Crafty prisoners hid DIY computers, committed identity theft

In what sounds like a plot line from Orange is the New Black, a pair of Ohio prison inmates took decommissioned computers, used them for nefarious purposes and hid them from guards by stashing the machines in a ceiling. According to regional news site Cleveland the two inmates, Adam Johnston and Scott Spriggs, pilfered computers that were supposed to be torn down and recycled and instead used them to connect to Ohio’s Department of Rehabilitation and Correction network. They then created access cards for restricted areas.

Beyond that, investigators found porn, articles about “homemade drugs, plastics, explosives and credit cards” on the confiscated machines. To access the network, Johnston read a former prison employee’s password over his shoulder. From there he got the Social Security Number of another inmate and applied for five credit and debit cards in said inmate’s name. Johnston also messaged other inmates and his mother.

As the BBC reports, these computers were discovered when a user account’s daily network usage amount had been exceeded. The thing is, that user was the employee-turned-contractor whose login credentials were pilfered by Johnston. And said contractor wasn’t scheduled to work on the day of the overage. Whether it was Johnston or Spriggs who tried bypassing the prison’s proxy server so they could access file-sharing sites hasn’t been released.

That overage lead the prison staff to search for where the machines could be stored, and consequently to an Ethernet cable running into a tiled ceiling.

Here’s the kicker: this all occurred in 2015 and the prison didn’t report any of it to the proper authorities until recently, breaking all sorts of protocol in the process. “State investigators said prison officials waited too long to report the computers and also removed them and other materials from a crime scene before state troopers could examine it,” Cleveland writes. Yeesh.

For its part, the Ohio state prison system has issued a statement regarding the matter:

“We appreciate the time the Inspector General’s office has taken to conduct these investigations and we have already taken steps to address some areas of concern. We will thoroughly review the reports and take any additional steps necessary to prevent these types of things from happening again. It is of critical importance that we provide necessary safeguards in regards to the use of technology while still providing opportunities for offenders to participate in meaningful and rehabilitative programming.”

Via: BBC

Source: Cleveland

Unigine’s newest benchmark shows off its latest engine, handles 8K resolution

Why it matters to you

If you feel like 3Dmark and other benchmarks aren’t tough enough for your system, Unigine’s latest will really push it to the limits.

Unigine has released a new benchmark to show off the impressive visuals of its Unigine 2 engine, much in the way it used the original Heaven benchmark to pitch the first one. Known as the Superposition graphics stress test, it has full support for 8K resolution (7,680 x 4,320), which should push even the most powerful systems to their limit.

Just as the world is starting to come to terms with the idea of 4K video and 4K gaming, Unigine is keeping its eyes firmly on the future. Alongside its support for Ultra High Definition (UHD) resolution, the benchmark also offers “screen-space ray-traced global illumination” for its lighting, which is likely to be just as taxing on a system.

More: Place your order now for Dell’s $5,000 8K display, the UP3218K, and get it in April

As with all benchmarks, Superposition comes with graphics processor (GPU) temperature and clock monitoring, helping hardware enthusiasts to push their kit to the limit. They can even run an “extreme stability test” to make sure that their clocks are going to hold during long-term gaming or testing.

There are also global leaderboards, as well as full support for both Windows and Linux operating systems. Oddly, it seems to only support Open GL 4.5 or DirectX11 right now, according to PCPer. Unigine has reportedly been looking at adding Vulkan support in the future.

There are other setting options for shader and texture quality, with several settings for testing whether your system is VR ready.

Unigine has also hopped aboard the wave of virtual reality acceptance by making Superposition a fully realized VR experience. Compatibility with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive lets users explore the single-room environment, complete with 900 interactive objects and several mini-games.

The setting you can walk around in is a retro classroom laboratory, where a professor’s experiments and inventions lie around haphazardly on several desks and cabinets. There are some mysteries to uncover for those willing to explore. You will need one of the aforementioned headsets to do so, or perhaps just a keen eye when viewing the video in the header.

The free version of Unigine’s Superposition benchmark is available now, with the advanced version costs $20 before taxes. It provides access to the VR experience and more engine settings, though anyone can try out 8K mode with the basic version.

Unigine’s offering is a little more expensive than some of the other big names in the business. While the likes of Unreal Engine and Unity have royalty or subscription fees, Unigine requires just one upfront payment. The “Starter Single” pack costs $1,500 and offers a free trial, while the more expensive team packs cost more than $10,000.

Tiny Core 8.0 is a desktop operating system that only needs 16 megabytes of storage

Why it matters to you

If storage space is your primary concern, Tiny Core 8.0 is an operating system that will give you plenty of bang for your byte.

It can be very annoying when your desktop operating system takes up a significant amount of space on your hard drive. Fortunately, if you’re truly short of space and need an option that can work without a huge amount of storage, there’s Tiny Core 8.0.

The disk image for the most basic version of Tiny Core 8.0 weighs in at just 16MB, according to a report from Liliputing. By comparison, Windows 10 typically takes up around 16GB of space for a 32-bit install, and around 20GB of space on a 64-bit system.

More: Common problems with installing Windows 10 Creators Update — and how to fix them

There are various builds of Tiny Core for different purposes, like variants that are tailored to work with ARM, x86, and x86-64 processors. While the smallest version with a graphical user interface is 16MB, there’s also a version that sticks to a command line interface instead, reducing its size down to just 11MB.

At its heart, Tiny Core is a Linux distribution that specializes in modularity, which allows its file sizes to be so small. Its creators assume that users are going to combine the basic package with whatever content they need for the task at hand, so the OS itself only contains the bare necessities.

Its small size helps Tiny Core offer compatibility with a broad range of hardware, and allows the OS to boot in just a few seconds, in most cases. However, it’s capable of running full-fledged software packages like image editor GIMP, the Firefox web browser, and the LibreOffice suite.

If you’re interested in tinkering with Tiny Core, you can find installation packages and instructional materials on its official website. However, remember to perform a comprehensive backup before you try install the OS on your system, and make sure you know what you’re doing before making any serious changes to your computer.

Huawei looks to shake up 2-in-1 PC market with three new Matebooks

Why it matters to you

Huawei is best known for its smartphones, but this expansion of its MateBook line suggests that the Chinese firm is redoubling its efforts to crack the Windows PC market.

In 2016, Huawei launched the Matebook, its first attempt at a 2-in-1 Windows 10 PC. Rumor has it that the company plans to follow up with three more Matebook devices and some early details on those computers recently leaked.

The three systems that Huawei is prepping will be dubbed the Matebook D, the Matebook E, and the Matebook X, according to a report from MS Power User. However, full specifications for all three devices have not been made available.

What we do know is that the Matebook X will apparently boast an Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM. Journalist Roland Quandt shared this information in a tweet earlier in April, which also revealed that the device is being developed under the code name, Pascal.

More: Huawei CEO doesn’t understand why smartwatches exist, and he has a point

It seems likely that the Matebook X will be a luxury device intended to compete with the likes of Apple’s MacBook and Microsoft’s Surface Book. Its retail pricing will obviously be a major factor in whether or not the laptop can gain ground against those two rivals, given that both the MacBook and the Surface brands are known and trusted by consumers.

The Matebook E is expected to utilize an Intel Core M processor and will likely be positioned as an upgrade to the first-generation Matebook. Little is known about the Matebook D, but from what we know about the other two devices, it could be a less expensive system aimed at students and other users working on a budget.

Huawei seems to be taking the PC market seriously, even if the first Matebook was met with criticism of its battery life and display quality when it launched. Still, it is clear that the company had ambitions beyond smartphones and hybrid PCs are a logical next step.

New AMD Radeon drivers add support for Windows 10 Creators update

Why it matters to you

If you’re running the new Creators Update for Windows 10 and an AMD graphics cards, this update adds initial support for the OS update.

AMD’s latest Radeon driver release, designated Crimson ReLive Edition 17.4.2, doesn’t have the longest list of additions, but it does have one key one: initial support for Windows 10 Creators update. Along with that are a few bug fixes which will be a real boon for those previously impacted by them, but it’s the Windows 10 update support which is the keystone of this release.

It was only a week ago that AMD released its last driver update for its Radeon graphics processors (GPU), but with Microsoft’s Creators Update for Windows 10 now out in the wild, adding official support is important. The firm doesn’t go into detail about what changes that entails, but anyone running an AMD GPU and the new Windows update is encouraged to install it.

In greater detail, however, are the bug fixes for this release. AMD claims to have fixed issues with SteamVR asynchronous reprojection and a bug in Battlefield 1 with multi-GPU scaling.

More: Windows 10 Creators Update review

We’re also told that Radeon ReLive should no longer cause flickering when recording with an extended display on a Windows 7 configured system, and application profiles in Radeon Settings should now always remain even after a system reboot.

AMD even fixed a problem with a Windows security pop-up appearing when some hybrid graphics configurations were used.

That’s not to say that this release doesn’t have any issues of its own. AMD has acknowledged that there are a few ongoing problems which it’s still working on. Among other bugs, Radeon WattMan still fails to apply settings on R9 390 GPUs, and AMD Freesync is still causing some flickering in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and World of Warcraft (thanks Guru3D).

With support for everything from the HD 7000 series, right through to the latest RX 400 series graphics cards, you can download the new Radeon Crimson ReLive 17.4.2 drivers straight from AMD’s website.

Prison inmates built secret PCs and successfully connected to the internet

Why it matters to you

This bold attempt to gain unrestricted PC access should demonstrate why correctional facilities need well-trained, highly observant IT staff.

The Ohio Inspector General’s Office has published a report detailing a very unusual PC build. Two inmates at the Marion Correctional Institution in Marion, Ohio apparently managed to build two computers and connect them to the prison’s network.

Suspicions were raised in July 2015, when the facility’s IT staff received an email about a contractor’s PC exceeding its daily internet access quota. This wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary, but the contractor in question only worked Monday through Thursday, and the alert came in on a Friday, according to a report from Tripwire.

Another alert came in two weeks later, at which point it seemed that the user was attempting to access proxy avoidance websites. Upon further investigation, it emerged that the computer wasn’t one of the known computers available for use in the prison’s PC training area.

More: What’s it like to use AOL dial-up internet in 2017?

At this point, a member of the facility’s IT support staff found a mysterious cable, and followed it to see what it was hooked up to. It led to the ceiling, and upon removing a couple of tiles, the staff member discovered a hidden pair of PCs resting on pieces of plywood.

The inmates were apparently using these computers for more than just browsing Facebook and watching videos on YouTube. As well as viewing pornography and downloading software, the PCs were apparently used to access guides on making drugs and explosives, steal the identity of a fellow inmate, and even commit tax fraud.

A total of five inmates have been found to be involved with the exploit, and as a result they have been moved to other institutions. Ohio Inspector General Randall J. Meyer compared the outlandish scenario to an episode of prisoner-of-war sitcom Hogan’s Heroes in an interview with a local ABC affiliate.

Dropbox adds doc scanning to Android app, offline mode to Paper

Why it matters to you

With these updates, Dropbox and Paper have been made even more powerful for its users.

Dropbox is adding a couple of key features to its mobile apps this week, the company announced in a blog post. Doc Scanner is finally making its way to Dropbox on Android, while Paper is receiving offline mode.

Doc Scanner has been a popular feature of Dropbox’s iOS app, according to the company and now Android users can easily scan printed or handwritten documents as well. The app will crop and rotate scans automatically, but you can make further adjustments if you wish, and also upload multiple documents into one PDF. If you are a Dropbox Business user, you will have the added benefit of being able to search inside PDFs too.

Offline mode is something that has become standard in the mobile office space and it is good to see Dropbox Paper join the trend. Now, no matter what the status of your internet connection is, you can continue creating, writing, editing, and commenting on documents wherever you are. As soon as service is resumed, Paper will sync those changes with the rest of your team.

Both those additions join added support for a number of languages, bringing the total for both apps to 20: Chinese (both Simplified and Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English (United States, United Kingdom is web only) French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish (both European and Latin American), Swedish, and Thai.

Paper made the list of our favorite note-taking apps last year, alongside Google Keep, Any.do, Microsoft’s OneNote, and more. It is compatible with more forms of media than its competitors — it can handle SoundCloud and YouTube links, for example — and also boasts extensive collaboration features which are sure to come in handy if you are working with a team. And of course, it seamlessly integrates everything you have stored in Dropbox.

After successful Kickstarter, Superbook laptop dock to start shipping in May

Why it matters to you

If you don’t have a laptop but do own a decent smartphone, the Superbook could be a cheap way to gain added functionality.

If the dominance of the smartphone didn’t kill the humble laptop, the Superbook is looking to drive another nail in its coffin. The “laptop shell,” is set to begin shipping at the end of May and it is shaping up to offer anyone with a smartphone the ability to run a small laptop for as little as $120.

The Superbook is a universal laptop dock that made its debut on Kickstarter in August. For $100, it promised the ability for users to turn their smartphone into a laptop, add a second screen to existing tablets or improve input options for stick PCs. It was successfully funded, reaching almost $3 million despite its modest goal of $50,000. Now, it’s almost ready to ship.

To help celebrate, the developer of Superbook, Sentio, released a video showcasing some of its abilities. Hailing it as the “ultimate accessory,” the video shows the Superbook expanding the capabilities of a variety of different pieces of hardware. It is even shown working with Android, iOS and Windows devices.

The base model Superbook comes with an 11.6-inch 768P TN display, multi-touch trackpad, keyboard with Android hotkeys and a battery that should last up to eight hours. Since a number of the original campaign’s strength goals were met though, there will be some additional options for buyers when the Superbook goes on sale. Upgrades include a 1080P IPS panel and backlit keys, which add an additional $55 to the price tag.

There are also additional accessories like a universal side mount and a cord bundle for $25 each, as well as color options for gold, silver and black casings.

We’re told by Sentio that the Superbook will begin shipping at the end of May, though anyone pre-ordering now will need to wait until June or July depending on which version they pick, according to the official site.

Pre-orders are priced at $120, though when the Superbook officially goes on sale that will rise to $150.

After successful Kickstarter, Superbook laptop dock to start shipping in May

Why it matters to you

If you don’t have a laptop but do own a decent smartphone, the Superbook could be a cheap way to gain added functionality.

If the dominance of the smartphone didn’t kill the humble laptop, the Superbook is looking to drive another nail in its coffin. The “laptop shell,” is set to begin shipping at the end of May and it is shaping up to offer anyone with a smartphone the ability to run a small laptop for as little as $120.

The Superbook is a universal laptop dock that made its debut on Kickstarter in August. For $100, it promised the ability for users to turn their smartphone into a laptop, add a second screen to existing tablets or improve input options for stick PCs. It was successfully funded, reaching almost $3 million despite its modest goal of $50,000. Now, it’s almost ready to ship.

To help celebrate, the developer of Superbook, Sentio, released a video showcasing some of its abilities. Hailing it as the “ultimate accessory,” the video shows the Superbook expanding the capabilities of a variety of different pieces of hardware. It is even shown working with Android, iOS and Windows devices.

The base model Superbook comes with an 11.6-inch 768P TN display, multi-touch trackpad, keyboard with Android hotkeys and a battery that should last up to eight hours. Since a number of the original campaign’s strength goals were met though, there will be some additional options for buyers when the Superbook goes on sale. Upgrades include a 1080P IPS panel and backlit keys, which add an additional $55 to the price tag.

There are also additional accessories like a universal side mount and a cord bundle for $25 each, as well as color options for gold, silver and black casings.

We’re told by Sentio that the Superbook will begin shipping at the end of May, though anyone pre-ordering now will need to wait until June or July depending on which version they pick, according to the official site.

Pre-orders are priced at $120, though when the Superbook officially goes on sale that will rise to $150.

How to manage your kid’s Android device with Google Family Link

Managing your kids’ digital activity used to be an exercise in frustration. Short of limiting the amount of time they spent on their various gadgets, keeping track of what they were doing — or preventing them from doing something they shouldn’t — was nearly impossible. But apps like Google’s Family Link are changing the paradigm.

Google’s new Family Link service, designed for kids under 13, gives you control over nearly every aspect of your kid’s digital experience. You can approve or block apps he or she attempts to download from the Google Play Store, see how much time your kids are spending on their favorite apps, and remotely lock his or her device. That’s just the tip of the iceberg — here’s how to get started with Family Link.

More: Our favorite, free parental control software

Setting up an account

Family Link is not available to everyone just yet — it launched as an invite-only beta on March 15 in the U.S. You can apply to join here. Once your account has been approved, you can set it up immediately.

First, gather the essentials. You will need:

• A Google Account for your kid through Family Link
• An Android device (running Android 7.0 Nougat or later) for your kid*
• Your own Android device (running Android 4.4 KitKat or later)
• Your own Google Account

*Family Link is also compatible with the following devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow: Alcatel Dawn, Alcatel Fierce 4, Alcatel Pixi Unite, LG K3, LG Stylo 2 Plus, LG X Power, Samsung Galaxy Luna, Samsung Galaxy Tab A, and Sony Xperia X.

Family Link does not support iOS yet, but Google said it is working on a client. It also does not support Google accounts provided through work or school — you will need a personal Google account, such as a Gmail account, to create an account for your child.

Download the Family Link app on your personal device from the Google Play Store. Then, install the same app on your kid’s smartphone or tablet and sign them in.

You will be charged a $0.30 fee when you set up your kid’s account because of “federal privacy regulations,” Google explains on Family Link’s FAQ webpage. “We’re required to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children, and credit cards are one of the FTC’s approved methods. Payment is required so that you have the chance to see the payment on your credit card statement and object if consent was improperly provided.”

You can only have one account installed on a kid’s device.

Manage your kid’s apps

One of Family Link’s most powerful features is the ability to manage the apps your kids use. When your kid attempts to download an app from the Play Store, you will get a pop-up notification containing the name of the app, the app’s publisher, the average star rating, and the number of downloads it has accumulated.

You will also see its maturity rating. In March 2015, Google adopted the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s (ESRB) content ratings. Apps like Google Maps get “G” ratings for example, while slightly more risque titles get “E” (for ages six or older) or “T” (for ages 13 and up).

Armed with that knowledge, you can approve or deny the installation.

Once an app is installed on your child’s device, you can control its permissions. You can deny the Facebook app access to the device’s camera and contacts, for example, or prevent a game from connecting to the internet.

You do not have to approve or deny every device individually. Family Link lets you set blanket content restrictions (i.e., nothing above “G”) for downloading or purchasing apps, games, movies, TV, music, and books. Or, you can limit restrictions to in-app purchases and paid content.

Limit your kid’s screen-on time

Family Link lets you limit the amount of time your kids spend on their device in two ways: By setting a Daily Limit, and by specifying your kid’s Bedtime.

With the Bedtime feature enabled, you can schedule a window of time when your kid won’t be able to unlock his or her device. You can selectively impose limits on weekdays (9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday to Thursday, for example) or weekends (10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Friday and Saturday). Or, you can lift limits altogether on certain days of the week. It’s up to you.

More: How to set parental controls for your Nintendo Switch

Daily limit is a little less granular. You can specify a daily usage limit — a set number of minutes and hours your child’s allowed to use their device each day. Just like Bedtime, the amount can differ day-to-day.

If Daily Limit and Bedtime are not doing the trick, you can lock your kids’ device at any time with the Lock Devices Now option. They will be kicked off of their tablet or smartphone immediately, and can only gain access again when you toggle the setting off.

It works even when your kid’s device is not connected to the internet. A special Parent’s access code restricts the device’s features until you manually unlock them.

See how your kid is spending time

Family Link provides a convenient way to see how your kid is spending his or her digital time. You will get a weekly and monthly report showing how much time your kid spent with each app they accessed. A unified dashboard shows a summary of app activity over the past seven days. If your kid has spent more time in Candy Crush than his or her Amazon eBook library, for example, you will see that.

The analytics page is also where you will be able to see the device’s physical location and fine-tune certain settings. The Google Chrome web browser, for example, lets you switch between three levels of access: Unfiltered, SafeSearch (where Google blocks explicit websites and more), and Restricted (where the child is only allowed to visit websites you approve).