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Superfish Adware Puts Lenovo Users’ Safety at Risk
The Apple car and what we know so far
Nintendo Explains Nintendo 3DS System Data Transfer
HTTP/2 and the Internet that is to come

Superfish Adware Puts Lenovo Users’ Safety at Risk

Posted: 19 Feb 2015 11:15 AM PST

Smartphones and tablets made by certain manufacturers are not seen with good eyes by users due to the insane amount of bloatware, and Lenovo’s recent notebooks are about to share the same fate because of some adware that comes pre-installed.

Supposing that the notebooks come with Microsoft’s OS already installed, it’s not unusual to find some programs already installed, regardless of the brand of the device. However, when the pre-installed pieces of software come in the form of bloatware, adware or malware, the safety of the users can be jeopardised. In Lenovo’s case, the adware in question is called Superfish and it represents a serious security threat, as it can break HTTPS connections.

Superfish Visual Discovery, which according to Lenovo was pre-installed on all laptops that were shipped between October and December 2014, acts in a manner similar to the man-in-the-middle cyber attacks. More precisely, it installs its self-signed security authority that then enables the software to gather data transmitted over secure connections.

The certificate does not have a single goal, meaning that it will trusted for anything over a great number of sites. Assuming that someone gets their mittens on the private key for the certificate installed by Superfish, he (or she, as I’m not going to pretend that all hackers are boys/men) can have access to banking websites, e-mail accounts and every other secure site that includes sensitive information about the user.

Obviously, people who found out about this problem have not taken the problem lightly. The /r/technology subreddit includes several threads discussing this matter, and this one has even made it to the front page.

One way to check if the Superfish adware has affected you is to visit canibesuperphished.com. Seeing this website’s name, I now realize that Lenovo couldn’t have picked a worse name for this software, considering that phishing is a way of obtaining usernames and passwords in pretty much the same way as this adware.

Lenovo is one of the top 5 notebook manufacturers in the world, so the number of affected devices must have been great. Rob Graham, CEO of security firm Errata Security, figured out in just three hours that the password used for cracking the Superfish is “komodia”, and that the certificate can be used even against Google in Chrome. That poses great danger to a great number of users, and Lenovo might have a hard time solving this problem in a satisfying manner.

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The Apple car and what we know so far

Posted: 19 Feb 2015 07:05 AM PST

Last weekend both Financial Times and Wall Street Journal reported independently that Apple might be working on a very special project regarding cars.The main idea? It wasn’t about accessories, but about Apple producing their own.

Some press outlets around the world are claiming Apple is getting ready to create their first “Apple Car”, with the Cupertino guys recruiting experts and directos of many automotive companies to get the ball going for this ambitious project. And even though the press claims this, Apple has neither confirmed nor denied anything. What is going on?

According to The «Wall Street Journal», one of the most reputable business outlets in the world, the new car will be a reality, and its name is Titan – Apple Titan. It will be an electric car, in direct competition with Tesla who are the biggest creators in the high-end sector. Apple has for a while been discussing the importance of keeping the environment clean and taking care of the planet, so a project like this fights right in with this philosophy.

This information is all leaks and rumors, so nothing is official. Yet, we can’t help but get excited. The car won’t just be a sports car, but a monovolume – but it’s still in development. and that might change. The car is being touted as autonomous and self-driving, like everything Apple, once we think about it.

Steve Jobs himself had dreamed of an Apple Car, declaring to the New York Times once that, “had [he] had more energy, [he] would have attempted it [himself]“. Now Mickey Drexler declared last year that this was definitely spot on, and probably the next step for the Cupertino company.

Via ABC

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Nintendo Explains Nintendo 3DS System Data Transfer

Posted: 19 Feb 2015 05:00 AM PST

The New Nintendo 3DS landed last Friday and for many making the fresh hardware jump it means that laborious task of transferring your precious system data.

Nintendo has provided a step-by-step process to ensure everything goes off without a snag, so that you'll be soon on your way to enjoying your old digital games and saves on your new Nintendo 3DS XL.

Keep in mind that the new 3DS XL requires a microSD card for its storage (here's a list of the ones Nintendo officially supports) and you'll need to keep around your old 3DS to transfer your data between systems.

Reportedly, and not the ideal of solutions, some GameStop locations - not all – will allow you to take your new system home; complete the system data transfer; take back both existing and new systems to the GameStop you bought it, and get both the complete refund value and trade-in value for your purchase.

You'll also need a #0 sized Philips screwdriver to remove the back panel of the new 3DS XL to install the 4GB microSD card that comes standard with each unit, which is locked behind two small screws. It's also a good idea to make sure both systems have the most up-to-date firmware, too.

Another protip: Be gentle when removing said back panel. It's on pretty snug tight, and while you might be eager to use something more appropriate to remove it, doing so might cause it to be damaged. Yeah, ouch. Nintendo recommends using the butt of a 3DS stylus to remove the panel. And yes, lots and lots of patience. Don’t fret, it will come off.

With that said, here’s the step-by-step video of the whole 3DS XL system transfer provided by Nintendo:

Source: Nintendo

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HTTP/2 and the Internet that is to come

Posted: 18 Feb 2015 12:10 PM PST

The internet is getting a code upgrade at the most basic level for the first time in over 15 years with HTTP/2. Read on if you want to know what this means.

The basic code of the internet, the HTTP standard which details how the whole web functions has just gotten a new upgrade, dubbed HTTP/2. What this means is a faster, more responsive web with better connections, and more content in each page.

HTTP/2 is an upgrade to the Hypertext Transfer Protocol, which regulates how websites and your browser interact. The original standard dates from the late 1980s, and had a substantial upgrade in 1999 as HTTP/1.1. some 15 years later, the code is getting a new, substantial upgrade that addresses issues like connectivity, and speed.

With HTTP/2 it is expected we will be able to eliminate redundancy, and cut down on extra data that our browsers have to receive twice because connections fail, overcompensate, or simply act up. The new standard offers many options to decrease latency which would in turn improve page load speed. And while this is the one thing that will make the most difference for the users, there are other changes you can read about on the working group’s Github page. In the end it turns the web can always get better.

Via Gizmodo

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