A bug in the latest update of Lion shows user passwords in plain text

Apple does not win lately for security issues. This time there is a malware as it did a few weeks ago , but a vulnerability that shown in plain text (without any encryption) passwords for users who have their Lion FileVault-protected directories.

FileVault is the encryption system Mac: When you activate it, all files in the user’s home directory are encrypted and only you can access them with your password. For any other user of the computer, your home directory will be totally inaccessible.

When you access your Mac, FileVault uses your password to mount your home directory, so you can access it as if it were not encrypted. The problem is that in the last update of Lion was activated a switch that makes FileVault save your password in the system registry in plain text, no record is kept clear for days.

Why is this bad? The system log is out of your home directory, so it is not encrypted. So, anyone with physical access to your computer can see your password and access all your files. How? Mounting the Mac as a FireWire drive or using the console of the recovery partition of Lion, could access the file system and find your password.

As you can see, is a serious problem. Probably not affects you as a user (not common to have FileVault enabled, let alone lose your computer), but business users do affects them, because in these environments is much more common to have all portable encrypted filesystems .

This vulnerability affects all users who activated FileVault in Mac OS X Snow Leopard or earlier. If you activated not ever, your password is secure. If you activated it using Lion, your password is stored in the same place, but as from Lion FileVault encrypts the entire disk is not as easy to access.

So far Apple has not commented on this issue or release any updates, but should do so quickly. Failures such as this undermine confidence in the safety of Apple systems: what serves you encrypt your files so they are safe from theft whether they can access them by a vulnerability?

UK-blockade brought the Pirate Bay access record

Last week the British High Court has ruled that Internet providers must continue to block access to Pirate Island Bay. For now, you have to but just the opposite effect: The Pirate Bay gave free advertising hits record.

Twelve million users or more requests than usual: this is the first conclusion of the operators of The Pirate Bay BitTorrent directory after the decision of the British Supreme Court judges. These were arranged last week that the provider Sky, Everything Everywhere, must make TalkTalk, O2 and Virgin Media to ensure that their users can not access to “The Pirate Bay”.

Virgin Media has implemented the first UK provider to block TPB

How ‘ TorrentFreak ‘reports that the British justice system has initially achieved the exact opposite: The Pirate Bay (TPB) has been the announcement of these measures, reported record requests: “We should of BPI (Note: British Phonographic Industry) write a letter of thanks,” said a TPB insider told the file-sharing blog.

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the UK trade association of the music industry, was instrumental in the decision of the Supreme Court judges in London, had called for the closure of the portal as an anti-piracy measure vehemently.

The creators of Pirate Bay had a similar development already guessed last week and looked forward immediately after the announcement of the decision on the free advertising: Paid Advertising for TPB would not have been possible anyway, and certainly not in reputable media like the BBC and TV stations newspapers such as Guardian and Telegraph, writes ‘TorrentFreak’.

The huge media coverage about the impending blockages that are now being gradually implemented by the ISP (British Telecom is still reflecting the position one occupies in the Cause), the TPB-makers to follow the “golden opportunity” was given to the users of the portal be informed of any action to circumvent the locks.

Online tutoring sites for students

Students find is difficult to get homework help after reaching home. Regular tutoring services are not affordable and moreover the timings are difficult to manage for students compared to online tutor and tutoring services. Individual attention for students can be easily achieved by hiring on line tutor through online tutoring sites.

Apple and Samsung dominate the smartphone market

For several months, one can describe the relationship between Apple and Samsung aptly described as love-hate relationship. While still in the world is facing numerous lawsuits as an opponent, both companies are dependent on each other, Apple is considered the single most important customer, Samsung as the most important supplier.

Both companies, however, have one thing in common: They have come to dominate the smartphone market like nobody else. As the Wall Street Journal reported accounts, world of Apple and Samsung market share of just under 25 percent. The competition in the form of Nokia, Sony (Ericsson), HTC and others is now clearly cut off behind, even if there are actual numbers of the two major market research firms Gartner and IDC are not on the subject.

Currently, however, is a study by Strategy Analytics, relied on by the business daily. According to this account for the two big companies a total of 91 percent of all profits generated by smartphones. Not least because of the high-priced units of upper-class and high-end and the correspondingly high margins, this value can be explained. Significantly, however, it is that for many other active participants in the market hardly anything is left.

It is unclear how long this dominance of the two companies. While some analysts and industry experts expect that this is merely a short-or medium-maximum effect, while others again suppose a barely retrievable advantage on both sides. Representatives of the former group lead of this case that it had previously been several phases in which a supplier was dominant. Motorola Sun was in the ’80s as the leader, followed by Ericsson, Nokia recently. After a very successful each phase was for all three examples, however, declined rapidly.

It is also expected to be far more play in the background operating companies such as Huawei or ZTE in future a much larger role, activities and announcements at the Mobile World Congress in February to speak a clear language.

User can see the network as a hope for democracy

Many users have the hope that has arisen with the Internet infrastructure that provides a closer participation in democratic processes. 61 percent of German Internet users are currently at least believe the power to carry on with more democracy.

The findings of a study produced on behalf of the IT industry association BITKOM. “The Internet provides excellent opportunities to make the policy work more transparent and to involve broad segments of the population,” said Bernhard Rohleder, Director General of BITKOM. “In many countries, the Web has even become an important prerequisite for democratic structures at all to take before beginning your journey.”

In parliamentary democracies, the Internet is good to own, to deal with politics, so rawhide. “Politicians can use the Web in order to participate in political campaigns to persuade people and to reduce the distance between state and society. Social networks and other forms of Web 2.0 to provide many opportunities,” he said.

Accordingly, all parties and almost all the leaders are now represented on platforms like Facebook and Twitter with their own profiles. They provide the public with information there and provide a platform for discussion. However, it lacks many also on an understanding of the nature of such services. Often, they are still used primarily for the dissemination of opinions and not to communicate with other users on equal terms.

The political value of the Internet is now even across highly appreciated by all age groups – not only in the younger generation. Among seniors aged 65 to 67 percent even see very many Internet users have a positive effect on democracy. Between women and men, there are hardly any differences on this issue (63 to 60 percent).

Twitter promises to be a patent-troll

The management of the micro-blogging service Twitter will not use the ideas of its employees to other developers or corporate harm. It gave an assurance that no one’s patent portfolio to use for offensive actions.

A similar provision was in the ” innovator’s patent agreement stated “(IPA). This would give you that fear their own developers would not want their inventions to the detriment of others are used.

It was appropriate commitments already from other companies – though usually in the form of oral statements, which were in suitable situations thrown back overboard. For example, Yahoo recently said to want to use patents only defensively, but even then launched attacks on Facebook.

From Twitter’s commitment has now been recorded in writing, possibly making it slightly stronger binding. The company however reserves the right to use its patent portfolio for defensive purposes. For example, to counter allegations, even if it comes into sight.

“Like many other companies we submit patents for many inventions,” said Adam Messinger, Head of Development at Twitter. However, it would not come into a role where they are used in order to prevent the innovations of others.

“IPA is a new way of patent agreements, which leaves the control of the developers and designers,” said Messinger. The scheme will give them the right to decide jointly, how to deal with their developments. Even with a sale of the property rights of any third party in control would be maintained.

The idea of ​​IPA was part of the so-called Hack Week, which takes place on Twitter once a quarter. The employees work at this time on projects of their choice and away from their other duties. The implementation will be in the run of the year for all patents filed already implemented.

Exiland Backup, a complete system for your backups

The backup is one of the great forgotten in the home environment. It happens to us, we make copy, fiamos everything to the cloud or just what many do not even arise. Until there is a problem and lose data the first time. From here you often learn the lesson. Today we see the solution that offers Exiland Backup, a complete system to make your backups and avoid these scares.

Exiland Backup is available in two versions, one free and one payment. The main difference is that the paid version can automatically schedule it to run, turning the computer, or connecting a USB drive, or a specific day at a specific time, for example. In the free version we lose this ability, you have to launch the copy manually. Nothing that can not be solved with a few announcements scheduled in the calendar.

As far as software is available for Windows XP, Vista and 7. It is fairly lightweight and installs quickly. Once installed our first mission is to create the backup tasks. To do this we have to select files to copy. We can exclude files from selected directories, copy also decide whether or not subdirectories, or copy only certain files with certain extensions.

We can choose between a full backup, differential, incremental, or synchronization. The latter is used when you want to keep two copies in mirror, for example in an external hard drive with all your music. While we can say that many copies we want to save the system. Backups can be stored compressed to take up less size and if we want to protect with a password.

Huawei introduces new, affordable Android smartphone

Huawei was one of two high-profile announcements about the secret stars of the recent Mobile World Congress. Ascend with the Y200 of the Chinese manufacturer is now again a device to find an adequate supply its customers, especially on price.

Offers at a suggested retail price of 99.99 euros, the Y200 a 3.7-inch LCD display (Resolution: 480 × 320) and a single core CPU with 800 MHz. The battery has a capacity of 1,250 mAh, with respect to the memory are not available. Other features include 1 GB of internal memory (expandable via microSD up to 32GB), HSDPA theoretically up to 7.2 Mbit / s download, wireless n, Bluetooth 2.1 and a 3.2-megapixel camera. Android 2.3 software side is used.

Huawei Ascend Y200
The Y200 is from 30 April in the free version will be available at Lidl. And the mobile discounter Fonic’s like Huawei Ideos X3 back in the boat: Here is the device from the 7th May be offered.

Nikon WU-1a connected to the new Nikon D3200 with Android devices

This morning I have presented the new Nikon D3200 , and is complicated in our like us to talk about cameras, but in this case it is interesting to stop and visit one of the innovations that come with the camera.

Nikon has introduced the camera with a mobile adapter known as WU-1a, WiFi connectivity that allows the camera and twin camera with Android OS devices.

We can take snapshots with the 24 megapixel sensor and the possibilities that a DSLR offers, pass them to the device with Google operating system, and there take advantage of the smartphone or tablet when retouching or share content.

Additionally we can also remotely control the camera from the phone or tablet (not clear if there are remote viewing). Nikon promises that before the end of the year will also be available for IOS devices.

Nikon Adapter WU-1a appears to the sale in May at a price of $ 60.

Halo 4 is on 6 November 2012 published

As the official Halo website is clear, now is the time fixed for the release of the newest part: This is the sixth November 2012 and fall, resulting from both Microsoft and the game developer 343 Industries is confirmed.

For the first time but no longer distinguishes the development studio Bungie responsible for the game, but just said Studio 343 Industries, also known by the abbreviation “343i”. It was founded in 2007 by Microsoft with the purpose of the entire gaming franchise – these include besides the game itself and the corresponding comics, books and other content related to – to oversee the Halo series better.

This was necessary because the previous studio Bungie could separate after the economic success of Halo 3 from the Redmond company and turned into an independent studio. Since the rights to the game remained logically from Microsoft, the company operated from then on, 343i, to the development of the series continues to have in mind can.

As for the game itself, Halo 4 is temporally linked not directly to the end of Halo 3, but take only four years after the events end the thread again. It will be again the now legendary character of the “Master Chief” of the party, the “[must] confront his fate and maintain no less than the entire universe from destruction” should be.

Since the publication in 2001, changed more than 40 million copies of the game series is the owner and therefore one of the most popular titles for Microsoft’s Xbox.