First Fully Functional Mac Ransomware Targeted Apple Users

March 7, 2016

Here come first ever Mac ransomware targeting Apple users. So Apple users now new Mac ransomware shows that you’re no better off than regular old PC users. Researchers reported that hackers are targeting users with this ransomware through torrenting software.

Also Read : Hackers Are Offering $23,000 To Apple Employees For Their Login Details

First Known Mac Ransomware Out There

Security researchers from Palo Alto Networks on friday found first fully functional ransomware, dubbed “KeRanger“, seen on the OS X platform. Researchers said that piece of “BitTorrent” software known as “Transmission” was infected with ransomware, KeRanger. so that when Mac users were downloading the latest version of the product, the ransomware was installed on their machine.

“Transmission is an open source project. It’s possible that Transmission’s official website was compromised and the files were replaced by re-compiled malicious versions, but we can’t confirm how this infection occurred,” Palo Alto said in the blog entry.

According to researchers the ransomware was able to bypass Apple’s security checks as it was “signed with a valid Mac app development system”, tricking the OS X operating system into thinking it was a legitimate piece of software.

Also Read : Newly Discovered iPhone Vulnerability Can Bypass Your Lockscreen Code

How KeRanger Ransomware Attack ?

So once KeRanger was installed on a Mac, it waited three days before carrying out the attack. The malware begins encrypting certain types of document and data files on a system and once that process is finished, KeRanger demands the victim pay one bitcoin, equivalent to just over $400, according to the latest price by industry website CoinDesk.

It’s not the first time Mac-targeting ransomware has been detected by security experts, as back in 2014 Kaspersky Labs discovered ransomware for Mac, though it wasn’t complete at the time. But the researchers today announced that they believed KeRanger was “the first fully functional ransomware seen on the OS X platform.”

The Palo Alto Networks team notified both Apple and the Transmission Project on March 4. Since then, they say Apple has revoked the security certificate exploited by KeRanger and updated its XProtect antivirus software.

The researches also note that Transmission has removed the affected versions of the BitTorrent installer from its website.

Usually Windows PCs are making headlines for being targeted with viruses, malware and any number of digital infections and now onwards untouchable Mac also came to the field.

Also Read : New Malicious Text Message Malware Can Erase Everything In Your Android Phone

Scientists Built Biological Supercomputer for Much Faster Problem Solving Using Very Little Energy

Sabarinath

February 27, 2016

When we hear Supercomputer, first thing comes to our mind is its super speed and performance related to normal ones. But with impressive performance every supercomputer comes at a price – size and energy consumption. Now some scientists developed a model of biological supercomputer that have much faster problem solving feature by using very little energy.

Also Read : Google Says its Quantum Computer is More Than 100 Million Times Faster Than a Conventional PC

Biological Supercomputer – Faster & Power Efficient

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have utilised nanotechnology to create a biological supercomputer that can solve certain mathematical problems far faster and more energy-efficiently than conventional electrical computers.

Conventional computers can only do one thing at a time. The more arithmetic operations a problem requires, the longer it takes to perform the calculations. This means that electronic computers are not efficient in dealing with combinatorial problems, for example in cryptography and mathematical optimisation, which require the computer to test a large number of different solutions.

Also Read : Researchers Developed First Light-Based Microprocessor Chip to Create More Powerful Computers & Ultrafast Communications

So unlike a traditional computer, biological supercomputer don’t work in sequence, they operate in parallel — leading to much faster problem solving and using energy efficiently.

Biological supercomputer use a strategy similar to that of so-called quantum computers. Quantum mechanics uses qubits – ones and zeroes – whereas biocomputers use molecules that work in parallel.

And next advantage of biological supercomputer is its energy efficiency. Lund’s Heiner Linke says – “Biocomputer requires less than one per cent of the energy an electronic transistor needs to carry out one calculation step”.

And also CBC reports that the model biocomputer used in the experiment is only about the size of a book.

Also Read : Li-Fi Is Here, 100 Times Faster Than Wi-Fi

Forget Freedom 251, Here Comes Freedom 651, Promises to Deliver Rs 651 Smartphones in 10 Years via Drones

Sabarinath

February 23, 2016

You may all remember World’s cheapest smartphone, Freedom 251 which make a revolutionized launch on February 18th promises to deliver Rs.651 smartphones before June 30. But now Freedom 251 gets tough competition, Rs 651 phone, Freedom 651 to launch soon and promises you delivery to your doorstep within 10 years by drones.

Also Read : Google, WhatsApp and Snowden Supports Apple In Fight With FBI

Freedom 251 : World’s Cheapest Smartphone

Noida-based company Ringing Bells recently launched the most affordable touchscreen handset, Freedom 251 in India for Rs 251, making it the world’s cheapest 3G smart-phone.

The Ringing Bells Freedom 251 runs on Android 5.1, with a 4-inch display, a quad-core 1.3GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage (expandable to 32GB).

The company make their online launch in February 18 2016, started to take orders online by promising customers that they will deliver the phone before 30th June 2016.

Ringing Bells Freedom 251 bookings have officially been stopped by the company on February 21 , which claims to have gotten orders worth Rs 1.75 crores via the website freedom251.com.

Many people still not believe that this is a legit one and they have hundreds questions to ask. But many people believes this is true and they already booked the device from the official website. Ringing Bells claims it will deliver the first batch of deliveries for Freedom 251 by February 25.

Also Read : New Malicious Text Message Malware Can Erase Everything In Your Android Phone

Freedom 651 : A “Tight Competitor”

Now it seems like the company is having a “tight competitor” in the field with a smart-phone available at Rs 651 that will be “delivered by June 30, 2026, to the doorstep by drones.”

Well, if the Freedom smartphone did not get you angry, here is a website that has been launched claiming that they will deliver the smartphone, priced at Rs 651, by June 2026.

At the first look, the website Freedom651.com, owned by Doesn’t Ring a Bell Pvt. Ltd., looks very similar to Freedom 251’s web-page. But only on close observation you will realise it as a spoof website taking a dig at the makers of the cheapest smart-phone. From the ‘Do not Buy’ button, a delivery date of 30th June, 2026, a customer care number which reads- 0420-420420, 4200420, and a separate ‘Contact Us’ section that asks for a user’s grandfather’s, neighbour’s details and still warns not to even try submitting the form; the website brutally takes down every aspect of Freedom 251’s existence or the lack of it.

The ‘About Us’ section of the spoof website mentions that it is indeed a ‘parody website with no intentions of making a smart phone or any other smart move towards making one.’ The social media links on the website direct to a ‘Places near Pune‘ tourist information page on Facebook, seemingly created in late 2010.

Also Read : Now Onwards Microsoft Will Tell You What’s Inside In Those Windows 10 Updates

New Malicious Text Message Malware Can Erase Everything In Your Android Phone

Sabarinath

February 17, 2016

Malicious Text Message Malware Can Erase Everything In Your Android Phone

Alert !Watch out for that next text message you receive. A new malicious text message malware is out there to attack your Android smartphones. This malicious text message Android-based malware is able to grant itself administrator privileges and completely take over a users’ device.

Also Read : Hackers Are Offering $23,000 To Apple Employees For Their Login Details

LogBook : Malicious Text Message can Erase Everything in your Android Phone

Norwegian security firm Heimdal has detected a nasty piece of malware that spreads via SMS and tricks users into downloading a malicious app, allowing it to gain administrator rights to the device.

This new malware is being called Mazar Android BOT and it is spread via SMS and MMS messages. The message will generally look like this:
“You have received a multimedia message from +[country code] [sender number] Follow the link http://www.mmsforyou[.]Net/mms.apk to view your message”

Once it is installed the malicious code embedded inside grants the app administrator privileges. This allows attackers to retrieve device data, monitor calls and text messages, and root the device.

Also Read : China Launched Online Platform To Help Fraud Victims

The Mazar malware also has the ability to entirely erase all of the data stored on an infected device. Not only would a users’ device be infected but such a move by attackers could render the device useless as well.

Security firm Heimdal thinks the malicious texts could have been sent to over 100,000 phones in Denmark, though it is not sure whether users in other countries may have received the messages.

This is believed to be the first time Mazar has been detected in widespread, real world attacks.

One interesting feature of Mazar is that it cannot be installed on smartphones running Android with “Russian” selected as the operating system’s language.

Mazar has been available for purchase on the Dark Web for quite a while now but this is the first time it has been actively used on the Android platform.

So how to stay away from this dirty malicious text message malware ? First off, users should not click on links in text messages from strange recipients and not install unknown apps. Additionally, most users should make sure unknown sources cannot install apps (Settings > Security > Unknown sources).

Also Read : Newly Discovered iPhone Vulnerability Can Bypass Your Lockscreen Code

China Launched Online Platform To Help Fraud Victims

TechLog360

February 15, 2016

China’s public security ministry has launched an online platform to register the victims of investment frauds and pyramid scams, the media reported on Sunday. The ministry said the website is to help in fraud investigations.

Also Read : Microsoft Joint Hands with a Chinese Partner to Accelerate Adoption of the Windows 10 Operating System

LogBook : Online Platform To Help Fraud Victims

China recently launched an online platform to record investors and investments in illegal fund-raising cases.

The initiative comes after a crackdown on online lending platform, Ezubao, EFE news reported.

Ezubao had collected $7 billion from more than 900,000 investors. Disguised as an investment company, which collected money over the internet through the bait of promising returns.

Ezubao diverted funds it collected from investors to finance the personal expenses of its directors and managed to return the initial investments with the money it collected from new clients.

Also Read : Within 20 Years Nearly Half Of All Jobs In Japan Could Be Done By Robots

The operation, revealed on February 1, led to the arrest of 21 people and caused a huge stir in the country due to the popularity of Ezubao, which was founded in July 2014 and gained ground in the country through an aggressive ad campaign, including spots, on the state broadcaster CCTV.

The ministry said that the online platform will allow victims of the Ezubao scam to register themselves on the website until May 13, to facilitate the investigation.

The information given by the victims will be verified and serve as the basis for a possible refund of the defrauded amount.

The website will also be used for victims of possible new cases of fraud that could occur in the future.

Also Read : Power Paper – A Paper to Store Electricity Coming Soon

Now Onwards Microsoft Will Tell You What’s Inside In Those Windows 10 Updates

Avinash A

February 11, 2016

Microsoft Will Tell You What's Inside In Those Windows 10 Updates

Windows users are always confused about the Windows 10 updates that are delivering to them frequently because users don’t really know what’s changing when a patch gets applied. Microsoft is not that much transparent about Windows 10 updates they rarely releases detailed release notes, and the updates are often applied automatically behind the scenes. But now Microsoft is going to fix that problem, now onwards each Windows users will know what’s exactly inside in those Windows 10 updates.

Also Read : Next-Generation Processors will only be Compatible with Windows 10, says Microsoft

LogBook : Microsoft Will Tell You What’s Inside In Those Windows 10 Updates

After users request Microsoft is going to transparent about Windows 10 updates. For that Microsoft has launched a new website for anyone who is curious about the features and fixes released in each Windows 10 update.
“After listening to feedback regarding the level of disclosure for Windows 10 updates, we decided to implement a new system for communicating updates to the operating system,” said a Microsoft spokesperson.

The new Windows 10 update history website will serve as a hub for historical information on previous Windows 10 updates, and it will be revised with new data for each release.

Most Windows 10 users won’t care what changes on a monthly basis, but the new site will be an important resource for IT admins or power users.

Also Read : Only 1.2 Percent Are Using Android Marshmallow On Their Devices

Earlier Microsoft has been sharing the details of different releases in posts on its Windows Blog, but there has never been a central location for all update details.

When Microsoft launched the Windows 10 history website on Feb. 9, it also rolled out a cumulative update. This release, which will bring the most current Windows systems to 10586.104, is the first to come with notes.

The accompanying notes indicate this update fixes problems across Windows 10, including authentication and update installation, app downloads, Windows 10 Mobile, and Internet Explorer 11.

Also Read : 86% Of Critical Vulnerabilities Affecting Windows Could Be Avoided By Removing Admin Rights

Hackers Are Offering $23,000 To Apple Employees For Their Login Details

Sabarinath

February 10, 2016

Apple employees are getting big offers from hackers for revealing their login details to break into Apple’s systems. According to someone that works for the company in Ireland said that hackers are willing to pay thousands of euros to Apple employees willing to sell their login details.

Also Read : Newly Discovered iPhone Vulnerability Can Bypass Your Lockscreen Code

LogBook : Hackers Ready to Pay Apple Employees for their Logins

According to Business Insider, someone working for Apple in Ireland said that hackers have offered €20,000 or approximately $23,000, to Apple employees willing to sell their login details.

“You’d be surprised how many people get on to us, just random Apple employees,” the source told Business Insider. “You get emails offering you thousands [of euros] to get a password to get access to Apple.I could sell my Apple ID login information online for €20,000 (£15,000 / $23,000) tomorrow. That’s how much people are trying.”

And another former employee of Apple confirmed that hackers did contact staff, offering them money in exchange for access to login details or other sensitive information.

Also Read : Apple Hit with Lawsuit Over iOS 9 Performance on Older iPhones

And he also said that hackers typically target newer employees.

“They look for someone who has jumped diagonally into a junior managerial position, so not a lifer working their way up, and not a lifer who has been there a long time,” the source told Business Insider.

Apparently, Apple has launched an internal program to combat this problem. The project is called “Grown Your Own” but it’s not immediately clear what exactly the code name refers to.

It’s now unclear what the hackers are after it could be any number of things — like access to individual Apple user accounts, the company’s extremely valuable intellectual property, or internal corporate strategy information, the report notes.

The source said Apple is “very, very careful” in terms of security, adding that it’s exceptionally hard for anyone to gain access to Apple’s offices without authorization.

Even some of Apple’s remote workers in Ireland have difficulty accessing the company’s offices in Cork, where thousands of Apple workers are based, the source said. “You have to have a particular coded badge to get into the building,” they explained.

Also Read : Apple Asks Widow to Get Court Order to Reveal Dead Husband’s Password

Newly Discovered iPhone Vulnerability Can Bypass Your Lockscreen Code

Avinash A

February 9, 2016

iPhone Vulnerability Can Bypass Your Lockscreen Code

Locking your iPhone with passcode is the popular choice of most people to keep their iPhone safe from prying eyes. But researchers have discovered a new iPhone vulnerability that can bypass your lockscreen code in iPhones and iPads running iOS 8 and iOS 9. Now it’s not clear if other devices are affected.

Also Read : Dell Introducing New BIOS Security Tool To Make Its Laptops Harder To Hack

LogBook : iPhone Vulnerability Can Bypass Your Lockscreen Code

The new iPhone vulnerability was discovered by security analyst Benjamin Kunz Mejri, a penetration tester and security analyst for Vulnerability Lab.

This iPhone vulnerability will let hackers to access the data behind your lockscreen password.

Since the flaw not seems to be that much serious because hackers hackers would have to gain physical access to the iPhone or iPad and they would have to be able to manage an unlocked iOS device for a few minutes, which means the target would likely trust the hacker with the smartphone or tablet.

Physical access to the device is required, so the advice is to make sure you do not leave your iPhone or iPad unattended.

Vulnerability Laboratory has issued a security advisory that warns: “An application update loop that results in a pass code bypass vulnerability has been discovered in the official Apple iOS (iPhone 5 & 6 | iPad 2) v8.x, v9.0, v9.1 & v9.2. The security vulnerability allows local attackers to bypass pass code lock protection of the Apple iPhone via an application update loop issue. The issue affects the device security when processing to request a local update by an installed mobile iOS web-application”.

It has been assigned a Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) count of 6.0, as well as a ‘high’ severity rating.

As explained by security expert Graham Cluley, the exploit works by taking advantage of a brief period after rebooting during which passcode authentication is disabled.

Vulnerability Laboratory shares a list of steps (text is produced verbatim with the original typos and grammatical oddities) that allow interested parties to replicate the bug :

Also Read : 86% Of Critical Vulnerabilities Affecting Windows Could Be Avoided By Removing Admin Rights

First fill up about some % of the free memory in the iOS device with random data
Now, you open the app-store choose to update all applications (update all push button)
Switch fast via home button to the slide index and perform iOS update at the same time. Note: The interaction to switch needs to be performed very fast to successfully exploit. In the first load of the update you can still use the home button. Press it go back to index
Now, press the home button again to review the open runnings slides
Switch to the left menu after the last slide which is new and perform to open Siri in the same moment. Now the slide hangs and runs all time in a loop
Turn of via power button on the ipad or iphone ….
Reactivate via power button and like you can see the session still runs in the loop and can be requested without any pass code. Note: Normally the pass code becomes available after the power off button interaction to stand-by mode
Successful reproduce of the local security vulnerability!

Benjamin Kunz Mejri also posted a proof-of-concept video of the attack taking place.

Kunz reported the threat to Apple back in late 2015, but the issue is still present, Security Affairs notes.

Also Read : Software Bug Put Several MediaTek Powered Android Smartphones Vulnerable to Attack

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