Archive for May 19, 2017

Ford Announces Apple CarPlay & Android Auto Updates For 2016 Vehicle Owners

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 19, 2017 by itnerd

If you own a 2016 model year Ford, you can now get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto via software update.

You can download the update from Ford’s owner support website, but it will also be the first over the air update for Sync, meaning users with Wi-Fi enabled vehicles will be able to download it directly. If none of that appeals to you, you can always have your dealer do it for you. Though that’s likely to cost you.

More details can be found in this press release from Ford. This is positive news as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are key features that both new owners of cars as well as existing owners of cars expect. Thus companies who take care of both parties will get significant amounts of loyalty from both groups of owners.

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Bell Ignored Ransom Demand Prior To Data Breach

Posted in Commentary with tags , on May 19, 2017 by itnerd

Earlier this week I told you about Bell having customer data leak and the possibility that more leaks would be coming. It now seems that the reason for the leak was the fact that Bell ignored a ransom demand from the hacker behind this. Here’s what The Financial Post had to say:

“A demand for payment was made by the hacker, but it was not paid,” Bell spokesman Marc Choma said via email on Tuesday. “We did not reply to their demand.”

You can completely understand why Bell didn’t pay. It would have opened the floodgates for extortion. But you still have to wonder how this happened in the first place? Bell isn’t exactly offering up those details. But the Canadian Privacy Commissioner is investigating and if they discover that Bell dropped the ball, we’ll be told pretty darn quick.

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Zomato Pwned….. Data Of 17 Million Users’ Data Briefly Appears On Dark Web

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 19, 2017 by itnerd

Another day, another data breach. This time it’s Zomato and the hack is big. Here’s the details via HackRead:

Recently, HackRead found out a vendor going by the online handle of “nclay” is claiming to have hacked Zomato and selling the data of its 17 million registered users on a popular Dark Web marketplace.

The database includes emails and password hashes of registered Zomato users while the price set for the whole package is USD 1,001.43 (BTC 0.5587). The vendor also shared a trove of sample data to prove that the data is legit. Here’s a screenshot of the sample data publicly shared by “nclay.”

The company via a blog post has acknowledged that they’ve been pwned. Passwords have apparently been reset and Zomato are looking for any breaches in their system. But they also say that any credit card info that is stored on the system is secure. Thus there’s nothing to worry about. I am not so sure. If there’s a breach, anything could have been taken. And chances are it will only be discovered and/or admitted to much later. Thus, I’ll provide my standard advice. Assume the worst and take whatever precautions that you need to so that you’re protected.

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