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Prison Inmates Built PCs from e-Waste and Connected Online Using Prison Network

Prison Inmates Built PCs from e-Waste and Connected Online Using Prison Network

Apr 12, 2017
Can you imagine your world without the Internet? I know it's hard to imagine your life without the Internet, and the same was the case of two Ohio prisoners who built personal computers from parts from e-waste, hid them in the ceiling, and connected those PCs to the Internet via the prison's network. The incident occurred in 2015 but has now been made public by the State of Ohio's Office of the Inspector General, which published a 50-page report [ PDF ] on Tuesday, following almost a year-long investigation. According to the report, a prison work program has backfired two inmates of Marion Correctional Institution in Ohio, Florida, who smuggled computer parts from an e-waste recycling workshop and built two clandestine computers out of them. The unsupervised inmates later hid the computers behind a plywood board in the ceiling of a training room, and then connected those working PCs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) network to access
Hackers Can Steal Your Passwords Just by Monitoring SmartPhone Sensors

Hackers Can Steal Your Passwords Just by Monitoring SmartPhone Sensors

Apr 12, 2017
Do you know how many kinds of sensors your smartphone has inbuilt? And what data they gather about your physical and digital activities? An average smartphone these days is packed with a wide array of sensors such as GPS, Camera, microphone, accelerometer, magnetometer, proximity, gyroscope, pedometer, and NFC, to name a few. Now, according to a team of scientists from Newcastle University in the UK, hackers can potentially guess PINs and passwords – that you enter either on a bank website, app, your lock screen – to a surprising degree of accuracy by monitoring your phone's sensors, like the angle and motion of your phone while you are typing. The danger comes due to the way malicious websites and apps access most of a smartphone's internal sensors without requesting any permission to access them – doesn't matter even if you are accessing a secure website over HTTPS to enter your password. Your Phone doesn't Restrict Apps from Accessing Sensors' Data
Making Sense of Operational Technology Attacks: The Past, Present, and Future

Making Sense of Operational Technology Attacks: The Past, Present, and Future

Mar 21, 2024Operational Technology / SCADA Security
When you read reports about cyber-attacks affecting operational technology (OT), it's easy to get caught up in the hype and assume every single one is sophisticated. But are OT environments all over the world really besieged by a constant barrage of complex cyber-attacks? Answering that would require breaking down the different types of OT cyber-attacks and then looking back on all the historical attacks to see how those types compare.  The Types of OT Cyber-Attacks Over the past few decades, there has been a growing awareness of the need for improved cybersecurity practices in IT's lesser-known counterpart, OT. In fact, the lines of what constitutes a cyber-attack on OT have never been well defined, and if anything, they have further blurred over time. Therefore, we'd like to begin this post with a discussion around the ways in which cyber-attacks can either target or just simply impact OT, and why it might be important for us to make the distinction going forward. Figure 1 The Pu
Microsoft Started Blocking Windows 7/8.1 Updates For PCs Running New Processors

Microsoft Started Blocking Windows 7/8.1 Updates For PCs Running New Processors

Mar 20, 2017
You might have heard the latest news about Microsoft blocking new security patches and updates for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users running the latest processors from Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and others. Don't panic, this new policy doesn't mean that all Windows 7 and 8.1 users will not be able to receive latest updates in general because Microsoft has promised to support Windows 7 until 2020 , and Windows 8.1 until 2023. But those who have upgraded their machines running older versions of Windows to the latest processors, or manually downgraded their new laptops to run Windows 7/8.1 would be out of luck. A recently published Microsoft Knowledge Base article suggests that if you are running the older version of operating systems on your computers that feature new processors, including Intel's 7th generation Core i3, i5 and i7 ("Kaby Lake"), AMD Ryzen ("Bristol Ridge") and Qualcomm 8996 chips or later, the security updates will not install. Inste
cyber security

Automated remediation solutions are crucial for security

websiteWing SecurityShadow IT / SaaS Security
Especially when it comes to securing employees' SaaS usage, don't settle for a longer to-do list. Auto-remediation is key to achieving SaaS security.
Scientists Store One Bit of Data on a Single Atom — Future of Data Storage

Scientists Store One Bit of Data on a Single Atom — Future of Data Storage

Mar 13, 2017
Imagine a pocket-sized hard drive capable of storing the entire list of 35 Million Songs? This isn't yet practical, but IBM has just taken a big step towards improving computing technology: IBM researchers just discovered a way to store data on a single atom. Data storage is undergoing dramatic evolution, recently researchers successfully stored digital data — an entire operating system, a movie, an Amazon gift card, a study and a computer virus — in strands of DNA. The IBM Research results announced Wednesday that the researchers have developed the world's smallest magnet using a single atom and they packed it with one bit of digital data. Currently, hard drives use about 100,000 atoms to store a single bit of information — a 1 or 0 — using traditional methods. So, this breakthrough could allow people to store 1,000 times more information in the same amount of space in the future applications. Scientists Store 1 Bit of data on a single Atom, whereas modern hard dri
Scientists Store an Operating System, a Movie and a Computer Virus on DNA

Scientists Store an Operating System, a Movie and a Computer Virus on DNA

Mar 04, 2017
Do you know — 1 Gram of DNA Can Store 1,000,000,000 Terabyte of Data for 1000+ Years. Just last year, Microsoft purchased 10 Million strands of synthetic DNA from San Francisco DNA synthesis startup called Twist Bioscience and collaborated with researchers from the University of Washington to focus on using DNA as a data storage medium. However, in the latest experiments, a pair of researchers from Columbia University and the New York Genome Center (NYGC) have come up with a new technique to store massive amounts of data on DNA, and the results are marvelous. The duo successfully stored around 2mb in data, encoding a total number of six files, which include: A full computer operating system An 1895 French movie "Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat" A $50 Amazon gift card A computer virus A Pioneer plaque A 1948 study by information theorist Claude Shannon The new research, which comes courtesy of Yaniv Erlich and Dina Zielinski, has been published in the jou
KasperskyOS — Secure Operating System released for IoT and Embedded Systems

KasperskyOS — Secure Operating System released for IoT and Embedded Systems

Feb 21, 2017
Russian cyber security and antivirus vendor Kaspersky Lab has made available the much awaited KasperskyOS , a secure-by-design operating system based on Microkernel architecture which is specially designed for network devices, industrial control systems and the Internet of Things. The operating system is not made for your average home PC; instead, it is meant to protect industrial systems and embedded devices from cyber attacks by preventing any third-party or malicious code from executing. Kaspersky Lab CEO Eugene Kaspersky confirmed the rumors of a new operating system on his official blog published on Monday, saying this project under the codename 11-11 has been in the works for 14 years and has been designed from scratch. The reason behind developing KasperskyOS is simple: Growing Internet-of-Things and embedded devices in industrial control systems (ICS) to power critical infrastructure. It's quite easy for most companies to get rid of the virus-infected computer,
Goodbye! Yahoo to rename itself 'Altaba' after Verizon Deal

Goodbye! Yahoo to rename itself 'Altaba' after Verizon Deal

Jan 10, 2017
It's time to say goodbye to Yahoo! While Yahoo's core internet business was being sold to Verizon for $4.8 Billion , the remaining portions of the company left behind is renaming itself to Altaba Inc, which marks the sad ending of one of the most familiar brand names on the internet. In a public filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday, the company announced that after the planned sale of its core business to telecom giant Verizon, the leftover would change its brand name to Altaba. So, the company's branding you are familiar with will integrate with Verizon, and it is possible that the telecom titan may continue to use the Yahoo brand for some of the services that it will acquire in the deal. The remaining company under the new name Altaba Inc. is hanging on to its 15% ownership of Alibaba and 35.5% stake in Yahoo Japan, which is a joint venture with Softbank. Marissa Mayer to Leave Yahoo Board The newly formed company will operat
Raspberry Pi launches PIXEL OS for Mac and PCs

Raspberry Pi launches PIXEL OS for Mac and PCs

Dec 22, 2016
Here's the Raspberry Pi's Christmas treat for tech community! The Raspberry Pi Foundation has released an experimental version of its lightweight Linux-based Debian operating system called PIXEL OS that can run on most standard desktop computers ships with Windows and Mac OS X without the need of a Raspberry Pi. Initially launched in September this year, the PIXEL operating system, stands for "Pi Improved Xwindows Environment, Lightweight," was originally designed to work with Raspberry Pi to turn it into a fully-functional PC. However, Raspberry Pi has now released a version of PIXEL that comes preloaded with a variety of popular tools and can be installed directly on PCs and Mac computers, so you do not have to buy a Raspberry Pi to use PIXEL anymore. "There is a massive installed base of PC and Mac hardware out there, which can run x86 Debian just fine. Could we do something for the owners of those machines?" Raspberry Pi founder Eben Upton s
Antivirus Firm Kaspersky launches Its Own Secure Operating System

Antivirus Firm Kaspersky launches Its Own Secure Operating System

Nov 24, 2016
The popular cyber security and antivirus company Kaspersky has unveiled its new hack-proof operating system: Kaspersky OS . The new operating system has been in development for last 14 years and has chosen to design from scratch rather than relying on Linux. Kaspersky OS makes its debut on a Kraftway Layer 3 Switch , CEO Eugene Kaspersky says in his blog post , without revealing many details about its new operating system. The Layer of 3-switch is the very first tool for running the Kaspersky OS, which is designed for networks with extreme requirements for data security and aimed at critical infrastructure and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. What's new in Kaspersky OS than others? Kaspersky OS is based on Microkernel Architecture: The new secure OS is based on microkernel architecture that enables users to customize their own operating system accordingly. So, depending on a user's specific requirements, Kaspersky OS can be designed by using different modifica
Elon Musk Plans to Launch 4,425 Satellites to provide Global Internet from Space

Elon Musk Plans to Launch 4,425 Satellites to provide Global Internet from Space

Nov 18, 2016
Big tech companies, including Facebook, Google, and Microsoft, are in the race of bringing Internet connectivity to unconnected parts of the world through wireless devices , flying drones , high-altitude balloons, and laser beams . But, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has big plans for bringing low-cost Internet service worldwide, and it all starts in space. Private rocket launch service SpaceX has asked the U.S. government for permission to launch 4,425 satellites in orbit to beam high-speed Internet down to the world, according to a newly filed application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). That's a hell of a lot of satellites; in fact, the figure surpasses the total number of satellites in the Earth's orbit. Here's what the company's 102-page technical document reads: "The system is designed to provide a wide range of broadband and communications services for residential, commercial, institutional, governmental and professional users world
The Hacker News (THN) Celebrates 6th Anniversary Today

The Hacker News (THN) Celebrates 6th Anniversary Today

Nov 01, 2016
Can you believe that it's been 6 years since we first launched The Hacker News? Yes, The Hacker News is celebrating its sixth anniversary today on 1st November. We started this site on this same day back in 2010 with the purpose of providing a dedicated platform to deliver latest infosec news and threat updates for Hackers, Security researchers, technologists, and nerds. Times flies when you are having fun! The Hacker News has become one of the World's popular and trusted Hacking News channel that went from ~100,000 readers to more than 10 million monthly readers — all because of THN readers high enthusiasm. In this short span of time, The Hacker News has achieved a series of milestone: The Hacker News Facebook page is going to hit 1.5 Million Followers, More than 1.6 Million followers on Google Plus+ , Over 200,000 Email Subscribers , And around 307,000 Twitter Followers. What's more? The Twitter Account of The Hacker News became officially verified (
Google to Launch 'Andromeda OS' — An Android-Chrome OS Hybrid

Google to Launch 'Andromeda OS' — An Android-Chrome OS Hybrid

Sep 27, 2016
Google's long-rumored Android-Chrome hybrid operating system is expected to debut at the company's upcoming hardware event on October 4. The company has been working to merge the two OSes for roughly 3 years with a release planned for 2017, but an "early version" to show things off to the world in 2016. Android + Chrome = Andromeda The hybrid OS, currently nicknamed 'Andromeda,' could be come on a new Pixel laptop as well as Huawei Nexus tablet from Google by Q3 2017, if not sooner, according to new leaks from 9to5Google and Android Police . Andro id + Ch rome = Andromeda The laptop, officially codenamed " Bison " and nicknamed "Pixel 3," is a reference to the "Chromebook Pixel," but since this edition is not running Chrome operating system, one can not call it a "Chromebook" anymore. Andromeda is separate from the company's Fuchsia OS , which is focused on Internet-of-Thing (IoT) devices. Moreove
Hey, Poker Face — This Wi-Fi Router Can Read Your Emotions

Hey, Poker Face — This Wi-Fi Router Can Read Your Emotions

Sep 21, 2016
Are you good at hiding your feelings? No issues, your Wi-Fi router may soon be able to tell how you feel, even if you have a good poker face. A team of researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a device that can measure human inner emotional states using wireless signals. Dubbed EQ-Radio , the new device measures heartbeat, and breath to determine whether a person is happy, excited, sad, or angry. Using EQ-Radio, which emits and captures reflected radio frequency (RF) waves, the team bounced waves off a person's body to measure subtle changes in breathing patterns and heart rates. This data was then run through a bunch of algorithms and a machine-learning process programmed to match a person's behavior to how they acted previously, categorizing the person's emotion as one of the four emotional states: Pleasure, Joy, Anger and Sadness. The impressive part about the technique: EQ-Radio doesn't r
Oh, It's On Sale! USB Kill to Destroy any Computer within Seconds

Oh, It's On Sale! USB Kill to Destroy any Computer within Seconds

Sep 09, 2016
Remember Killer USB stick ? A proof-of-concept USB prototype that was designed by a Russian researcher, Dark Purple, last year, to effectively destroy sensitive components of a computer when plugged in. Now, someone has actually created the Killer USB stick that destroys almost anything – such as Laptops, PCs, or televisions – it is plugged into. A Hong Kong-based technology manufacturer is selling a USB thumb drive called USB Kill 2.0 that can fry any unauthorized computer it's plugged into by introducing a power surge via the USB port. It costs $49.95 . How does USB Kill 2.0 work? As the company explains, when plugged in, the USB Kill 2.0 stick rapidly charges its capacitors via the USB power supply, and then discharges – all in a matter of seconds. The USB stick discharges 200 volts DC power over the data lines of the host machine and this charge-and-discharge cycle is repeated several numbers of times in just one second, until the USB Kill stick is removed. &
Record-breaking 1.9 Gbps Internet Speed achieved over 4G Mobile Connection

Record-breaking 1.9 Gbps Internet Speed achieved over 4G Mobile Connection

Aug 30, 2016
Elisa , one of the biggest Finnish Internet Service Providers (ISP), claims to have achieved a new world record for 4G network with 1.9 gigabit-per-second (Gbps) data download speed using Huawei technology. Currently, Sweden and the United Kingdom have been crowned as the top countries across the world when it comes to fastest mobile 3G and 4G speeds, but now Finland is also working hard to give them a tough competition. Elisa set this record-breaking benchmark with the help of technology provided by Chinese telecom giant Huawei that could allow real-world mobile 4G users to download a Blu-ray film in just 40-45 seconds. 4G and 5G Technology: The future of Mobile Networks In February last year, a team of researchers from the University of Surrey managed to achieve a record-breaking speed of 1 Terabit per second (1Tbps) during a test of 5G wireless data connections, which is over 500 times faster than Elisa's 4G speed. While, in June last year, the International Tele
This Open Source 25-Core Processor Chip Can Be Scaled Up to 200,000-Core Computer

This Open Source 25-Core Processor Chip Can Be Scaled Up to 200,000-Core Computer

Aug 26, 2016
Researchers have designed a new computer chip that promises to boost the performance of computers and data centers while processing applications in parallel. Princeton University researchers have developed a 25-core open source processor, dubbed Piton named after the metal spikes used by rock climbers, which has been designed to be flexible, highly scalable, fast and energy-efficient to satisfy the demands of massive-scale data centers. Every computer has a processor, but it's the core, a processing unit, which defines its actual efficiency and performance. A Processor can have a single core or multiple cores, which receive instructions, then performs calculations on it based on those instructions, and gives the results back. For example, the four independent processing units i.e. Cores of a quad-core processor can run multiple instructions at the same time, increasing the overall performance for applications compatible with parallel processing. Your Future Desktop
Happy Birthday! LINUX Turns 25 Years Old Today

Happy Birthday! LINUX Turns 25 Years Old Today

Aug 24, 2016
Linux has turned 25! Dear all, today is August 25, 2016, and it is time for the celebration, as it's the 25th Anniversary of the Linux project, announced by its creator, Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds , on August 25, 1991. Who can forget one of the most famous messages in the computing world posted by Torvalds exactly 25 years ago today, on 25 August 1991: Hello everybody out there using minix - I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing since april, and is starting to get ready. I'd like any feedback on things people like/dislike in minix, as my OS resembles it somewhat. Since its birth, Linux has become the largest shared technology on the planet and has changed the world in more ways than one can imagine. While not initially designed to be portable, Linux is one of the most widely ported operating system kernels, which runs on a vast range of systems from co
China Launches World's 1st 'Hack-Proof' Quantum Communication Satellite

China Launches World's 1st 'Hack-Proof' Quantum Communication Satellite

Aug 16, 2016
China has taken one more step forward towards achieving success in Quantum communication technology. China has launched the world's first quantum communications satellite into orbit aboard a Long March-2D rocket earlier today in order to test the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics at space. 'Hack-Proof' Communications System The satellite, dubbed Quantum Science Satellite, is designed to develop a ' Hack-Proof ' communications system in this age of global electronic surveillance and cyber attacks by transmitting uncrackable encryption keys from space to the ground. The 600-plus-kilogram Quantum Science Satellite , better known as Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS) satellite, took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gobi Desert at 1:40 AM local time on a 2-year mission on Tuesday. The QUESS satellite will help China perform unprecedented levels of experiments in quantum communication by sending entangled photons from the satellite
On This Day 25-years Ago, The World's First Website Went Online

On This Day 25-years Ago, The World's First Website Went Online

Aug 06, 2016
On this day 25 years ago, August 6, 1991, the world's first website went live to the public from a lab in the Swiss Alps. So Happy 25th Birthday, WWW! It's the Silver Jubilee of the world's first website. The site was created by Sir Tim Berners-Lee , the father of the World Wide Web (WWW), and was dedicated to information on the World Wide Web project. The world's first website, which ran on a NeXT computer at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), can still be visited today, more than two decades after its creation. The first website address is https://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html . "The WorldWideWeb (W3) is a wide-area hypermedia information retrieval initiative aiming to give universal access to a large universe of documents," the world's first public website reads, going on to explain how others can also create their own web pages. "The project started with the philosophy that much academic information sh
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