IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 2/22/2015

Report: More than 1,500 international data breaches in 2014
There were 1,500 global data breaches in 2014, with the number rising almost 50 percent year-over-year, according to the Gemalto Breach Level Index (BLI) report. Of the 1 billion total compromised records, almost 800 million of them belong to US companies - a frightening figure that cybersecurity experts believe will rise.

Companies remain unsure how to address these sometimes sophisticated cyberattacks, while consumers are frustrated that their personal information is seemingly up for grabs. Banks and credit card companies are becoming more proactive in identifying - and informing customers - of fraud, but it can still be a chaotic process.

"Not only are data breach numbers rising, but the breaches are becoming more severe," said Jason Hart, VP of cloud services, identity and data protection at Gemalto. "Identity theft could lead to the opening of new fraudulent credit accounts, creating false identities for criminal enterprises, or a host of other serious crimes. As data breaches become more personal, we're starting to see that the universe of risk exposure for the average person is expanding."


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More Anthem data breach fallout, millions of kids at risk of ID theft
Millions of Anthem customers are at risk from the Anthem data breach, including tens of millions of children impacted from the data breach. Personal information ranging from names, date of brith, Social Security numbers and health care ID numbers were stolen, and some children could be at risk for decades, according to cybersecurity experts.

Information on children is tied to their parents, so attacks against adult account holders are expected to accelerate in the future as well. However, personal information of children is especially lucrative to criminals, as the data hasn't been tied to a credit file - so the government and credit reporting agencies aren't expecting fraud-related activities.

"Every terrible outcome that can occur as the result of an identity theft will happen to the children who were on that database," said Adam Levin, chairman and founder of IDentityTheft911, in a statement published by NBC News. "Criminals will use those stolen Social Security numbers to open accounts, get medical treatment, commit tax fraud, you name it."


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Simplemodz takes it back to basics with this WIP Green Molecule build
Set to be stuffed full of high-tech components including GTX 970's in SLI and an Intel 3770K slotted into an ASUS Maximus V Gene - this work in progress build by Simplemodz sets out to be a little different from the rest.

This Fractal Design R2 Mini has been custom-painted and cut up, displaying the molecules proudly through a green and white color scheme.

There's also a few display windows cut on the reverse side in order to display the HDD and Corsair SSD alongside Bitspower liquid cooling products currently being installed to help keep the system at low temperatures.

Stay tuned for more updates as this build progresses.

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Did you miss the memo? Here's a CS:GO team on a chocolate bar
Just in case you weren't sure if eSports and professional gaming is reaching the general public just yet, I want to remind you all about that one time this world-class CS:GO team got themselves their own chocolate bar.

Ninjas in Pajamas (NiP) previously played host to the best CS:GO team in the world - by far, still managing to place highly in events, they once won 10 tournaments in a row without losing a single series to any team. Later on they developed into a larger organization, seeing a foray into League of Legends and Dota 2 expand them further into the market.

On April 2, 2014, the news was broken on their website that NiP would be collaborating with Candy People in order to produce their own chocolate bar product. Originally released as an April Fools joke, it was re-released as fact the day after.

We can't seem to find the bar on Candy People's website, so there's no saying if it's still in production. However the release by NiP states that interested retailers should send an inquiry email to info@candypeople.com.


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These robot tendons are surprisingly effective
Designed to mimic the human hand, this robot device with tendons can rotate two Baoding balls with ease - simulating the same process completed by your body.

We're told by Gizmodo that this task isn't exactly easy for just anyone to complete, further adding to the complexity displayed within this exercise. Most robots are clunky and stiff in their movements, however through the use of human-like tendons, this simulation is able to make light work of this difficult and nimble task.

Created through an extensive process, first the researchers created a dummy hand, then tracked and measuring six separate hand poses in which were used to rotate the ball, finally designing this tendon system to control the fake hand.

The project has been published and is viewable in this Wikipedia-like page.

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Technology destined to make you feel good, really good
"Miss On the Go lets you tone your pelvic muscles at all times. Fantasies come alive with our app!" is what the Kickstarter headline reads, instantly jumping out at you.

So what exactly does this product intend to do? The answer is "combine utility & pleasure with technology to rev up your day!" The 'Ladies, Miss On the Go' claims to tone your pelvic muscles while delivering a vibrant experience -all controlled by a mobile application. If you're still not sure exactly what's going on, you can dig deeper.

Setting Canadian's back $95 CAD and the rest of the world $105 CAD for the first batch, it will be priced at $169 CAD once it's available for retail.

This product is water resistant, will last 3 hours on one charge and is reportedly whisper quiet. We certainly haven't seen anything like it before on Kickstater before.

If you're looking for something slightly different to give your significant other, this just may tickle your fancy. It's currently sitting at $6,206 CAD raised of the $40,000 CAD total goal, with it Closing on March 16 there is still time to invest.


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Samsung, Fitbit currently lead the smart wearable band market
The current smart wearable band market is led by Samsung, while the basic wearable band leader is Fitbit, according to the Canalys research group. The smart wearable band is considered any device able to run third-party applications, and the basic wearable band is unable to run apps.

"Samsung has launched six devices in just 14 months, on different platforms and still leads the smart band market," said Chris Jones, VP and principal analyst Canalys, in a statement published by Mobihealthnews. "But it has struggled to keep consumers engaged and must work hard to attract developers while it focuses on [operating system] Tizen for its wearables."

Samsung, Fitbit, and other manufacturers will need to keep their sights set on Xiaomi, a surging smartphone manufacturer, which has also shipped more than 1 million non-smartwatch wearable Mi Bands.

The wearables market is going to receive a major shakeup after the launch of the Apple Watch in April. Companies currently promoting wearable products must boost their effort to attract and retain customers, which could be much harder after the Apple Watch is available.

"Apple made the right decisions with its WatchKit software development kit to maximize battery life for the platform, and the Apple Watch will offer leading energy efficiency," said Daniel Matte, analyst at Canalys. "Anroid Wear will need to improve in the future, and we believe it will do so."


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NSA says North Korea definitely to blame for Sony attack
The National Security Agency (NSA) believes North Korea is behind the Sony Pictures attack because of software used to breach the company. SPE was targeted in November by a group calling itself the "Guardians of Peace," with emails, employee personal information, movies, and other data stolen - and posted online.

"We ultimately ended up generating the signatures to recognize the activity used against Sony," said NSA Director Admiral Michael Rogers, in a statement during a security conference in Canada. "From the time the malware left North Korea to the time it got to Sony's headquarters in California, it crossed four different commanders' lines or areas in the US construct."

Cyberattacks are causing confusion for government agents, unexpectedly spending more time investigating breaches against private sector companies - as attacks mount against critical infrastructure and government agencies.

If you had told me (in the past) that I was going to be spending time working on an offensive act against a motion picture company, I would have thought: 'What? What does that have to do with me?' And yet that's the world we find ourselves in."


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Drone makers, owners benefit from clarified FAA flying rules
Businesses hoping to conduct drone flights as part of their business operations have a bit of clarity after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released flight guidelines. Guidelines for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) opens the door to the industry and customers, according to a veteran aviation attorney.

The FAA wants drone operators to continue providing feedback for additional changes along the way - it's still a new and relatively unknown industry for businesses and the government alike. Real estate agents and other companies using hobbyist drones will now be regulated, with manufacturers tasked with discussing regulations to customers.

"Regulatory clarity could be a boon to makers and sellers of small UAS, in particular," said Tim Adelman, head of the SeClairRYan practice group. "However, as the industry grows we can expect corresponding growth of FAA enforcement actions. UAS operators should take care to avoid running afoul of the FAA."


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DHS recommends users uninstall Superfish adware from Lenovo products
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recommended Lenovo customers remove the Superfish adware from their computers and laptops. The Chinese electronics company installed the software on machines beginning in 2010 until January 2015, and Lenovo is no longer installing it on consumer products.

Despite Lenovo saying there were no cybersecurity issues, the National Cyber Awareness System said customers are vulnerable to SSL spoofing attacks. "Systems that came with the software already installed will continue to be vulnerable until corrective actions have been taken," the DHS said in a statement published by Reuters.

"We should have known about this sooner," said Brion Tingler, Lenovo spokesman, in a statement to Reuters. "And if we could go back, we never would have installed this software on our machines. But we can't, so we are dealing with this head on."

The company said PCs and laptops shipped between September and December last year had Superfish pre-loaded - and Tingler said he's unsure why the DHS believes it was installed as far back as 2010.

The "severe" vulnerability puts the Lenovo Yoga, Flex and MiiX lines at risk - along with E, G, U, Y and Z series of Lenovo products.


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Report: Growing 'Appdiction' to smartphones, mobile apps
There is alarming concern over the rising number of smartphone owners addicted to their mobile devices and apps, altering their real-world relationships. A recent survey found 92 percent of smartphone owners admit their device has altered how they connect with friends, while 58 percent say smartphones altered health.

Users are becoming more dependent on smartphones and mobile apps, with 55 percent of the "top app users" saying they check at least one app on their phone every hour.

"Regardless of how much or how little people are using their smartphones, to me the bottom line is whether it is making their work, play and relationships better," said Bryan Kirschner, Apigee Institute director, in a statement published by CNBC. "While some of the usage data in our research is striking, on balance, I believe that smartphones are making lives better."

Researchers are becoming more concerned on smartphone addiction, with many people unable to go long durations without checking their device. There is concern that phone dependence interferes with work productivity and personal relationships, and the problem is expected to get worse before it gets better.


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Lenovo defends itself, says Superfish didn't create cybersecurity risk
Lenovo is under fire by cybersecurity experts and consumers over the discovery of Superfish adware installed on PCs and laptops. The company confirmed the software is no longer being installed on any Lenovo devices, and it was never installed on ThinkPad desktops, notebooks, tablets, smartphones or servers.

Lenovo shut down server connections that activate the controversial software in January, after customer complaints. Even though Lenovo said there were no security risks, cybersecurity experts noted that Superfish issued certificates for every secure Web page - and no protocols were in place that would have stopped the software from picking up confidential information, including passwords and credit card information.

"In reality, we had customer complaints about the software," the Lenovo statement reads. "We acted swiftly and decisively once these concerns began to be raised. We apologize for causing any concern to any users for any reason - and we are always trying to learn from experience and improve what we do and how we do it."


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Hackers still have access to US State Department email system
US State Department officials confirmed the agency temporarily shut down its unclassified email system because of hacker activity three months ago - and it looks like security experts still haven't been able to boot the unwelcome guests from its network.

It remains unknown where the attacks originated, but specialists suggest it could be from Russia. No classified data has been accessed, but there is growing concern the hackers will be able to write false emails, delete emails and find a way to access classified networks.

"We have robust security to protect our systems and our information, and we deal successfully with thousands of attacks every day," said Marie Harf, State Department spokeswoman, in a statement to Bloomberg. "We take any possible cyber intrusion very seriously."

The US government wants better cooperation with private companies to identify and defend against foreign-based cyberattacks.


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Andromedia Curve Mini Bluetooth NFC Speaker Stand Review

Introduction

The first thing that comes to mind when taking this product out of the box is Cyclops. Mimicking something like the glasses worn by this X-Men original, Andromedia's Curve Mini won't exactly shoot lasers, but it will project sound.

Designed with portability in mind, this device will not only connect to your smartphone through various means, you can also prop it up on a nice angle making for a hands-free experience while watching movies, browsing social media searching or simply pumping music beats.

With the ability to support almost-all smartphones big and small, you'll be able to find a use for this product no matter what the device - ranging from Apple's iPhone 4 to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 in sizing.

Specifications and Availability

With Bluetooth, NFC and AUX connectivity, the Curve Mini speaker and stand will provide you with various options for connecting your preferred device.

Available in black, white, yellow, blue and red color schemes, we've been provided with the yellow edition for review purposes. Not only do we feel it looks the best, it's also the closest imitation to Cyclops.

As for speaker specifications, the drivers will give you what Andromedia claim as a "home theatre effect." This is achieved through the two speakers giving you a total 4W output rated at a frequency response of 50Hz~20KHz. Powered by a 600mAh lithium-ion battery and all wrapped up within the 155 x 37.8 x 150.2mm package, this device can be made even smaller given the fact that it can neatly fold - a very similar design as seen with some headphone brands.

As with most portable speakers, there is an included microphone jack for taking phone calls - however, this device follows the trend, meaning it's quite unreliable and you're better off disconnecting and picking up the phone yourself.

A Closer Look and What's in the box

Now this is one of the coolest portable speakers I've seen, but can it perform with the best? Testing out the stand with a few different devices showed positive results - at first it seemed that the product was a little brittle and mightn't allow for me to fit in my large Samsung Galaxy S4, let alone with my thin silicon case attached. I was proven very wrong - with an extremely solid grip, the Curve Mini does a great job of housing my phone, case, Defqon 1 sticker and all!

Testing a smaller iPhone 5 brought a similar outcome, with yet again a solid grip being achieved thanks to the extremely thick, sturdy and metal-framed chassis. This does add a bit of weight into the product, but I see it as a necessity when it's handling sensitive items.

As for optional extras within the box, you're presented with the standard USB charging cable and short AUX 3.5mm male-to-male connection. There's nothing else that I can really see is needed with a product like this.
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