VTech Hires Mandiant to Shore Up Security for Kids

VTech on Thursday revealed it has hired FireEye’s Mandiant to help improve security after reaction from parents around the world over news that itsservers were hacked.

It also is cooperating with law enforcement agencies worldwide to investigate the incident and has temporarily shut down several websites, its Learning Lodge app store, and its Kids Connect service, which is similar to WhatsApp.

Mandiant will lead the forensic investigation into the breach, review all aspects of how VTech handles customer information, and define how VTech can better secure user data using its Incident Response Services.

Encryption Errors

VTech has taken heat for being lackadaisical about security.

“There have been multiple industry breaches that could have served as a warning to evaluate their defenses,” asserted Kymberlee Price, senior director of researcher operations at Bugcrowd, pointing to Risk Based Security’s quarterly Data Breach Intelligence report, which said there were more than 3,000 data breaches worldwide in the first three quarters of 2015.

VTech repeatedly has pointed out that it uses AES-128 encryption for some data, including photos.

AES-128 is “a reasonable security defense approved by the United States government in use up to the Secret level of classification, [but] VTech’s problem is that it appears they did not properly implement encryption, using constant values in the MD5 hashes employed,” Price told the E-Commerce Times.

MD5 has been “widely denounced as a known weak password hash algorithm since 2010,” she pointed out, and SHA-2 is now recommended instead.

Why Did VTech Stumble?

To be fair, VTech is suffering from a systemic problem plaguing the consumer electronics industry.

This industry “has been slow to invest in security,” Price said. “Presumably they underestimate security risks because they aren’t dealing with financial transactions or business intelligence, [so] they believe they aren’t an attractive target for hackers.”

There is hope, however — the Sony PlayStation Network hacks between 2011 and 2014 have spurred the gaming industry to improve security, and public reports of the security threat posed by the Internet of Things has led IoT vendors to look more closely at security, she noted. The VTech breach and news that Mattel’s Barbie can be hacked may spur change in the kids’ electronic products sector.

What Else Should VTech Do?

VTech “should have been encrypting all user data both in transit and at rest, not just some of the content,” Price said. “The problem isn’t the consumer using technology insecurely, but the vendor’s inadequate protection of the data.”

The hacker who breached VTech got the idea from a thread on hacking the VTech Innotab, and other websites carrying similar content probably exist, so VTech should conduct ongoing monitoring of potential threats to their customers, Price suggested.

VTech did not respond to our request to provide more details.

How to Keep Kids Safer

Parents “must now make conscious decisions about what data on their children to trust companies such as VTech with,” Péter Gyöngyösi, product manager atBalabit, told the E-Commerce Times.

Read vendors’ privacy policies, Price urged, and find out how data is transmitted and stored before making a purchase.

Parents should consider setting up an anonymous email account to use for account registration that doesn’t identify either them or their kids, disable location services in the application, and refrain from linking third-party apps to social media or accounts affiliated with their personal information.

Buy American

Electronic toys from non-U.S. companies pose a greater threat to kids than those made in this country.

“There is zero legislation to address non-U.S. companies gathering information on kids,” said Ted Collins, CTO of Playrific.

“The FTC has no jurisdiction over anything outside the 56 states and territories of the U.S.,” he told the E-Commerce Times. “We don’t even have an appropriate agency tasked with protecting kids.”

Source by: http://www.technewsworld.com

Read more »

Star Citizen’s Second Alpha Hurtles Past $100M Landmark

Racking in more than 200 times its original asking price, the crowdfunded space simulator Star Citizen earlier this week reached a landmark 100 million in backer dollars. At the same time, developer Cloud Imperium released version 2.0 of the game’s Alpha build.

Alpha 2.0 is billed as the biggest Star Citizen update yet, as it features more pieces of Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts’ ambitious vision for the space trading and combat simulator.

The update puts to use the Star Citizen‘s multi-crew component, which enables players to cooperate in manning and protecting some of the game’s larger space ships around the Stanton solar system. The action is anchored by the gravity of the gas giant Crusader.

There’s an Armistice Zone outside of Port Olisar, a launchpad into the Stanton System. Outside of that fire-free zone, however, it’s weapons-free, and players can shoot at anyone or anything as long as they’re willing to deal with the consequential round of fire volleyed in response.

Crusader’s three moons provide plenty to explore, and there’s a little bit of story to make use of the game’s first-person shooter component. On the ground, players can join Crusader Industries’ security forces, combating pirates who deployed technology to create a communications black zone to blanket illegal activities.

Of course, Star Citizen Alpha 2.0 introduces more ships to the game. Ships have played a major role in attracting backer dollars.

Roberts’ $100 Million Baby

Roberts initially hoped to raise a modest $500,000, but received $2 million in crowdfunding when he laid out his vision for the game.

As Roberts’ “ultimate vision for a PC-only space game,” Star Citizen eliminated the costly fees that a third-party crowdfunding platform like Kickstarter would charge, and raised $100 million on its own, noted Mario Kroll, principal atÜberStrategist.

“Sadly, the game still has announced no completion date and seems to have added features and scope in proportion to — or perhaps greater than — the steadily growing budget, or should I say funding,” he told TechNewsWorld.

Star Citizen‘s budget is bigger than multiplatform role-playing game The Witcher 3, Kroll pointed out, adding that $100 million seemed excessive for a PC-only title.

However, considering the scale and complexity of the game, $100 million may be comfortable, but not unreasonable, suggested Ted Pollak, senior analyst for the games industry at Jon Peddie Research.

It appears to be enough for the release and to support the game for a while afterward, he said.

“With $100 million, the game is well funded and he should have the resources now to go full speed in pushing this game towards a retail quality build,” Pollak told TechNewsWorld. “That said, I believe it’s always been his plan to never stop development of this game, because the content is infinite.”

The Fan Foundation

After work or school, or spending an adequate amount of time socializing, Star Citizen cadets can hop into a spaceship they earned to collect bounties and trade resources mined from asteroids.

They can land on a planet or dock at a space station and shop for new parts for those ships, because the rigors of combat and bad parking wear on individual components or groups of them.

They can upgrade those ships for improved acceleration, turn precision, shields, weapons, transport capabilities and more.

It’s that depth of realism and detail that has helped Star Citizen emerge both as one of the most ambitious space flight games ever and one of the most criticized titles of any time.

“Consumers, drooling at the possibilities, probably with nostalgia for Wing Commander and others, answered with their wallets,” Kroll said.

Despite glimpses of what could be possible, and a star-studded cast of voiceover talent for the campaign mode, there’s still no complete game or anything approaching it, he observed.

“Hats off to Chris Roberts for being able to rally fan enthusiasm to a point where people are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on virtual spacecraft that hopefully will be flyable at some point when the game comes closer to completion,” said Kroll.

Fans “so far have been fairly patient and largely enthusiastic about what little functional aspects of Star Citizen are available and are being slowly doled out,” he added.

Star Citizen either will raise the bar in game development and serve as a “hallmark case study” for high-profile game crowdfunding, or Roberts may outdo Curt Schilling and 38 Studios in failing to meet expectations, according to Kroll.

“It’s a potentially dangerous game that Cloud Imperium is playing,” he said.

Declining to announce a release date protects the studio from making unrealistic promises in an industry where delays are common and generally are met with complaints from vocal fans, Kroll pointed out.

Fans are generally patient “until they aren’t,” he quipped. “Here’s hoping we get one of the best PC games ever, representing a great way that $100 million plus was spent, rather than Chris Roberts needing to dodge angry gamers with pitchforks and torches at the drawbridge of his moated castle.”

Source by: http://www.technewsworld.com

Read more »

Twitter Sics Promoted Tweets on Logged-Out Users

Twitter on Thursday revealed it’s testing the expansion of promoted tweets aimed at logged-out users.

The company has been searching for ways to monetize the patronage of the roughly 500 million logged-out users per month who hop off Google for a moment to read tweet or two. The glue here is more tweets, more content.

The test will enable logged-out users to view promoted tweets and allow organizations to continue using their same marketing techniques.

If the experiment goes as planned, the expanded reach will enable marketers to “tap into the total Twitter audience” and reach more people using the same targeting, advertising and measurement tools, said Deepak Rao, Twitter’s revenue product manager.

The move will provide marketers with a new channel, said Justin Hamel, CEO ofMastaMinds.

“In the past, what we have seen with new advertising channels is the prices will be very cheap — that will make it very attractive to advertisers,” he told the E-Commerce Times. “Having the ability to target non-logged-in Twitter users provides a new demographic to laser target ads to.”

Know the Audience

While it will open up a new channel for marketers, Twitter may not understand enough about its logged-out users, or else the number wouldn’t have climbed to 500 million per month, according to Elizabeth Lampert, president ofElizabeth Lampert PR.

“There are a number of impressions that need to be made to activate the purchase,” she told the E-Commerce Times.

“That said, Twitter does have the advantage of knowing a lot about the user based on the information they share, they follow and tweets they favorite. Knowing and understanding are necessary for monetization, and I think they may have a long way to go,” Lampert added.

For logged-in visitors, this might not be the greatest thing in the world, according to Hamel.

“Nobody wants to see more ads,” he said. “Not to mention finding the relevant info is going to be harder now for them because they will have to sift through more ads and tweets.”

For marketers, the downside is that this wider audience includes even more unknowns. Simply put, it’s easier to serve regulars than to cater to out-of-towners.

On the Money

Though it’s still just a test, and Twitter has scrapped loads of experiments, the move should at least encourage investors, Hamel said.

“Twitter stockholders, stand up and applaud. This strategic move will surely increase Twitter’s revenue and profits. It will also give non-signed-up users a swift kick in the caboose to actually take action and create a Twitter account, since creating an account will get rid of some of the spammy ads,” he said.

While promoting content to outsiders may be new to Twitter, it’s a common practice among forum sites across the Internet, said MastaMind’s Hamel.

“It kills two birds with one stone: maximizes profit and increases user signup,” he said. “If I was running Twitter.com, I would have done this many moons ago.”

Source by: http://www.technewsworld.com

Read more »

10 Outdated Gadgets Still in Use

“Technology has become as ubiquitous as the air we breathe, so we are no longer conscious of its presence.” – Godfrey Reggio

True enough, from the moment we wake up, till when we go to bed, we use gadgets so regularly that we hardly even notice that. Even when we are asleep, there are gadgets at work, like there are clocks ticking away to wake ups up at the right time in the morning. With the progress of science, newer gadgets replace older ones. There are several gadgets that are out of use, and almost on the verge of obliteration, now. But, there are also some outdated gadgets that are still in use. Let’s take a look at 10 Outdated Gadgets Still in Use, now.

1. Dedicated GPS Device

Though most smartphones are have a GPS functionality, the dedicated GPS system still survives, and for several good reasons. Most people find the in-dash GPS devices or even the portable ones easier to balance on the dash than smart phones. Besides, it may also be a problem if there is a call, when the driver is about to take a turn. On top of it all, their manufacturers also tend to update the maps.

2. Vinyl LPs

With CDs, DVDs and other modern devices that can record music, the large black discs, i.e. the vinyl LPs should not have survived. But, instead, they have remained in the market. Music lovers who like a classic touch cling to the LPs. While gramophones are still available, the modern digital turntables that convert music on the LPs to digital files, make sure vinyl LPs are outdated gadgets still in use.

3. Typewriter

We could say that typewriters are a combination of the modern keyboard of a computer and the printer, as this device can directly print on the paper, directly, what needs to be printed on paper. A more advanced version is the series by Brother, which uses electricity. While it doesn’t allow saving documents for editing or reproduction, it is still used, especially by small enterprises, individuals, etc.

4. Portable Media Player

Everyone uses the all-in-one cell phone as a portable media player. Why, then, are dedicated media players available? They generally have more memory than what can be committed to music on a phone which has other uses. Some portable media players can be plugged to a TV or other devices. Most importantly, the phone battery is saved for other tasks by the separate portable media players.

5. Landline Telephone

People have cell-phones to attend calls – or reject them – at any time and place, landline phones are still important, not only because sometimes, cell reception is not easy to get, especially in some inside house and atop tall buildings, but also because it offers a sense of reliability to people when an establishment offers a permanent number. Rotary phones, however, are just antique collectibles.

6. Answering Machines

With landlines still surviving as the outdated gadgets still in use, answering machines are pretty much indispensable. The dedicated answering machines perform the same task as the voicemail of modern cell phones do, except they are separately installed, to record messages. The drill is the same – customized greetings urging the caller to leave a message that can be played back later.

7. Analogue Watches and Clocks

As with most portable devices, cell phones seem to be the perfect replacement for wrist watches and clocks, as they show time and even perform the task of alarm clocks. But, to be honest, cell phones haven’t yet matched the convenience of real clocks and watches. While, with watches, the knowledge about time is just of twist of the wrist away, big clocks remind us of the ticking time.

8. Digital Camera/Camcorder

Smartphones or other high end phones come with an in-built camera that can capture high-quality photographs. These can also double as camcorders and shoot videos in High Definition. For casual uses, like taking a selfie or recording a quick video. But, professional use, mobile phone cannot beat a Digital SLR camera, or a digital camcorder, which are outdated gadgets still in use, and largely so.

9. Non-Smart Mobile Phones

Everyone has a cell phone, now, even kids, and no one wants anything other than smart phones. But, the non-smart cell phones are not out of use, yet. They are mainly used by elderly people who are yet to get the hang of smartphones. People who do not want to be bugged by technology at all times also prefer the old phones which can be used for calling, messaging, or at best, taking snaps.

10. Local Storage Device

The cloud storage system acts like a virtual storage device, and can store a back of files. Clouds make it possible to access data at any time, from anywhere. If this isn’t enough, another compelling reason to use cloud storage instead of local storage device is that it can be lost or even damaged. However, poor net connectivity and chances of getting hacked ensure that local storage devices are still in use.

There are plenty of other outdated gadgets still in use, today. For instance, there are the fax machines which scream 80s, but are still unbeaten because of their reliability in case of digital signature. Then, there are the portable DVD/VCR players that are still used at homes to watch a film on the big television screen. It might be hard to believe, but, even the laptops are considered outdated, what with the advent of tablets, though their main problem is the virtual keyboard, and small screen size compared to laptops, or even desk top. There are many more, and though these are old and pretty much replaceable, they are still in existence as their modern versions, mostly the tablets and smartphones with internet, are too many things in one, and hence, they cannot perform the tasks with as much efficiency as the dedicate devices do. Will the older devises update themselves and hold on to their place in the market and our lives, or will the modern devices improve and wipe out the older ones? Only time will tell.

Source by: http://www.wonderslist.com

Read more »

5 features we’d love to see on Android phones in 2015

Smartphone technology moves fast, but manufacturers can also be pretty cautious at times. The easiest and surest route to profit is often to match the competition and build on what’s there, rather than go back to the drawing board. While there’s an ever-expanding roadmap of possibilities opening up before us, many prove to be dead ends, and it takes major success with a road less traveled before the pack takes note.

I wrote this exact feature two years ago, 5 features we’d love to see on Android phones in 2013, and while there’s been some progress, three of those entries are going to make this list as well. Better Wi-Fi and more antennas don’t seem pressing anymore, but flexible displays, better batteries, and tougher phones are still totally relevant.

Flexible displays

We’ve seen a toe dipped in the water with regard to flexible displays as Samsung and LG have experimented with curves in the shape of the Samsung Galaxy Round and the LG G Flex. But a very slight curve in the rigid display is not what we have been waiting for.

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is a real step in the right direction. Here’s something that’s genuinely innovative. It has a strip on the edge that can come to life independently of the main display and offer extra controls. It’s also potentially readable on the nightstand when you’re lying in bed. It would have been more impressive if Samsung had the bravery to launch it as the flagship Note, the next step in the series and really throw some marketing weight behind it. The strip is a good idea, but you also get the feeling it needs imaginative software developers to make the most of it and Samsung might not be the best company to deliver. Honestly, it’s still not what we’ve been waiting for.

What we’ve really been waiting for is a device with a genuinely flexible display that folds from smartphone size for your pocket up to tablet size when you want a larger screen. Flexibility introduces serious technical challenges relating to touchscreen functionality, not to mention the rest of the components that make up the average smartphone. Although I could see the value in a device with a normal smartphone touchscreen and an extendable display without touch functionality for reading and watching movies on.

It’s going to take a seriously clever design to pull this off. I don’t expect it next year, or even the year after that, but we should see some new designs in the short term that challenge the slab form factor and use flexible displays in innovative ways.

Better batteries

The average size of batteries is going up, but OEMs keep building bigger, higher resolution screens. A lot of the new hardware inside smartphones is about doing more with less power, but are we really feeling the benefit? I think battery life has improved a lot, but it depends on what device you use. My Xperia Z2 definitely outlasts any previous Android phone I have owned (HTC Desire, Samsung Galaxy S3, Nexus 5), but I’m greedy and I still want it to last longer.

We’ve looked at why wireless charging hasn’t taken off properly in the past. There is technology in the works to charge your device while it sits in your pocket, but is this kind of charging really the answer to our battery woes? Charging speeds have been increasing and there’s obvious value in being able to fully charge a phone in an hour or less, but it still won’t solve the problem of running out of juice.

Battery saving software has been improving as well, but maybe the designers need to do more to consider power usage. What kind of trade-off would you accept? If you got 25% longer battery life if your phone had a 1080p display, over a 4K display would you take that deal? Battery life is improving, but OEMs could be taking more advantage. The E-Ink display on the YotaPhone 2 is a great example of some smart design that could really boost battery life.

Tougher phones

This has been tackled to an extent, as Sony pushed waterproofing into the Android mainstream. I’ve dropped my phone in the bath twice without any ill effects; though in the past I probably wouldn’t have risked using my phone in the bath. Water resistance should be standard in a smartphone now.

The trouble is that general toughness has not improved. My Xperia Z2 survived a fall from standing height onto a tile floor unscathed, but then fell off my lap while sitting onto a wooden floor and cracked. There’s a definite element of luck to smartphone falls, but a thin slab of glass and metal or plastic is inevitably going to be prone to breaking on impact with a hard surface.

I resent having to slap a case on my beautifully designed smartphone. I want it naked. There are some great case manufacturers out there, but they’re still a reluctant necessity rather than something to get excited about. The trouble from an OEM point of view is that greater durability without adding bulk is tough and everyone wants slim devices. There’s limited benefit to them because they make money if you break your phone and have to repair it or buy a new one. The strength of durability as a selling point for consumers isn’t all that clear.

No more passwords, wallets, or keys

Imagine that your smartphone knows when you are holding it without you having to enter a password, PIN, or pattern. Biometric finger or eye scanning, or voice recognition are all potentially much more convenient. It could even learn the way you move, measure distances, recognize your gait. A combination of factors could make this really secure. It should unlock automatically when you hold it and lock up when someone else does, unless told otherwise.

If your smartphone can reliably identify and authenticate you then it would be safe to use it as your universal key. I want my smartphone to start my car and unlock my front door. I want to use my smartphone to pay for goods and services. I don’t want to have to carry anything else. The technology is here, it just needs to be polished and proven trustworthy.

People often argue the dangers of a system like this, but fail to recognize that the current system is less secure. If I steal your wallet, I can spend your cash. I can probably get away with using your plastic in certain scenarios without needing the PIN. I can certainly use your keys to enter your house or drive your car. I can’t do any of that with your smartphone if it has a secure authentication system that won’t let me in.

Thinking ahead

I’m possibly overexcited by the potential pre-emptive powers of Google Now, but the reality is often disappointing. Pushing up a train timetable as I arrive at the station, warning me about traffic, or providing a sports score update is all well and good, but I’d like to see it go further.

As Google Now spans more devices and potentially has access to more data about me, I’d like it to do more for me. For a start it should be able to sync across devices and update accordingly when I dismiss something, I don’t want to see the same card I swiped away on my phone still there on my tablet or desktop (that applies to all Android notifications).

It should be the hard-working personal assistant that most of us can’t afford. Remind me to send a message to this person without me having to set a reminder, tell me that my favorite band is playing close by next month, or make sure I don’t forget to pay a bill. How about telling me I could save money by switching to this service, or alerting me to a big discount deal on something it knows I want?

I want an Android phone that’s thinking ahead for me.

That’s it for now. Agree or disagree? Want something else I didn’t mention? Hit the comments and tell us. I’ll see you in two years when hopefully I’ll have to draw up a completely new list because these features have been delivered.




Source from:

http://www.androidauthority.com

Read more »

Upcoming Android Phones for Last Season of 2015

Looking for the best android phone for the last season of 2015? Android is very popular and almost all mobile phones by any names of the brands or companies uses Android as the OS of the phone. And for you as an Android hunter, it is important to get up-to-date with the upcoming android phones to always update the information of new Android that will be introduced in the market. And you will also find a list about the new android that will come.

In the list of upcoming android phones 2015, almost all brands or companies will introduce the new update of their Android phone either with the new type or the next generation of the previous time. And sure, it is not only about the type or brands of the upcoming android phones that you need to know but also the specs and feature of each type of the Android phones. Sure, the change may not be so different with the previous android phones.

Commonly, the upcoming android phones will offer more features and some also update and upgrade the system and technology to make the phone more than just a mobile phone or for entertainment but also for working. So, it depends on what you want to look for the phone as each type of phone may have the good point at certain feature and for another may not. It is just like other brands of Android phones that may be excellent in one feature but not for another one.

That is why, if you go online, you may find a list of upcoming android phones with certain number of the new Android phones that will come in the market with their own pros and cons. Therefore, it is a good idea to read the review of each type of the phones. And there are also some reviews from professional editor or reviewer you can read to find the best one from these upcoming new android phones.

Description: upcoming android phones give you more options with new Android phones and with new features and technology and system. Reading the review of the phones is a good idea.

Source from:

http://appsfree.us

Read more »

Top And Rising Emerging Technology Of The Future

Renewable energy is the demand of today. With global warming increasing due to harmful emissions from hydrocarbon vehicles and increased depletion of the natural reserves of the oil, new resources are required to power automobiles that are environment friendly and abundant in nature. For that purpose, fuel-cell power vehicles have been designed that use hydrogen or natural gas to generate electricity unlike batteries that use external source for charging. In practice, fuel-cells are used in combination with batteries; fuel-cells generate electricity and batteries save that charge for future usage. Hydrogen is a clean burning gas which produces only water vapors as waste product. That is why it is zero emission fuel. This is one of the major reasons for its use as automobile fuel. Although this technology is quite costly now, it would be available for commercial use in near future. People love to hear about emerging technology.



Artificial intelligence is the technology that performs every task using computers and programming codes that a normal human can perform. Over past few years, there has been great advancement in the area of Artificial Intelligence. Most of the people use smart phones that can recognize human speech and respond accordingly. Self-driving cars and drones have the ability to detect objects around them and avoid accidents. These machines have the ability to think in different scenarios and make a suitable decision according to the situation. Human face recognition machines with AI operating systems can detect facial expressions and analyze them to deduce beneficial results. Such technology is being implemented at airports to reduce the probabilities of terrorism. AI systems can perform most human tasks and in some case, outperform them. Here I have posted some emerging technology pictures.







Source from:

http://www.findsols.com

Read more »