging for ore, crafting equipment, and expanding their territory as they build highly customized bases - all while forming alliances and fighting off other players in challenging multiplayer gameplay. Recurring showers of smaller asteroids represent a source of wealth and a threat as players shoot down these incoming projectiles to defend their claims and harvest their components".

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STALKER developer teases new game, will defend the STALKER franchise

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Feb 11, 2015 5:41 AM CST

The developer behind the STALKER franchise, GSC Game World, has begun teasing its upcoming game. There's nothing known about it just yet, but the developer has also come out swinging for its STALKER franchise, saying that it will defend it from other developers.

Back in February 2011, GSC Game World terminated any and all work on its next STALKER game, closing the company down. The core team behind STALKER went off to Vostok Games, but Public Relations Director for GSC Game World, Valentine Yeltyshev has said that he stepped away from the games industry entirely, moving into a career on the motorcross circuit. He's now back with GSC Game World, but he's had quite a few years.

Yeltyshev has said that GSC Game World is back, and that they have an eye on West Games' STALKER: Apocalypse. STALKER: Apocalypse hit Kickstarter, but disappeared pretty quickly, taking to a service called Wfunder. Wfunder is a crowdfunding platform that is similar to Kickstarter, but isn't based in the US. Yeltyshev has dismissed West Games, saying that the team doesn't have what it takes, or the permission, to make a STALKER game. He said: "We started to develop a Flash-based, a web-based STALKER before 2011. An isometric, open-world STALKER. And that was these guys [that make up the core of West Games]. When we realized that this project would not be as good as we wanted it to be, we closed the project".

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Spider-Man officially becomes part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Ben Gourlay | Celebrities & Entertainment | Feb 11, 2015 12:38 AM CST

One of the juiciest tidbits revealed by the crippling Sony Pictures back in December, was a series of high level conversations between outgoing Sony Pictures CEO Amy Pascal, Sony CEO Kaz Hirai and the owner of Marvel, Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger which had intended to make the Spider-Man character part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which encompasses characters from 'The Avengers' and last year's mega-hit 'Guardians of the Galaxy'. Whilst talks broke down, there was a glimmer of hope for fans that has just been realised.

Yesterday, Sony and Disney issues a joint press-release announcing that the two companies have come to an agreement which new Sony Pictures chair Michael Lynton describes as the "right decision for the franchise, for our business, for Marvel, and for the fans". The agreement means that not only will Spider-man "first appear in a Marvel film from Marvel's Cinematic Universe" (slated to be 'Captain America: Civil War') but will also appear in a stand-alone film to be released on July 28, 2017 which will be co-produced by Marvel head Kevin Feige.

However, some fans will be disappointed following the news that the intriguing plot threads from the newly rebooted series which started in 2012 with 'The Amazing Spider-Man' and continued into 'The Rise of Electro' will not see a conclusion, with the series being abandoned, with Andrew Garfield will no longer play the character.

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Embedded DisplayPort 1.4a announced, capable of providing 8K laptops

Anthony Garreffa | Displays | Feb 11, 2015 12:03 AM CST

VESA has just announced the latest version of its Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) 1.4a specification, which is the successor to version 1.4 which was introduced close to two years ago now. The new 1.4a revision is capable of an insane 8K resolution in laptops, which is 7680x4320.

The new eDP 1.4a standard features a new Display Stream Compression (DSC) standard (1.1), and enhanced segmented panel display architecture. On top of that, some other magic is sprinkled inside of the new display standard, which will allow OEMs to create Ultra HD panels for embedded applications, with support for up to 7680x4320, or 8K*4K. eDP 1.4a is capable of 8.1GB/sec per late, where the GPU-to-display interface is split in two, or even four screen segments. This provides a maximum link bandwidth of up to 32.4GB/sec, which will allow for 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz with 10-bit color.

Now, I'm sure you're why... why mobile/laptops? Well, VR. That's why. We're being teased the future of mobile and laptop displays, with a huge 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz, which is exactly where VR needs to go. Oculus VR is probably rubbing their hands with glee, so we're going to reach out to them now and see if they have anything to say about this news.

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Come one, come all - this amalgamation of tech makes for an awesome PC

Chris Smith | Modding | Feb 10, 2015 9:10 PM CST

Generally in modding circles we will see a sponsored or personal build running one companies products mainly as a whole - be it MSI, ASUS, GIGABYTE or more. In an attempt to break the trend, High Resolution Computers Shop (HRC) has produced a stunning red and black build with components from a vast array of companies, including:

This PC is running a stunning Mayhem Pastel Red + Mayhem X1 Red die combination, complete with custom-PSU sleeving, rigid-tubed watercooling and an Intel i7 790K to top it all off - this computer is a dream build for many.

We'll add this PC to yet another list showcasing the might that is rigid tubing and its great to see someone changing up the normal build process.

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A 15 year old kid just won a $3,000,000 Dota2 tournament

Chris Smith | Gaming | Feb 10, 2015 8:02 PM CST

How many times has your mother in the past told you to get off the computer and "do something productive" with your time. Ignoring her, for me, landed me a job in eSports, ignoring her for 15 year old Syed "Suma1L" Hassan, meant he carried his team to victory in the Dota 2 Asian Championships - playing a massive hand in his team walking away with the $1,284,158 first place prize incentive.

Not only was this Suma1L's first attendance at a massive major live event, he more than paid for his own worth - as you can see in the video above. On top of his amazing Tinker playing ability, he helped carry his team to victory when playing Storm Spirit. In the final game of the grans final series, although dieing four times quickly at the beginning, he managed to use his incredible placement, micro and forward-thinking techniques to run rings around his opponents.

So I'll just let that sink in for you all - a 15 year old has just walked away with $250,000 in prize money after beating the best Dota2 teams in the world. It gets even better - Suma1L and his new-found teammate Aui_2000 were both stand-ins for this event. Although not 'officially' on the Evil Geniuses Roster, they were called upon to play due to the departure of Artour "Arteezy" Babaev and Ludwig "zai" Wahlberg (to Team Secret).

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Titanfall 2 could be available for PlayStation 4, not just Xbox One

Michael Hatamoto | Gaming | Feb 10, 2015 7:13 PM CST

Titanfall 2 from Electronic Arts and Respawn could be available for the Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox one game consoles, according to recent reports. The original Titanfall game was only available for the Xbox One and PC - but releasing the sequel to the PS4, which has easily outsold the Xbox One, opens the door to a larger market of console gamers.

"Last year it was on the Xbox only; in the future, we haven't yet announced, but we'll probably have another Titanfall game," said Blake Jorgensen, CFO of Electronic Arts, speaking at the 2015 Technology, Internet & Media Conference. "It will probably be a bigger footprint than just a single platform. I think that's a huge positive for us."

Microsoft was hoping the first Titanfall to be a major blockbuster, and while it sold fairly well, many gamers were still left disappointed - and Microsoft reportedly won't open up the checkbook to make an Xbox One console exclusive again.

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Companies should focus on neutralizing hackers once they are inside

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Feb 10, 2015 5:58 PM CST

Cybersecurity incidents are going to occur, and companies should rethink their current security strategies. Instead of focusing on preventing criminals from accessing their data - which has become increasingly difficult - decision leaders should have a plan in place for when a breach finally does occur.

The median length cybercriminals have inside a compromised victim's network is 229 days, which gives them a significant amount of time to access data, find additional loopholes, and plan what information they will take. Companies often are unaware a breach has taken place, and don't have an appropriate strategy to boot the hackers and secure their networks.

Typical cybersecurity defenses need to focus on having "a description of the bad guys before they can help you find them," said Dave Merkel, CTO of FireEye, in a statement published by the San Jose Mercury News. "That's just old and outmoded. And just doesn't work anymore. There's no way to guarantee that you never are the victim of a cyberattack."

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HP says home security systems aren't as secure as people like to think

Michael Hatamoto | Connectivity & Cloud | Feb 10, 2015 4:54 PM CST

Security systems connected to the Internet of things (IoT) could create an unexpected back door that puts owners at risk, according to a new security report from Hewlett-Packard. Specifically, brute-force attacks can be especially helpful in breaking through security, with manufacturers neglecting to use lockout procedures after failed repeated login attempts.

In addition, there were security vulnerabilities found in user interfaces on mobile, desktop and cloud platforms utilized by home owners. HP didn't disclose which vendors it used in its IoT security system study, but this appears to be a major problem that must be addressed.

"The results were pretty startling," said Daniel Miessler, practice principal at HP Fortify, in a statement to eWeek. "The big finding was that 10 out of 10 systems could be brute-forced to extract usernames and passwords via the Internet."

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United States creates cybersecurity center to help study cyber threats

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Feb 10, 2015 2:04 PM CST

The United States publicly unveiled its Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC), a new program designed to study cyber threats facing government agencies.

The idea of increased communication between federal government agencies, law enforcement and private sector corporations seems like a wise idea - but is going to be extremely difficult. The CTIIC wants to create a first step towards that goal, with government agencies and law enforcement coordinating to discuss current cyberattack patterns.

Even though the US government is being pressured to become more proactive in the fight against cyberattacks, some have questioned if the CTIIC will be an effective tool. "In principle, having a single 'belly button' is a nice idea," said Jeff Williams, CTO and founder of Contrast Security, in a statement to NBC News. "But in reality, it's just one more agency with cybersecurity responsibility."

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The 'CyberCaliphate' hacks Newsweek, other Twitter feeds

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Feb 10, 2015 12:43 PM CST

The main Twitter page for Newsweek was hacked by CyberCaliphate, a mysterious pro-ISIS group, with a new profile picture, main image and number of tweets posted. A series of tweets also took aim at the first lady Michelle Obama and her family, threatening them - and the FBI is now investigating the matter.

"We apologize to our readers for anything offensive that might have been sent from our account during that period, and are working to strengthen our newsroom security measures going forward," said Kira Bindrim, Managing Editor of Newsweek, in response to the data breach.

Newsweek was able to regain control of its Twitter account in 20 minutes, but the hijacked Twitter messages were tweeted and shared among the news organization's 2.51 million followers.

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Apple will 'give Tesla a run for its money' with its latest project

Anthony Garreffa | Electric Vehicles & Cars | Feb 10, 2015 6:35 AM CST

An Apple employee has teased some exciting news with Business Insider, that the company is working on a new project that would "give Tesla a run for its money".

Business Insider reports: "After writing about how the van could be used for a self-driving car, we got an unsolicited email from an employee at Apple about "vehicle development" at the company. Apple's latest project is too exciting to pass up," the person said. "I think it will change the landscape and give Tesla a run for its money".

We know that Apple employees have been moving over to Tesla Motors in droves, but now it's being reported that Tesla employees are coming back to Apple for this mysterious project, which sounds like a stretch. If Apple were working a self-driving car, it could be a big deal, but a self-driving car consists of many technologies that need to work together perfectly, on its first shot. We'll continue to report on this as it breaks.

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AMD acknowledges that fake processors were sold through Amazon

Anthony Garreffa | Processors | Feb 10, 2015 5:08 AM CST

AMD and NVIDIA have been in the headlines quite often lately, with AMD now in the headlines for something completely different. The chipmaker has acknowledged that some consumers have purchased counterfeit processors from Amazon.

The fake processors have heatspreaders that say that they are an FM2+ AMD A8-7600 but the CPU underneath of the heatspreader is just an older AMD APU, which is not compatible with the AM2+ motherboard at all. The CPU that most people seem to be securing is the very old AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ which will not work on current motherboards.

AMD has released a statement to Overlock3D, saying: "It is apparent that this isolated incident is not related in any way to AMD's manufacturing or packaging, however AMD takes any reports of product tampering very seriously. As part of our ongoing efforts to help ensure consumers and businesses are sold only genuine AMD processors, we thoroughly investigate these extremely rare incidents in an effort to determine the source of the altered products, and consider all available legal remedies - including both civil and criminal prosecution - against persons found to have engaged in fraudulent actions affecting AMD products".

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