This is how much an exploit merchant charges to break encryption
NSO Group, the exploit seller recently linked to a potential activist hack, charges just $650,000 to hack a group of 10 iPhones or Android devices, along with a $500,000 setup fee, the New York Times reports. For that cash outlay you’ll get complete access to everything on those phones, including taking screenshots, capturing keystrokes and tracking GPS locations.
The Israeli firm can even tap into phone’s microphones to record nearby sounds. It’s not the only surveillance tech firm out there, but with tech companies making encryption more widely available to their customers, it’s the sort of thing that governments are increasingly relying on.
An NSO Group spokesman says the company only sells its wares to authorized governments, who use it for criminal investigations. And sources tell the NYT that there’s also a strong internal vetting process. Still, they also note that the company hasn’t refused to sell its technology to any countries yet.
The company’s tracking software, Pegasus, can also tap into BlackBerry and Symbian phones, on top of iPhones and Android devices. To get around encryption, the software can be installed via public WiFi hotspots, customized emails or texts, in-person or by “over the air stealth installation.” Ahmed Mansoor, the human rights activist who brought NGO back into the news last month, was initially alerted by a strange text message with a link. Researchers found that the hack was trying to take advantage of three exploits in iOS, which Apple has been quick to fix.
According to the NYT, the NSO Group charges $500,000 to hack five BlackBerry users, and $300,000 for five Symbian phones, in addition to the setup fee. 10 additional targets will cost another $150,000; 20 more targets will cost $250,000; 50 will cost $500,000; and 100 more will cost $800,000.
Source: NYT
Next ‘Call of Duty’ lets you craft guns and call down guard bots
Activision is raising the bar for its annual miniconvention celebrating its Call of Duty shooter franchise, Call of Duty XP. This year’s has panels, eSports championships and performances by Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa, but the real attention is on news for the next entry in the franchise, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which launches on November 4th. Here’s all the new details of the modern shooter that studio executives shared this afternoon.
Most critically, PS4 players will get first crack at the multiplayer beta on October 14th, with Xbox One to get access at a later date. To refresh player-vs-player combat, developers took a hard look at the customization system of older games and saw players dumping perks to pour points into firearm attachments. To put more emphasis on abilities, Infinite Warfare gets a new system, “rigs,” which are basically classes with unique themed active “payloads” and passive “traits.” This pushes players into more defined roles, as the rig names suggest: Merc has a bull charge to ram enemies and health regen, while Phantom gets an active cloak and delays hit enemies’ damage recovery. Check out the trailer outlining all six below:
The other big addition is a crafting system: Yes, now you’ll be able to build better versions of your guns by collecting salvage from playing matches. Weapons now have four levels of rarity, with better perks available to higher-ranked ones. Ergo, your common EBR sniper rifle might have Stockpile for more ammo, the rare version awards bonus score, legendary grants a tactical nuclear strike after a 20-person killstreak and the epic edition marks wounded enemies with a red outline. Players will be be able to build secondary guns, too, but still unexplained is what appeasr to be mid-match gun crafting appearing at the end of the multiplayer trailer above.
There’s also a new slew of equipment, like a “bio spike” throwing knife that explodes on impact. New killstreaks include the Thor, a hovering drone that rains down missiles a la previous games’ Predators, and the RC8 is a heavily armored robot players can call down to watch their backs. If this sounds suspiciously like the titular giant mechs from Titanfall, Infinite Warfare has borrowed a few tropes from its competitors. A new multiplayer mode, Defenders, has teams competing to hold on longest to a Grifball-like score-generating sphere.
That extends to the single-player mode, which the presenter was careful to say had “new mechanics never seen in a Call of Duty before.” Some of these new features, like aerospace dogfighting, zero-G fights and grapple hook combat, have appeared in Halo and even the Titanfall 2 beta that dropped in the last few weekends. Infinite Warfare’s solo campaign will let players choose missions in any order they wish from their hub on the Retribution base ship — and also claim it will have zero loading screens.
Infinite Warfare brings back the franchise’s popular undead horde mode. Pre-ordering the game gets you the delightfully period-themed level Zombies in Spaceland for free, which was announced last month. It’s set in the 80s, so expect some multicolored neon windbreakers and zebra leggings to adorn the rotting hordes.
We already knew that PS4 players pre-purchasing Infinite Warfare bundles with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered would get to play it a month early. Studio officials sweetened the deal by announcing today that it would include 16 redone multiplayer maps. Ten will be available at launch, including “fan favorites” like Crash, Backlot and Crossfire, with six more free ones coming in December.
The announcement also included first looks at the fourth DLC for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. Included are four new period-themed multiplayer maps: a western town in Outlaw, a medieval castle in Citadel, miniaturized combat amid a giant-sized picnic in Micro and the futuristic Rupture. The last part of the content expansion is Day of Reckoning, a level for that game’s Zombies mode.
Before letting the crowd at Call of Duty XP in Los Angeles zoom off to play Infinite Warfare demos or paintball in a life-size Nuketown, the studio revealed one more local experience: a custom VR space dogfighting experience called Jackal Assault. PS4 players get the game free on launch day, though they’ll obviously need PlayStation VR to enjoy it. (If you’re green with FOMO, you can go on Twitch to remotely fire a paintball turret at the fans lucky enough to be on-location.) Lastly, Activision-Blizzard shared news that its Call of Duty Endowment has gotten 25,000 US military veterans gainfully employed, and is aiming for 50,000 by 2019. Well done.
Source: Call of Duty XP
Samsung explains how the US Galaxy Note 7 recall will work
It’s been less than 24 hours since Samsung announced its worldwide recall of the Galaxy Note 7, and owners are probably wondering exactly what’s next. The major US carriers have already provided information on what they will do for customers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon), and now Samsung is laying out its plans for direct support. If owners want to exchange for another Galaxy Note 7, they can do that as early as next week. Their other option is to exchange the device for a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge, plus replacement of any Note accessories and a refund of the price difference.
For their trouble, Samsung says it’s offering a $25 gift card or bill credit from “select carriers” when swapping for a new device through the replacement program. Owners should contact the retailer where they purchased the device, or call 1-800-SAMSUNG for more information. Continuing its message from earlier this morning, the company says it has identified “the affected inventory” but it’s still voluntarily replacing devices for all interested owners.
It seems like a lot of trouble and not much payback for owners who have already picked up the phone. While sales of Galaxy devices have been a bright spot for the company this year, we’ll have to wait and see how much momentum is lost because of these problems.
Update: And even with these details, the saga might not be over yet. Consumer Reports has specifically called Samsung out for failing to issue an “official” recall that would involve the US Consumer Products Safety Commission. That would require clearer information about what’s wrong and what owners will do next, but so far Samsung hasn’t done it. According to Recode, officials have “concern” about the process, but have not officially commented on the recall.
Source: Samsung
Hackers temporarily reactivate suspended Twitter accounts
When Twitter takes an offensive account offlinen it usually stays down for good, but a hacking group now claims that it’s discovered a way to reactivate and take control over inactive and suspended accounts. A group called “Spain Squad” briefly reactivated banned accounts like @Hitler, @DarkNet, @1337, @Hell and @LizardSquad — hoping to sell them to users seeking valuable screenames.
Akma, one of the users behind the exploit, told Business Insider that the group can do a lot more than just recover old accounts. Apparently the new exploit allows Spain Squad to change to suspend active accounts, change a user’s Twitter handle and even take control of active accounts. So far, the group has only demonstrated the ability to recover officially suspended accounts — though all of those have already been re-suspended by the social media company.
The details of how the group managed this aren’t clear, but if the hacker group can still perform the trick, it could be extremely lucrative for them. Unique or short Twitter names have been known to sell for thousands of dollars, and hackers have gone to absurd ends to illegally obtain these usernames in the past. It’s not clear yet if the exploit has been patched, or if the reclaimed accounts were merely re-suspended. Either way, we’ve reached out to Twitter for more details.
Source: Business Insider
Adorable robots help travellers at Tokyo’s Haneda airport
Getting lost in an international airport is never fun — but if you’re lost in Japan’s Haneda this month, you’ll at least be able get help from an adorable talking robot. From now until the 14th, Hitachi is testing its EMIEW3 humanoid robot in the airport’s passenger terminal. Over the course of two weeks, EMIEW3 will direct visitors to an information display and answer questions in both English and Japanese.
It’s a modest test, but it’s ramping up to something much more impressive: In December, the robot is scheduled to return to the airport as a guide. Visitors will be able to ask for directions to say, the currency exchange counter, and EMIEW3 will physically lead them there. Neat! Hitachi’s bot is particularly well suited to the task because of it’s mobility: it can zip along at a steady 3.7MPH and even pick itself up if it falls down. Just don’t ask it to take you directly to your gate — airport security probably isn’t used to clearing robots.
Via: TechCrunch, Japan Times
Windowmate Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Chris Monroe/CNET
Spring cleaning just got easier…maybe. Attach the Windowmate to each side of your window, and it’ll make its way in Zamboni-like rows until both sides of the pane are clean. It’s essentially a robot mop with sponges attached to the base that works vertically.
The Windowmate is on display here at the IFA trade show in Berlin this week. And it chugged along diligently during a demonstration. Apparently, the Windowmate can clean for 90 minutes straight on a full charge, though it takes two and a half hours to charge.
It cleans both sides of the window simultaneously because it attaches to the glass with magnets. One half of the body sits on either side of the pane, so they hold each other in place. The advantage of that is the robot won’t fall off your window if it loses power. The Windowmate representative at IFA told me the magnets are strong enough to withstand wind as well. The disadvantage: You have to be able to reach both sides of the glass simultaneously to put the Windowmate in place.
Chris Monroe/CNET
If you have a window that doesn’t open, you’re probably out of luck unless you send someone outside with the other half of the robot. Plus, the Windowmate orients itself by the frame, so you have to detach it and put it back up for each different pane of glass you want to clean.
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I can’t think of a window in any home I’ve ever lived where using the Windowmate would make more sense than grabbing some paper towel and Windex. Store owners, though, might find it more useful, and that’s the primary intended market for the bot. Still, it’s a cool concept — I’d certainly like a robot to take window cleaning off my plate.
Horizontal robot cleaners
- Neato D5
- iRobot Braava Jet
- Dyson 360 Eye
The model on display at IFA is the second edition of the Windowmate. The first launched in Japan only, but this one’s coming to Europe as well, where it’ll retail for 500 euros, which converts roughly to $560, £420 or AU$740. A Windowmate representative told me of plans to bring the bot to the US as well, perhaps in 2017.
Maybe the product will be a little more refined and make more sense as a consumer device by the time it launches in the US. Regardless, I’m happy to know window cleaning robots are out there.
- Head here for lots more from IFA
Google officially ends its Project Ara modular phone initiative
Google has shut down its modular smartphone initiative, Project Ara, a spokesperson confirmed to VentureBeat today. This follows an earlier report from Reuters that claimed Google was finished with Project Ara. We’ve reached out to Google for confirmation and will update this article as the company responds.
The spokesperson didn’t offer any details about the shut down, VentureBeat reports, though Reuters said it was “part of a broader push to streamline the company’s hardware efforts.” A modular design complicates the hardware production process, since Google would not only have to manufacture a bunch of smartphones, but all of the detachable cameras, battery packs, speakers and other accessories that would make each phone unique.
However, Project Ara may live on. Reuters says that Google may still license out Project Ara’s technology to other manufacturers.
Source: VentureBeat
How to back up your Galaxy Note 7 before exchanging it – CNET
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Samsung recalls Galaxy Note 7 phones
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Let’s start with the bad news: Samsung has announced a global recall of the Galaxy Note 7. So, unless you want to risk your phone’s battery catching fire, you’ll need to return or exchange it. Carriers in the US already announced plans for customers to return the Note 7 while Samsung corrects the issue.
Before you return your Note 7 to Samsung or a wireless carrier, make sure you have a recent backup of your device. There are a few ways going about ensuring your information stays safe.
Samsung Cloud
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Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Now for the good news: Samsung’s backup service, Samsung Cloud, couldn’t have come at a better time. Samsung’s new service creates an exact backup of your device, restoring everything from installed apps to conversations in the Messages app.
With Samsung Cloud currently limited to the Note 7, this is your best bet only if you plan on exchanging a recalled Note 7 for a fixed Note 7.
You can follow the instructions to back up and restore your Note 7 using Samsung Cloud in this post.
Use your Google account
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Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Using your Google account to back up an Android device is an easy option, but you’ll need to back up your photos and videos separately using Google Photos.
On the Note 7, go to Settings > Cloud and accounts > Accounts > Google and make sure sync is turned on for your most important information (contacts, calendar, etc.). Doing so will sync any changes you’ve made to your address book, for example, to Google’s servers.
Then go to Settings > Cloud and accounts > Backup and reset and double-check that “Back up my data” is enabled under the Google account section. The Samsung account section refers to Samsung Cloud, which we’ve already covered. This setting creates a list of apps installed on your device, various settings (such as wifi networks you connect to), and your homescreen layout.
Samsung Smart Switch
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Jason Cipriani/CNET
If you decided you don’t want to exchange for another Note 7, you can use Samsung’s Smart Switch app to transfer photos, videos, messages, and and settings to another Samsung device. The app should come preinstalled on any Galaxy devices.
Using Smart Switch does require you to have both devices present in order to transfer data, so if you process an exchange in store as the store representative to give you a few minutes to transfer content.
Going iPhone 7?
With Apple expected to announce the iPhone 7 on September 7, and Samsung’s recall occurring just days before that, now might be a good time to jump from the Android ship. If you decide to switch from the Note 7 to an iPhone, you can use Apple’s Move to iOS Android app to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Best alternatives to the Chromebook Pixel
With the Chromebook Pixel heading off into the super high-resolution sunset — at least for now — something has to take its place as king of the Chromebook hill.
For a lot of people, the Chromebook Pixel didn’t make any sense. Our company stance here at Android Central was that it was too expensive and didn’t bring anything more to the table than a lot of other models, so you were better off passing. Personally, I think it’s the best damn laptop I’ve ever had and worth the money. It’s OK to have different opinions. In any case, none of that matters now that Google has stopped selling it and hasn’t announced a replacement. It’s Google Reader all over again. Not really.
I am pretty certain another Chromebook Pixel will be released, but this gives us an opportunity to look at other tier-one level models. These are the Chromebooks you would buy if you couldn’t stomach the price tag but still wanted something a little more “premium” than the average cheap Chromebook.
Don’t think we’re bashing cheap Chromebooks, though. They are the important models because a $200 Chromebook is perfect for plenty of folks. A cheap gateway to the internet that’s safe and easy. Plenty of people are using something like the Acer C720 and still completely satisfied because it still does the things they bought it to do. But if you’re someone who wants to spend a little more money for nicer hardware or just want to go all in on the Chrome experience, here are the best available right now.
The best Chromebook you can buy: Dell Chromebook 13
The fully-specced Dell Chromebook 13 ticks most every box to be at the top of the heap now. The $650 model offers a beautiful 1080p touch screen display, aluminum chassis, glass trackpad and an Intel Core i3 processor. It doesn’t stop there, either. You have USB 3.0 onboard, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 LE connectivity, a backlit keyboard and 32GB of storage. In the coming weeks, the Dell Chromebook 13 is also slated to get access to Google Play and Android apps.
Honestly, this is still a bit of overkill for many folks. The Intel Celeron model is also plenty capable and priced about $200 less. You’ll have the same premium build, minus the touchscreen. It’s still a very solid choice.
I love the battery life and how well the Chromebook 13 is put together, and everything you want to do is responsive and enjoyable — this thing is fast! It was always a true high-end laptop, but the Chromebook Pixel’s exit makes it the best Chromebook you can buy in September 2016.
See at Dell
Something a little lighter: Toshiba Chromebook 2 (2015)
Checking in at 2.9 pounds, the Toshiba Chromebook 2 can still deliver a top-of-the line experience without the extra two pounds of the Dell hanging off of your shoulder. Anyone who has to carry their mobile office in a bag or satchel every day can appreciate the weight reduction.
The best part is the Toshiba is still more than able to do all things Chrome OS smoothly and quick. When compared to the Dell, the biggest drawbacks are lack of a touch screen and a maximum storage capacity of only 16GB. The Core i3 model checks in around $450 while an Intel Celeron mode will save you $150.
If the lighter weight is worth the trade-off of losing the touch screen and cutting the storage in half — and for a lot of us it will be — Toshiba has your high-end Chromebook needs covered.
See at Amazon
A new player appears: Acer Chromebook 14
If you need something a little bigger but still want that high-end feel and specs that deliver, the Acer Chromebook 14 is for you.
The 1080p display has extra-wide viewing angles and uses a proper high-quality IPS panel. the Intel Celeron drives Chrome OS to its full potential and 32GB of space is a big plus when Android apps and Google Play appear this fall. You also get two USB 3.0 ports and 802.11ac MIMO Wi-Fi — all for around $300.
The aluminum build isn’t quite as thick feeling as the Dell, which is why the larger display Acer weighs about the same as the 13-inch Dell. The trackpad isn’t quite as smooth and the keyboard lacks the backlighting, but you’re also saving about $350.
Some of us want a Chromebook with a larger screen and the Acer Chromebook 14 is my pick for the best in the 14-inch category.
See at Amazon
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How to back up the data on your Galaxy Note 7 before returning it for recall
You’ll need to switch phones when you turn in your recalled Note 7, but you can still keep your stuff.
If you’re going to be taking advantage of Samsung’s voluntary recall for the Note 7 (and you should) you probably want to keep a few things stored on it. Besides the obvious — things like your address book or email — you likely have pictures, music, and other important stuff on the thing. You don’t have to lose it when you get a new phone.
The first thing to remember is that your Note 7 runs Android with Google’s services. That means a lot of your data can be backed up to your Google account in the cloud. This is how Android was designed to work — it’s a cloud-based operating system.
Email, contacts, and calendar
If you’re using Gmail, your email is already backed up. Google’s Contacts and Calendar work the same way. If you are signed into any of these services and use them, you can pick up right where you left off on any device, anywhere by signing in with the same account.
If you’re using another online-based email service, like Yahoo! or Microsoft’s Outlook.com, it sill works the same way. The data isn’t tied to your Google account, of course, but once you sign back in with the same login you’ll have access to everything again. This is true for email, address book, and calendar with most online services.
If you’re syncing a POP email account (like the one from your internet provider) you will need to check the settings on your email account itself to see how message syncing is done. The people who provide you the service can help if you have any questions. For any local (read: not online) address book or calendar apps, you’ll need to check the app settings and see if there is an export feature.
Finally, if you have your work email, contacts and calendar on your Note 7 you need to ask your friendly IT person what to do.
Your media
Chances are you are using the Note 7 camera to take a picture or two, and you want to keep them. You might have a handful of music files and a video or two on there as well. Luckily, backing media files up is easy.
You can store pictures on your computer and transfer them via a USB cable, or you can store them in the cloud. If you were to ask my recommendation, I’d point you towards Google Photos. But there are other services like Dropbox that work, too.
How to back up photos and video to your computer or the cloud
If you have a computer, backing photos up is easy. There’s an advantage to using your own local storage to keep photos — there is no image loss or resizing involved. Hit the link above to see all your options and how to get started.
Music files work mostly the same way. Services like Google Play Music or Amazon Music let you use the cloud, or you can plug into your computer and copy between phone and PC at will. One advantage of using a cloud service is being able to stream your songs from any device, but the files may take a hit on quality. If your music is stored in a lossless format or a very high bitrate Mp3 make sure to keep a copy on your computer. Click the link below to see your options and how they work.
How to back up your music files to your computer or online storage
Samsung Smart Switch
If you’re going to stick with the Note 7 or use any other Samsung Galaxy phone, you can use a service from Samsung called Smart Switch.
Using the cable that came in your box (and the adapter if you need it) you can copy all the data from all your apps, the apps themselves, all your accounts and all of your media files / SD card content from your Note 7 to a computer or another Galaxy phone. The program is easy to use and does a pretty good job.
How to use Samsung Smart Switch to back up your Galaxy phone
There are a couple things to keep in mind here.
- Smart Switch is only an option if the phone you’re putting the data on is a Samsung Galaxy phone. Smart Switch can pull the data off of any Android or iOS phone, but it can only copy it back to a Galaxy model.
- If you’re going to be using a really old Galaxy phone — something like the Galaxy S3 or Note 2 — you might have issues with apps and their data. Things have changed a lot in the past couple of years.
- Any loaner you get from your carrier might not be compatible with Smart Switch. Your carrier isn’t going to be handing out brand new Samsung phones like candy. Expect something that they wouldn’t care about losing.
And remember — if you’re returning your phone through your carrier or a Samsung store, they can help make sure you keep everything that’s yours and help you get it on a new phone. It’s OK to ask for help!
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
- Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
- The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
- Here are all four Note 7 colors
- Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
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