US allies accuse NSA of manipulating encryption standards

The US National Security Agency (NSA) is in the global bad books again after allegations surfaced suggesting it was trying to manipulate international encryption standards. Reuters reports that it has seen interviews and emails from experts in countries including Germany, Japan and Israel expressing concern that the NSA has been pushing two particular encryption techniques not because they are secure, but because the agency knows how to break them.

The NSA has been gunning for two techniques, known as Simon and Speck, to be included in the International Organization of Standards (ISO). Following the accusations the agency, which says it “firmly believes” the techniques are secure, has agreed to drop all but the most powerful (and therefore less vulnerable) versions of Simon and Speck, but the issue has fostered significant mistrust and suspicion among countries which are supposed to be allies. Speaking to Reuters, Israeli ISO delegate Orr Dunkelman, a computer science professor at the University of Haifa, said, “I don’t trust the designers. There are quite a lot of people in NSA who think their job is to subvert standards. My job is to secure standards.”

Fears that the NSA were pursuing a “back door” into coded transmissions stem largely from NSA documents disclosed by Edward Snowden, showing that that agency had previously promoted technology it could penetrate. According to the reports, budget documents sought funding to “insert vulnerabilities into commercial encryption systems”. The NSA, of course doesn’t confirm the authenticity of these documents.

Via: Reuters

Experian makes it easy for someone to undo your credit freeze

Turns out Equifax isn’t the only credit reporting agency with garbage security, which probably shouldn’t come as a surprise at this point. As Brian Krebs reports on his security news website, Experian has a few issues too, namely some incredibly lax barriers to obtaining a PIN used to unlock a credit freeze.

The first step to getting a PIN through Experian requires a name, address, date of birth and Social Security number, all of which have been exposed in a number of past security breaches, including Equifax’s. Chances are anyone can find that information quite easily. After that, the website asks for an email address — and it can be any email address, not just the one associated with the account. Finally, Experian has you answer four questions such as where you previously lived and who lived there with you. And again, that information is readily accessible with just a little bit of effort. With those steps completed successfully, Experian will send the PIN to the email address entered in the form. It’s that simple.

Experian has had some problems in the past as well. In 2015, it exposed personal information from 15 million people who applied for T-Mobile accounts. The data snagged during the breach included names, addresses and birth dates as well as encrypted data containing Social Security and drivers license numbers.

So, the takeaway lesson here is that even if you’ve frozen your credit files, you should pay attention to your credit reports because Experian has made it remarkably easy for someone to snag your PIN and unfreeze them.

Via: The Verge

Source: Krebs on Security

D&D Reader app brings paper reference books to your tablet

Dungeon Masters can rest a bit easier now that the library of Dungeons and Dragons core rulebooks will soon be available in an easy-to-lug digital edition. Instead of a stack of heavy paper-bound volumes, you’ll be able to take your iPad or Android tablet to your next gaming session loaded up with the upcoming D&D Reader app, which should be available this fall.

So far, D&D Reader offers three D&D core rulebooks in it, with free content like the Complete Basic Rules and a few sections of the Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual and Dungeon Master’s Guide. Other sections, as well as two adventures, will cost you, with prices ranging from $3 for a chapter in one of the volumes to $25 for full adventure modules. You can also just purchase entire books outright for $30 each, which is about the going rate for the paper copies.

The app lets you search your library of D&D books, too, plus it has a Favorites menu that you can use to keep track of those pages you access often. It should work on all iOS devices and Android gadgets with 4.4 and up, though the publisher says it will still work on Android 4.0, though it’s not officially supported.

D&D‘s publisher, Wizards of the Coast, has been pushing into the digital realm of late, with new tools like D&D Beyond to help novices and veterans alike rid themselves of reams of paper needed to keep track of all the moving parts. The company has also been pushing into the Twitch scene, too, with channels like Dice, Camera, Action, Maze Arcana, Geek & Sundry’s Critical Role, and the DM-focused Dragon+ helping to demystify the game for new players.

Original Xbox’s huge controller is returning for current platforms

Original Xbox owners got a powerful yet eccentric machine in Microsoft’s first stab at console gaming. The system itself was a massive VCR-sized slab of circuits and plastic, but it was the comically oversized controller that most baffled gamers. Yet fans look back fondly at the beastly peripheral, nicknamed “The Duke.” Unbeknownst to most, one of its original designers has been secretly working to revive the controller for Xbox One and Windows 10 — and Microsoft just gave it the green light.

#NewDuke has gone to tooling and is approved by @Xbox THIS IS HAPPENING! pic.twitter.com/zSVA4TFh08

— Seamus Blackley (@SeamusBlackley) September 20, 2017

Xbox designer Seamus Blackley has been building a near-perfect recreation of the 17-year-old controller for peripheral company Hyperkin. Remember the jellybean face buttons, the cheap center jewel, the sheer GIRTH? All faithfully remade to your inner child’s specifications, with a couple improvements (like an OLED screen under the jewel).

I can finally show my miserable OLED mockup. #DUKE #XBOXE3 everyone should thank @Hyperkin @XboxP3 @Shpeshal_Ed pic.twitter.com/U4wOhSsGKp

— Seamus Blackley (@SeamusBlackley) June 12, 2017

As Blackley confirmed in the first tweet, that the controller’s final prototype had been approved by Microsoft. Next step: Tooling to create a plastic mold. It’s unclear when they’ll be ready to order or how much they’ll cost, but you original Xbox purists can rest assured that your favorite big-boned controller of yesteryear is headed for resurrection.

Via: Polygon

Source: Seamus Blackley (Twitter)

Tesla will discontinue its most affordable Model S this Sunday

On Sunday, Tesla’s vehicle lineup will be smaller by one as it discontinues its cheapest Model S option, the Model S 75. That means the all-wheel-drive version — the 75D — will take its place as the low-end Model S sedan, currently listed at a starting price of $74,500. Electrek reported the news today and Tesla has confirmed the report to Engadget.

The move to discontinue the Model S 75 was first announced by Tesla in July after it dropped the price by $5,000 a few months earlier. The removal of the model from Tesla’s offerings follows its discontinuation of the Model S 60 and 60D vehicles in April, which at the time were the least expensive Model S options available. As well as streamlining its EV line and making all Model S options all-wheel-drive, knocking off the low-end Model S vehicles is also likely being done to carve out a bigger separation between the Model 3 and Model S lines.

Custom orders for the Model S 75 will be taken until Sunday, September 24th and the pre-configured versions will be available for purchase until inventory runs out.

Via: Electrek, Business Insider

Unlimited ‘Stargate’ streaming will cost you $20

MGM Studios announced a new web-based entry into its popular Stargate franchise, Stargate Origins, this past July at San Diego Comic Con. In order to see the prequel series, though, you’ll have to subscribe to a Stargate-only streaming service, too. Called Stargate Command, the new portal for all things Stargate is now online and ready for subscribers.

This isn’t the first entertainment property to push fans to a new paid service, of course, with CBS All Access and Star Trek: Discovery as a prime example. This new MGM service, however, will only include video from the Stargate properties. For a one-time fee of $20, you’ll get access to some 354 television episodes, according to The Verge, and the three films from the Stargate franchise, making for some serious binge-watching.

In addition to access to the new Origins show, members can stream series television shows SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and (the best of them all) Stargate Universe, as well as the associated movies, like Stargate, Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate Continuum. They’ll also get behind-the-scenes access to Origins and a members-only digital edition of the Origins script later this year. Free members of Stargate Command can browse the site and all the media, and can participate in a fan forum, read news about the series and take Stargate-themed quizzes and polls.

Via: The Verge

Source: Stargate Command

Facebook will turn over Russia-linked ads to Congress

Earlier this month, Facebook admitted that it sold $100,000 worth of ads between 2015 and 2017 that led to fake news pages and were bought by advertisers operating out of Russia. A report released yesterday noted that the Senate Intelligence Committee expected the social media titan to testify about the advertisements, and today, Facebook agreed — and will also share the 3,000-plus advertisements in question.

In its statement, the company emphasized that it heavily weighed the disclosure; Facebook wants everyone to know that it will think hard about handing over your data to the US government, even if you’re suspected of running a propaganda campaign to influence an American election.

We are deeply committed to safeguarding user content, regardless of the user’s nationality, and ads are user content. Federal law also places strict limitations on the disclosure of account information. As our biannual transparency reports make clear, we carefully scrutinize all government data requests, from here and abroad, and we push back where they do not adhere to those legal limitations. And, of course, we also recognize and support the important work of government investigations and take care not to take steps, like public disclosures, that might undermine them.

It’s unclear when Facebook will go before the Senate Intelligence Committee, but they won’t be alone. Today, Wired confirmed that Twitter will also testify before Congress at the same meeting. Both social media platforms will likely have a rough go as they explain how they allowed propaganda to spread on their networks.

Appending Facebook’s statement was a personal message (below, or text here) from Mark Zuckerberg about the platform’s next steps. Predictably, the company will revamp their ad vetting process, which anonymous workers told The Verge had insufficiently prepared the review force to screen out something as subtle as propaganda. But more importantly, Zuckerberg vowed that Facebook would bring about more transparency in online advertising, starting with their own site. Soon, advertisements will disclose which pages paid for them, and those pages would list all the ads they’re currently running.

When someone buys political ads on TV or other media, they’re required by law to disclose who paid for them. But you still don’t know if you’re seeing the same messages as everyone else. So we’re going to bring Facebook to an even higher standard of transparency. Not only will you have to disclose which page paid for an ad, but we will also make it so you can visit an advertiser’s page and see the ads they’re currently running to any audience on Facebook. We will roll this out over the coming months, and we will work with others to create a new standard for transparency in online political ads.

The full video is below:

Source: Facebook

The Wirecutter’s best deals: $100 off an Epson SureColor P600 printer

This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here.

You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot — some of these sales could expire mighty soon.

EcoVacs Deebot N79

Street price: $200; MSRP: $300; Deal price: $160 w/ code LWFMOG5G

While we featured a deal on our top robot vacuum a few days ago, the coupon code quickly expired. This deal matches that previous low with a new coupon code, hopefully meaning it’ll stick around for a few more days. Make sure to use code: LWFMOG5G in order to get the deal price of $160.

The EcoVacs Deebot N79 is our top pick in our guide to the best robot vacuums. Liam McCabe wrote, “The Deebot N79 is nimble enough to navigate through most homes without getting stuck very often—and that’s what really makes most bot-owners happy. Its battery life is the longest we’ve seen, it runs the quietest, and it has one of the better control schemes we’ve seen for the price—including Wi-Fi and a smartphone app. It works best on short carpet and bare floors, in areas smaller than 1,200 square feet, with modest amounts of pet hair—limitations that stronger, smarter, pricier bots don’t have. But the Deebot N79 is the best of the affordable robot vacuums, and if you run it at least a few times per week, it can keep your floors free of obvious debris with very little effort on your part.”

Logitech Harmony Hub + Amazon Echo Dot

Street price: $120; MSRP: $150; Deal price: $90

This bundled deal offers two of our smart home favorites for a nicely discounted price. The Logitech Harmony Hub, a Smart Home/AV hub, usually sits around $90, while the Echo Dot sits at $50 much of the time. While both have seen multiple promos and bundles, this is a nice opportunity to get both for $90, a very good discount. Only the white Echo Dot is available as part of this bundle. Shipping is free.

The Logitech Harmony Hub is part of numerous Harmony setups, including that of our upgrade pick, in our guide to the best universal remote control. Of the Hub, Darryl Wilkinson and Grant Clauser wrote, “Most other automation-only hubs cost $50 or more and are strictly for home automation. Adam Miarka of Zatz Not Funny! describes it this way: “In essence, Logitech has used the Harmony Hub as a trojan horse to become the central unit to control all the devices in your house.”

Of the Harmony app that can control Hub activities, Wilkinson and Clauser continue, “…when it comes to programming Activities, adjusting the thermostat, turning an individual light on or off, or most any other home automation related task, the Harmony App is very convenient. Another benefit of the Harmony App is that it gives you the ability to control your AV and home automation devices from anywhere you have a connection to the internet. You can, for instance, turn the AV system off when it’s time for the kids to go to bed, even if you’re not at home.”

The Echo Dot is an option we like in our in our guide on Amazon Echo vs. Google Home. Grant Clauser wrote, “For a lot less than the full-size Echo, and with the ability to connect wirelessly to your choice of speaker or sound system, the Echo Dot 2 is a smart option.”

Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming

Street price: $850; MSRP: $1000; Deal price: $785

A nice deal on our runner-up budget gaming laptop pick. If you’re seeking a gaming laptop, it’s difficult to find one with decent build quality and these specs for under $800. The drop in price likely reflects the pending eighth-generation Core processors we’ll start to see in laptops this month (this one has a seventh-generation Core processor), but this is a very capable machine for the money and usually goes for $850. Additionally, you have an opportunity to get extra money back by registering for a Dell Preferred Account, which will net you an additional $50 in Rewards within a few weeks of purchase. Shipping for the laptop is free.

The Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Laptop is our runner-up pick in our guide to the best budget gaming laptop. Kimber Streams wrote, “If the Lenovo is sold out or you need a laptop that lasts longer on a charge, get the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming. It has all-day battery life—a rarity for any gaming laptop—a decent keyboard and trackpad, and a great screen (if you upgrade to the IPS option). The Dell’s WASD keys get warm enough during any gaming to make your hand sweat a bit, but otherwise the Inspiron keeps its components and most-touched surfaces cool. But the Inspiron’s fans get way too loud while gaming, and it doesn’t have any USB-C ports.

Streams continues, “We recommend the model with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti graphics card with 4 GB of dedicated memory, an Intel Core i5-7300HQ processor, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256 GB solid-state drive. Spend $50 more to upgrade to the IPS screen over the default TN panel—it makes a huge difference, and it’s very difficult to replace a bad screen later.”

Epson SureColor P600 Inkjet Printer

Street price: $750; MSRP: $800; Deal price: $650

Here’s a great deal on our top photo inkjet printer, the Epson SureColor P600. We’ve seen some stock issues on this printer for a while, but it’s been in stock and holding steady at the $750 price range on Amazon for the past few months. This deal drops it down by about $100 and makes for a great time to pick it up if you need a serious inkjet printer for printing quality photos. Stock is low, but according to Amazon, more is on the way.

The Epson SureColor P600 is our top pick in our guide to the best photo inkjet printers. Amadou Diallo wrote, “The $800 Epson P600 consistently delivers outstanding color and black-and-white photos that provide greater image detail and more accurate colors on prints that will last longer than anything you can get from a typical online photo service. These are truly gallery-quality prints that can provide many years of viewing pleasure whether you’re hanging them on your own wall or selling them to others. The printer accepts a wide range of inkjet-compatible media up to 13 inches wide, from photo lab-quality glossy paper and fine-art oriented sheets that mimic classic darkroom prints to CDs/DVDs and even sheets of metal up to 1.3 mm thick.”

Because great deals don’t just happen on Thursday, sign up for our daily deals email and we’ll send you the best deals we find every weekday. Also, deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.

How to Save Space in iOS 11 With New Storage Features

iOS 11 introduces design changes and new features, but it also includes several under-the-hood optimizations that are designed to free up space on your device. Some of those features, like new HEVC and HEIF formats for smaller video and photo file sizes, are implemented automatically when you upgrade, while others can be manually enabled when you’re low on space.

The new iOS update is designed to make suggestions on how you can save space, and you can find these suggestions in the Settings app.

Toggling on Space Saving Suggestions

Open the Settings app.
Scroll down and tap on “General.”
Choose “iPhone Storage.”
Tap “Enable” on any of the suggestions Apple provides to turn them on.

Offload Unused Apps

One of Apple’s suggestions is to automatically delete unused apps when the storage space on your device is low, and this is a feature new to iOS 11. If you enable this feature, Apple will delete apps you don’t use often, while saving the documents and data so you can download them again and pick right back up where you were if necessary.

You can also offload individual apps by selecting them from the list of apps located just below all of Apple’s suggestions.

Auto Delete Old Conversations

With “Auto Delete Old Conversations” enabled, Apple will automatically delete all messages and attachments that were sent over a year ago. This can save significant space, but be aware that once gone, there’s no getting those messages back.

Review Large Attachments

The “Review Large Attachments” feature lets you see a list of the largest files on your device, located in Photos, Mail, and Messages. A tap will let you view a file up close, and a swipe to the left on an item in the file list will bring up an option to delete it. You can mass delete files by tapping on the “Edit” button in the upper right corner of the device.

Along with these three options for storing space, the Storage section of the Settings app also displays all of the apps you have installed, with the app using the most storage space at the top. It also lets you know how long ago the app was last used, making it easy to cull items that aren’t used often.

Depending on what’s installed on your device, you may or may not see all of these storage options, but if you’re getting low on space, they should appear.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
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Start Expanding Your 4K Movie Collection Today With $100 Worth of iTunes Credit for $85

If you’re waiting for the new Apple TV 4K to arrive tomorrow, Apple has already opened up the ability for you to purchase 4K HDR movies on iTunes as of last week. Although any movie you own in HD will be automatically upgraded to the enhanced 4K HDR format, Amazon is offering customers the chance to increase their iTunes film collections this week with a discount on the $100 iTunes gift card tier, being sold at $85 right now with free shipping (limited to one per customer).

That’ll let you purchase five full-priced movies on iTunes for nearly the price of just four, and you can of course still use the gift card to buy any app, game, song, album, TV show, or book sold by Apple. There isn’t currently a discount on the other price tiers of iTunes gift cards, so $50 and $25 cards on Amazon are priced at their respective levels.

Studios currently supporting 4K movies on iTunes at $20 include 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures. New releases available to purchase today include Wonder Woman, Baby Driver, Alien: Covenant, The LEGO Batman Movie, Logan, and many more. Currently, Disney is the only studio holding out from releasing its films in 4K on iTunes.

Head over to our Deals Roundup to discover more recent and ongoing discounts, including sales on Jaybird and Jabra headphones at Best Buy, over 50 percent off a Thule Stravan Deluxe Attache for 13″ MacBooks at B&H Photo, and an updated roundup of Qi inductive wireless chargers.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, Apple Deals
Tag: 4K
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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