The folks at Chaos Computer Clubs have shown how to bypass biometric security on the Samsung Galaxy S8 with a set of simple tools. Infrared camera capture of the target user's face creates a photo which is then printed. This printed photo is combined with a contact lens, and placed in front of the smartphone. The next step is opening the phone - which then allows the user in without real eyeballs.
Nest is working on a new security camera product, at least according to a newly surfaced source, that features 4K resolution able to facilitate high-resolution zooming within a 1080p Full HD video. According to the leak, this camera product will be intended for home security and feature 'advanced smart features' like automatic zooming in on a region when the camera detects motion. The camera will work with a home's WiFi network to provide remote access, as well.
Like many of Apple's apps and services, the Notes app can be synced to iCloud to make the information available on a number of devices. When a user chooses to delete a note, they can recover it within 30 days, but after that Apple states the data is wiped. However, security firm ElcomSoft has discovered that it's able to recover notes well beyond this 30-day window.
If you were up in arms over Netflix's latest move that put itself against the Android enthusiast and modding community, you might want to borrow a few more arms to raise. Netflix might actually just be the first of a new breed of Android apps, a breed that shuns rooted devices or even those whose bootloaders have been unlocked. And before you point your fingers at developers, do know that it is Google that is actually making this an official feature.
Drones pose a problem for prisons, being one of many methods employed to smug drugs, cell phones, and other items to prisoners. In cases where drones have been caught, officials have reported spotting drones dropping items for specific recipients within the prison yard. Some locations have threatened to shoot down any drones that get too close as a result, but one prison in the Channel Islands has employed a more reliable method: it has installed a 'force field' around itself to stop drones from operating over its land.
Drivers are small pieces of software that allow an operating system to communicate and use hardware. Each driver is focused on a specific class of hardware, like display, USB, audio, etc. So when an audio driver starts logging every keystroke made on a computer, you know something's up. That's the situation HP found itself in when security researcher Modzero reported that one of its audio drivers has a hidden keylogging function that poses a security risk to owners of its enterprise laptops.
The fight for smart home dominance is a pretty stacked one, especially when it comes to cameras, but Lighthouse is hoping that a few standout features draw your attention to its own interactive assistant. Masterfully named Lighthouse, this new smart home assistant is launching out of Andy Rubin's Playground Studio. At its core, Lighthouse is an Internet-connected security camera, but to leave it at that undermines what all it can do.
Just when you thought the controversy has died down, the US manages to kick up the dust again. Nearly two months after it first enacted the contentious laptop ban aboard flights from the Middle East, the US Department of Homeland Security or DHS is now expected to expand the restriction to other countries. This time, however, the ban is European countries and could even affect flights coming from the UK, a staunch ally of the US.
Popular video software HandBrake has been compromised and some users are paying the price. The company has revealed that one of its mirror servers was hacked and that the video software was replaced with a trojan. This apparently only affects the Mac version of HandBrake, and only those who downloaded the software from the download.handbrake.fr mirror server. The trojan was live from May 2 to May 6 before being discovered and removed.
Some Google Docs users were hit with a very convincing, very real-looking phishing email today that some, unfortunately, fell for. The email claimed that someone had shared a document with the Google user, who would then click on the link and be taken to a real Google page to select their Gmail account. Choosing the account, though, led to a fishy page that requested access to the user's account, and it only got worse from there.
As homes start to get smarter, the need to protect the people and hi-tech devices inside also gets stronger. When it comes to smart home security, however, there is almost always a compromise between ease of use and strength of security. Danalock, who has been making smart locks for years now, offers a solution. The third version of its smart lock product, the Danalock V3 offers the same ease of installation, speed of reaction, and remote convenience while, at the same time, utilizing the same level of encryption used by government.
Those who know John McAfee before his brush with the long arm of the law will remember him for his eponymous security suite. Back then, McAfee competed with the likes of Norton for supremacy in the anti-virus market. These days, however, McAfee has involved himself in more than just software security. In fact, his latest endeavor is less about software. It is, however, still focused on security. The man whose name has become synonymous with that industry has just revealed his plans to introduce the world to the most secure and most private smartphone. One that uses hardware switches instead of software to implement that security.
