US Immigrations and Customs dump BlackBerry in favor of the iPhone

If you thought the BlackBerry platform was coming back simply due to their powerful contracts held with the US government, today’s announcement of the ICE drop might throw you for a loop – especially since they’re moving to the iPhone instead. This update comes from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who says BlackBerry “can no longer meet the mobile technology needs of the agency.” This government agency speaks for groups such as Homeland Security Investigations and has been using RIM‘s BlackBerry phones for 8 years.

The folks at ICE have let it be known that they’ve been analyzing both iOS for the iPhone and Google’s Android smartphone platforms and have come to the conclusion that Apple’s choices ring true for them. This is because, as they say, Apple’s tight controls of the hardware platform and the operating system on the iPhone work best with the government group’s own requirements for security. The agency made it clear that this change will be made soon and will span several organizations.

“[The iPhone will be used by a] variety of agency personnel, including, but not limited to, Homeland Security Investigations, Enforcement and Removal Operations, and Office of the Principal Legal Advisor employees.

The iPhone services will allow these individuals to leverage reliable, mobile technology on a secure and manageable platform in furtherance of the agency’s mission.” – US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

This will certainly not be a welcome bit of news coming up on the feeds of the Canadian company’s own BlackBerry 10 devices. With the BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system coming out early 2013, RIM will be making great strides to keep the groups they’ve already got attached to their company for BlackBerry’s business-oriented security features. Apple’s iPhone appears to have finally started chipping away significant bits of IT business here after the launch of the iPhone 5.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see how BlackBerry 10 has been evolving to get a better view of how RIM will handle the near future of the platform. Let us know if you plan on continuing to use BlackBerry through the future – or if you plan on adopting a BlackBerry 10 phone next year. ICE will not be joining that party, needless to say – but perhaps sometime in the future.

[via Rueters]


US Immigrations and Customs dump BlackBerry in favor of the iPhone is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Google NC data center gets Street View treatment

If you were wondering where the internet is housed, you’re asking the wrong question – but if you want to know where Google’s corner of the internet lives, you’re in luck. This week Google has released not just a high-definition set of photos from several of their data centers, they’ve got a lovely Street View look at one in particular. Google’s Lenoir, NC data center has the greatest little look-around you could hope for this afternoon.

This exploration begins at “Google Data Center, Lynhaven Drive, Lenoir, NC” in Google Maps, this leading you to [this exterior look link] and a very wide-open look at the building from out in the open. They’ve also jumped in the [front door] of the building and allow you the freedom to get down to the [data center floor] as well. You can get around quick, that’s for sure! Be on the lookout for Stormtroopers.

Above and in the Where The Internet Lives site you’ll also see several more data centers that make your internet what it is today – if you use Google on the regular, that is. There’s “The Tech,” “The People,” and “The Places” for you to look forward to in Google’s large gallery, with what we expect to be more on the way. Note that with this exploration comes a visually expansive look at a collection of places normally not connected to aesthetically stimulating ideas – when you think about where your data is stored, it looks like a big black hole, right?

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Of course there’s always the idea that it’s all like TRON. Here we’re given the real lowdown: Google’s data centers are expansive halls of perfectly situated masses of technology. Boards and storage, metal, stone, and atmosphere cooled to keep it all safe. This is where your Gmail is, this is where your Androids live, here is where Google’s business exists in the virtual universe.


Google NC data center gets Street View treatment is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Microsoft announces PhoneFactor acquisition

Today Microsoft announced that it has purchased PhoneFactor, a company that specializes in phone-based multi-factor authentication. Unlike a lot of the acquisitions we’ve been hearing about lately, Microsoft is actually giving us details when it comes to what the company plans to do with PhoneFactor. According a blog post penned by Microsoft’s Bharat Shah, Microsoft will “further integrate PhoneFactor’s technology into its Active Directory, Windows Azure Active Directory and Office 365 products.”


Microsoft had already been working with PhoneFactor before this acquisition, so it shouldn’t come as much of a shocker that the big M decided to just buy PhoneFactor outright. Of course, PhoneFactor services more corporations aside from just Microsoft, but the good news is that PhoneFactor’s existing customers won’t be cut off. In a blog post of his own, PhoneFactor CEO Tim Sutton said that the company will remain open for business, so existing customers have nothing to worry about.

Indeed, in addition to further integrating PhoneFactor’s serivces into its own products, it appears that Microsoft has plans to continue licensing the company’s tech to other corporations. That’s a smart move on Microsoft’s part, and it stands to make a decent chunk of change by doing that, since so many other companies use PhoneFactor authentication for their own products.

This is also a big win for PhoneFactor, as it will be able to improve its services faster and offer them to a wider range of customers with Microsoft backing it up. Sutton even hints that details about these improvements will be coming shortly, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for those. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, neither company talked about how much Microsoft paid for PhoneFactor.


Microsoft announces PhoneFactor acquisition is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


US Navy helps develop scary PlaceRaider smartphone malware

As society begins to rely more and more on the smartphones and mobile devices in our everyday lives, there are many who aren’t thinking about the security risks that come along with having a constantly connected computer in your pocket. The Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana and a group of scientists at Indiana University just reminded us that security should be a major concern, however, in developing a particularly nasty bit of malware for phones running Android 2.3 and later.


What does the malware do, exactly? It hijacks your phone’s camera, snapping pictures of your surroundings and sending them back to an offsite server, where malicious folks could use the images to construct a 3D image of your location. Why would they want to do that? To make stealing your stuff easier. Named PlaceRaider, the malicious program runs in the background, muting your phone while snapping images so you don’t hear the shutter sound. In short, you probably won’t have a way of knowing if you’ve downloaded PlaceRaider, even as it snaps pictures of your surroundings and gives crooks a better look at what’s worthy of stealing.

It doesn’t stop there though, as all of the photos are sent through a filter to ensure that pictures that are blurry or dark don’t make it into the 3D image. PlaceRaider can even use the sensors on your phone to figure out its orientation and pinpoint your position.

That would be absolutely terrifying, but the good news is that this piece of malware was developed as a test to see what kind of security flaws exist and are ready to be taken advantage of. Naturally, there will be some out there who think that the government will actually use this to spy on its citizens, but for now, we’re willing to give the US Navy and the folks at Indiana University the benefit of the doubt. The developers installed the malware on Android phones and then handed them off to 20 unsuspecting subjects, asking another group of test subjects to build 3D models of the rooms from the pictures that were snapped. They did, and discovered that it’s pretty easy to steal personal information – such as banking information on personal checks or crucial business secrets – from the pictures and models alike.

Though PlaceRaider was developed and tested on Android, its developers say in the study that it could very easily generalize to other platforms, such as iOS or Windows Phone. On the upside, additional security measures taken by both manufacturers and users could do a lot to stop malware like PlaceRaider from, you know, ruining your life. For instance, manufacturers could make it impossible for the shutter sound to be muted, while an antivirus program could scan the smartphone to make sure there isn’t anything fishy going on in the background. At the very least, it’s probably a good idea to do a little checking around before downloading an app that seems suspicious, which is a good way to avoid the malware problem altogether.

[via Technology Review]


US Navy helps develop scary PlaceRaider smartphone malware is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Facebook ditches facial recognition in Europe after months of talks

Facebook has already dealt with plenty of negative attention over its facial recognition technology, both here in the US and across the Atlantic in Europe. Things are looking up for those who don’t want to be included in Facebook’s facial recognition program, however, as the company has decided to stop using the tool in Europe. The Irish Data Protection Commission announced that Facebook was pulling the plug on facial recognition today, after privacy officials in Europe began reviewing Facebook to make sure it was complying with privacy requests and recommendations made back in December.


It seems that Facebook wasn’t required to shut down its facial recognition entirely, but the fact that it did signals that the company is ready to work with privacy officials to come to an agreement on the highly controversial tool. “I am particularly encouraged in relation to the approach [Facebook Ireland] has decided to adopt on the tag suggest/facial recognition feature by in fact agreeing to go beyond our initial recommendations, in light of developments since then, in order to achieve the best practice,” DPC commissioner Billy Hawkes said in a statement today.

It gets better too, because the DPC says that its reviews has found that Facebook complied with most of the recommendations made by the Commission. Discussions about the facial recognition tool were constructive, and Facebook is getting better at being transparent about the way it uses the data it collects. Companies complying with government requests for more transparency isn’t exactly a common thing, so we may as well relish it while we have the chance.

Issues arose when European privacy officials found out that not only was Facebook building a database of user images to aid this facial recognition tool, but it was doing so without the consent of its users. It isn’t illegal for Facebook to build that database, but it is illegal for the company to do so in Europe without the consent of users. Talks with Facebook are still ongoing, but it seems that the company and data protection officials are making some real progress. Stay tuned.

[via PCMag]


Facebook ditches facial recognition in Europe after months of talks is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Anonymous attack brings down tons of GoDaddy sites

Today is not a good for those working behind the scenes at GoDaddy. TechCruch is reporting that an Anonymous member has brought GoDaddy down and, by extension, has brought down many of the sites GoDaddy hosts. Apparently, the attack was carried out by someone going by the name of “AnonymousOwn3r” on Twitter, and he says that he worked alone in bringing the website hosting service down.


Of course, this is causing a headache for more than just the folks at GoDaddy, as many business owners are seeing their sites go down as a result of the attack as well. Since the attack makes a number GoDaddy’s DNS servers inaccessible, many site owners who were using GoDaddy’s DNS service were affected by this breach. Customers are also saying that the company’s email and phone services are down as well.

GoDaddy itself has had to deal with a number of angry customers this afternoon, and at the time of this writing, the hosting service is still down for many. GoDaddy seems to be making progress, with one of its most recent tweets claiming that service has returned for some customers. With tens of millions of sites down, however, GoDaddy has its work cut out for it.

What’s interesting is that AnonymousOwn3r did this whole thing by himself. He hasn’t really given a reason for his attack on GoDaddy, saying in a tweet that the breach was meant to test GoDaddy’s “cyber security,” among other reasons that he can’t talk about now. A lot of GoDaddy customers are understandably calling him out on Twitter, so let’s just hope that the company can get everything back to normal soon. Stay tuned, as we’ll have more details for you as this story develops.


Anonymous attack brings down tons of GoDaddy sites is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Leaked Apple IDs didn’t come from FBI after all

By now, many of you probably know about last week’s AntiSec hack. The group claimed to have stolen 12 million Apple UDIDs – 1 million of which were posted to Pastebin – from the computer of an FBI agent. At the time, the FBI said that it didn’t have any involvement in the hack, and that AntiSec had made the whole story up. While that seemed like just an FBI attempt to distance itself from the breach, it turns out that the FBI was telling the truth – at least when it comes to whether or not the information was stolen from an FBI computer.


NBC News has reported on the real victim of the breach: publishing company BlueToad, which operates out of Florida. CEO Paul DeHart says that the information Anonymous shared last week was stolen from BlueToad’s servers two weeks ago, and that the company came to this conclusion by comparing the stolen information to its own collection of UDIDs. The result? 98% of the data matched up, which leads DeHart to believe that the data originally came from his company’s servers.

“That’s 100 percent confidence level, it’s our data,” DeHart said. “As soon as we found out we were involved and victimized, we approached the appropriate law enforcement officials, and we began to take steps to come forward, clear the record and take responsibility for this.” BlueToad has since posted a statement about the breach to its blog, apologizing about the information getting loose. DeHart didn’t give much more information about the breach, saying that an investigation is still ongoing.

It sounds like BlueToad has quite a few UDIDs in its database, too – though you probably don’t recognize the name, the company provides app building services for 6,000 other publishers. This realization seems to mesh well with statements made by both the FBI and Apple last week. When the data was leaked, the FBI claimed that it didn’t come from any of its computers and Apple insisted that it wasn’t sharing UDIDs with the organization. As a publisher, on the other hand, BlueToad would have access to those UDIDs, though DeHart admits that the stolen information could have made it onto FBI computers in the time since the breach.

Still, even if that information was taken from an FBI computer, it seems that it didn’t originate there. The good news is that BlueToad, at the request of Apple earlier this year, stopped storing UDIDs, and updated its apps so they would stop collecting the information. Stay tuned for more on this rather strange story, as more information will likely develop in the coming days.


Leaked Apple IDs didn’t come from FBI after all is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Dropbox beefs up security with two-step verification

The cloud can be very useful, but we’ve been reminded lately that it may not be the most secure way to store data. Last month, cloud storage service Dropbox revealed that it had been hacked, and a “small number” of account email addresses and passwords were taken during the incident. At the time, the folks at Dropbox said that new security features would be coming soon, including two-step verification. That day has arrived, as Dropbox has rolled out two-step verification to give users an extra layer of protection against the more unsavory people of the world.


Setting up feature is quite simple, as all you need to do is head to your Dropbox security page and enable the two-step verification option. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be guided through a setup wizard that will allow you to associate your phone number with your Dropbox account. Dropbox will then text you a six digit verification code anytime you attempt to log in to your account. Alternatively, you can download the service’s mobile authenticatior app on Android, iOS, Windows Phone or BlackBerry and generate log in codes using it.

After setting up two-step verification, Dropbox will will give you an emergency code that you can use if you ever lose access to your phone, which will come in handy if your phone ever gets stolen. If your phone turns up missing, you’ll need the emergency code to gain access to your account, so it’s pretty important that you write it down and keep it in a safe place. Digital Inspiration suggests that you un-link and re-link any phones or tablets you have using Dropbox, as doing so will activate two-step verification on those devices. Another nice thing? You’ll get an email notification every time you attempt to log in from an unrecognized device, so you’ll know almost instantly if someone is trying to access your account.

Though this two-step verification process would have been an appreciated Dropbox feature from the start, it’s good that the service has it available now. It will certainly do something to ease the minds of Dropbox users after last month’s hack, and hopefully means that we won’t be experiencing more security breaches moving forward. Be sure to check out our story timeline below for more posts on Dropbox!


Dropbox beefs up security with two-step verification is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


New Trojan ‘Shamoon’ leaves PCs unbootable

We’re getting news of a particularly nasty Trojan targeting Windows-based PC today, which anti-virus companies have dubbed “Shamoon.” Like most malware, Shamoon exists to steal data from computers connected to the Internet, but what it does afterward is quite evil. In an effort to cover its tracks, it begins deleting files, including the Master Boot Record. This, naturally, leaves the PC unbootable, and can cause some major headaches. The malware itself is a 900KB file that uses many encrypted resources, as you can see below.


Shamoon doesn’t seem to be widespread, as Seculert reports that it uses a two-stage attack, apparently targeting “several specific companies in a few industries.” Shamoon works its way into a computer that is directly connected to the Internet, and then from there begins to spread to other computers connected to the same network. As stated above, once it’s done stealing what it wants, it begins to cripple the PCs it infected, reminding Kaspersky of the Wiper malware, which attacked PCs in Iran earlier this year and in turn led to the discovery of Flame.

Kaspersky says that it isn’t Wiper, however, pointing out a few key differences. With those differences apparent, Kaspersky says that Shamoon is likely “a copycat, the work of a script kiddies inspired by the story” of Wiper. It’s good to know that Wiper isn’t becoming more widespread, but at the same time its scary that there are those inspired by Wiper’s level of destruction.

Indeed, it’s rare to see malware that actually does damage, as creators typically aren’t interested in anything but stealing information that could lead to some quick cash. With anti-virus companies like Seculert and Kaspersky still looking into Shamoon, this is still a developing story, so keep it tuned to SlashGear for more information – we’ll have additional details if any new ones surface!

[via ComputerWorld]


New Trojan ‘Shamoon’ leaves PCs unbootable is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Germany going after Facebook’s facial recognition again

Facebook has already been on the wrong end of a privacy investigation in Germany, but it looks like the company’s legal woes aren’t quite over yet. The New York Times reports that German data protection officials have reopened their investigation into Facebook’s facial recognition technology after it became apparent that Facebook wasn’t going to change its policy. According to data protection commissioner Johannes Caspar, Facebook is building a database of user photos for its facial recognition feature, something that is illegal under European privacy law.


It isn’t illegal for Facebook to build that database, but it is illegal for Facebook to do it without the consent of its users. Facebook hasn’t done that, instead including everyone in the collection from the start, and giving users the opportunity to opt-out. Since Facebook hasn’t complied, Caspar is demanding that the company destroy its database of German users and begin collecting data from only those who have given their consent.

Facebook, for its part, thinks that its policies are in line with privacy laws in Ireland, where the company’s European efforts are based, but Ireland isn’t sure that’s the case. Irish data officials will be conducting another audit of the company’s practices, and in the meantime, deputy data commissioner Gary Davis says that Facebook has agreed to temporarily to suspend picture tagging for all European users who join after July 1.

Caspar says that his investigation should be finished by the end of September, by which time he will formally request that Facebook change its policy. With Germany demanding that Facebook destroy its database, don’t expect the company to follow orders without putting up a fight. Stay tuned, because we could be headed for a whole new privacy fight over in Europe.


Germany going after Facebook’s facial recognition again is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.