Spyware Demo Shows How Spooks Hack Mobile Phones

Secretive Techniques to Spy Mobile Devices

Generally Intelligence agencies seldom make it public, their secretive techniques for spying on mobile phones but a UK security firm has portrayed to BBC, how a tool which is sold around the world spies and actually functions.

It enables spies to take secret images through the phone’s camera as well as record the conversations with the microphone without the owner being aware of it. The software of Hacking Team had been recently pilfered from the company by hackers and published across the web where almost any type of data on a phone, PC or a tablet could be accessed through the tool which is amazing on how much it can do.

When the source code for the program had been dumped online by the hackers, Joe Greenwood, of cybersecurity firm 4Armed, who had seen it, could not refrain from experimenting it. Though he had to work with the code in order to make it work, it took him a day before he could make it run.

The software comprises of the surveillance console displaying data retrieved from a hacked device together with malware implanted on the target device itself. The cybersecurity firm had been cautious to note that utilising it to spy on someone without their permission would be violating the law.

In-Built Features to Track Bitcoin Payments

Mr Greenwood, on testing the software on his own PC, observed the scope of its potentials. He informed BBC that one could download files, record microphones, webcam images, websites that were visited, check what programs were running as well as intercept Skype calls.

Besides these, the software also had some in-built features to track Bitcoin payments which could be difficult to connect with individuals without extra data on when and how the transaction could have been performed. He also showed a live demonstration of the system on how an infected phone could be made to record audio from the microphone even though the device seemed to be locked and utilise the phone’s camera without the knowledge of the owner.

He informed that photos could actually be taken without them knowing and the camera in the background tends to be running, taking photos every number of seconds. There is also the possibility of listening in on phone calls, access the list of contacts that were stored on the device as well as track what websites the user of the device had visited.

Indication of Message Sent Somewhere -A Red Flag Spike in Network Data Usage

Marc Wickenden, technical director of 4Armed as well as Mr Greenwood had stated that they were shocked by the sleekness of the interface and pointed out that though customers would be paying up £1m for the software and expecting it to be user-friendly especially if it is intended for usage by law enforcers.

As for the tracked user, there are few ways of discovering that they are being watched. According to Mr Greenwood, a red flag, is a sudden spike in the network data usage indicating that information is being sent somewhere in the background and experienced intruders would however, be cautious in minimising this to remain undercover.

Currently spy software of this type is only likely to be arrayed secretly on the phones and computers of those who seem to be key targets for intelligence agency.

Britain Set to Build Incredible Experimental Motorway Which Charges Up Electric Cars as They Move

Britain is all set to test the new electric highways technology, which promises to power up electric cars on the go. The world is looking for new smart ways of lowering the reliance of conventional sources of energy, which ends up damaging the environment with increased CO2 output. Electric and hybrid cars had been in fashion for quite some time but it couldn’t generate wider scale adoption due to various factors. With the introduction of electric highways in England later this year people can give a serious thought over the environment friendly electric and hybrid cars.

Off roads trials soon to begin in England

Highways England will be undertaking the off road trials of this new technology which can easily the power the electric and hybrid vehicles. The trials are said to be first of its kind, which will test this technology potential. It will also test the safety quotient along with its effectiveness on country’s major motor ways and major A roads. Such roads will allow the people driving the ultra low emission vehicles over to a long distance without the hassle of stopping by and charging the car’s battery.

How this technology works?

During the off road trials electric and hybrid engine vehicles will be fitted with wireless charging capabilities and it will be charged by equipment built underneath the road surface. When such vehicles ply the road, they will be able charge wirelessly without the need of stopping and charging the vehicles at all. If this trial happens to be successful then this advanced electric highway technology will be brought on major motorways and major A roads throughout the country.

Highways England chief engineer, Mike Wilson was quite upbeat about this technology and stated that in order to keep pace with the advancing vehicle technologies and to support growth of ultra low emissions vehicles this technology will be utilized to its full potential. The wireless power technology will certainly help in creating sustainable road networks in England. It is also expected to open up new opportunities for businesses, which deal in transporting the goods within the country. In short Highways England is committed to bring this technology on a wider scale if happens to be successful.

Government support likely to spurt up the electric highway technology

Government has shown immense faith in this new technology and it has already committed to offer 500 million pounds over the next five years. This money will be utilized to bring wide scale adoption of this technology, which will help, in boosting the jobs and growth across the various sectors. Transport minister Andrew Jones emphasizes the potential to recharge low emission vehicles on the move, which is a great advancement in itself, and it offers far more exciting possibilities.

Making the low emission vehicles accessible to a greater number of families and businesses will become easier with the electric highways. It should be noted that at present more than 35000 electric cars registered in the UK. Apart from these trials, Highways England is also committed to install plug-in charging points for electrics after 20 miles on the motorways network.

Samsung Looks to Get a Head Start On Apple with Its Next Jumbo Smartphone

Samsung had long been the top Smartphone maker which had the highest market coverage over the years with its flagship Galaxy S models. But Apple slowly and surely crept on and finally seized the top Smartphone coverage by sharing it with Samsung this year. Samsung is hoping to make considerable leap in the market by launching its new jumbo sized hybrid between Smartphone and tablets ahead of Apple.

Samsung is set to release the new entrant in Galaxy Note and Galaxy S flagship with Note 5 and S6 Edge Plus. Galaxy Note 5 will possess a metal black body instead of the plastic along with a hugely improved stylus. On other Galaxy S6 Edge Plus will feature a 5.7 inch screen which curves over the sides of the device.

Samsung quietly shifts the launch date

Samsung for a long time had kept introducing its Smartphone at the Berlin based IFA electronic in September but this time it’s releasing much earlier than expected. The reason for releasing the new devices ahead of schedule in its New York is attempt to counter the release of Apple’s next iPhone, which will be unveiled in early September.

The next iPhones will possess bigger screen, which is creating pressure upon Samsung to get into market earlier with its bigger devices and dominate over the market with boosting of sales. In simple words Samsung is saying its customers to look out for its devices to buy this time around. Samsung Note line will be launching ahead of the bigger screen iPhone for the first time in the market with the release of next iPhone in the September 9 event.

Apple goes the bigger way

Apple devices were usually happened to be smaller in size but great in performance. However, Apple even jumped into bigger screen by introducing new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus which took away the shine and advantage from the Samsung devices. Going with bigger screen helped Apple churning out immense sales with 47.5 million devices sold in just June quarter, which is 35% hike against the previous year stats.

With bigger screen iPhones Apple made its entry into the phablet business with pomp and success. It should be noted that 13% of Smartphone sold in US in the second quarter were devices with 5.5 inch screen or larger. Apple is on the verge of quickly dominated in the Phablet market which was once dominated by the Samsung Note and Galaxy devices.

Samsung rise up to the challenge

Samsung had made significant changes in its Note line by bringing hardware redesign to lend a more premium feel to the device and divert them from the Apple devices. Though Samsung had not much change to its Galaxy S Smartphone over the years and this time they had introduced much talked curved screen. In order to compete in the highly competitive Smartphone market it is necessary for the Samsung to create buzz among the consumers and get them excited about its Smartphones, otherwise it will be extremely tough to challenge the rise of other Smartphone maker and most importantly Apple.

Hackers Target Internet Address Bug to Disrupt Sites

Hackers Manipulating Internet Architecture

According to a security firm, it is said that hackers are manipulating a serious flaw in the internet’s architecture wherein the bug seems to target systems that tend to convert domain names into IP addresses. Taking advantage of it could impend the smooth function of the internet services since it would permit hackers to launch denial-of-service attacks on websites, possibly forcing them offline and regular internet users would unlikely be severely affected.

Bind seems to be the name of a variety of Domain Name System – DNS software which is used on most of the internet servers. The most recently discovered bug enables attackers to crash the software thus taking the DNS service offline and stopping URLs for instance, from functioning. Patch for the fault is made available, though several systems need to be updated.

 The ISC – Internet Systems Consortium that had developed Bind had mentioned in a tweet that the vulnerability was `particularly critical’ and `easily exploited’. Last week ISC had release a patch for serious vulnerability in BIND, one of the popular Domain Name Servers which is bundled with Linux.The flaw that affects versions of BIND 9 from BIND 9.1.0 to BIND 9.10.2-P2.

Fault in Handling TKEY Queries

It could be exploited to crash the DNS servers running the software followed by a DoS attach. Red Hat, Ubuntu, CentOS as well as Debian have all been affected with the bug and so patching is straightforward, update or apt-get update, whichever is suitable to the environment together with a DNS server restart.

 A networking expert at Sucuri, Daniel Cid, had published a blog post stating the vulnerability wherein he had clarified that the real exploits taking advantage of the fault had already taken place, based on the reports received from the customers of the company, that they were facing DNS server crashes. He also informed BBC that a few of the clients in various industries had their DNS servers crashed due to it.

He further added that due to their experience, server software such as Bind, Apache, OpenSSL and the others did not get patched as often as they should. According to a report in The Register, CVE-2015-5477, last week, there is a fault in handling TKEY queries, like a constructed packet could use the defect in triggering a REQUIRE assertion failure, which could cause BIND to exit. Cid informs that it is also trivial to check if the DNS server is being targeted.

Large DNS Exploits Take Down Hunks of Internet

One could look for the ANY TKEY in the DNS logs with querylog enabled since TKEY request seems to be `not very common’ and should be easy to notice suspicious requests. Brian Honan, cybersecurity expert, had commented that a spike in exploits of the fault was expected in the next few days.

He further added that the websites would frequently be accessible through other routes and cache addresses on DNS servers all over the world even though certain key DNS servers have been made to crash. He stated that `it is not a doomsday scenario but a question of ensuring that the DNS structure could continue to work while patches tend to be rolled out.

According to Mr Cid, the impact on general users is probably to be minimal and the average internet users will not experience much pain besides a few sites and email servers down. A large DNS exploit could take down hunks of the internet.

Bottom-up Assembly of Metallic Germanium

Chip makers were aggressively researching on finding new materials to boost the chip performance in respect to bringing further miniaturization. Chips are known to get smaller and better in performance over each passing decade. This is achieved by finding new materials which can boost the performance at the same time working efficiently with the present platform. Currently chip manufacturers are utilizing the metallic germanium in order to maximize the potential of the chip in terms of performance and functionalities which integrates well with the silicon platform.

The features of metallic germanium

Germanium fits well all the requirements and it is widely used as a high mobility channel materials, a plasmonic conductor and a light emitting medium in the silicon integrated lasers. The reason for its being successful is it possesses a high electron density in three dimensions (3D).

A simple approach can help in demonstrating the 3D assembly of the atoms found in the germanium by repeated stacking of two dimensional (2D) high density phosphorus layers. This results in producing a high density with relatively low resistivity metallic germanium of precisely defined thickness.

How germanium happens to work so efficiently?

In order to demonstrate the ability of the free electrons of metallic germanium converting from 2D dopant layers into a homogeneous 3D conductor certain specific measurements are used such as quantum interference measurements, density functional theory and atom probe topography. Metallic germanium is doped with homogenous concentrations of free electron which helps in creating low resistivity source or drain extensions in high mobility transistors.

It is not feasible to use the mainstream top-down implantation for this purpose as enhanced dopant diffusion and formation of neutral complexes will create an electrical deviation. In order to control doping process from the bottom up self limiting surface reactions can be used.

This approach will lead to the creation of monolayer-doped semi conductors with much needed high density, two dimensional electron gases which are strongly confined. Utilizing the two approaches- the bottom and top down- it helps in extending the monolayer doping from just 2D to 3D. In this specific case the dopants are easily deposited in a single 2D layer while their effective distribution in 3D is obtained by thermal diffusion. The bottom up assembly of the metallic Germanic is only achieved by the repeated deposition of N nearly identical phosphorus doped layers. This approach helps in preserving the vertical atom precision which is associated with the monolayer doping and helps in creating homogenous 3D system.

Metallic germanium stamps its great performance over others

Mostly bottom up approach is used by the researchers and manufacturers which helps in achieving doping in Ge capable of producing high electron densities and low resistivity metallic conductors. The application of this technology and substance is of great relevance in the electronic industry along with photonics, plasmonics and others. Metallic germanium is actively used in the development of the high mobility transistors, mid-IR plamonics bio-sensors and industrially viable Si-integrated lasers.