LoopPay gets breached by Chinese hackers

The widely acceptable contact-less payment service, Samsung Pay, may be in danger. LoopPay, the service behind Samsung Pay, experienced a hack coming from a group of Chinese hackers.

The breach gave the hackers access to LoopPay’s secure computer systems. According to NY Times, the hack took place last March well before the acquisition of Samsung and LoopPay was made. Samsung made a statement regarding the security breach and said nothing was effected and nobody’s information is at risk. The company mentioned the attack was an “isolated incident that targeted the LoopPay corporate network, which is a physically separate network from Samsung Pay.” Giving users some relief.

As of now, there’s no specific evidence that any information had been stolen. However, one should be alerted to what has happened. Samsung and LoopPay are currently investigating the breach.

Source: Samsung, New York Times

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Chinese hackers attacked the company behind Samsung Pay

A notorious group of state-sponsored Chinese hackers reportedly broke into the computer systems of LoopPay, the company that created the tech used in Samsung Pay. According to the NYT, the breach by the so-called Codoso Group occurred in March, well before Samsung acquired LoopPay for $250 million. The technology forms the core of Samsung’s mobile payment system, which launched in the US on September 28th. However, Samsung says that “Samsung Pay was not impacted and at no point was any personal payment information at risk.”

Experts contacted by the NYT aren’t sure there’s enough evidence yet to back that statement, however. For starters, LoopPay never discovered the breach itself — the company’s info was actually spotted by a third party probing the Codoso hackers for a separate attack. As a result, the group, which is allegedly backed by the Chinese government, was inside LoopPay’s corporate system for nearly five months. And Codoso has a reputation for leaving backdoors, allowing them to return for another attack, as Forbes and Microsoft found out earlier this year during a breach.

However, LoopPay said that there’s no evidence that the group has stolen any customer data or financial information. Samsung said that the attack was an “isolated incident that targeted the LoopPay corporate network, which is a physically separate network (from Samsung Pay).” Nevertheless, LoopPay launched an investigation just over a month before the payment system was launched in the US — an insufficient period to thoroughly investigate a hack, according to a recent security study.

Source: New York Times

Barnes and Noble’s Galaxy Tab E Nook is yet another tablet for readers

If you’re a fan of Barnes & Noble’s Nook line of e-readers and tablets, there’s a new option to tempt you this fall. The Galaxy Tab E Nook is a 9.6-inch slate that offers all of the perks of the bookseller’s digital library in a Samsung package. While the front features a familiar-looking Galaxy design, the back is covered in “a non-slip fabric-like material” to ensure you’re able to keep a good grip during long reads. Inside, there’s 16GB of built-in storage that’s expandable to 128GB via mircoSD to store your books and other items. Unfortunately, storage is about the only info on the gadget’s internals the announcement reveals. Like previous Nook by Samsung releases, this one is more than just an e-reader, allowing you to watch movies, stream TV shows and browse the web with Android apps.

Speaking of browsing the web, Samsung’s handy Multi-Window feature handles split-screen duties so you can multi-task with ease. And if you need to take a photo, there’s 5-megapixel rear-facing and 2-megapixel front-facing cameras to take care of those. This Nook also comes pre-loaded with Microsoft Office and touts up to 12 hours of continuous video playback before needing to recharge. Ready to take the leap? The Galaxy Tab E Nook is available now for $250. If you act before November 7th, though, Barnes & Noble will let you trade-in “select” Nook, Kindle, iPad and Samsung devices for up to $200 credit towards that purchase.

Source: Barnes & Nobile (Business Wire)

Barnes & Noble debut Samsung Galaxy Tab E NOOK

Barnes & Noble and Samsung on Wednesday announced the latest in a collaborative electronic book reader effort. Specifically, the pair introduced the Samsung Galaxy Tab E NOOK, a $250 eReader with a 9.6-inch display.

Available immediately, the tablet runs Android under the hood and features 16GB internal storage with microSD expansion card slot (up to 128GB). The rear houses a 5-megapixel camera while the front offers up a 2-megapixel lens for selfies and video chat.

The aforementioned 9.6-inch screen has a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution image; it’s larger than the more expensive Tab S2 Nook but considerably lower resolution.

The Galaxy Tab E NOOK comes loaded with a suite of Microsoft Office apps and also includes access to a number of Google apps. Like other NOOK devices, this one comes with free NOOK Cloud storage, lifetime in-store support at Barnes & Noble, and the ability to read NOOK Books free inside of B&N retail stores.

Purchase the Samsung Galaxy Tab E NOOK from Barnes & Noble

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Barnes & Noble announces new Galaxy Tab E NOOK with special trade-in program

Barnes & Noble announced today that they are expanding their lineup of NOOK devices with a new 9.6-inch device from Samsung, the Galaxy Tab E NOOK. The new tablet reader will sell for $249.99 retail. As part of the launch, Barnes & Noble is conducting a special Trade-In/Trade-Up promotion that offers a credit of up to $200 towards the purchase of a new NOOK device for customers who trade in certain NOOK, iPad, Kindle or Samsung devices.

Fred Argir, Chief Digital Officer for Barnes & Noble, says:

“We’re excited to give our customers even more ways to experience reading and entertainment with the addition of the Samsung Galaxy Tab E NOOK and its spacious large display. We’re proud to partner with Samsung to give Barnes & Noble customers a comfortable, convenient way to enjoy their favorite reading, movies and TV shows on a number of devices and sizes to fit their needs. We invite customers to visit their local Barnes & Noble store to learn more and take advantage of the limited-time promotion to trade in an earlier NOOK device to trade up to one of our wonderful new NOOK by Samsung tablets.”

The Galaxy Tab E NOOK features a 9.6-inch display running at 1280 x 800 resolution, 16GB of internal storage that is expandable via microSD, comes with a 5MP rear facing camera and 2MP front facing camera, and with Samsung’s overlay, provides multi-window capabilities for multi-tasking purposes and runs a full version of Android. The Galaxy Tab E NOOK falls in the middle of the product line in between the high end Galaxy Tab S2 Nook and the lower end Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK 7.0.

The special Trade-In/Trade-Up program runs through November 7th. Credits received for devices that are traded in can be used toward the purchase of any NOOK device, not just the Galaxy Tab E NOOK. Previous versions of NOOK devices will garner a $50 credit. Other devices from Samsung, Kindle and Apple may result in a credit of $25 up to $200 depending on the device. Customers do have to visit a Barnes & Noble retail location to take advantage of the program.

To place an order for the new Galaxy Tab E NOOK, hit the source link below.

source: Barnes & Noble (Galaxy Tab E NOOK product page) (press release)

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Samsung Galaxy S7 may get third processor variant

When Samsung launched the Galaxy S6 this year, the company took a bit of a different route from previous flagship launches in that only a single chip was used, their own Exynos processor. Previous versions of the Galaxy S devices were generally released with two versions, one using an Exynos chip and one using a Snapdragon chip depending on the market. Although previous reports indicate Samsung has been working hard on preparing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip for use in next year’s Galaxy S7, rumors recently surfaced suggesting Samsung was going back to the familiar strategy that involves some markets getting Exynos equipped devices. The latest rumor indicates Samsung may use two different Exynos processors, bringing the number of variants up to three for the first time.

Sources believe Samsung will use their Exynos 7422 chips, which were originally planned to power the Galaxy Note 5, in Galaxy S7 devices that will be sold in India. Meanwhile, the Exynos 8890 will be used in units destined for the Korean, Japanese and some European markets. The U.S. and Chinese markets will get devices that come with the Snapdragon 820 chips inside.

source: SamMobile

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