Hasta La Gadget!

Many online services are implementing two-factor authentication to bulk up security and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information. Dropbox is just one of those online services that offers the feature, but it’s been recently discovered that the company’s two-factor authentication method is still vulnerable to breaching.

It turns out that as long as someone has the username and password of your Dropbox account, they can bypass the two-factor authentication and log right into your account with a couple of clever tricks. Since Dropbox doesn’t verify email addresses when users sign up for a new account, a hacker can use a new email address that’s similar to an existing one by placing a period in somewhere, similar to how Gmail addresses work.

For this fake account, two-factor authentication is enabled and an emergency code is generated in case users ever lose their phone. The hacker will then login to the victim’s account, but will be prompted to enter the code for that account. However, the hacker will simply select that the victim lost their phone and they’ll be promoted for that emergency code.

Since the email address that the hacker signed up with is similar to the victim’s email address. the emergency code will work on the victim’s account. From there, the hacker can disable two-factor authentication and gain access into the victim’s Dropbox account. This is because that “baseballboy@yahoo.com” is registered as being the same “baseball.boy@yahoo.com,” just like how Gmail handles email addresses.

Of course, you have to know the user’s password before you can do this, but once you get a hold of it, it seems relatively easy to bypass Dropbox’s two-factor authentication. However, the security team that found the vulnerability is already said to be working with Dropbox to fix the bug.

VIA: The Hacker News

Dropbox hack allows bypass of two-factor authentication is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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AT&T Locker has been available on Android and iOS for awhile, but those aren’t the only platforms the carrier offers — others need their online storage, too. Accordingly, AT&T has quietly posted a Windows Phone 8 version of Locker. The new app switches to a Microsoft-inspired interface while preserving all of Locker’s core features, including an option to automatically upload photos and videos. If you’re an AT&T customer and don’t mind tying your Windows Phone’s cloud storage to your choice of cellular network, you can grab Locker at the link below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Storage, Mobile, AT&T

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Via: Windows Phone Central

Source: Windows Phone Store

Bitcoin fans are familiar with using cloud computing to generate a commodity — but what would happen if cloud computing was the commodity? The Deutsche Börse should find out when it opens its newly-unveiled Cloud Exchange in the first quarter of 2014. The independent market will let organizations buy remote computing and storage in respective 8GB and 1TB blocks, with traders agreeing on when and where the number crunching takes place. Theoretically, this creates a neutral, competitive space for exchanging server power: buyers can easily spot the best value, while sellers can efficiently offload their unused cycles. Whether or not the Cloud Exchange works that way in practice, we’re just hoping that it isn’t as volatile as an old-fashioned stock exchange.

[Image credit: Dontworry, Wikipedia]

Filed under: Storage, Internet

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Via: Reuters

Source: Deutsche Börse Cloud Exchange

While many can tell the difference between Sky TV services and Microsoft’s SkyDrive cloud storage, that’s not necessarily true for everyone. A British court certainly thinks there’s room for confusion: it has ruled that SkyDrive infringes BSkyB’s trademarks on the Sky name in both the UK and the European Union. The presiding judge didn’t believe that Microsoft’s use of the “sky” prefix was absolutely necessary, and she showed evidence that at least some of the general public didn’t understand which company made what. Microsoft says it plans to appeal the verdict, although there’s no guarantee that it will have to relabel SkyDrive if the appeal falls through. Some past trademark lawsuits have led to fines instead of name changes, and we suspect Microsoft would rather pay out than lose brand recognition across a whole continent.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Storage, Internet, HD, Microsoft

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: BAILII

Microsoft really, really doesn’t want your Xbox One’s online services going offline. In a near $700 million investment ($677.6 million), the company’s opening a new data center in Iowa specifically aimed at powering Xbox Live and Office 365. Microsoft’s Christian Belady told Iowa’s Des Moines Register that the data center “supports the growing demand for Microsoft’s cloud services” — a much lauded function of both the Xbox One and Office 365. Alongside the $700 million investment, the company’s getting a $6 million tax rebate from the state to move in, effective for five years. As for Microsoft’s cloud, we’ll assuredly hear more about it — for both Xbox One and Office 365 — this week at Build.

Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Software, Microsoft

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Via: NeoGAF

Source: Des Moines Register