Increase Your Xbox Privacy With 3 Incredible Metadata Tips

Shortly after the release of Xbox One Kinect on November 22, 2013, it was criticized by security activists as a threat for privacy of its gamers. Xbox One Kinect is suspected to have a system that collects gamers’ data for potential advertising purposes.

However, a month prior to release, Microsoft tried to tie up every loose end in order to avoid any misconception about the Xbox One Kinect. Mr. Albert Penello, director of product planning at Microsoft said:

“Someone was talking about how some of the new Xbox One Kinect features could be used in advertising, since we can see expressions, engagement, etc., and how that might be used to target advertising,”

Xbox One Privacy Threats

One new feature introduced in Xbox One Kinect is “Face Recognition”. With this feature, Xbox One users have the ability to login through Kinect Facial Recognition. The camera works in such a manner that it measures distance between key features of user face and create a numeric expression that is unique in itself. This means no one else can log in to the system but, on the other hand, your data has been stored in Kinect system which they assure is not going to be shared with any third party.

Concerning Voice Chat through Xbox One Kinect, users cannot expect privacy. All live communication features like Voice Chats, Video Chats and Live hosted game sessions will be monitored by Microsoft as permitted by Law.

Metadata in Xbox One Kinect keeps a digital track of user information like IP addresses, online location, online timings, bandwidth use, email addresses, computer and hard drive names, and information about networks.

Combining all the data together, individuals, companies and most importantly NSA can easily figure it out as Who you are?, Where you are?, Who do you talk to?, What do you like?, and What you do mostly?

To keep your Xbox One Privacy safe and secure from all these Kinect threats, mask your Metadata.

Three Tips to Fix Your Xbox One Privacy

We will show you 3 tips for how to mask your Metadata:

1. Use Online Gaming VPN

Metadata cannot be associated with you without locating your IP address. What a VPN does is that it replaces your original IP with one of its server’s IP. This way, all potential observers cannot keep a record of who you are or what you do online.

A VPN also constructs a bridge between your Xbox One and the gaming server and whatever communication you made in during the session remain anonymous. Learn more about gaming VPN here.

2. Use Anonymous Services to Browse The Web

There are a variety of options by which you can surf the net anonymously. First you can use Plug-ins available for browser to surf the internet with complete invisibility. But no one can do it better than a VPN. In addition, best VPN providers like PureVPN also provide specialize tools for ultimate anonymity of your browser. PureVPN “Anonymous Browser” makes it possible for you to be untraceable all the time by replacing the original IP with different server IPs. 

3. Off The Record (OTR) Chat

If you add up an Off the Record (OTR) Chat extension in your favorite messenger service, it will encrypt your messages from one end to others. The only problem is that both users need to install the extension on system to encrypt the conversation from both sides.

Conclusion

After receiving so many critics about Xbox One privacy, Microsoft has updated their website that reads something like:

“And when you play games or enjoy apps that use sensitive personal data, such as videos, photos, and facial expressions, no one except you can access it, without your express permission.”

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Find Out How To Watch Netflix, Hulu And More On Google TV

Make your Weekends FUN! Sit tight on the couch, get a bowl of Nachos and watch on-demand video streaming from Netflix, Hulu, HBO and more with Sony Google TV and a VPN router. 

Google teamed up with Sony, Intel and Logitech to launch Google TV in 2010. It is a popular entertainment platform that uses Google’s Android OS and Linux version of Google Chrome to create a TV version overlay with the Video and TV streaming sites, Audio Streaming, Sports News and gaming websites.

We all know that Netflix, Hulu, Flixter and Pandora are blocked outside of US due to licensing constraints; and to overcome this misery, you need a VPN. Moreover, Google TV needs a VPN router to connect with a VPN account.
 

VPN Router The Main Ingredient For Google TV

Since, Google TV is a VPN-clientless device it cannot connect to websites like Netflix and Hulu without the support of a VPN router, outside of the US. Therefore, you will need a VPN router to enable the connection and enjoy your most favorite programs from the US, even when you are thousands of miles away from the US.

The VPN routers also enable you to share your VPN connection with other devices such as PS3, PS4, Xbox, Boxee, Roku Boxes, Apple TV and anything else that can link to a router for Internet connectivity.

The Secret Recipe

Access Netflix, Hulu, Pandora On Google TV Anywhere

People with little or no technological knowledge may find it difficult to setup Google TV with a VPN router – Just like a person with no cooking experience may over or under cook a dish the first time. Therefore, we are giving you the whole recipe of how to get the best moments on Google TV:

Ingredients:

• 1 VPN Router (Asus, DDWRT, TP Link, Belkin, Tomato as per your taste)
• 1 US IP VPN Account
• 1 Google TV Device
• Netflix, Hulu, Flixter and Pandora Account

Here’s The Recipe:

1. Configure PureVPN on your VPN router first.
2. Connect Google TV device with your smart TV or TVs that connect to the Internet as well as to standard set-top devices like DVD and Blu-ray players or DVRs.
3. Connect your Google device with router through Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi
4. Press ‘Menu’ on the remote control, the screen will appear with the vast list of apps supported by Google TV.
5. Select your favorite App from the list (Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, Flixter, Amazon, IMBD movies, Clicker, Cartoon Network and much more) of your choice and ENJOY!

It’s worth the HASSEL!

PureVPN Supported VPN Routers

PureVPN offers support for a variety of VPN routers such as Asus, DDWRT, Belkin, Tomato and TP Link. These routers need small and easy configuration tweaks to setup a PureVPN account on them and connect with any wireless or VPN-clientless device.

Conclusion

Travelers, expats and foreigners suffer the worst form of entertainment starvation when they go outside of the US borders – the same starvation non-US resident’s face too. While living outside the US, temporarily or permanently, one can easily access on-demand video streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, HBO,Flixter, Cartoon Network, Pandora, iTunes and others. All it requires is another country IP address to provide access to such content. If you find yourself in this predicament, remember that all you need is a VPN router with a leading VPN service like PureVPN on it.

The operations of setting up a Wire frame and connecting a VPN account with router needs technical skills. Nevertheless, PureVPN’s 24/7/365 technical support is always there to help you out. There are easy tutorials available at the PureVPN website to guide Do-It-Yourself users all the time.

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Android VPN flaw found, exposes protected data

Security researchers have claimed a flaw affecting Android 4.3 can be used to hijack unencrypted communications from an active VPN connection.

According to researchers at Ben Gurion University's (BGU) Cyber Security Labs, a malicious app can be used on bypass VPN connections on Jelly Bean devices and push communications to a different network address.

In a video, the researchers demonstrate a malicious app being used to capture subject header details from an email that was sent while a VPN connection was active. The data was captured in unencrypted format, leaving what should have been protected data completely exposed, the researchers note.

"This vulnerability enables malicious apps to bypass active VPN configuration (no root permissions required) and redirect secure data communications to a different network address. These communications are captured in clear text (no encryption), leaving the information completely exposed. This redirection can take place while leaving the user completely oblivious, believing the data is encrypted and secure," the researchers wrote on Friday.

Their new find follows a bug that BGU previously claimed to have found in Samsung's secure app container Knox, which, also relied on a malicious app to bypass the security feature to intercept outgoing communications data.

Samsung and Google later denied it was a flaw in Android or Knox, but admitted the researchers' attack used legitimate Android functions in an unintended way. Despite denying it was a flaw, one of Samsung's recommendations to mitigate the exploit was to use Android's built-in VPN or its support for a third-party VPN.

According to BGU, the new attack is related to the Knox exploit, and works against a properly configured VPN on Android 4.3 devices from multiple vendors. While the exploit can also affect SSL/TLS traffic, it remains encrypted after capture.

The researchers said they had filed a report with Google, which is yet to respond to the claimed vulnerability.
ZDNet has asked Google for comment and will update the story if it receives one.

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We’ve just launched the Official HMA! Pro VPN iOS app!

We’re very excited to announce the launch of the new Hide My Ass! Pro VPN iOS App.
The dedicated HMA! Pro VPN iOS app provides the best VPN experience for your iPhone or iPad. Giving you quick and easy access to one of the largest server networks available – securing and encrypting the internet connection on your iPhone or iPad has never been so easy.

1. Free to download
2. Easily create and install VPN profiles for iOS devices
3. Government-level encryption on 460+ servers in 60+ countries
4. Super-fast connection speeds
5. Multi-protocol support
6. Unblock all streaming websites

All HMA! subscribers can now download the free app from the app store today and login using their HMA! username and password.

‘Critical’ Facebook flaw left user images vulnerable to deletion by hackers

Indian researcher Arul Kumar has uncovered a security flaw that allowed hackers to delete any image from any Facebook user’s profile, without the user’s knowledge or consent.
The flaw has been classed as ‘critical’ and worked by exploiting the Facebook Support Dashboard, which is used to send Photo Removal requests to the company. These reports are usually either seen by Facebook’s employees or sent directly to the image’s owner with an automatically generated link to remove the photo. Once clicked by the user, the target image is then deleted.

The new bug has revealed that while sending these images, two parameters were left open and vulnerable. If a hacker modified Photo_id and Owners Profile_id, they were able to bypass any user interaction and simply have the removal link sent to their own personal inbox instead.

The owner profile IDs can be found through a simple search with Facebook Graph, and each image contains the fbid value which can found in a Facebook URL. Once the photo’s ID had been pinned down, two Facebook user accounts could then be inserted in order to receive the link needed to remove the image, with one person acting as a sender and the other as a receiver.
Kumar has warned that any photo could be taken from any page or user, including shared and tagged images, photos from groups and pages and images from suggested posts. The researcher has since been awarded a $12,500 bounty through Facebook’s Bug Bounty program and the company says that the error has since been fixed.

If you’re concerned about the security of your personal data then a VPN service can offer you added peace of mind when surfing the web. A VPN gives your computer an extra layer of protection while you’re using the internet, helping to ensure that the information stored on your device remains securely defended against any external forces attempting to access it.

Microsoft and Google press U.S. government for right to release more data on surveillance

Google and Microsoft might be rivals when it comes to most things, but the two companies have recently joined forces in pressuring the U.S. government to give companies the right to publish information requests made by the secret services. Putting their differences aside, Google and Microsoft are pursuing legal action petitioning the government to permit them to release statistics regarding secret surveillance demands against customers using their services.

The Obama administration has already confirmed that it will begin the release of a limited amount of statistics, notably the total number of security requests that have been issued for customer data over the past 12 months. It’s also been confirmed that this data will be released annually for the foreseeable future, but Google and Microsoft say that this isn’t enough. The two companies are looking for the right to release far more detailed statistics. The U.S. government faced the companies in a federal court in June, but has already asked for six extensions in just two months. Google and Microsoft insist that they simply won’t agree to any more delays.

Microsoft’s general counsel Brad Smith wrote on the company blog, ‘We both remain concerned with the Government’s continued unwillingness to permit us to publish sufficient data relating to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) orders...we believe it is vital to publish information that clearly shows the number of national security demands for user content, such as the text of an email. We believe it’s possible to publish these figures in a manner that avoids putting security at risk.'

Google’s Chief Legal Officer David Drummond took the same stance as Smith in a letter to the attorney general and FBI. ‘We… ask you to help make it possible for Google to publish in our Transparency Report aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures—in terms of both the number we receive and their scope.’

With these two giants of the internet teaming up for the sake of information disclosure rights, it looks like the U.S. government has a serious fight on its hands.

If you’re concerned about the security of your personal information, a VPN service can help. A VPN provides your computer with additional defences while you’re surfing the web, to ensure your data stays safe and private.

18 new servers and 1873 IP addresses to the Hide My Ass! VPN Network

We’ve added 8 servers, 782 IP addresses and 2 NEW countries to the Hide My Ass! VPN Network

1. France, Strasbourg (LOC1 S2) (128 IPs)
2. France, Strasbourg (LOC1 S1) (128 IPs)
3. Italy, Pordenone, Porcia (LOC1 S2) (60 IPs)
4. Denmark, Copenhagen (LOC1 S2) (126 IPs)
5. Jordan, Amman (LOC1 S2) (60 IPs)
6. USA, New York, Virtual UK (LOC1 S2) (127 IPs)
7. USA, New York, Virtual UK (LOC1 S1) (127 IPs)
8. Saudi Arabia, Riyadh (LOC1 S2) (31 IPs)
9. Norway, Oslo (LOC1 S5) (127 IPs)
10. Norway, Oslo (LOC1 S4) (126 IPs)
11. USA, New York, Virtual Canada (LOC1 S2) (127 IPs)
12. USA, New York, Virtual Canada (LOC1 S1) (127 IPs)
13. Latvia, Riga (LOC1 S2) (59 IPs)
14. Republic of Singapore, Virtual Malaysia (LOC1 S2) (65 IPs)
15. Republic of Singapore, Virtual Malaysia (LOC1 S1) (65 IPs)
16. Republic of Singapore, Virtual Indonesia (65 IPs)
17. Netherlands, Dronten (LOC1 S2) (127 IPs)
18. Ireland, Dublin (LOC1 S2) (127 IPs)

You may have spotted that we have three new ‘virtual locations’. ‘Virtual locations’ are great for getting faster connections through our VPN service. See our knowledgebase for further details.