Hacker accesses 70,000 Healthcare.gov records, says website is 100% insecure

The Healthcare.gov website has had its fair share of troubles since launch, and one that has been persistent among them is claims of security vulnerabilities. TrustedSec's CEO David Kennedy has been vocal about these issues, though little has been done to address them. Perhaps to make a bigger point, he took advantage of the vulnerability in recent times and managed to access 70,000 records over the course of four minutes, saying, "Seventy-thousand was just one of the numbers that I was able to go up to, and I stopped after that."

Kennedy has long been preaching the vulnerability song, and when the website underwent a fix, he stated that it was more vulnerable than before. He further elaborated on his accessing of records, saying, "[it was] a rudimentary type attack that doesn't actually attack the website itself, it extracts information from it without actually having to go into the system." The CEO isn't the only hacker to publicly confirm the security issues, however, with Kevin Mitnick, Ed Skoudis, and more having issued warnings of an impending security breach if the problems are not corrected.

Said Mitnick in a signed statement alongside fellow hackers: "It's shameful the team that built the Healthcare.gov site implemented minimal, if any, security best practices to mitigate the significant risk of a system compromise or access to consumer proprietary information."

Despite these warnings, the government has maintained Healthcare.gov is secure and undergoes regular security testing. Whether this latest breach performed by Kennedy will spur a proper review and corrections of the issue at hand is yet to be seen (and a cynic might express ample doubt at this point), but all signs point towards a ticking clock counting down to a major -- malicious -- data breach.

SOURCE: Computer World, Fox News Sunday and Reuters

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iOS in the Car screenshots appear complete with faux home button

Several images of what's assumed to be the current developer-ready versions of "iOS in the Car" have appeared on the web this afternoon courtesy of developer Steve Troughton Smith on Twitter. While we've got no additional details - nor any kind of confirmation that the images are completely legitimate - it would very much appear that Apple is close to releasing their final details on the market-ready software. This includes a simple left-sitting sidebar with home button, wi-fi connectivity bar, and time readout for starters.

Inside iOS in the Car you're going to see some simple Apple Maps implementation as well. This push includes a zoom in, zoom out, navigation, and 3D button set alongside a button that advances you through the Maps navigation screens. Oddly enough, the whole lot is joined by a single iOS home button - the kind that, until recently, appeared on all iPhones, iPads, and the iPod touch.



In the newest iPhone you'll find the same home button without the rounded-off square in the center. Here it would seem that the icon remains, keeping with the familiarity of the symbol even though its disappeared from the iPhone itself. Perhaps this is something similar to the floppy disk continuing to be used as a "save" icon many years after it's disappeared from the real world.



Also in this set of images you'll find a Safety Warning that suggests you observe posted road signs and current road conditions, with an extra note on how "road conditions and directions may change or be inaccurate." Finally there's a bit on how "walking directions may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths" as well.

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Android 4.4 KitKat now available for European HTC One

The Google Play Edition of the HTC One got the latest Android 4.4 KitKat update in November and it was quickly followed by the Developer Edition of the handset and its US Unlocked units.

However, until today large parts of Europe were stuck waiting for HTC to expand the rollout. Well, worry no more - the latest release has now started seeding on the Old continent.

The French SFR carrier was among the first to start seeding the Android 4.4.2 KitKat to the HTC One units on its network. This is the first EU HTC One getting the update, which means other European regions and carriers will be getting the KitKat treatment soon enough.

The new 4.4.2 update brings Android 4.4.2 and its improvements plus the latest Sense 5.5 UI. Your phone will become noticeably faster thanks to the new firmware. Hopefully it won't take long before the other European Ones get to taste KitKat.

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Italian company finds a way to monitor and tamper with any smartphone

An Italian ethical-hacking company, called Hacking Team, has developed a software system that is touted as being fully capable of monitoring any smartphone. Called Remote Control System, the software tool bypasses the encryption of the major mobile platforms and allows data to be collected remotely. The system is intended for “governmental interception” only and works with any iOS, Android, Windows Phone, or even BlackBerry device. Targets won't notice that their device has been infected or tampered with, because the Remote Control System agent is invisible to the user. The hacking suite won't influence the battery life or the overall performance of the infected smartphone. Remote Control System can be installed either remotely or locally. Hacking Team says that its software enables you to monitor all activities that are being performed on the hacked device and intercept all data that comes in and out of it, too. The collected information is then transmitted to a secure RCS server. The data is encrypted and cannot be traced back.

Hacking Team admitted that it succeeded in hacking the Windows Phone platform thanks to a security flaw in the OS. The vulnerability allows any third-party app or code to bypass security and run as trusted ones.


"Since we founded the Hacking Team, we have understood the power of our software in law enforcement and intelligence investigations. We also understand the potential for abuse of the surveillance technologies that we produce, and so we take a number of precautions to limit the potential for that abuse. We provide our software only to governments or government agencies. We do not sell products to individuals or private businesses. We do not sell products to governments or to countries blacklisted by the U.S., E.U., U.N., NATO or ASEAN." - Hacking Team's customer policy.


source: Hacking Team, WikiLeaks via WMPoweruser

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BluCub Humidity Sensor Sends Humidity Data To Your iPhone 5S

We all like to know, well, everything about our environment. How warm it is, how humid it is, what it’s like outside, and so on. BluCub is designed to give you all of that, and in a tiny little package.

Know When It’s Saturated

The idea is fairly simple: BluCub packs a thermometer and a hygrometer (humidity sensor, for you non-scientists) into a black box roughly half the size of your iPhone. The idea is that it can be stuck somewhere discreet and used to track data both right away and over time, and within a reasonable range, namely what Bluetooth 4.0 can provide. Then, when you’re in range, just fire up the iOS 7 app and get the information you need.
Data Data Everywhere

At first it may seem less than obvious as to why you’d want something like this glued to the wall or lying on the counter, but if you think about it, there are a lot of places it’s good to know temperature and humidity. If you’ve got wines you want to preserve, you can stick this in your wine rack and track how they’re doing. If you’ve got allergies, it’ll help you figure out the ideal humidity to keep your sinuses clear. And if you just want to show your obnoxious coworker that, yes, it’s a little warm in here, you’ve now got a handy thermometer you can both check.
A Question Of Temperature



Of course, not all of us will need environmental sensors we can check with our phones, but this is a useful set of tools crammed into a surprisingly tiny package. If you want one, though, you’ll need to act quickly; BluCub is currently the subject of an IndieGoGo campaign in Britain, and you’ll have to pay roughly $65 total to have one shipped to you.

BluCub Humidity Sensor Sends Humidity Data To Your iPhone 5S

We all like to know, well, everything about our environment. How warm it is, how humid it is, what it’s like outside, and so on. BluCub is designed to give you all of that, and in a tiny little package.

Of course, not all of us will need environmental sensors we can check with our phones, but this is a useful set of tools crammed into a surprisingly tiny package. If you want one, though, you’ll need to act quickly; BluCub is currently the subject of an IndieGoGo campaign in Britain, and you’ll have to pay roughly $65 total to have one shipped to you.

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Mezy for iPhone lets you plant messages in special geographic places for special people

What could be nicer than going to some beautiful, or otherwise exciting place? Snapping a panorama shot? Nah, that's old news. How about a message, left for you by a friend who was there a year ago, automatically showing up on your iPhone's display? Mezy for iOS let's you do just that - leave a digital message for somebody, containing text, photos, and videos, at a designated location on a map. When your friend, who also follows you on the Mezy social network reaches said location, he or she is notified about the message, and can open and read it.

Mezy can be used to post hidden messages anywhere in the world. They appear only when a follower of yours enters their geographic location, and can't be seen by anyone you haven't given permission to. These special letters can contain unlimited text, photos, and videos of up to 15 seconds in length.

Although social messaging isn't completely new in concept, Mezy seems very clever. The app is completely free, so get it from the link below if you want start putting your print on the world map.

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Samsung to unveil Galaxy S5 on February 23

The rumors surrounding the next generation Galaxy S smartphone are coming in thick and fast. Firstly, the device was tipped for a March release, which was even backed up by a statement from the company's VP, but we then had a Samsung executive saying that their flagship smartphone will not be showcased at the Mobile World Congress.

Now, we have another report from Mobile Review's Eldar Murtazin, who says that the hotly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone will be announced on February 23. It has to be noted that the same guy had correctly predicted the Galaxy S4 launch date last year.


Samsung Galaxy S5 launch - 18.00. Barcelona. 23 February. Price the same. Launch - end of April. Specs - u know them :) new touchwiz ;)— Eldar Murtazin (@eldarmurtazin) January 21, 2014


Samsung will announce its 2014 flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone at a dedicated event in Barcelona on February 23, which is a day before the Mobile World Congress kicks off. Furthermore, Mr. Murtazinclaims that the device will be available in the stores by the end of April, which alligns nicely with earlier rumors.

Meanwhile, Samsung Galaxy S5 is expected to sport a 5.2-inch display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and the device is said to offer a choice between the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset and Samsung's next generation Exynos. The other hardware specifications of the Galaxy S5 include 3 GB of RAM, 16 megapixel rear camera, fingerprint sensor, new TouchWiz user interface and a 3,000mAh battery.

However, these are just speculations based on the previous rumors and there is no official confirmation at the moment. We will keep you posted when Samsung starts sending invitations for its next Unpacked event.

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Google Nexus 8 tablet to land mid-2014 with Intel 64-bit innards?

Google may be making plans to ditch Qualcomm as its chip provider in favour of Intel for the Nexus 8 tablet.

According to hit-and-miss DigiTimes "upstream supply chain" sources have made it clear the new Nexus 8 will be packing the Intel Bay Trail-T processor and should arrive by mid-2014.

Despite Google reportedly ditching Qualcomm as its chip manufacturer it'll be sticking with Asus to make the tablet. The source also claims the new Intel Bay Trail-T processor will be a 64-bit quad-core CPU.

Little else is known about the tablet but more details should emerge after MWC in February, claims the source.

If Google were to shift from using Asus also we wouldn't be surprised to see Google use LG after the impressive LG G Pad 8.3. But we'll just have to wait and see as more details emerge.

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Huawei MediaPad 7 Youth2 officially revealed as tablet-phone combo

Huawei has just taken the covers off its MediaPad 7 Youth2 tablet that also acts as a phone.

The 7-inch tablet comes with a 1024 x 600 (169ppi) resolution display on a 9.9mm thick frame that weighs in at 350g. On the power front it's pushing 1.2GHz with an MSM8X12 quad-core A7 and 1GB of RAM which should keep going for a while thanks to the 4100mAh battery.

The MediaPad 7 Youth2 is a rare breed, not only thanks to the odd name, but also because it can make 2G and 3G calls, just like your mobile. Insert Dom Jolly jokes here. Less impressive specs include 4GB storage which can be expanded to 32GB using microSD, Android 4.3 OS, HSPA+ as the fastest connection, plus 3-megapixel and 0.3-megapixel cameras.

Huawei has not announced a release date or price yet. From the specs you can expect an affordable price that'll be aimed at competing with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite.

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Nokia Lumia 625 is now getting GDR3 and Lumia Black update

Microsoft and Nokia have already seeded the GDR3+Lumia Black update to Lumia 1020, 925, 920 and 820, while the Lumia 1520 is running it out of the box. As of today Lumia 625 has also joined the Lumia Black bandwagon.

Nokia Lumia 625 phones in various countries around the globe are already getting the notification for both the Windows Phone 8 GDR3 update and Nokia's Lumia Black improvements. In case your Lumia 625 isn't among those, you should be getting the update very soon as well.



The WP8 GDR3 update now allows you to close apps from the app switching UI, it also brings auto rotation on/off switch, Driving Mode, Bluetooth tethering, better storage management, custom ringtones for messages, and new accessibility options. Nokia's Lumia Black also update adds Bluetooth 4.0LE support.

Now that both updates have been optimized for Lumia phones with 512MB RAM so they work on the Lumia 625, we expect Lumia 520, 620 and 720 to get their updates shortly.

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The 4.5-inch Huawei G6 is an Ascend P6 on a budget

Huawei's ex-flagship, the Ascend P6, may have its downsides -- it's certainly not as widely available as competing models from Huawei's rivals, and it sure could make use of a more powerful processor -- yet nobody can contest that it is one sexy device.


The previous record holder for the world's slimmest smartphone (just 6.18mm!), the P6 has been one of Huawei's most popular models, and the company appears intent on further cashing in on its success by introducing a budget version of the phone. This is strictly unconfirmed, of course, but China's FCC-equivalent body, Tenaa, has certified a device bearing a model number G6-T00 and an unmistakable similarity with the P6. Chinese blog MyDrivers has further dug out some specific hardware intel from the listing and it reads pleasantly, granted that Huawei manages a very low price point. Included within is a quad-core, 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6582 built on a 28nm process, 1GB of RAM, a 8-megapixel rear shooter and a 5-megapixel front one. There's also apparently a slot for microSD card expansion, and despite its likely budget tag, the Android 4.2.2-touting phone is still super slender, with dimensions measured at 130 x 65 x 7.5mm. Lastly, based on the dimensions of the phone, MyDrivers is guessing a diagonal length of 4.5-inches, though this is obviously up in the air. As to when we might get to see this more frugal version of the P6, we simply don't know.




Huawei G6-T00Fullscreen

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Superfast satellite internet coming to UK trains, planes and boats

Ofcom has just announced it's going to free up satellite bandwidth to allow superfast internet access on trains, planes and boats in the UK.

The new broadband speeds should deliver ten times faster connections than are currently available while also being more stable. That means around 10Mbit/sec for each passenger.

The technology works using earth stations on vehicles which recieve large amounts of data from satellites in geostationary orbit. This method of connection will track the satellite closely for a stable connection, even at high speeds. Each earth station can receive up to 50Mbit/sec.

Philip Marnick, group director of spectrum at Ofcom, said: "We want travellers to benefit from superfast broadband on the move at the kind of speeds they expect from their connection at home."

"Today’s decision means that operators of trains, boats and planes will soon be able to begin the process of making these valuable services available to their passengers."

Ofcom expects to accept applications to license ship-mounted earth stations by February, and is working on aircraft versions now for a similar release time. Train based earth stations should be good to go by this summer.

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Microsoft pays Machinima video partners to mention Xbox One on YouTube

It can be hard to tell at times when the videos you are watching on YouTube are legitimate content created because someone likes what they are showing off or when they are paid to produce the content. That line between paid content and normal content is a bit murkier on YouTube thanks to a marketing campaign that has surfaced from Microsoft. The campaign paid YouTube video partners to produce video content mentioning the Xbox One.



The photo you see above promoting the advertising campaign for Machinima video partners on YouTube surfaced recently. Microsoft is paying these video partners on YouTube to make and post videos that mention the new Microsoft game console, the Xbox One.

Microsoft is paying $3 per CPM for the videos. That means Microsoft will pay the video partner an extra $3 for each 1000 views the video gets. Considering some popular videos can generate tens of thousands of views, this program could pay out significant money to the video partners. The program limits payouts to the first 1.25 million views meaning that the video maker could earn a max of $3750 for the video.

The advertising campaign required the video partners to include at least 30 seconds of Xbox One game footage and mention the console by name. The video also had to have the tag "XB1M13" listed. The legal terms behind the campaign also leaked and clearly state that to get the money the video producers can't say anything negative about the Xbox One or any of its games in the video and have to keep the terms of the advertising campaign confidential.

SOURCE: ArsTechnica

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Beats Music Service launches on iPhone giving Spotify a run for its money

Earlier this month it was announced that the Beats Music service would be launching on the iPhone on January 21. With January 21 here, the Beats Music service has now officially launched. The music service is available for iPhone users via an app on the App Store.
The app pushes the big features that Beats Music hopes will set it apart from the other music streaming services out there. Beats Music is focusing heavily on customization and curation. One of the big features is called Right Now. It will offer music based on data that the user enters to answer questions.
The data entered includes things like what the user is feeling, what they are doing, whom they are with, and what sort of music genre they want. The feature will then make an endless playlist for the user based on their answers and mood that will play from the songs in the Beats Music database. Reports indicate the question with the most bearing on the playlist is the music genre the user wants with answers on other questions not affecting the playlist much.
The app also offers music recommendations by genre and allows you to find playlists constructed by friends. Another big feature is a curated playlist from what the service claims are music experts from the industry. Beats Music is available now in the US for $9.99 per month. A free 7-day trial is available to let you try it out before you buy.
SOURCE: 9to5mac.com

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Sony D6503 ‘Sirius’ KitKat interface leaks in its entirety, two frontal speakers and 4K video confirmed

Sony D6503 Sirius details are leaking as if we are very close to unveiling, which leads us to the thought we might indeed see it appear at the MWC expo next month, just as rumored. We saw it earlier next to the Xperia Z1, and now we get screenshots of its Timescape interface, sitting on top of Android 4.4.2 KitKat.


The screens reveal that new features are in store with Sony's upcoming flagship refresh - 4K video recording from the 20 MP camera gets confirmed, as was rumored before, as well as a Glove mode for the screen, meaning you can operate it out on the ski lift, like any self-respecting Lumia these days. In the Storage settings we are also seeing that the phone will sport 16 GB of internal memory, plus a microSD slot for expansion, just as expected.

There are numerous other tweaks like another homescreen option for visually impaired, smart backlight control, USB DAC control, notification and quick settings tabs in the status bar, as well as a whole lot of transparencies and full-screen wallpapers, brought along by KitKat.

The USB amp option should be a hint that Sony has some plans for the Sirius to be a music-oriented handset, not only a cameraphone, and looking at the leaked pics of the actual device below, we are seeing two front speakers, not one, which are most likely stereo, like the HTC One pieces. One sits just above the LED notification light, the other is at the bottom, over what looks sophisticated noise-canceling mic setup at the bottom of the phone. Plenty to look forward to in Sony D6503 Sirius, it seems, and it might even be worthy of being called the Z2, if all these rumors pan out, especially if it arrives with a QHD panel.

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HTC M8 might skip QHD resolution, to arrive with a 1080p screen instead

HTC has published the UA Prof file for what seems like the HTC M8 (aka the successor to the HTC One), allegedly confirming its existence and the fact that the device will feature a 1080 x 1920-pixel display. User Agent Profile (UA Prof) files are specification files that describe the model, screen size and other features of the device before it gets officialized. Making such a file is not obligatory, but usually when published, this is done by the phone maker itself (in this case from HTC), and is a near-official confirmation of a device.

While the resolution of the HTC M8 is not expected to change from that of last year's HTC One, the size of the display is actually expected to go up slightly. The HTC M8 is rumored to have a screen of at least 5 inches in diagonal, but not larger than 5.9 inches. What does this mean? First and foremost, pixel peepers might be disappointed to learn that the newest HTC flagship won't match the oft rumored 2014 trend of QHD (1440 x 2560-pixel) displays.

To most people and even sharp-eyed consumers, though, we expect the difference between QHD and 1080p displays to be barely visible, so we would not necessarily count this as a flaw. Moreover, a device with a 1080p display would actually perform better as it has to process much less pixels than a QHD phone, and this might be a compromise some are willing to make.

Even without a QHD display, there is something else about the HTC M8 that makes it extremely interesting, and that’s the rumored twin-sensor rear camera. The twin sensors are said to improve the focusing ability, the depth of field and image quality of the M8’s camera, and we’re looking forward to seeing the possibilities that may come with it.

The handset is also said to retain a similar design and visual aesthetics to those of the original HTC One, but get beefier under the hood with a newer version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon system chip (we’d bet on either a newer version of Snapdragon 800, or the Snapdragon 805). Luckily, it’s also said to get released in just a couple of months, by the end of March, when all these rumors will be put to rest - brace yourselves, the wait won’t be too long.

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