Motorola announces phone that is ‘always listening’, Syrian Electronic Army targets Reuters and White House, and Apple releases update to deal with malicious chargers

Motorola announces phone that is ‘always listening’
Motorola has announced a new phone that is said to be ‘always listening’ for any voice commands from its owner. The company, which is owned by Google, has revealed that the Moto X will constantly be listening out for the phrase, ‘Ok Google now…’ in order to respond to its owner’s instructions. The phone will be made in the US and customers will be able to customise their device extensively. Google's ownership of the brand makes this new release likely to cause tension in the Android market, since at present the vast majority of Android sales come from Samsung handsets. Several other manufacturers whose phones run on Google’s operating system are struggling to generate enough sales.

Syrian Electronic Army targets Reuters Twitter account and White House emails
Pro-Assad hackers known as the Syrian Electronic Army have targeted Thompson Reuters’ Twitter account and several email accounts used by the White House's social media staff in a bid to spread pro-Assad messages in support of the Syrian government. The White House email accounts were Phished by a collection of emails that claimed to have come from the BBC and CNN. This attack failed, but a Reuters’ Twitter account hack succeeded. The SEA used the account to share political cartoons and messages until it was suspended and restored.

Apple releases update to deal with malicious chargers
We previously reported that a group of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology had developed a device that could potentially allow hackers to break into an iPhone using only the phone’s charger. Apple has now confirmed that it is planning to release a software update in order to try to protect its products from these malicious chargers. The update is still pending at the moment but is warning users to be sure that they trust both the charger and charging point before plugging their device in. The malicious chargers and the data-stealing application that they use were displayed at the Black Hat Hacker conference, which is currently being held in Las Vegas.

Latvia refuses US request to extradite hacker

Latvia is refusing to extradite a native man that the US believes was instrumental in writing a computer virus that was then used to steal millions.
Deniss Calovskis was named in January as one of the creators of the Gozi virus, which infected over a million computers and stole data that was used to raid bank accounts and rob significant amounts of money. His two co-creators are Romanian and Russian, with the latter already in a US jail and the former awaiting extradition. The application to extradite Calovskis has now been denied by the Latvian courts twice.

In addition to the decision made in court, Latvia’s foreign minister has backed Calovskis amid claims that the sentence he faces is inconsistent with the crime that he has allegedly committed. The US is said to be seeking a jail term of around 60 years for Calovskis, but the foreign minister, Edgars Rinkevics, says that this effectively equates to a life sentence and observed that, although he couldn’t say whether or not Calovskis broke the law, it seemed grossly disproportionate to what he is alleged to have done. Rinkevics also warned that the trans-national nature of the offence means that it could be extremely difficult to prove that any crimes were actually committed on US soil, and that there was therefore no reason Calovskis couldn’t serve his sentence in Latvia instead if he was indeed found guilty.

Unsurprisingly, the US is less than impressed with this line of argument. US attorney Preet Bharara claimed the three men were part of ‘modern-day bank robbery ring that required neither a gun nor a mask,’ and security analyst Graham Cluley criticised the lack of co-operation between the two countries and pointed out that, ‘If you caught a criminal who stole sums like that in traditional bank robberies, you would expect them to have the book thrown at them’. Calovskis is accused of being directly responsible for manipulating the malware to resemble a bank's webpage, tricking customers into inputting their personal details.

Given the amount of malware and cybercriminals out there, it's never been more important to ensure your computer is properly defended, and a VPN service can help. A VPN provides your computer with an extra layer of protection to help keep your personal data private when you're using the internet.

Hide My Ass! Now Supports Bitcoins

Exactly two months ago The Guardian and The Washington Post revealed details on a mass electronic surveillance data mining program operated by the United States National Security Agency. It was an eye-opener for many people who didn’t know the extent to which they were being surveilled and their data being collected. The NSA’s PRISM program proves that everyone’s fears about government surveillance of internet activity are entirely justified. Our response has stayed the same, to continue providing the best online privacy tools to our users.

For the past two months we have been supporting Bitcoin as a payment gateway for Hide My Ass!

Why Bitcoin? We believe the fundamentals of Bitcoin as a decentralised and anonymous currency is a perfect match for our goal to helping users anonymise their internet activity.
Bitcoin is available to all users, for 12 month and 6 month packages. Due to the nature of how Bitcoins works to ensure anonymity for it’s users, we understand that there is a slight learning curve involved. We have therefore written a useful tutorial on our HMA Wiki on how to get started with Bitcoins. Don’t worry if you get stuck, help is always at hand.
Use Bitcoins and Hide My Ass! today.

How safe is your video gaming data?

Video gaming website The Escapist has reported that the game developer Crytek, best known for its Crysis series, has taken a number of websites offline following a security breach. The incident is believed to have occurred on Saturday 3rd August, with the company alerting gamers via an email stating that, "We recently became aware of suspicious activity relating to some of Crytek's websites, and acted quickly to take those websites offline for security reasons." Account holders at crydev.net and mycrysis.com are being urged to change their password, as Crytek has acknowledged that user information may have been stolen.

 

This is the latest in a string of high profile hack attacks on game designers and developers. Just last month, Assassin’s Creed developer Ubisoft had its Uplay service violated. The company claimed that no user data, including passwords and payment information, was obtained, but still advised players to change their login details. Around the same time, Venture Beat confirmed with Metal Gear Solid publisher Konami that over 35,000 player accounts had been illegally accessed, with hackers apparently launching 4 million attempts at compromising data in the space of a month. Konami announced afterwards that the company had strengthened its security to ensure this will not happen again, but with so many instances of successful hacks on a number of different companies, questions are still being asked as to why information was so vulnerable in the first place. 

 

With digital sales of games soaring, more and more people are opting to pay directly on services like Valve’s Steam service, and at console stores like Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and Nintendo’s eShop. At the moment, it seems like these companies may have the advanced technology necessary to create high-quality games, but haven't paid nearly enough attention to protecting their customers' personal information online. 

 

If you have concerns about the defence systems in place on your computer, you can try using a VPN service. The VPN works as an additional layer of security that stands between the data stored on your devices and any individual or group trying to access it.

Summer Vacation Special from HMA!

HMA has offered amazing news; for the whole of August as the company is running a ‘Summer Vacation Special’ where all of their VPN packages will be discounted.

During the last holiday sale, 12 month package from HMA aka HideMyAss VPN had received tremendous responses from their users, and it has certainly inspired the marketing team of HMA to go with the Discount offer again for this summer! Being a regular VPN user, this will be a great opportunity, especially those who look for a long term usage of VPN service.               

Duration of summerspecial offer from HMA

This special offer will remain until 31^st august. So what are you waiting for? You must check all the suitable VPN packages until the sale finishes! It’s a great opportunity for sure as you can reduce the service charge in a big amount!

Summer VacationSale 2013 of HMA in Details

If you like to order for just 1 month, you can save up to 13% which is huge! If you look for a half yearly offer, you can save 42% which is staggering discount in any point of view. If you look for a yearly offer, you can save 56% from its original price! Detailed information is given below. Have a look! =>

Connect to our VPN service to anonymously encrypt your internet activity from prying eyes. All applications on your computer that utilize your internet connection will become anonymous with just a click of a button; no technical experience is required due to our easy to use VPNsoftware. Enjoy internet freedom and anonymity knowing that your sensitive web traffic is securely hidden behind 53'500+ IP addresses located in 110 locations in 61 countries.

The ‘five eyes’ governments don’t trust Lenovo – should you?

According to a report by the Australian Financial Review, governments from around the world including Australia, America, Great Britain, Canada, and New Zealand, a.k.a. the 'Five Eyes,' have banned their intelligence and defence departments from using computers designed by Chinese company Lenovo.

 

The report claims that the ban has been in place since 2005, the year that Lenovo acquired the PC arm of computer giant IBM. While the latter company continues to do business in servers and mainframes for governments, Lenovo has been dropped. It's been suggested that this is yet another aspect of the Prism revelations: since the five governments have been sharing information using the same classified networks, it's evidently essential that they all adopt the same security policies.

 

The justification for the ban is apparently as a result of intense security tests carried out on the computers which found vulnerabilities not only in the hardware, but also in the firmware. The study and subsequent ban pointed specifically to “malicious circuits” and firmware embedded in chipsets produced in Lenovo’s native China. The tests, carried out by MI5 and MI6, discovered the potential for backdoor access to the systems. This could effectively allow people with knowledge of the system to remotely access any device, without setting off any alarm bells. 

 

Reacting to the news, Lenovo dismissed the nearly decade-old ban by pointing out that the same governments still use their technology for unclassified networks. A spokesperson for Lenovo said that its products have "been found time and time again to be reliable and secure by our enterprise and public sector customers and we always welcome their engagement to ensure we are meeting their security needs”.

 

As reported in The Daily Telegraph, the UK Home Office has refused to divulge whether they make use of Lenovo products for the UK's secret networks. In a press statement, GCHQ said: “As a matter of policy we don’t routinely discuss the names or nature of suppliers to GCHQ on any aspect of our business”.

 

If you have concerns about computer security, you can help make your data more secure by using a VPN service. The VPN works as an additional layer of protection that stands between the data stored on your device and any external users attempting to access it.

The Best VPN Services for File Sharers, 2013

Private Encryption to Cloak Your Online Data Activity

If you are looking to privately download files, share files, and access streaming media, then these are the VPN providers you will want to consider. These services will cipher your downloads, uploads, emails, messages, and also manipulate your IP address so that you are effectively untraceable.

This list of VPN providers is in random order. This list is populated in part by About.com users who submit their suggestions and offer their personal reviews. If you wish to add to this list, you may submit a recommendation for a VPN service here.

Note on VPN speeds: expect your internet speed to be reduced by up to 75% while you are using your VPN. VPN speeds of 2 to 4 Mbps are common for cheaper VPN's. Speeds of 5 Mbps per second are good. VPN speeds over 15 Mbps are excellent.

Note on VPN encryption protocols: there are 3 common ciphering options for VPN's: OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, and PPTP. For most desktop users, OpenVPN is the strongest encryption and fastest data transfer. However, L2TP may be an even better option than OpenVPN in two special circumstances: you want to use multiple mobile devices on your VPN; or if you live in a country with oppressive government rules on internet use (e.g. China, Egypt). While not as fast as OpenVPN, L2TP is difficult for authorities to block, and it generally offers more support for mobile devices.

1. PureVPN

Cost: $10.00/month; $50/year. Supports OpenVPN, SSTP, L2TP/IPsec, and PPTP protocols. PureVPN also supports IKEvs2 protocol for BlackBerry. The servers are in 19 different countries, with no bandwidth limitations for premium subscribers. The price point is very compelling, and is much more affordable than most of its competitors.

PureVPN has won the affection of many users because of its very friendly software client and very economical price. You can split the tunneling, which is helpful for having encryption on specific parts of your web habits, while still using your regular network connection for others (gamers and downloaders will like this splitting feature). PureVPN does log bandwidth usage and your login durations, but deletes that information every 5 days. Speeds on Pure are in the 4 Mbps to 21 Mbps range, which averages faster than most other VPN's.

Visit their site: www.purevpn.com

2. Strong VPN

Cost: $20/month; $85/year. Good support for users in Asia. Offers L2TP and PPTP protocols.

Strong VPN is one of the more-expensive choices out there, but readers in Asia and the Pacific Rim say that Strong performs very well for them when compared to its competitors. The price point varies with your part of the world, but expect in the range of $20USD per month. The Strong VPN owners promise that there is no logging or scanning of their customers' data, and many readers recommend Strong. Try it for a month and let us know if Strong VPN works for you.

Visit their site: http://www.strongvpn.com

3. VyprVPN by Goldenfrog

Cost: $20/month; $240/year. Supports OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, and PPTP protocols. Good support for mobile devices like iPhones and Android tablets.

VyprVPN is a quality VPN service, recently grown by several new servers in Europe and Asia. Users with iPads and Android devices will definitely appreciate the Vypr mobile VPN apps. Additionally, being an offshore company incorporated in the Bahamas, there is less likelihood of the Vypr server logs being examined under the US PATRIOT Act.

Visit their site: http://www.goldenfrog.com/vyprvpn

 

4. IPVanish

Cost: $10/month; $78/year. Servers in 16 different countries make IPVanish an international presence. This service supports OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP (L2TP is harder for authorities to block, so it's a good protocol for people in countries where the government restricts internet use, like China and Egypt).

IPVanish is recommended by multiple readers at About.com. Not only does it have L2TP protocol for people in oppressive countries, the speeds for IPVanish are often over 10 Mbps. This service also supports simultaneous connections across multiple devices, so your Windows PC and your iPad can be encrypted at the same time.

While IPVanish does promise not to log any of its customers' data or online activity, the company does have offices in the USA. This makes them, unfortunately, open to PATRIOT Act investigation. Nonetheless, the service provides excellent speeds in a very user-friendly manner. Do consider evaluating IPVanish as you shop for a VPN service.

Visit their site: http://www.ipvanish.com