Showing Archived Posts

Google Store Flooded With Fake Apps; What Fake News Services Cost

Posted June 14th, 2017 at 12:59 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Malicious Fake Protection Apps Flood Google Play Store In the aftermath of the infamous WannaCry ransomware, criminals are now flooding the Google Play Store with fake ransomware protection tools. Researchers with security firm RiskIQ found hundreds of cases where apps available for download claim to protect mobile phones, but in fact expose […]

Two-thirds of World Now on Mobile; US Election Hack Hit 39 States

Posted June 13th, 2017 at 12:46 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: 5 Billion People Now Have a Mobile Phone Connection Two-thirds of the world’s population is now connected on mobile phones, according to GSMA Intelligence, a research group operated by GSMA, which represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. GSMA Intelligence’s real-time tracker shows just a bit over 5 billion mobile users globally […]

New Robots Debut in Shanghai; Russian Malware Found on Instagram

Posted June 8th, 2017 at 12:51 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Companion Robots Featured at Shanghai Electronics Show More than 50 Chinese companies are showcasing a new generation of robots at Shanghai’s CES electronics show. The robots have heightened dexterity and skills and are being touted as potential home companions, shopping attendants or entertainers. Russian Malware Controls Hiding on Britney Spears’ Instagram Page […]

Google Teaches Kids About Online Safety; Email Scams on the Rise

Posted June 6th, 2017 at 12:35 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Google Is Using Games to Teach Kids About Online Safety Learning how to watch your step online to avoid malware and other pitfalls is an acquired skill. And Google has just launched a new program called “Be Internet Awesome” to teach young people how to make smart decisions online. The program includes […]

India Mobile Use on the Rise; China’s New Law Expands ‘Great Firewall’

Posted June 1st, 2017 at 12:35 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Internet Trends Report: India Is Definitely World’s Next Major Tech Market Thanks to cheaper smartphones and data plans, India now has 355 million internet users. That’s about 27 percent of its population of 1.3 billion – up from 277 million in 2015. That means mobile internet use is also on the rise, […]

Uzbekistan Bans 34 Video Games; North Korea Reinvents the ‘iPad’

Posted May 31st, 2017 at 2:07 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Uzbekistan Bans 34 Games, Including The Sims 3 and 4, for ‘Distorting Values’ The Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan has banned The Sims video simulation game, among a growing list of video games deemed bad for the country’s values. The list also includes Mass Effect and Call of Duty: Black Ops, among […]

Getting ‘Personal’ With Google Search; Germany Unveils Robot Priest

Posted May 30th, 2017 at 12:54 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Google Search Just Got a Lot More Personal If you are using any of Google’s products, then everything you do is being tracked so advertisers can pay big money for your data.  But the information also allows Google to personalize your search. A new “Personal” tab in the search menu shows you […]

‘WannaCry’ Clues Point to China as New Vulnerability Raises Red Flags

Posted May 25th, 2017 at 1:32 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: WannaCry Ransom Note Analysis Points to Chinese-speaking Perpetrator Cybersecurity experts continue to comb through evidence to identify the criminals who launched the global ‘WannaCry’ ransomware attack. While initial speculation linked the attackers to North Korea, researchers at cybersecurity firm Flashpoint now say Chinese speakers could be behind the English and Chinese versions […]

Social Media Access Urged After UK Attack; New Ransomware Detected

Posted May 24th, 2017 at 2:10 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: UK Takes on Social Media Giants After Manchester Terror Attack U.K. Home Secretary Amber Rudd has urged social media services like Facebook and Twitter to tackle terrorism posts and give law enforcement access to encrypted messages. The appeal followed an Islamic State terrorist attack at a Manchester pop concert that left 22 […]

Samsung’s Iris Scanner Fooled; N. Korea Denies ‘WannaCry Role’

Posted May 23rd, 2017 at 12:25 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Hackers Unlock Samsung Galaxy S8 With Fake Iris Samsung’s latest Galaxy S8 smartphone includes an iris scanner for users to lock and access their devices. But as previously demonstrated with fingerprints, biometric security measures can also be hacked. Researchers from the Chaos Computer Club were able to do just that. They took […]