The Spy Device in Your Pocket

Well-known Smartphones/Televisions – Remote Spying Devices

Volatile claims done by WikiLeaks recently stated that the CIA have the tendency of turning well-known smartphones as well as televisions into remote spying devices, emphasizing how unwitting consumers have enabled their passion for electronics in making them susceptible to concealed scrutiny.

According to Tyler Cohen Wood, former senior U.S. intelligence office, states that `it is a boon for the good guys as well as the bad guys. There is just so much information which is out there and everywhere one goes, our politics, when they are at home or not, their health, their pattern of life is out there which is owing to these devices’.

The accusations made by WikiLead along with the releaseof thousands of documents, claimed to be robbed from the CIA, has not been confirmed though officials state that they seem to be reliable.Presuming the accuracy of the documents, the leaked documents draws attention to how the consumers have unknowingly made themselves susceptible to hacking via the widespread utilisation of smart mobile devices. For the past 10 years, smartphones had overtaken the consumer electronic market. As per a research of November 2016, by the Pew Research Centre, around 77% of the people in the U.S. now tend to be in possession of a smartphone.

Procedure Enabled CIA Evade Encryption

This is a noticeable increase from 2011, when about 35% of the Americans had owned a smartphone. WikiLeaks had claimed that CIA spies had 24 exploits for smartphone which had been controlled by Android operating system of Google together with various exploits for iOS operating system ofApple.

The procedure seems to be further than wiretaps together with spooks probably with the ability of secretly activating the microphone on the smartphone or smart TV without any clue to their target. Moreover WikiLeaks also claimed that the procedure enabled the CIA to evade the encryption of WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Wiebo, and Confide together with Cloackman by hacking the smartphone which they tend to run on, collecting audio as well as message traffic before applying the encryption.

Apple had mentioned in a statement to ABC News that `while their initial analysis indicated that many of the issue leaked were already patched in the updated iOS and that they would continue to work to address any identified vulnerabilities rapidly.They would urge customers to download the latest iOS in order to ensure that they have the most recent security updates.

Spy Software Capable of Scooping Messages

After the original publication of this, the Director of Information Security and Privacy at Google, Heather Adkins had mentioned in a statement to ABC News that as they had reviewed the documents they are confident that security updates as well as protections in Chrome and Android have a tendency to shield users from several of these alleged susceptibilities.

 Their analysis seems to be on-going and they would implement any future essential protections. They have always made security a top priority and would continue to invest in their defenses’. As reported in August by ABC News, cybersecurity researchers had found at the time three main weaknesses in the operating system of Apple iPhone which had affected users all over the world, provoking the software company to release a security update. In that case the spy software was capable of scooping up messages of any number of apps inclusive of encrypted chat applications such as WhatsApp due to its sophistication.

Robots, Exoskeletons and Invisible Planes

Our body may be compared to a weak machine, which is equipped with fragile bones and sinews. However, with the invention of electrically operated exoskeleton, we often wish to get our humanity outfitted with some robosuits, which are intended to provide strength. Again, another technological invention is effective to make any airplane completely invisible to our eye and also radar. Recently, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has expressed everything about these high-tech innovations, which are best for military.

Director of DARPA, Steven Walker has said that while starting any project, they want to ensure whether it may bring about a significant transformation in the present world. On the decade of 60s, the agency had made a plan for linking computers in such a way that there may be a development of good communication. After that, ARPANET had been introduced before the invention of internet, which is used by us in the present day. The researchers have tried to make use of revolutionary technologies in order to help the soldiers.

Exoskeleton gives more comfort to the soldiers-

If we talk about the technologies, related to national safety, DARPA is now at a prominent position. And it is believed that the only things to give defense to a country are robots and invisible airplanes. At present, DARPA is also engaged with the project of creating an intricately programmed exoskeleton, which may transform a fighter into powerful soldier.

Often, the soldiers need to march through an extensive distance, and they carry weighty equipment or packs. Such lightweight, soft exoskeleton reduces the amount of weight, by lowering the load on the body of a soldier. This system makes use of power-driven cables in order to offer a mechanical help. Muscles of the users do not need to spend much energy.

Exoskelton has been created by Harvard University researchers, who have a deal with DARPA. The model of exoskeleton is going through a performance test. Soldiers put on the sample beneath a complete gear for battle and move through a path of about 3 miles. The technicians check the length of strides of the soldiers, activity of muscles, and use of energy. The main objective is to help soldiers in walking more distances, when they are holding heavy burdens with limited effort.

In the creation of invisible airplane also, DARPA has made lots of contributions. According to the director of this agency, those, who have been engaged with them, got a chance to implement their own ideas. An ex-director dealt with Air Force for the development of stealth aircraft for the first time.

Other projects for the benefit of fighters-

There are many other grand projects of DARPA. For instance, as lots of soldiers lose arms in wars, the scientists have created arms. And one of these arms has been approved by FDA. This arm may be stretched and bent also. A mechanical arm is also going to be developed by connecting it to the cortex in our brain.
Thus, technologies in the military world may amaze all of us in future.

MIT Media Lab Disobediance Prize Worth $25000

How Breaking the Rules Could Win You $250,000

The M.I.T. Media Lab has thrown everyone I a frenzy by laying down a proposition which is as simple as it can get. It is offering prize money worth $250,000 inch to those who are willing to go ahead, break the rules or indulge in shaking up the status quo. There are literally no rules attached to this offering and certainly it isn’t a joke purported by some people rather M.I.T. Media Lab has opened the nomination for its new Disobedience Award for all. In short it can be said this lab is aiming at congratulating the people for their courage to remove the shackles of the society or institution which results in bringing good in the society.

The reason behind launching this award

It has been said that there are huge number of people who actively doing really important things for the betterment of the society which usually results from either breaking the rules or simply sticking to their beliefs. Those people know that they will be punished for this but yet they move forward without fear of repercussions and punishment. Our world is filled with such exceptional people but most of them go unnoticed or endure hardships on their own without any financial help. This award will help in recognizing such individuals or groups who gives us courage just like Malala and others.

M.I.T lab further points out they had found out that in most of the large institutions there are basically two ways of making progress. It is either by following the rules and working as per the stated process or in some extreme cases taking radical approach which does away with the process and rules and helps in opening a new road towards success. Apple not giving a backdoor to the government agencies can be taken as a prime example of doing something away from the rules even knowing that it can lead to punishment.

All you need to know about the MIT Award 

M.I.T has not suddenly launched this prize money for an award out of the blue rather than had announced it last year but the nomination process has been established just now. The prize money in cash is being funded by the Reif Hoffman who is popularly known as the co-founder of the largest professional website called LinkedIn. The entries for this award will be reviewed by a panel of judges comprising of scientists, activists, engineers and designers. All the living individuals and eligible to participate in this award and the submissions are open from this week and it will end on May 1. The recipient of this prestigious and ambitious award will be announced by the M.I.T on July 21.

As stated earlier this award created a certain level of excitement among the people. The Executive director of the Albert Einstein Institution named Jamila Raquib has stated that she would like to someone gets benefitted by the prize. She further elaborates that kind of award will help in bringing varied kind of structures, knowledge and resources to the individual or group which is not easy to get in this age.

For Nomination Follow.

Google Develops Invisible Web Security Captcha Form

Privacy has become a huge concern for the social media platform and large tech firms which deals with horrendous amount of private data. Google has come forward with a noble solution in form of developing such website security checks which isn’t visible enough to be tampered by the hackers. Currently usual internet users had to prove they are human through giving a click on the ‘I am not a robot’ checkbox or checking the pictures on the screen but Google new system will simply make them go away.

A new system of proving you are ‘human’

Currently websites heavily rely on the ‘captcha’ which usually asks users to complete a puzzle displayed on their screen and this captcha is designed in such a way that a computer will struggle to complete it correctly. Captcha came into being to thwart the attempt of the bots from accessing and using the websites. Now Google has developed a system which essentially helps in tracking how users interacts with the website in order to prove that they are human, this will be mean that puzzle are no longer necessary on the website if this system find everything is fine with users activity or behavior.

The puzzles developed by the companies in designing the Captcha has helped them in developing a number of things like Google has utilized it train its artificial intelligence algorithms. An example will help in showing how Google is making its AI smarter with the use of captcha puzzle. If it AI is unable to recognize the house number present in the image by the Streetview car then it will through that image in the Captcha system in order to get human input.

Google set to secure the websites with reCaptcha

Google has long ago introduced that reCaptch system which helped in simplifying the process of making users check certain puzzle in order to prove they are human. Nowadays almost all the websites are relying on it safeguard themselves from hackers and surge of attacks on their servers against the barrage of information feed by scammers. The box utilized for the Captcha helps in monitoring how each person is interacting with it and it then helps computer in understanding the human clicks from the bots.

A example will help in illustrating this fact when an automated script used by the hackers for getting though the captcha then computer notes that it has taken a second to fill up the form and there has been not movement of the mouse at all. All these activities are enough to give it a red flag.

Google has went ahead to improve this system which has done away with the check box as well. Now the system will focus on analyzing the how users has interacted with the other elements on the website which includes the ‘submit form’ button. If this system finds that there has been suspicious activity on the website then it will trigger puzzle on the screen for the user or bot to solve.

FRED: Unconfirmed Change in How Google Ranks Web Pages Is Freaking Some People Out

Google is the most widely used search engine on global level which is utilized by the users to search for almost anything. A better rank in the Google results search page means millions on visitors on the website. In simple words higher the rank the better chances are for businesses to put forward their products and services and at the same time generate more money. Page ranks on the search engine is a thing of great concern for the business as it the only way of getting found online in the most humble fashion.

Why SEO companies matter? 

This is basic reason behind the flourishing of the search engine optimization (SEO) service provider companies. These companies helped business in gaining traffic to their website through fetching better results in the search engines and most importantly on the Google using the White Hat techniques. The experts working at such firms are entrusted with the task of enhancing the online visibility as well as search engine visibility of the businesses which helps in gaining website traffic, attracting leads and increasing the brand awareness which ultimately results in growing the business revenue. Even a slightest change in the Google website ranking algorithm could wreak havoc in the online ranking of the business on global scale.

The update is called FRED

It is being speculated that Google has quietly launched the FRED update which basically focuses on the link quality. Most of the SEO experts relying on the link building practice which help in linking websites to other channels and in return guaranteed a huge surge of traffic to the website. With the FRED update Google is not looking at the number links built by the website but it is also accessing the quality of the links in order to give rank to the website in question. FRED isn’t a major update but it can seriously undermine or enhance the rank of the website of the search in a single go.

Rapid increase and decrease in the ranking is worrisome

Google has formally announced any changes in the website ranking algorithm though SEO communities suspect it has already begun and Google will make everyone aware in upcoming days. A number of SEO experts have stated that they are getting significant volatility and fluctuation in their automated tracking tools which essentially signify that an update has been made in the Google website ranking algorithm. Secondly not just the SEO experts even the webmasters are worried with rapid decline and increase in the website which clear indication that a Google update FRED has been made to the search engine without notice.

Those businesses that rely on the website for lead generation and branding will get to see change in their results within a short while of the change in the website ranking. It is better to talk with SEO consultant and get to the root of the cause which will help in making the necessary in the website to ensure you don’t keep on losing the customers and business with the dramatic change in the website rank.