HACKING

 HACKING 

The term "hacker" originally denoted a skilled programmer proficient in machine code and computer operating systems. In particular, these individuals could always hack on an unsatisfactory system to solve problems and engage in a little software company espionage by interpreting a competitor's code.

HOW TO STUDY HACKING?

There is a community and shared culture of expert programmers and networking wizards that traces its history back through decades to the first time-sharing minicomputers and the earliest ARPAnet experiments. The members of this culture were the first "hackers." Breaking into computers and phreaking phone systems have come to symbolize hacking in popular culture, but hacking culture is much more complex and moralistic than most people know. Learn basic hacking techniques, how to think like a hacker, and how to gain respect in order to crack your way into the complex world of hacking.

BITCOIN

Bitcoin is a peer to peer paying system and digital currency introduced as open source software in 2009 by psuedonymous developer satoshi nakamoto. It is a cryptocurrency, so-called because it uses cryptography to control the creation and transfer of money. Users send payments by broadcasting digitally signed messages to the network. Participants known as miners verify and timestamp transactions into a shared public database called the block chain, for which they are rewarded with transaction fees and newly minted bitcoin Conventionally "Bitcoin" capitalized refers to the technology and network whereas "bitcoins" lowercase refers to the currency itself.

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WINDOWS 8.1

Check your Windows 8.1 PC's performance in 3 easy steps!

Washington: Windows Experience Index benchmark tool measures a PC's performance in terms of its processor, memory, graphics, gaming graphics and hard disk, but finding it in Microsoft's latest Windows 8.1 OS is a little tricky but still available. 

The tool has been around since Microsoft first introduced Windows Vista and although, it is not an accurate measure of PC performance, it can still be useful to identity a hardware deficiency. 

According to Cnet, Microsoft had removed the graphical interface to the Windows Experience Index from Windows 8.1 bur users can search for its through command prompt by typing 'winsat preop' that will run the benchmark and store results on the PC as XML files.

Users can then open the Windows Powershell as administrator, and type "Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_WinSAT" and press Enter, which will analyze the results in the XML files, and present them as scores for each category. 

The report said that CPUScore is the score for the processors on the PC, D3DScore is for the 3D graphics capabilities, DiskScore is the score for the sequential read throughput on the system hard disk , GraphicsScore is for the graphics capabilities, and MemoryScore is for the memory throughput and capacity of the PC.

The base score is displayed as the number next to WinSPRLevel, which is just the lowest score of the five categories. 

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 3

Galaxy Note 3 'Lite' leak suggests 720p display

Samsung's user agent profile makes mention of a device called the SM-N750 -- supposedly the model number of the rumored Note Lite without LTE.

Seek and ye shall find: the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

As we polish off the last of the Quality Street and stretch out the leftovers to one final turkey sandwich, our thoughts inevitably turn to slimming down a bit. Samsung is making the same new year's resolution with the rumored "Lite" version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 -- which will apparently sport a 720p screen.
A device called the SM-N750 has appeared in Samsung's user agent profile. That's reported to be the model number of the rumored Note Lite without LTE. In among the specs is mention of a 720p screen.
The current Note 3 boasts a Full HD 1,920x1,080-pixel screen, powered by a 2.3GHz quad-core processor and generous 3GB of RAM.

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Basis Smart watch

Basis Refreshes Its Fitness Tracker, Adds Improved Sleep Analytics

The quantified self movement has grown to the point where you could easily bedeck your limbs with thousands of dollars of tracking gadgets, and the race to measure your movement isn’t going to end any time soon. That’s why Basis — makers of an awfully accurate, wrist-worn health gadget — has rolled out a new version of the device just in time for the nerd hordes at CES to ogle it.
Well, perhaps calling it “new” is overstating things a bit. The updated, $199 Carbon Steel edition is a hair hardier than the original B1 and it’s better looking to boot, but the big draw is the addition of improved sleep analytics that can assign personal Sleep Scores and ultimately tell just how soundly a wearer is sleeping.
Let’s back up for a moment first: the original Basis had a leg up on competitors because of the sheer number of sensors packed into it. Rather than just installing an accelerometer to monitor motion, the Basis team tricked it out with sensors to measure a user’s heart rate and galvanic skin response, all in hopes of providing people with a clearer understanding of how hard they’re working. That array of sensors also means that users didn’t have to manually switch into a discrete sleeping mode, which has honestly always been a pet peeve of mine — I’d love to gain some deeper insight into what few hours of sleep I manage to get, but I tend to pass out before flipping the sleep switch.
Thankfully, owners of that first generation model won’t have to lose sleep over a feature disparity, as those sleep analytics will be available for the original B1 later this month.
Modified hardware and improved smarts are neat enough, I suppose, but they’re both indicative of a change in how fitness gadget creators have to approach the very process of designing their wares. As Basis CEO Jef Holove recently told PC World, expanding smartphone feature sets means that the feature bar for dedicated activity trackers has just been raised.
“When Apple released the iPhone 5 with the M7 processor, it became even more clear that many of basic functionalities of trackers would be assumed by users’ smartphones, creating a challenge for health trackers to do something more,” he said. He’s got a point: these days we demand that our smartphones do everything, and the companies that craft them are rising to that challenge. Right now we’re seeing plenty of iterative moves by these fitness-focused wearable tech companies — the mildly-refreshed Jawbone UP24 and Nike Fuelband SE spring to mind — but I suspect it won’t be long before the next generation of quantified self hardware begins to pull away from smartphones in earnest

Qualcomm Toq Smartwatch Review

       Qualcomm Toq smartwatch review: An interesting concept with unfortunate execution

Depending on how you look at it, Qualcomm’s $349 Toq smartwatch is either an interesting concept for the future of wrist wearables or it’s an expensive, uncomfortable timepiece with notifications. Actually, it’s both.
Disclosure: I approach the smartwatch device class with no small amount of skepticism. I gave up wearing a watch years ago and haven’t missed it. The Android-only Toq almost convinces me to wear one again, but it’s a long way from convincing me to pay $349 for the privilege.
The best thing about the Toq is its battery. I’ve averaged five days of battery life on a single charge with moderate to heavy usage. That kind of power management lets you just set it on the included wireless charging stand overnight at the beginning of the week and then put it on and not worry about the battery for at least a few days. Qualcomm has set the bar for smartwatch battery life, and newer entrants to the space need to take note.
Unfortunately, the battery is also one of my most disliked features about the watch. The battery compartment is located at the bottom of the band on the inside of your wrist. Doing so keeps the watchface on top from becoming unwieldy, but the extra width is extremely uncomfortable.
When typing on a laptop, the battery elevates the wrist to an unnatural position. Also, the snapping mechanism that fits over the battery and locks the band in place makes an unpleasant scraping noise when typing. In just a couple days of use, the black finish on the watch rubbed away to reveal bare metal.
I could take the watch off while I’m at my computer, but doing so defeats much of the purpose of wearing one. If I have to take a watch on and off throughout the day, I’m just going to end up leaving it off.
The Toq doesn’t feel particularly comfortable for long-term wear. The arc of the band never fit well around my wrist. In order to begin using the band, you have to cut off part of it to size it and then attach the clasp. That’s an awkward first impression for a product. The notch I chose feels loose, but I have no way of telling whether the next size down would fit me better without having to snip off part of the band. The whole process needs to be rethought.
I do love Qualcomm’s Mirasol color display. It looks gorgeous and works great whether you’re inside or outside. A simple tap on the top of the wristband activates the backlighting. The Toq’s buttonless design is nice, too. Tapping the wristband on the other side of the face calls up the menu. From there you can tap or swipe to navigate. When the watchface is displayed, you can swipe across it to change styles.
In terms of functionality, the watch’s main appeal lies in beaming in notifications from your Android phone. You can manage which notifications you receive from the Toq app. The text on Gmail notifications tended to get cut off, but other apps were able to send their alerts without trouble.

Beyond notifications, Qualcomm offers a few on-board applets for the Toq, such as Calendar, Weather, Music Player, Stocks and a Comms Hub. The Music Player works decently as a remote for control playback on your phone and the Comms Hub’s configurable quick reply text messages could come in handy, but, in general, the applets’ features are of questionable value to me. The day traders among you might find it useful to check stock prices on your wrist, but that has got to be a very small minority.
When I review a product, I envision the group of people who make the best fit for the product. Even though I like different components of the Toq, I’m coming up blank on who would want to buy the device as a whole. Maybe, a developer interested in seeing what it’s like to cobble together Qualcomm’s various technologies into a smartwatch. Qualcomm, for its part, is aware of the issue and is producing the device in limited quantities and marketing it as a “showcase product.”
If you think of it as a concept or a prototype, the Toq is mostly a success. It’s got great battery life, a beautiful display, a painless charging system and enough functionality to prove its point. As a consumer product, it’s just short of a disaster: uncomfortable to wear, overpriced for its features and clumsy design.

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HACKERS

      Jan. 4, 2014, 8:16 a.m. EST

Why hackers want your phone number

Lessons from the data breach at Snapchat

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Though most people wouldn’t give their phone number to a stranger on the street, they’re happy to share their digits with Google GOOG -0.73%  , Facebook FB -0.28%  , and other sites. But as millions of young Snapchat users just learned, phone numbers are valuable information to hackers.

On Wednesday, Snapchat became the first company to have its data hacked in 2014 when 4.6 million account usernames and partial phone numbers were posted online as a warning to those using the photo messaging service. “Our motivation behind the release was to raise the public awareness around the issue, and also put public pressure on Snapchat to get this exploit fixed,” the alleged hackers told tech site TheVerge.com . A spokeswoman for Snapchat declined to comment, but the company released a blog post saying it’s added counter-measures “to combat spam and abuse.”

Consumers should be wary about sharing their mobile numbers, security experts say. “Phone numbers are unique identifiers that tend to last for a long time,” says Michael Fertik, CEO at Reputation.com, a site that helps consumers protect their privacy online. “You change your phone number much less often than your IP address and probably even your home address.” While Snapchat users have fake usernames, many people use the same I.D. across a range of social networks, says Graham Cluley, a U.K. security blogger and technology consultant. “Use a different user I.D. than the one you use publicly on Facebook and Twitter,” he says. What’s more, typing just a mobile number into Facebook will reveal the profiles of the owner if he or she added it to their account information.

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Why hackers want your cellphone number

If you wouldn't give your cellphone number to a stranger, why would you give it to a website? As Snapchat users found, there's money to be made from knowing your cellphone number, Quentin Fottrell reports. Photo: Getty Images.

Snapchat’s alleged data breach is also a misstep for a company founded on the principle of preserving your online anonymity. Launched in September 2011, social networkers can send “Snaps”—photos or videos—that last between 1 and 10 seconds, depending on the time limit set by the sender. The service—which reportedly spurned a $3 billion offer from Facebook last November—has over 100 million users and shares 400 million snaps daily. “It’s embarrassing for Snapchat,” Cluley says, but could be more embarrassing for its users. After all, photos can be saved by recipients who “screen-grab” them in time. “These photos and mobile numbers could potentially be used for cyber-bullying and blackmail,” he says, especially if they’re connected to a real name.

Hackers can also fake a caller I.D. by using your number to sidestep a security step, says Bo Holland, founder and CEO of AllClear ID, an identity protection firm. Even without a real name, however, consumers can be spammed with text messages—known as “smishing”—asking people to click on links that contain malware—a virus that can retrieve data stored there: photos, contact lists, emails and passwords. “Phone numbers are a building block for hackers,” says Adam Levin, co-founder of online security company Identity Theft 911. Some 37.3 million Internet users faced phishing attacks in 2013, an 87% rise over the last three years, according to a survey from online security company Kaspersky Lab. “Smartphones are not just communication devices,” Levin says. “They are data storage devices.”

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Snapchat data breach exposes millions' account info

Snapchat suffered a very public leak of its users’ information. And there isn't much that users can do about it. Brian Fitzgerald reports. Photo: Getty Images.

So why do companies want your mobile number? “It’s is a necessary and useful part of e-commerce,” Fertik says, “but you should not give it without a specific reason.” For those waiting for a package or taking a flight, for example, it helps to receive a text message about delays. Plus, mobile numbers can be a useful two-factor authentication, says e-commerce consultant Bryan Eisenberg. Step 1: input your username and password to your email, social networking or bank account. Step 2: receive a text message to validate any changes. This can also be done with a secondary email address or Google Voice number that redirects calls and texts to your cell; for that reason, Eisenberg has given his mobile number to Google, but hasn't given it to Facebook. He doesn’t have a Snapchat account