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Submission + - T-Mobile ends contracts, ends subsidies.

Submitted by AlphaWolf_HK
AlphaWolf_HK writes: In what I see as a refreshing change, T-Mobile, the fourth largest carrier in the USA, has made sweeping changes to its service, with its CEO saying: "Here's the deal: If we suck this month, go somewhere else. If we're good, stay with us." after quietly ending contract plans last weekend. As part of that change, the new base plan will include unlimited access, including voice, text, and data. Data will be restricted to edge speeds after 500GB with no overage costs, but can be upgraded to 2.5GB for $10, or unlimited for $20. Portable wifi hotspot usage is also unrestricted for no additional cost. In addition, LTE services just went live in 8 markets. As is already standard practice with t-mobile, you are free to bring your own device. However, customers won't be fronting the full cost of the phone with unsubsidized plans. Unlike in the past, they'll know exactly what they're paying for the phone by means of interest free installments, and paying off the phone is an option at any time. Oh, and they're also offering the iphone 5 next month for $650. Or, you can do as I did and drop a cool $300 on a Nexus 4 directly from google, which unofficially works with t-mobiles LTE.
Google

Submission + - Google Tests White Space Radio For Schools In South Africa (techweekeurope.co.uk)

Submitted by
judgecorp
judgecorp writes: "White space radio, which uses unused capacity in the TV broadcast spectrum, is being used by Google to connect schools in South Africa. The experimental project gives ten schools a wireless link to the Internet — while most white space applications are for low-speed "machine to machine" comms, this one is full speed (well, 2.5Mbps) broadband."
Android

Submission + - T-Mobile Security Flaw Allowed Eavesdropping of Wi-Fi Calls, Texts (securityweek.com)

Submitted by wiredmikey
wiredmikey writes: A vulnerability discovered by researchers at UC Berkeley enabled attackers to eavesdrop on and modify calls and text messages sent using T-Mobile's "Wi-Fi Calling" feature.

According to Jethro Beekman and Christopher Thompson, both UC Berkeley graduate students, when an affected Android device connected to a server via T-Mobile's Wi-Fi Calling feature, it did not correctly validate the server's security certificate, exposing calls and text messages to a "man-in-the-middle" (MiTM) attack.

In short, by executing a MiTM attack, and using decrypted SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) dialog, an attacker could record all incoming and outgoing calls and text messages. “[An attacker] could record, block and reroute SIP traffic. The attacker could change it by faking a sender or changing the real-time voice data or message content. He could fake incoming traffic and he can impersonate the client with forged outgoing traffic,” the report, released Tuesday, said.

Beekman and Thompson said they notified T-Mobile of their discoveries in December 2012, and worked with the mobile operator to confirm and fix the problem. As of March 18, all affected T-Mobile customers have received the security update fixing the vulnerability, the researchers said.

This is not the first time TLS/SSL issues have come to the forefront of mobile world. Last October, researchers from two universities in Germany published a paper (PDF) that exposed the state of SSL within Android applications, which revealed that many applications failed to properly implement SSL, leaving millions of users exposed to basic Man-In-The-Middle attacks.

Comment Re:Neutral Gear (Score 3, Insightful) 1176

by mpk23 (#42902665) Attached to: Driver Trapped In Speeding Car At 125 Mph

Automatics still have a neutral gear. Most people don't use it, so I can understand a driver in a panic situation not thinking of it, but I would expect he would try it when stuck in that situation for an hour.

Neutral nearly caused my engine to jump out of the hood when I had the same thing happen, dangerously high rpms at no load... Turning off the engine worked like a charm, and I found a little flak trapped under the cable. Perhaps there is some reason you can't turn off a Laguna?
Crime

Submission + - 11 Arrested in Takedown of Prolific Ransomware Gang (net-security.org)

Submitted by
Orome1
Orome1 writes: "The Spanish Police, working closely with the European Cybercrime Centre, have dismantled the largest and most complex cybercrime network dedicated to spreading police ransomware. It is estimated that the criminals affected tens of thousands of computers worldwide, bringing in profits in excess of one million euros per year. The financial cell of the network specialized in laundering the proceeds of their crimes, obtained in the form of electronic money. For this, the gang employed both virtual systems for money laundering and other traditional systems using various online gaming portals, electronic payment gateways or virtual coins."
Google

Submission + - When Google got flu wrong (nature.com)

Submitted by
ananyo
ananyo writes: "When influenza hit early and hard in the United States this year, it quietly claimed an unacknowledged victim: one of the cutting-edge techniques being used to monitor the outbreak. A comparison with traditional surveillance data showed that Google Flu Trends, which estimates prevalence from flu-related Internet searches, had drastically overestimated peak flu levels. The glitch is no more than a temporary setback for a promising strategy, experts say, and Google is sure to refine its algorithms. But with flu-tracking techniques based on mining of web data and on social media taking off, Nature looks at how these potentially cheaper, faster methods measure up against traditional epidemiological surveillance networks."

Submission + - Spain busts 'ransomware' cybercrime gang (thestar.com)

Submitted by Kaneda2112
Kaneda2112 writes: MADRID—Spanish authorities on Wednesday announced the breakup of a cybercrime gang that used a “ransomware” virus to lock computers throughout Europe, display false messages claiming the action was taken by police and demand payment of $135 to unlock the computers.

The gang, operating from the Mediterranean resort cities of Benalmadena and Torremolinos, made at least $1.35 million annually, said Deputy Interior Minister Francisco Martinez. Their notices to victims were accompanied by false threats claiming they were under investigation for accessing child pornography or illegal file-sharing.
Medicine

Submission + - World's Most Used Painkiller Being Linked To Heart Attack Risk (gizmocrazed.com) 2

Submitted by Diggester
Diggester writes: Diclofenac, according to studies, is the most used and most popular painkiller in the world. It may not be as popular as other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in the United States, its popularity is boosted in, at least, 15 countries as it continues to outsell naproxen, ibuprofen, and other NSAIDs.
Studies also suggest that diclofenac may increase the chance of heart attack in a person by 40 percent. If his annual heart attack risk is 1 in 1,000, it will be increased to 1.4. The figures may be perceived as "insubstantial" but for people with higher heart attack risk, it's different.
Google

Submission + - Google's Touch-based Pixel Chromebook May Be Real (muktware.com)

Submitted by sfcrazy
sfcrazy writes: There was quite a lot of Hollywoodish (sans MPAA) drama around a 'secret' Google project called Chromebook Pixel. Some videos were leaked and the company in question said that their servers were hijaked. No one confirmed or rejected the story. Some called it a hoax. I think the device is in the making and I have some reasons to believe so. François Beaufort, who also shared the story about Chromebook Pixel on his Google+ has dropped another hint on 'touch friendly' new icons for Chromium.
Crime

Submission + - Lawmakers Say CFAA Is Too Hard On Hackers (rollcall.com)

Submitted by
GovTechGuy
GovTechGuy writes: "A number of lawmakers are using the death of Internet activist Aaron Swartz to speak out against the Justice Department's handling of the case, and application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The controversy surrounding the Swartz case could finally give activists the momentum they need to halt the steady increase in penalties for even minor computer crimes."

Comment Barometer (Score 1) 587

by mpk23 (#42843781) Attached to: Woz Says iPhone Features Are 'Behind'
My samsung Charge lacks one. Seems useful while hiking and camping, or at least interesting. The faster GPS fixes would be nice as well. I wouldn't mind some external temperature sensing ability, or infrared camera, but I don't know if current models sport these.

Comment Feynman. (Score 1) 434

by mpk23 (#20528391) Attached to: Bringing Science and Math Into Writing?
I teach 8th grade science, and I wouldn't pass up a chance to plug _Surely you're joking, Mr Feynman_ to the kids. It may be a little higher level for some, but many kids will grasp and love stories about the physicist who also played bongos, played with a Samba band in Brazil, worked on the A-bomb, picked locks, cracked safes, drew nudes, nearly got into fights in bars, rode in a car with a spy, and the list goes on. _The Beak of the Finch_ was great for high schoolers, but the advanced eighth grader with interest in the subject might enjoy it. Books about glacier hikers and mountain climbers (_Into Thin Air_, I think) almost (or actually) losing their lives are a big draw for kids, and heavy on the earth science. I don't know that any Volcanologists have written any quality work, but if they have, my students would read it.

Don't hesitate to stretch their reading level a bit, and look for material OUTSIDE of the middle school library - Some kids rightly view the available selection as 'Lame'. You'll get points for keeping a selection of cool books in your in-class library.

--Matt
The Courts

Ohio Recount Rigging Case Goes to Court 224

Posted by CowboyNeal from the counting-down-the-hits dept.

The Akron Beacon Journal is reporting that the trial of the three election workers accused of rigging the 2004 presidential election recount in Cuyahoga County is finally underway. As you may recall, this was the case where poll workers 'randomly' selected the precincts to recount by first eliminating from consideration precincts where the number of ballots handed out on Election Day failed to match the number of ballots cast and, then opening the ballot boxes in private and pre-counting until they found cases which would match up. What is interesting here is that they have already admitted doing this and that it was clearly counter to the letter and the spirit of the law, but still insist it wasn't really 'wrong,' presumably since they only did it to avoid having to go to the bother of a full recount as required by law.
Censorship

Submission + - Provision to Regulate Political Blogging Defeated

Submitted by udderly
udderly writes: CNet News is reporting that the Senate approved an amendment to the S1 bill removing a controversial section (Slashdot, 1/17/07) that required certain paid bloggers to register as lobbyists or face fines and/or jail time. The vote broke down mostly along party lines, with all 48 Republicans and 7 Democrats approving the amendment.

While the vote was mostly partisan, opposition to the provision cut across the political spectrum, including the bill's sponsor. FTA: "...a politically diverse set of advocacy groups, ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to Gun Owners of America, argued that the proposal could actually sweep up a potentially broad swath of bloggers and nonprofit groups. Requiring them to register as lobbyists would violate core freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, they said."

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