Last month, it was discovered that a couple of text messages can easily breach into a phone’s SIM card and get access to phone calls and other text messages without the user’s permission. However, in a brilliant move by wireless carriers, they were able to patch up the exploit without replacing millions of SIM cards. […]
Paperboy has gone down in the history books as one of the best video games ever, and some may say that if you’ve never played it, then you’re not a true video gamer. Either way, the game is a classic, and a new Oculus Rift hack brings the 1984 title back into the 21st century
For those too young to remember, there was a time when carnival shooting galleries used actual .22 rifles. At some point in the latter half of the 1900s game makers switched to pellet or BB guns and then everything went electronic.
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Credit and debit card skimmers are nothing new — they’ve been around for quite a while, but they’re getting better and better, to the point where it takes a few months until someone figures out that a skimmer was implanted on an ATM or gas pump. Today’s skimmers are more sophisticated than ever, and the attention to detail that hackers provide is pretty impressive.
One of the latest skimmer frauds happened in Oklahoma, where thieves installed their cards skimmers on several gas pumps and waited for drivers to pull up to fill up their tank. In just a couple of months, the thieves rounded up $400,000, by using the stolen card information at ATMs, and withdrawing cash.
However, the skimmers only worked on debit cards, not credit cards. The thieves used a card skimmer and a fake PIN pad overlay in order to get the PIN number for the associated debit card. The thing is though, the fake overlay looked so real, that it took a couple of months before people became suspicious.
Security expert Brian Krebs says that gas pump skimmers “have moved from analog, clunky things to the level of workmanship and attention to detail that is normally only seen in ATM skimmers.” Investigators said that the skimmer technology used in this situation was “way more sophisticated than anything they’ve seen previously.”
The crazy part about these new, sophisticated skimmers is that they use Bluetooth for remote access, so the thieves never have to physically interact with the skimmer after it’s installed, and they can live off of the power from the gas pumps themselves, so they’ll never run out of juice. This is why it’s probably best to use a credit card at the pump, but it’s also important to make sure everything looks legit, since pumping gas is almost second nature to drivers.
VIA: Gizmodo
SOURCE: Krebs on Security
Credit card skimmers now more sophisticated than ever is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
We knew this day would eventually come, but we didn’t realize it would happen so quickly. Google’s new Chromecast has been rooted, and an exploit package has been released that allows the ability to erase the existing partition and install a new system image, which could open up the door to a wide variety of hacks and tweaks.
The folks over at GTV Hacker discovered the exploit and have confirmed that the software running on the Chromecast is not Chrome OS, despite the device’s focus on the Chrome platform. Instead, the Chromecast is said to be “a modified Google TV release, but with all of the Bionic/Dalvik stripped out and replaced with a single binary for Chromecast.”
The website makes clear that this current exploit won’t really be useful to the everyman, but it could up open doors for further hacking that everyday people could take advantage of eventually. Right now, the exploit merely just allows developers the chance to build and test software on the Chromecast and “better investigate the environment” of the new device.
Quite frankly, a root for the Chromecast is a great sign. While Google plans to add support for more streaming services in the future, streaming options are quite limited right now, with support for just Netflix, YouTube, and Google Play, with confirmation of Pandora coming in the near future.
This has been one of the main downsides of the Chromecast. With only third-party support for Netflix and YouTube, the Chromecast is a bit lacking, but the $35 price tag is certainly nothing to complain about. It’s definitely a good set-top box replacement for some people, but not for everyone.
VIA: Engadget
SOURCE: GTV Hacker
Google Chromecast root discovered, does not run Chrome OS is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Need a cheap stand for your iPad? Or what about creating a smartphone stand with sunglasses? Did you know a piece of tape could work wonders on an SD card? The helpful folks at Household Hackers have continued their quick and simple life hack videos with seven new ones. I like the idea of misting the heck out of annoying flies. [Household Hacker]
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While manual transmissions are a lot better than automatics, many people still don’t know how to drive them. However, whether you’re a youngster with a learning permit, or are just starting out on a manual transmission, Ford wants to make the learning process a bit easier, with a new shift knob that tells you when to shift based on haptic feedback.
Zach Nelson, a junior engineer at Ford, came up with an idea to help newbies learning how to use a manual transmission. By tearing apart an Xbox 360 controller and using its vibrating motors, Nelson 3D-printed a custom shift knob and placed the motors inside in order to give drivers haptic feedback. Whenever the driver needs to shift, the shift knob will vibrate.
Nelson installed the shift knob in a Ford Mustang by tapping into the car’s diagnostic system and connected the shift knob to the car using an Arduino controller, an Android tablet, and a Bluetooth receiver. From there, Nelson can program the knob to vibrate at different times, like vibrating as the engine redlines, or vibrate at a more fuel-efficient rev point.
The prototype shift knob that Nelson built also includes a seven-segment display on top to show what gear the car is currently in. Nelson says that was merely just a fun thing he added, since drivers probably won’t look down anyway to see what gear they’re in, as the instrument panel already displays this information.
Of course, it’s not necessarily when to shift that’s the hard part in learning a manual transmission — that was actually the easiest for me. I had the most trouble with getting out of neutral and going to first gear, and I would always stall the car at stop lights, which was pretty embarrassing. If they can discover a learning-assist tool for that, then I’ll be good.
VIA: Wired
Ford 3D-printed shift knob provides haptic feedback for manual newbies is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Summer was always great growing up because it meant no school. Summer is still great now because of barbecues, pool parties, the beach, outdoor bars, watermelon, hot dogs, chips, popsicles and the fact that we don’t have school anymore. But did you know you can make summer even GREATER by using these lifehacks from life wizard Grant Thompson. Fruit flies, sticky hands, warm water and more will be a thing of the past.
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Apple has revealed that its Developer Center website was compromised by an intruder late last week. The purported “hacker,” it turns out, was a well-meaning independent security researcher.
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If you’ve been wondering why Apple’s Developer portal was down for a few days, blame it on a security breach. Apple announced yesterday that their dev center was hacked into, but no personal information was accessed, thankfully. So who’s behind the intrusion? A security researcher is taking the credit.
Independent security researcher Ibrahim Balic claims that his effort to breach into the developer portal was not intended to be malicious at all, and he ended up reporting all of the vulnerabilities that he found to Apple. Balic found 13 bugs in total, and was even able to access user details, but he only accessed 73 Apple employees just to prove to the company about the vulnerability.
Balic claims he comes in peace and even contacted Apple to make sure he wasn’t putting them through any difficulty. He says that he hasn’t published or used any of the information that he was able to access, but some users have reported getting password reset notifications after a possible breach to their accounts.
Apple’s Developer portal has been down for four days now, and it’s still showing that it’s down right now. There’s no word on when we might expect it to come back to full throttle, but most likely in the next day or two. While this is certainly an inconvenience for developers, this could pose an even greater problem for beta software versions.
We could see a delay on beta releases for both iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks. It seems Apple is focusing on getting their Developer portal back up and running before anything else, which means it may take longer for beta versions to release. However, we still have plenty of time before Apple’s proposed fall release of iOS 7.
SOURCE: Ibrahim Balic (TechCrunch)
Apple Developer portal breach credited to security researcher is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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