Month: October 2016

Linkedin hacking suspect Identified by U.S. Feds, arrested in Prague

Dan Uff October 21, 2016 0

A 29-year old Russian by the name of Yevgeniy Aleksandrovich Nikuln, 29 years old, was attested for what he said to be hacking such Internet services as LinkedIn, Dropbox, and a 3rd unnamed Internet service.

(CNN/Money): The indictment, filed Thursday, was made public Friday night by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The federal government has now confirmed Nikulin was the Russian citizen arrested in Pragueon Wednesday by Czech police.

He was wanted by the FBI in connection with the theft of 117 million LinkedIn passwords and login credentials.

LinkedIn had initially claimed that 6.5 million passwords were stolen in the 2012 attack. But in May, the company revealed the theft was actually 117 million.

Nikulin managed to break into the company's computers in March 2012 because he stole the username and password of a LinkedIn employee who worked at the company's Mountain View, California, headquarters, according to the indictment.

A few months later, he hacked into Dropbox and "obtained information," according to court papers.

That summer he also allegedly broke into what was, at the time, a relatively unknown chatting social media site, Formspring. That time he also targeted a company employee, stealing the employee's username and password.

This is a typical hacker tactic because it allows them to pose as an official employee and access a computer network.

He repeatedly "conspired to... traffic in... user names, email addresses and passwords," according to the indictment.

In court papers, federal agents aren't clear about what exactly Nikulin stole -- or how he planned to profit from their sale online. But the government claims Nikulin worked with at least two others in the attempt to make the business deals.

He faces nine separate counts of crimes ranging from computer intrusion to aggravated identity theft -- as well as trafficking in unauthorized access devices.

Before AT&T, Apple approached Time Warner over possible Merger

Dan Uff October 21, 2016 0

“Apple Inc. a few months ago approached Time Warner about pursuing a combination, and though the discussions didn’t progress beyond a preliminary stage, Apple is now monitoring the situation, people familiar with the matter said Friday,” Shalini Ramachandran, Dana Mattioli and Keach Hagey report for The Wall Street Journal. “AT&T is now in advanced talks to purchase Time Warner, The Wall Street Journal has reported, and a deal could come together within days.”

“The talks for Time Warner suggest there is a greater merger dance occurring in the media industry as conglomerates, telecom companies and tech giants try to stake their claim on the future,” Ramachandran, Mattioli and Hagey report. “A host of other contenders could jump into the fray for Time Warner and scuttle the planned deal, media executives and analysts say.”

“Time Warner is viewed as perhaps the most attractive stand-alone media asset, given its premium content brands—which include HBO, CNN and Warner Bros.–and the fact it doesn’t have a controlling shareholder,” Ramachandran, Mattioli and Hagey report. “From Apple’s end, executives under Chief Executive Tim Cook were involved in the earlier talks. Apple has pursued plans to build an online TV service and has begun creating original programming of its own. Before its most recent approach, Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services, brought up a potential combination in a meeting with Time Warner’s head of corporate strategy Olaf Olafsson last year, the people said, though the talks never went further than that.”

Read more in the full article here.

 Watch

ComputerWorld reviews the Apple Watch Series 2

Dan Uff October 21, 2016 0

“When Apple jumped into the wearables market last year with the first Apple Watch, it delivered a device that offered a lot of promise, while at the same confusing and confounding many early adopters,” Michael deAgonia reports for Computerworld. “App loading times were sluggish; the UI was wholly unfamiliar to longtime Apple buyers; connectivity was sometimes an issue; and fitness tracking didn’t always work as it should.”

“This year’s Apple Watch Series 2 — unveiled last month when the iPhone 7 was previewed — builds on last year’s model and addresses most, but not all, of the issues early adopters faced,” deAgonia reports. “With the inclusion of GPS, a faster system architecture, better water resistance and support for more activity profiles — including swimming and wheelchair support — the Series 2 turns the Apple Watch into a more complete fitness band. And the system’s overall responsiveness, in concert with watchOS 3, largely delivers on last year’s first-generation promise.”

“watchOS 3 went a long way to make the Apple Watch much more user-friendly and Apple-like in its utility. The hardware update finished the job,” deAgonia reports. “If you’re already an iPhone user and in the market for a fitness band, or for a way to filter out digital distractions, this year’s Watch models are worth checking out. They’ve come a long way in a year.”

Read more in the full article here.

More than one million fools are still using a Galaxy Note 7

Dan Uff October 21, 2016 0

“The Galaxy Note 7 has harmed people and caused tens, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to users’ property. It burned furniture, floors, cars and even a house,” Zach Epstein reports for BGR.

“The phone has officially been recalled and discontinued, with Samsung warning all owners that they should power down the device immediately and return it to a local retailer at once,” Epstein reports. “There has never been a more serious problem with a smartphone in the history of the industry, and yet many people refuse to turn in their handsets and insist on putting themselves and those around them at risk.”

Epstein reports, “More than 1 million people have yet to return their potentially dangerous Galaxy Note 7 phones, according to [Korea JoongAng Daily]’s sources.”

Read more in the full article here.