Israel, US arrest four over a string of big bank hacks
After months of investigation, law enforcement has nabbed suspects believed to be behind hacks at JPMorgan Chase and other big banks… and they’re not quite the master criminals you might expect. Both the FBI and Israeli police have arrested four people for what now appears to be a classic “pump and dump” stock fraud scheme. The group (which includes one still at large) artificially drove up share prices and volumes for ‘quiet’ companies through a mix of email campaigns and pre-arranged trades, and sold to reap the windfall. In certain situations, they even pushed for private companies to go public solely to turn them into targets.
The arrests may put to rest fears that some of these bank hacks were state-sponsored attacks, or else the work of elaborate gangs hoping to steal info. However, they also show that it doesn’t require an elaborate organization to cause chaos. In some situations, it only takes a few greedy but knowledgeable intruders to compromise your data and create serious problems.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Seth Wenig]
Filed under: Internet
Via: Reuters (Yahoo)
Source: Bloomberg
FTC slams LifeLock for false advertising, again
Worried about identity theft? If you listen to talk radio you’ve probably heard of one potential answer: LifeLock, an identity protection service that promises to stop identity theft before it happens. It’s a nice thought, but the company doesn’t actually have that good of a track record: back in 2010, the FTC hit the company with a $12 million penalty settlement for false advertising. Now LifeLock is in trouble again — the FTC is charging the company with violating its 2010 settlement order for the exact same reasons.
According to the FTC’s claim, LifeLock failed to “protect its users’ sensitive and personal data, including credit card, social security and bank account numbers” from at least October 2012 to March of last year, despite false claims that their customers identity would be protected 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with “the same high-level safeguards as financial institutions.” Worse still, the FTC claims LifeLock failed to meet the record-keeping requirements of the original 2010 settlement. Eep.
The FTC promises to take action against the company and its false claims, but for now the details of these actions are sealed by the court. Still, the FTC’s new charges make a pretty strong case for thinking twice about trusting the company to lock up your identity — after all, its own CEO had his identity stolen more than a dozen times after an advertising campaign made his social security number public. That’s not very encouraging.
Source: FTC
Google acquires Pixate – mobile app prototyping platform now free
Google’s never-ending shopping spree continues as the company tries to expand its reach anywhere possible. Their latest acquisition has just been announced and developers will be especially fond of it. The Search Giant is now welcoming the Pixate crew and integrating them right into their design team.
The acquisition’s cash amount is yet to be disclosed, but that is not what people are really worrying about. It doesn’t matter how much Pixate costed Google; what matters is how much it will cost you. The good news is Pixate Studio has gone completely free, which is a stunning discount for software that costed hundreds of dollars. We’ll talk more about pricing in a bit, though. For now let’s focus on what’s going on with Google and Pixate.
What is Pixate?
To put it shortly, Pixate Studio is a software that allows developers and designers to see their ideas for mobile apps come to life. It can generate native prototypes for iOS and Android, allowing app makers to experience their interfaces as if they were real.
In addition, the platform makes it a breeze for developers to upload their own layers, as well as adding interaction commands and animations. These projects can then easily be shared with the team so that they may test the design and further improve upon it.
What will happen to Pixate?
Both Google and Pixate assure the design tool will not be dying and is to continue running independently. That is not to say there won’t be changes – there definitely will be. Don’t worry, though. These are all going to benefit the user.
Pricing
Pixate Studio and Cloud were not cheap, but you can always count on Google to make services much more accessible. After all, the Search Giant is all about getting more developers on board, so it only sensible to make it as affordable as possible… and that they did. Pixate Studio is now completely free!
Furthermore, Pixate Cloud has been heavily discounted to $5 a month or $50 a year, per user. For this reason, Pixate will no longer continue to offer cloud services for free. Instead, users have been given a 60-day trial and pricing will be as already stated, once this testing period is over.
In addition, those who have already purchased Pixate Studio will get a $150 credit to be used toward Pixate Cloud. Alternatively, those who purchased it within the last 14 days can get a full refund, if they so choose to.
What will the Pixate team do at Google?
While they are not expressing too much about future plans, Google does state the acquisition adds to their “ongoing effort to develop new design and prototyping tools, including Form 1.3″. Pixate CEO Paul Colton also mentions very little about their role at Mountain View, only mentioning they are “joining the design team”.
Wrapping up
Google continues building bridges so that developers may create the best apps they can. This acquisition is only part of it, but it will prove to be a great tool for app designers. Especially now that it costs nothing! Do we have any developers around here? Go download it now and see how it can improve your work.
Nokia is ready to sell its HERE map business to German car makers
Nokia is close to finishing an agreement to sell its maps unit to German luxury-car makers BMW AG, Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler AG and Audi AG for a deal estimated at approximately 2.5 billion euros.
A final agreement on the question of which automaker will hold patents and certain property rights is still unsettled. HERE provides mapping data to about 80 percent of cars with in-dash navigation systems in North America and Europe, and the luxury-car makers have already been using HERE mapping services in their navigation systems. This gave them an advantage over other businesses such as Uber Technologies Inc. who were also considered buying the maps unit from Nokia.
Car giants are focusing at the moment on mapping technologies as they are looking ahead to make self-driving cars a reality. Although Google is ahead of everybody else, Tesla has publicly announced plans for developing self-driving car technology. This deal would give BMW, Daimler and Audi access to the detailed maps that smart vehicles of the future will depend on.
The deal is expected to close soon and will likely be announced as early as July 31.
Source: Wall Street Journal
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FCC ready to approve AT&T’s expensive DirecTV buyout
The FCC appears to be nearly ready to approve AT&T’s buyout of DirecTV for nearly $49 billion dollars, although it looks like that approval is going to come with a few conditions. The deal was announced about a year ago and has been subject to plenty of scrutiny from the FCC, just like any other acquisition of this size.
The FCC’s Tom Wheeler has stated that the conditions attached to the merger should help increase broadband competition for consumers. AT&T will be required to build out their fiber network to new customers, and they’ll be unable to exclude any of their own streaming services from their broadband data caps. It would’ve been nice to keep AT&T from imposing data caps in the first place, but hey, take what you can get.
The deal should be voted on in the near future, after which the deal will become official.
source: Wall Street Journal
via: re/code
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New leaks shows the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge on top of the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus
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One of the devices that is expected to be announced by Samsung in mid-August alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is the the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus (or Plus+). A lot has been made about this device just being a larger version of the Galaxy S6 Edge, however it’s one thing to say it and another to see it in real life. Luckily, that’s exactly what we’re getting to see today after photos were leaked out of a Galaxy S6 Edge on top of the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. And, rather predictably, the only real difference is that the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus is marginally bigger, barely noticeable in these shots – check out the photos below:
There are a few miniscule differences – the microphone positioning at the top and bottom of the device appear to have changed and it appears the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus doesn’t have an infrared sensor on the top of the device. Of course, the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus pictured is supposed to be a prototype, so the final device could be slightly different to the one we see here.
What do you think about the Galaxy S6 Edge on top of the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus?
Source: nowhereelse.fr via SamMobile
The post New leaks shows the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge on top of the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
2K is reportedly bringing college basketball back to its games
For the first time in years, college basketball teams may soon be playable in a video game. ESPN’s Darren Rovell reports that 2K Sports has licensing deals in place with ten schools and plans to include them in an upcoming title. That list of teams includes Arizona, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan, UCLA and more according to SB Nation — some of college basketball’s big-name programs. If you’ll recall, EA cancelled the 2014 installment of its college football title after a lawsuit over the use of player likenesses and the NCAA pulling its licensing deal. When it comes to college hoops, though, there hasn’t been a game in several years, so this would be a welcome release for folks who’ve been waiting.
It’s unclear whether there will be a standalone game or if the teams that have opted in will be playable in the upcoming NBA 2K16 that’s set to arrive in September. It would also make for a rather compelling post-launch DLC. As Rovell points out, to avoid any potential legal troubles, 2K will likely only use the school names, uniforms and logos while leaving the players themselves generic. You’ll have to create players yourself if you want to use the current rosters. What’s more, Rovell says that any rumors of EA reviving its licensed college football franchise soon aren’t true.
[Image credit: Brad Barket/Getty Images for 2K]
2K has indeed gotten the licenses to at least 10 college teams & will have college basketball.
– Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 21, 2015
If 2K does add colleges this year to its NBA game, expect just jerseys & logos. You’ll have to make your own players to fit the roster.
– Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 21, 2015
Filed under: Gaming
Via: Game Informer
Source: Darren Rovell (Twitter)
Apple’s Home Sharing for music returns in latest iOS 9 beta
Well, would you look at that. Not long after it was reported that Apple had killed Home Sharing for music in iOS 8.4, the company appears to be ready to bring the feature back to life. As MacRumors points out, Home Sharing for music is now included in the fourth beta of iOS 9 for developers — sorry, public testers, this isn’t for you. Apple’s SVP of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, said earlier this month that his team was working on restoring the feature, even though there was no indication of when that would be happening. But now it’s here, so go have at it if you’re part of the iOS dev program.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Software, HD, Mobile, Apple
Source: MacRumors
Latest Google Maps update lets you easily see your location history in a new Timeline view
Google Maps for Android is getting quite the significant update today, bringing a handy new feature to the app that allows users to easily see their location history for any given day. The update which is rolling out now in the Google Play Store, will bring the app’s version number up to 9.12.
The biggest feature in version 9.12 is the addition of a Timeline view, which can be accessed from the slide-out navigation menu on the left side of the app. Your Timeline will show you every place you’ve traveled on any given day, along with the amount of time you spent at each place. Take a look at the middle screenshot above. On a particular day last week, I spent some time at work, then I traveled for 4 minutes to the coffee shop down the road, then traveled back to my work. This feature makes it easy for users to check out their location history on mobile, which is one feature Google Maps for Android has been missing since its launch.
To make things easier, the date is shown at the top of your Timeline. Clicking it will pull down a month view calendar, which is where you can select any day’s history.
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Not only will you be able to check out location history through Timeline, you’ll also have the ability to add in names for custom places. As pointed out by Ars Technica’s Ron Amadeo, here’s how to add in a name for a custom place: tap on a location that you want to rename, and a place card should show up. Hit the overflow menu (three vertical dots), and click “edit name”. You can then enter in any name you’d like, then click “save”.
As long as you have location history turned on, Google Maps will show you every place you’ve visited in the past – along with a few other (possibly creepy) details. If you take pictures with your mobile device with location turned on, those will show up in your Timeline, too. We understand that this might creep some of you out, but there’s good news – you can easily delete your Timeline if you’d like.
We’re still rounding up all of the changes that come with the version 9.12 update, so we’ll update this post when we learn more. The new version is rolling out in the Play Store as we speak, so head on over to the link below.
Tech companies backing Samsung in patent battle with Apple
The patent battle between Apple and Samsung has resurfaced thanks to a new amicus filing by some of the tech industries heavyweights who are lining up behind Samsung. In the friend of the court briefing, companies like Google, HP, Facebook and others, make an argument we have heard from Samsung in the past.
Although Samsung lost in the courtroom to Apple which accused Samsung of infringing several iPhone related patents, the companies have continued to fight at the appellate level over the appropriateness of decision and the amount of damages. Samsung has achieved some success in whittling the $1 billion judgment down $548 million. Samsung is trying to get that reduced even more by challenging the appropriateness of giving up all profits from the sale of devices that were found to infringe.
In the amicus filing, the tech companies argue that,
“That feature — a result of a few lines out of millions of code — may appear only during a particular use of the product, on one screen display among hundreds. But the panel’s decision could allow the owner of the design patent to receive all profits generated by the product or platform, even if the infringing element was largely insignificant to the user.”
The end result of even the smallest infringement out of a totality of ideas and concepts that go into a product would be the stifling of innovation and the likelihood that every company would infringe some patent in some manner the companies claim. The effect would be “devastating” on companies.
source: The Verge
Come comment on this article: Tech companies backing Samsung in patent battle with Apple
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