Latest News - Page 2764

Google is apparently eyeing India, the second largest country in the world, as the next candidate for Google Fiber services. Google is planning to provide fiber broadband services as part of the Digital India program, with a small roll-out planned as a proof-of-concept project. Along with the blazing bandwidth, 100 times faster than normal connections, Google is offering unlimited uploads and downloads, and 1TB of free cloud storage.

There are several hurdles in the way. Google might have to acquire a telecom licence, which is apparently quite the feat in India, and several large native telecom companies are lining up to oppose the plan. The expansion to India would open a massive market of over 1.2 billion people up for Google, but there are numerous challenges and low internet penetration for the average citizen. The latest numbers from 2013 indicate only 15.1 citizens per 100 have internet access in India, which puts India at number 146 of 211 countries globally.

The lack of infrastructure would also present challenges, but Google has done significant experimentation with balloons and solar powered drones on their quest to provide internet service to every corner of the planet. Google is also working on expansion in the US in 34 more cities.

The ever-evolving world of storage has created an issue in the Windows 10 Technical Preview. Microsoft has incorporated a new feature into Windows 10 that enhances performance with SSHD's, but this has unfortunately led to widespread problems with all types of boot devices. Microsoft has added a new command to the drivers, Power-Up in Standby (PUIS), that allows SSHDs to remain idle when the system is powered up. The system saves power by only powering-up the SSHD when it receives a specific command from the BIOS.

The new driver isn't fully compatible with all BIOS revisions and the driver is also sending the SSHD-specific command to all types of drives. Non-SSHD drives do not recognize the command upon boot up or resumption from standby, which results in the computer freezing. Microsoft is aware of the problem, which is specific to Build 9879, and a new update is already available to resolve the issue. There is also a workaround available that allows users to simply disable the PUIS command, which resolves the issue.

Teething problems are expected in the Beta stage, and the Technical Preview system has worked by allowing Microsoft to identify and correct a problem before release. Windows 10 is slated for release in late summer/early fall of this year. Users can utilize hdparm to disable PUIS by following these steps:

The Pirate Bay previously made its website open for hosting by anyone with "minimal web knowledge". After it was closed recently time and time again thanks to various lawsuits, GitHub has seen 372 copies of "The Open Bay" created, seeing The Pirate Bay hit the open source market.

Being starred over 2,282 times and forked 679 times over on GitHub, this source codes front-page reads "we, the team that brought you isoHunt and oldpiratebay.org bring you the next step in torrent evolution. The Pirate Bay source code."

Isohunt has called out to developers across the globe, asking them to band together to make oldpiratebay.org something of a nostalgic improvement to the long-standing and popular torrent website, them stating that "our current goal is not only make it open source, but eventually provide fully decentralized torrent database for the community." As The Pirate Bay still remains shut down, where will users go for their illegal downloads? The answer is basically everywhere - with us previously reporting on the fact that torrent traffic has not slowed down at all since this large-scale shutdown.

The compilation of sensitive data secreted out of the NSA by Edward Snowden continues to be a big thorn in the side of spying agencies. Recent disclosures in Der Spiegel, the newspaper that has leaked the majority of the Snowden information, reveals several programs that the NSA has found to be very difficult, or totally impossible, to decipher. The information is complete as of late 2012, so the NSA may have already overcome these limitations, but the information is interesting.

Some emails are still indecipherable, notably the Zoho encrypted email service. The NSA has also noted that following targets across the Tor network is difficult to impossible, which means it works as advertised. The NSA has been very proactive in their dealings with encryption programs, primarily by working with vendors and committee's to have backdoors installed into the major encryption programs before they are even released to the public. One of the most surprising findings is that TrueCrypt, an open-source program, is largely safe for encrypting data. The NSA apparently didn't have as much luck penetrating an open-source project, which isn't entirely surprising considering the peer-reviewed nature of open source programs. It would be hard to insert a secret back door into a program that is actively worked on by a large group of people without company/government affiliations. PGR encryption tools and OTR chat encryption were also notable exceptions to the NSA's decryption schemes.

The revelations also contained some information on services that are easy prey for the NSA. VPN's are of little help, and the agency has already outwitted the HTTPS system. The NSA was grappling with AES encryption in late 2012, but were yet to make a breakthrough. The NSA's focus on AES means it is likely they have since cracked it, so users beware.

Yoon Mi Rae has decided to play hardball, taking Sony to court over their partial use of her song "Pay Day" in the latest Sony Pictures flick, The Interview.

The musician isn't happy, with various media outlets pointing out that Sony Pictures has been very on-the-ball in dragging other companies and people before the court in Intellectual Property cases, however it seems that they are the guilty ones in this instance.

Yoon Mi Rae's label has publicly announced that "there were initial discussions for using 'Pay Day' in the movie, but at some point, the discussions ceased and we assumed that it would not follow through," further stating "however, after the movie was released, we learned that the track had been used without permission, legal procedure, or contracts."

Two Uber users are unhappy with paying the $1 'Safe Rides Fee' for their services, claiming that it's unfair. This extra add-on is implemented by Uber, who claim that their drivers have to undergo extensive background and safety checks before getting the tick of approval to operate, much more-so than regular taxi companies.

What's the truth? Forbes says that they don't. If you're looking to join a traditional taxi service, you're going to have your fingerprints taken and many various methods will be utilized to prove your identity and safety. Uber has been slammed by members of the public and media, claiming that it's simply too easy for someone to use another persons identity to sign up as an UberX driver, faking your credentials and background checks.

So what exactly is involved with the Uber background checking system? Gizmodo emailed this emerging company back in 2013 and was hit with a reply claiming it was a "trade secret". Many more news outlets have been trying to pry this information away from Uber, surely it can't be that difficult to release? One concern that may arise is if Uber release their selection process, people will be made publicly aware and start developing methods to work around these facts.

I'm an absolutely fan of NVIDIA's G-SYNC technology, but not many people have had the pleasure of using AMD's FreeSync technology at home, a technology that is meant to be virtually identical to that of NVIDIA's. Well, the first FreeSync-powered monitor is now available on Overclockers.co.uk.

The monitor we're talking about is the Iiyama ProLite B2888UHSU-B1, which is a 28-inch 4K monitor with AMD's FreeSync technology baked into it. This monitor is using an identical panel to the Acer XB280HK, which is powered by NVIDIA's G-SYNC technology and also runs a 3840x2160 resolution. The big difference? Price. The AMD FreeSync option is around $600, while the Acer XB280HK is currently $1029 on Amazon.

Acer's XB280HK on Overclockers.co.uk sells for the equivalent of $770 USD, compared to the $600 USD of the FreeSync option, so you can see the appeal of AMD's technology here.

Before the weekend kicked off, we reported that The Interview had only made $1 million at the cinema, while this tally has reached $3 million. Nothing in terms of what a movie would normally make at the box office, but online sales are making much more for Sony, which could change the future of cinema releases, well I hope so anyway.

Sony has reportedly made $15 million selling The Interview online through various services, which is closer to Sony's expectations of racking $20 million during its opening. This was when Sony was to launch it on around 3,000 screens on Christmas Day, but those plans were changed when hackers threatened 9/11-style attacks and other acts of violence. This forced Sony to more or less cancel its launch plans of The Interview, scrapping the launch in those thousands of theaters to just a handful across the US who were willing to show the movie.

Sony Pcitures President of Worldwide Distribution, Rory Bruer explained "We worked hard to get the film out there by Christmas Day. It was such a whirlwind to get it done that it kind of amazes me that we were able to make it happen." However, I think this might be the push that could see cinema releases change, where we've had a large movie from Sony be successful in online distribution, making much more money online than it has through those select cinemas. The Interview has now become Sony Pictures' highest-grossing online release of all time, beating out video-on-demand successes as the Chris Evans movie "Snowpiercer" which earned $7 million on-demand, and movies like "Bachelorette" which made $8.2 million.

20 million pounds of unwanted Christmas lights end up in the hands of the Christmas tree light capital of the world, Shijao, China, each year.

Their industry built on old lights follows the age-old saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure," seeing this large quantity of unwanted lighting melted down and separated into brass copper and plastic materials for carious implementations ranging from clothing to electronic goods.

This information was first published by Adam Minter in his book titles "Junkyard Planet," seeing him travel to this utopia of trash and research the process of churning 2200-pound bales of lights into re-usable raw materials. Thanks to China's cheap labor and goods exports, it's claimed that the ships transporting goods to the U.S. and other Western Nations often come back empty-handed, with no cargo on-board. This is where they can utilize their light-load for good, often carrying back waste paper to be churned into toilet paper or in this case - discarded Christmas lights for a new lease on life.

Military targets in Europe and Israel have been hit by cyberespionage attacks that could have been aided by commercial security-testing software released by Core Security, according to a report from the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). Israeli officials are unsure who launched the attack, but Iran is on the short list of suspects - as the Iranian government routinely tries to conduct surveillance and steal information from Israel.

"The most likely answer is they didn't have the capability to do it on their own," said Tilmann Werner, CrowdStrike analyst, in a statement, also adding "there is no risk of leaving tool-marks."

Cybercriminals trying to compromise government and military departments, corporations, and other major targets are greatly improving their attack capabilities. Iran has invested a large amount of resources in developing internal cyberespionage efforts, with Israel a popular target for new attacks.

A growing number of consumers tested mobile shopping during 2014, and that trend is expected to continue in 2015. However, a reported 35 percent of shoppers encountered road blocks while using mobile e-commerce sites and apps, while some sited led to 75 percent of shoppers suffering some type of viewing and product ordering problem.

"It's higher than what retailers want it to be," said Tom Lounibos, co-founder and CEO of e-commerce site testing firm SOASTA, in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. "Brands are trying to get their arms around the performance element of it. They are still at the early stages."

Mobile purchases were up 20.4 percent according to IBM numbers, as more smartphone and tablet owners are willing to give mobile shopping a try. Christmas online sales also went up 8.2 percent, with Apple iOS numbers almost four times higher than Google Android, the IBM report states.

South Korea reported cyberattacks against its nuclear power operator are still underway, with non-critical operations being targeted - but the Korean nuclear power plants are safe and secure. The company faced a cyberattack and data breach last week, but hackers were able to only steal non-critical data, while reactors and other critical infrastructure were untouched.

"We cannot let cyberattacks stop nuclear power operation," said Cho Seok, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. President and CEO, during a press conference. "We will continue operating nuclear plants safely against any attempted foul play, including cyberattacks. Cyberattacks on KHNP's (headquarters) operations and administration are still continuing now."

The Korean government currently has an investigation underway, and is asking for cooperation from China, as it's possible North Korea was responsible for the incident.

Norse has developed a network of 8 million sensors worldwide designed specifically to absorb various types of internet attacks. These sensors analyze the malicious traffic and trace it back to its source. This vast network of global trackers is called the DarkMatter Platform, and it delivers real-time threat tracking and intelligence within five seconds.

Norse provides this service to companies to protect their web services, but they also provide an amazing real-time view for everyone of malicious traffic at their comprehensive monitoring site. The view of ongoing attacks is amazing due to the sheer scale of the attacks, and their continuing nature highlights the intense threats companies face every day. The site identifies each type of attack, and DDoS attacks are easily visible as attacks from multiple locations worldwide converge on a single target.

The DarkMatter platform analyzes malicious traffic, including IRC, Tor, P2P, DNS, SSH, VPN, private IP and SOCKS proxies, assigned and unadvertised address spaces, among others. This covers the entire range of threats, and Norse crunches terabytes of data per day, and takes up to four years of historical data into account, to assign threat levels to provide a complete threat analysis.

Right about now you've really got to feel sorry for Sony. Alongside numerous hacking scandals surrounding their pictures department, they've been targeted by the infamous North Korea and even had their PlayStation Live Network service taken down on the 26th of December thanks to a timely DDoS. Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, hackers have released 13,000 username-and-password combinations alongside stolen credit card details, claiming these were stolen from large-scale websites like Sony's PlayStation Network, XBOX Live and Amazon plus more.

Released via the Twitter account "@AnonymousGlobo", this hack is also said to target some of the largest porn websites alongside these gaming and retail web portals. This gives the hack yet another tie to the group known as Anonymous, who have been involved in recent Klu Klux Klan altercations alongside many other large-scale operations in recent years.

This recent mission saw their explanation read "we did it for the lulz," a common claim among the hacker collective. Translated this basically means "we did it because we could" or "we did it for a laugh".

Facebook is in hot water over their recent addition of a "Year-in-Review" feature for all users, with some claiming that their algorithm for choosing what to display was poorly designed. Grieving father, Eric Meyer, wrote on his blog that the "algorithms are essentially thoughtless. They model certain decision flows, but once you run them, no more thought occurs."

Meyer's daughter passed away earlier this year at age six, due to a brain tumor with this tragic occurrence happening on her birthday, June 6th 2014. Thanks to Facebook's "Year-in-Review" feature, Meyer was reminded of this heartbreak as her portrait appeared on his news-feed, being boldly displayed surrounded by partying onlookers.

Adding to the pile of unsettled users, one man was kindly reminded that his friends house had caught ablaze thanks to increased interaction on this post.

"The goals of the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town is to create a sustainable town where making the most of the blessings of nature and promoting local production for local consumption. Moreover, we aim to realize a safe, peaceful life for residents by linking and using electricity and information networks. We need to create practical measures to achieve these goals," reads the front page of Panasonic's low-down on their groundbreaking support of Fujisawa - a city designed to be fully supportive of the environment.

Labeled as "solution works", this city is being marketed as a Sustainable Smart Town (SST), with its opening passing in November 2014.

Supporting the core facility named SST SQUARE, Panasonic have given considerable input into ensuring this center serves as the central communication base for the town and see's it play a "pivotal role in promoting the town's growth through its functions of managing the town, welcoming guests and fostering community". The square houses Fujisawa's SST Management Company and its partners - these bodies manage the town essentials such as energy, security, mobility, healthcare and community.

In what must be a public relations nightmare for the government in Pyongyang, a growing number of North Koreans are not only aware of Sony Pictures' "The Interview" - but want to view the movie. The North Korean State Security Department and The Ministry of People's Security collaborated in a meeting to try to limit how the movie is able to enter the country.

There are reports of North Korean citizens interested in paying upwards of $50 for a copy of "The Interview," a significantly higher price than other movies available on the black market. North Korean officials have increased border security, and have instructed handlers of black market materials to avoid US material.

"Think of the movie as Chernobyl for the digital age," wrote Rich Klein, from the McLarty Associates advisory firm, in a Washington Post statement. "Just as the nuclear catastrophe in the Soviet Union and the dangerously clumsy efforts to hide it exposed the Kremlin's leadership as inept and morally bankrupt, overseeing a superpower rusting from the inside, so does 'The Interview' risk eroding the myths, fabrications and bluster that keep the Kim dynasty in power."

Are you able to log onto Microsoft's Xbox Live service? Days after being dropped by the Lizard Squad on Christmas morning, it appears problems are surfacing again. On Saturday afternoon, the Microsoft service website saying Xbox Live is down once again, with Xbox One and Xbox 360 gamers confirming the news.

Although the Xbox Live Status website reports the core services, purchase and content usage, website, TV music and video, and social gaming aspects are reported to be working again - many users are reporting they are unable to game and access content.

Multiplayer titles such as Destiny and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare require active Internet service, but titles such as Far Cry 4 and Dragon Age: Inquisition - which are largely played in single-player - still access third-party server connections.

Apparently, the North Korean government isn't happy with the Obama Administration and Sony's decision to release "The Interview." The North Korean National Defense Commission (NDC) released a statement that accuses the US of crippling its Internet - which has happened twice in less than one week - while also lobbing a racial slur towards Obama.

"Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest," said someone from the North Korean Policy Department, in a statement published by the Korean Central News Agency.

Once Sony Pictures reversed its decision to release "The Interview," it seemed likely the North Korean government would issue public statements. Furthermore, this isn't the first time North Korea has issued racially-driven statements aimed towards Obama, though this appears to be nothing more than political posturing.

For the second time in less than one week, it appears the fragile North Korean Internet infrastructure has been dropped offline from cyberattacks. Reports from Chinese media indicate the Internet and 3G mobile phone networks in North Korea have gone offline, following the US government's accusations that Pyongyang had a direct hand in breaching Sony Pictures.

In the incident reported earlier in the week, it appears a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack stopped Internet access for a brief period. Most Internet access in North Korea is reserved for high-ranking government officials and military personnel, reports indicate.

Despite countries focusing on developing cyberespionage weapons able to target foreign companies and governments, clearly not enough is being done to help improve cybersecurity. The United States, UK, North Korea, China, Russia, Iran, and other nations have greater cyberattack capabilities - but fall prey to their own data incidents on a frequent basis.