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Facebook Shelves Data Slurping VPN….. Not That It Means Much

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 22, 2019 by itnerd

Remember that data slurping VPN that Facebook engineered? The one that got kicked off the iOS platform? The one that Facebook decided to use some underhanded tactics to keep it alive and in use on iOS before Apple took them down again? Well, Facebook has decided to shelve it:

Facebook will end its unpaid market research programs and proactively take its Onavo VPN app off the Google Play store in the wake of backlash following TechCrunch’s investigation about Onavo code being used in a Facebook Research app the sucked up data about teens. The Onavo Protect app will eventually shut down, and will immediately cease pulling in data from users for market research though it will continue operating as a Virtual Private Network in the short-term to allow users to find a replacement. Facebook has also ceased to recruit new users for the Facebook Research app that still runs on Android but was forced off of iOS by Apple after we reported on how it violated Apple’s Enterprise Certificate program for employee-only apps. Existing Facebook Research app studies will continue to run, though.

This really doesn’t mean anything as this is simply damage control by Facebook. What really needs to happen is that Facebook needs to be severely punished for this sort of bad behavior. For example, governments worldwide need to severely restrict their activities. They need to be fined heavily, as in into the billions of dollars. Or, if I were Tim Cook, I would simply send out an iOS update that would stop Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and whatever else that Facebook has out there from working simply to send a message that Facebook’s behavior is unacceptable. Those are the sorts of things that will force Facebook to behave.

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X-Doria Launches Case Collections for the Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and S10E

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 21, 2019 by itnerd

X-Doria, a leading manufacturer of fashion-forward and protective accessories, introduces two case collections to outfit and protect the new Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, or S10E.

X-Doria’s Defense line of cases are tested to meet and exceed military drop test standards (MIL-STD-810G) of up to 10 feet (3M) onto concrete and feature a raised front lip (1mm) to help avoid the screen from being damaged or scratched.

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Defense Shield ($29.99) for Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10E

  • Machined aluminum exterior frame coupled with a soft rubber bumper for ultimate protection
  • Clear polycarbonate phone backing shows off the Galaxy’s sleek design and color
  • Anodized aluminum frame, available in Red, Black or Iridescent, and user-friendly one-piece construction compliments the premium quality of the Galaxy while making it even easier to put on/take off
  • Sound channel enhances the user’s listening experience by redirecting audio to the front of the device to amplify music listening and talking
  • Cases work with Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, or S10E

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The Defense Lux ($34.99) for Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, or S10E:

  • Combines a machined aluminum exterior frame, soft rubber bumper and polycarbonate inner backing and frame to provide the ultimate protection
  • Anodized aluminum frame and user-friendly one-piece construction compliments the premium quality of the Galaxy, while making it even easier to put on/take off
  • Integrated sound channel amplifies the bottom speaker and redirects sound to the front

Available in Black Carbon Fiber, Black Leather, or Purple Ballistic Nylon styles

  • Cases work with Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, or S10E

Based in Santa Monica, California, X-Doria designs products that deliver the maximum protection for devices, while maintaining a stylish & sleek exterior worthy of outfitting the hardware it accessorizes. We continue to push the boundaries of technology, manufacturing, materials and design to deliver industry-leading products that our customers are proud of owning.

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UAG’s Protective Cases For The Samsung Galaxy S10 Series Announced

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 21, 2019 by itnerd

Urban Armor Gear (UAG, urbanarmorgear.com) designers of rugged, lightweight mobile accessories, are offering out-of-this world smartphone protection with their newest collection of cases for the Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e.

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Now a global partner in the Samsung Mobile Application Partner Program (SMAPP), UAG has designed their newest collection to withstand the inevitable drops, shocks, and bumps we all face. Working closely with Samsung to complement and enhance the S10’s advanced features, the new offering thoroughly protects the unique technology such as the Infinity-O display, triple-camera, and in-display fingerprint scanner.

Exceptionally thin and lightweight, each series in the S10 collection boasts an impact-resistant core and an armor shell with 360-degree protection. Providing unparalleled security, the collection also offers Samsung customers a variety of styles in several color choices.

Monarch Series Case for Samsung Galaxy S10e, S10, and S10+

Available in Crimson, Black, and Carbon Fiber

MSRP: $59.95, €49.99, £44.99

  • Handcrafted, feather-light construction with 5 layers of protection

●     Top grain leather and alloy metal hardware

●     Soft impact-resistant core & honeycomb traction grip

●     Oversized tactile buttons & protective screen surround

●     Compatible with Samsung Pay and Samsung Fast Wireless Charging

●     Meets 2X Military drop-test standards (MIL STD 810G 516.6)

Plasma Series Case for Samsung Galaxy S10e, S10, and S10+

Available in: Ice, Ash, and Magma

MSRP: $39.95, €29.99, £26.99

●     Feather-light composite construction

●     Armor shell and impact resistant soft core

●     Oversized tactile buttons and non-slip ruggedized grip

●     Easy access to touchscreen and ports

●     Scratch resistant skid pads and screen surround

●     Compatible with Samsung Pay and Samsung Fast Wireless Charging

●     Meets military drop-test standards (MIL STD 810G 516.6)

Pathfinder Series Case for Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10+

Available in Black, Slate, and Midnight Camo

MSRP: $39.95 – $49.95, €29,99 – €44,99, £26.99 – £34.99

●     Feather-light composite construction

●     Armor shell and impact resistant soft core

●     Oversized tactile buttons and non-slip ruggedized grip

●     Easy access to touchscreen and ports

●     Scratch resistant skid pads and screen surround

●     Compatible with Samsung Pay and Samsung Fast Wireless Charging

●     Meets military drop-test standards (MIL STD 810G 516.6)

Plyo Series Case for Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10+

Available in: Ice and Glacier

MSRP: $39.95, €29,99, £26.99

●     Armor shell & impact resistant soft core

●     Air-soft corners for cushioning impact

●     Feather-light composite construction

●     Oversized tactile buttons & easy access to touchscreen and ports

●     Protective screen surround

●     Compatible with Samsung Pay and Samsung Fast Wireless Charging

●     Meets military drop-test standards (MIL STD 810G-516.6)

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The UK & Germany May Not Ban Huawei Citing Lack Of Evidence Of Spying

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 21, 2019 by itnerd

It seems that the UK and Germany may not ban Huawei from their respective countries despite allegations of state sponsored spying. First over to the UK:

Ciaran Martin, head of Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said Britain had yet to decide on its security policy for national 5G networks, but that Huawei equipment was subject to detailed oversight and strict government controls over where it was used.

“Our regime is arguably the toughest and most rigorous oversight regime in the world for Huawei,” Martin, whose NCSC is part of Britain’s GCHQ intelligence agency, said at a cybersecurity conference in Brussels.

Asked later whether Washington had presented Britain with any evidence to support its allegations, he told reporters: “I would be obliged to report if there was evidence of malevolence … by Huawei. And we’re yet to have to do that. So I hope that covers it.”

So in the case of the UK, it’s business as usual until there’s a reason to change course. The Germans have gone further by actually considering letting Huawei in:

The preliminary decision made by a small group of relevant ministries two weeks ago is set to be discussed by leaders of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc at a meeting Tuesday night. Even if confirmed, it could still face opposition in her cabinet or in parliament, according to a small group of senior civil servants, diplomats and legislators who would prefer to ban Huawei on strategic and security grounds.

The government has been drafting changes to the country’s telecommunications laws—independent of the Huawei concerns—that would impose stricter security requirements on telecommunication equipment vendors, including a no-spy pledge.

A recent probe by Germany’s cybersecurity agency with help from the U.S. and other allies failed to show that the Chinese company could use its equipment to clandestinely siphon off data, according to senior agency and other government officials.

Both of these are a pretty stunning rebuke of the conventional wisdom that Huawei is a gateway for the Chinese to spy. And the fact that this is public is a problem for the US who is pushing the narrative that Huawei is evil. Let’s be clear, Huawei can hardly be considered the Archangel Gabriel of the tech industry, but the fact that the US is getting this sort of pushback is significant.

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If You Use A Password Manager, It May Have Severe Vulnerabilities That Could Lead To Password Theft

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 21, 2019 by itnerd

There’s a report on ZDNet that flags the fact that several popular password managers apparently have flaws in them that can lead to password theft:

Independent Security Evaluators (ISE) published an assessment on Tuesday with the results of testing with several popular password managers, including LastPass and KeePass. The team said that each password management solution “failed to provide the security to safeguard a user’s passwords as advertised” and “fundamental flaws” were found that “exposed the data they are designed to protect.”

The vulnerabilities were found in software operating on Windows 10 systems. In one example, the master password which users need to use to access their cache of credentials was stored in PC RAM in a plaintext, readable format. ISE was able to extract these passwords and other login credentials from memory while the password manager in question was locked. It may be possible that malicious programs downloaded to the same machine by threat actors could do the same.

This report only covers a handful of password managers. So if you use a password manager that is not listed here, you might want to reach out to the company that makes it to see where they stand on this issue. However, you should also consider the following. To exploit what’s written in this report, you have to have hardware level access to a PC to the point where you can read RAM in order to get someone’s master password from their password manager. Or put another way, you would have to have physical control of the computer in question. That’s way too much effort. It would be much more efficient to install a keylogger and capture everything. But maybe I’m looking at this wrong?

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Martello Partners with TaraSpan

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 20, 2019 by itnerd

Martello Technologies Group Inc. announced today that it has signed a reseller agreement with TaraSpan, a leading India-based unified communication solutions provider, to offer Martello’s SD-WAN and network performance solutions to businesses throughout the region.

As the mobile workforce grows in India, an increasing number of businesses have started using real-time business collaboration tools such as voice, video, chat and sharing to keep their team connected. However, these applications are very sensitive to network speed and bandwidth availability, and any latency, jitter or delay can worsen the user experience. It is now imperative for Indian businesses to implement and maintain a strong network foundation. Martello’s solutions, which include SD-WAN technology, deliver network performance management for real-time communications.

Martello’s solutions have been widely acclaimed in the industry. In September 2018, Martello received a Frost & Sullivan Leadership Award for NPM (Network Performance Management) and ranked No. 28 on the Growth 500 list of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies. The company has expanded its solution portfolio with several acquisitions. On November 2, 2018, the company announced the acquisition of Savision, a Netherlands-based IT Operations Analytics software developer. This follows the acquisitions of SD-WAN player Elfiq Networks in December 2017 and Netvitesse in 2014.

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Samsung Announces New Galaxy Wearables

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 20, 2019 by itnerd

Samsung’s latest attempt to try and eat into Apple’s dominance in the wearables space comes in the form of the following:

  • The Galaxy Active:  The watch monitors blood pressure, in addition to heart rate. Clearly a shot at the EKG functionality in the Apple Watch 4. It has 4GB of storage and also supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and mobile payments via NFC. It can be charged by the new S10 smartphone. It can track over 30 activities. The watch will cost $199.99 US and will be released on March 8th.
  • The Galaxy Fit: Lower down on the food chain and clearly aimed at the Fitbit crowd is the Galaxy Fit. It has a rubber strap with a 0.95-inch full color, touch-sensitive AMOLED display. It pairs over Bluetooth, includes a heart rate monitor, charges wirelessly, and is water resistant. Expect to pay $99 USD on May 31 when it ships.

 

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