IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 02/12/2014

Unreleased Sony films hit Internet after cyberattack last week
Four different movies from Sony Pictures Entertainment, including Annie, Fury, Mr. Turner and Still Alice, have leaked online via peer-to-peer file sharing networks. The company suffered a major cyberattack last week, which is now being investigated by law enforcement, Sony confirmed. The digital copies are watermarked and were likely caused by the SPE network intrusion, sources have confirmed.

"The theft of Sony Pictures Entertainment content is a criminal matter, and we are working closely with law enforcement to address it," a Sony spokeswoman recently said.

Fury made its appearance on file sharing networks on Nov. 27, and has been downloaded at least 888,000 times. This is the largest leak since July, after the Expendables 3 movie was released online almost one month before release in theaters.


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'Text Neck' causing medical problems among mobile tech enthusiasts
It seems more people are suffering from "Text Neck," a medical condition when people suffer from pain and damage due to the head and neck position of people texting on smartphones and using tablets. A mix of the angle - and gravity - is the equivalent of carrying 60 pounds, and with more people looking down, the problem only seems to be escalating.

"Everyone is heads down," said Kenneth Hansraj, chief of spine surgery at the New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine. "It's in every mall and in every city. It's my opinion that this kind of heads down position is the cause of pain and suffering on the planet and a contributor to spinal surgery."

Previous reports recommend users take breaks, let their eyes adjust on their natural environment, and stretch before continuing to use PCs, smartphones or tablets.


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Social engineering-based attacks raving companies, causing confusion
Launching social engineering attacks, typically using phishing tactics, will remain a success for cybercriminals - and companies struggle to teach their employees how to detect and avoid these attacks. Phishing emails often trick employees to turn over usernames and passwords, or install some type of file with malware.

"Phishing relies on human mistakes, not technology, so the number one way to combat this particularly effective form of social engineering is to raise awareness enterprise-wide," said Joe Caruso, CEO and CTO of Global Digital Forensics. "Time is your enemy after a cyber breach or incident, so every second counts. The faster the problem is identified and eradicated, the less costly it will be in the long run for the entire organization."

As more people embrace mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, cybercriminals are adjusting their attack strategies. More employees are using their personal devices for work, and criminals have the opportunity to steal personal and corporate information.


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Microsoft Xbox One reportedly outsold PlayStation 4 on Black Friday
It appears the Microsoft Xbox One carried its recent momentum into Black Friday, outselling the Sony PlayStation 4 in the United States, according to a report from InfoScout. Sixty-six percent of consumers purchased a console for their children, with 92 percent of Nintendo Wii U buyers reporting a purchase for their kids - while 66 percent of Xbox One and 50 percent of PS4 buyers making a purchase for someone else.

Microsoft sold several appealing game console bundles, including its Assassin's Creed Unity Xbox One bundle - and a recent price drop - also seemed to help Microsoft.

Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo prepared for what they hoped would be a busy 2014 holiday shopping season, and it seems to be off to a great start.


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Microsoft set to demonstrate Windows 10 to the world in January 2015
Microsoft is ready to help consumers forget about Windows 8 and 8.1, and is rumored to begin promoting its upcoming Windows 10 operating system starting next January. The company took the wraps off Windows 10 during a relatively low-key event that was hosted in September.

Windows 10 for Business preview was released earlier in the year, as testers continue to provide feedback, Microsoft wanted to wait until later to begin discussing "significant" new features to the successor to Windows 8/8.1.

Even with the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) happening in early January, Microsoft will host a dedicated a press event in late January to discuss Windows 10. The company previously said consumer features would be unveiled in "early 2015," as the company wants to move ahead with the latest Windows OS.


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Google Play 'Best Apps of 2014' released
Just yesterday, Google has published their brand new 'Best Apps of 2014' list which features some old favorites alongside new big hits.

If you're looking for old favorites; Shazam, Swiftkey Keyboard and TED made the list. These are displayed proudly next to newer offerings such as Over or Strive. It's interesting to see a distinct lack of music service providers missing out of this list, with no Pandora or Spotify listed - however if you're on the path for love, OkCupid has made an appearance quite near to the top of the page.

There is a rather large range of applications on offer in this list as expected, with applications being spread over utilities, music, gaming and social culture.

What ranks within your top listed apps of 2014? Is there anything in this list that you think doesn't deserve a spot?


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The Crew's Lead Game Designer says the game will launch smoothly
We've been told not to read early reviews of The Crew, as Ubisoft couldn't provide game reviewers with the right situation to play in. But now the Lead Game Designer of The Crew, Serkan Hasan, has said that the upcoming game should have no problems at launch.

Hasan talked with The Metropolist, where he said that the Xbox One, PS4 and PC versions of The Crew will be working at 1080p at 30FPS at launch. He also said that he had faith in the game's online functionality, explaining that he has confidence in The Crew, as it has "reaped the benefits of a long term beta program, designed specifically to push our infrastructure as far as possible in real-world situations, with thousands of players from all over the world playing the game at the same time".

This news is coming after Ubisoft stated that copies of The Crew were not sent out to the press in advance, like they normally are. The reason behind this is that the press couldn't review a driving game that is primarily an online, social title, without ripping apart these functions in their review. The Crew requires "thousands and thousands and thousands of players - something that can't be simulated with a handful of devs playing alongside the press".


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Nokia Lumia leak spotted, features camera 'hump'
Nokia's new champion phone has been leaked to the public, thanks to Engadget we were able to have a sneak peak into the exterior design and possible features.

There have been rumors spread that Microsoft had begun development on a 'McLaren Windows Phone' - set to be the next installment of the Lumia series and most notably the Lumia 1020 product. The specialties that were most looked into most included the 1020's enlarged camera and "3D touch" features, with further rumors claiming that this project was eventually canned.

According to a recent listing for a prototype on a Chinese auction site named Taobao, it seems like the cancellation did not take place.

This new phone features a camera-hump much alike the Lumia 2010, alongside providing a similar shape and style this phones outer frame is constructed out of aluminum. According to reports the small colored strip you can see at the bottom of the image indicates a plastic cover - allowing for wireless reception to work effectively through the mostly-metal back-plate. As according to the leak, this phone also features a hardware upgrade by providing improved chip internals alongside a 1080p screen.

Unfortunately this cannot be confirmed as the McLaren model due to there being no mechanical shutter and LED flash instead of xenon, however we will see as the official information is released.

We will continue to report as the story develops.


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Bored at school? Mod your graphics calulator into a selfie camera
If you're not busy playing this Super Smash Brothers mod on your graphics calculator, prepare yourself for the 2015 year of schooling by modding your ever useful device into a selfie-capturing camera.

Thanks to Christoper Mitchell, high school girls can take more selfies than ever before due to his latest project named ArTICam. Through the utilization of a Game Boy Camera and a programmable Arduino board, Mitchell has released plans to enable you to take a 128 x 123 pixel selfie grayscale image.

According to Mitchell, this project isn't designed as a spectacular new imaging product, but more-so as a fun gadget project that all can test out for themselves.

If you want to make one of these for yourself, take a look at his official project website. However beware - Game Boy Camera's aren't exactly in abundance. You might find yourself being followed home by old-school Nintendo fans if you start cannibalizing one of their most collected products.


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Sony recruits Mandiant to help clean up cybersecurity mess
Sony Pictures Entertainment has tasked cybersecurity firm Mandiant with helping it clean up after a vicious cyberattack that knocked its computer networks offline last week. The "Guardians of Peace" claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they stole terabytes of data from SPE, with SPE's IT team unable to defend against the attack.

The SPE email system is expected to be restored by end of business tomorrow, while Sony executives remain relatively quiet about the incident.

It is a lucrative time to be in cybersecurity, as companies are turning to private sector companies for additional consultations - as cyberattacks are on the rise, with criminals able to steal internal data, disrupt daily work activities, and compromise customers.


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FAA administrator wants drone operators to avoid airports
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants drone operators to use better common sense and make sure they don't fly drones near airport airspace. There have been more reported incidents between drones and aircraft, with 25 near collisions since February, according to the FAA.

"The thing that I am most concerned about is doing everything we can to avoid conflicts between aircraft - whether they're drones or commercial airliners," said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. "If you're using an unmanned aircraft, you need to stay away from an airport, you need to stay below 400 feet and you need to maintain line of sight."

However, as the number of drone operators is expected to increase in 2015, these type of incidents only seem more likely to occur. The FAA plans to release official rules for drones that weigh less than 55 pounds sometime in December.


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