Black Hat security conference trims insecure features from its mobile app

Black Hat has disabled features of its mobile application because attackers could have logged in as legitimate attendees, posted messages in their names and spied on the messages they sent.The problem was discovered by mobile security vendor Lookout who detail the problem in a blog that says the method of registration and password resets were flawed.“[W]e've removed user-to-user messaging functionality and activity feed updates out of an abundance of caution,” a spokesperson for the conference organizer UBM said in an email.The problems stemmed from the fact that new accounts were created without email verification, and that even when users reset their passwords, authentication tokens weren’t revoked. So attackers logged in already could stay logged in.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Black Hat security conference trims insecure features from its mobile app

Black Hat has disabled features of its mobile application because attackers could have logged in as legitimate attendees, posted messages in their names and spied on the messages they sent.The problem was discovered by mobile security vendor Lookout who detail the problem in a blog that says the method of registration and password resets were flawed.“[W]e've removed user-to-user messaging functionality and activity feed updates out of an abundance of caution,” a spokesperson for the conference organizer UBM said in an email.The problems stemmed from the fact that new accounts were created without email verification, and that even when users reset their passwords, authentication tokens weren’t revoked. So attackers logged in already could stay logged in.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Windows 7 PCs with free OS upgrade are still available, for now

Many computer users have upgraded from Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10 as part of Microsoft's free upgrade offer, which ends on Friday.After Friday, holdovers who want to upgrade from Windows 7 will have to shell out US$119.99 to $199.99 for a Windows 10 license.But for those who'd rather buy a new PC, Windows 7 laptops and desktops will still be available with the flexibility to upgrade to Windows 10 for free.PC makers HP, Lenovo, and Dell have stopped selling PCs with home editions of Windows 7. However, they are still selling PCs, loaded with Windows 7 Professional, that can be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro for free.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

First look: Vikings stadium caters to connected fans

U.S. Bank StadiumA striking vessel of steel and glass, the new home of the Minnesota Vikings is designed for fans with smartphones. The infrastructure and apps are in place: The stadium is blanketed with wireless access points built into handrails and a distributed antenna system to boost mobile coverage, and a Vikings stadium app keeps ticket-holders connected. Fans can order food and drinks from their seats, figure out which restrooms have the shortest lines, and watch instant replays on their own devices. Before they arrive, visitors can view parking availability, determine the least-congested entrance gate, and manage digital tickets.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

First look: Vikings stadium caters to connected fans

U.S. Bank StadiumA striking vessel of steel and glass, the new home of the Minnesota Vikings is designed for fans with smartphones. The infrastructure and apps are in place: The stadium is blanketed with wireless access points built into handrails and a distributed antenna system to boost mobile coverage, and a Vikings stadium app keeps ticket-holders connected. Fans can order food and drinks from their seats, figure out which restrooms have the shortest lines, and watch instant replays on their own devices. Before they arrive, visitors can view parking availability, determine the least-congested entrance gate, and manage digital tickets.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

First look: Vikings stadium caters to connected fans

U.S. Bank StadiumA striking vessel of steel and glass, the new home of the Minnesota Vikings is designed for fans with smartphones. The infrastructure and apps are in place: The stadium is blanketed with wireless access points built into handrails and a distributed antenna system to boost mobile coverage, and a Vikings stadium app keeps ticket-holders connected. Fans can order food and drinks from their seats, figure out which restrooms have the shortest lines, and watch instant replays on their own devices. Before they arrive, visitors can view parking availability, determine the least-congested entrance gate, and manage digital tickets.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Tech boosts the fan experience at U.S. Bank Stadium

The new $1.1 billion home of the Minnesota Vikings aims to deliver the space and technology for the ultimate fan experience. It has the requisite modern stadium features – slick club spaces, luxury suites, and a wide range of food and beverage options – plus some unique additions, including an interactive exhibit space that lets visitors test their athletic prowess, a fantasy-football video board so ticket-holders can keep tabs on all the league action, and a transparent roof that helps flood the space with natural light without exposing occupants to Minnesota’s bitter winter temps. "We didn’t want to get caught in the trap of saying this is the most advanced stadium around, because the reality is that a lot of what we're putting in the stadium, there are bits and pieces of it that are being used all over the world in some way, shape or form,” said John Penhollow, vice president of corporate & technology partnerships with the Minnesota Vikings. “That said, how could we bundle all of the stuff… in such a way that it enhances the experience?"To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

SwiftKey’s typing predictions may have leaked users’ emails

SwiftKey, a popular keyboard app, has suspended a syncing feature that may have leaked users’ emails to strangers.The problem has been popping up through the app’s prediction bar. A few users on Reddit have noticed that it’s been offering strange suggestions -- including emails they’ve never seen and foreign language terms they’ve never used.“And now, I'm getting someone else's German predictions,” wrote one user, who recently rooted a Samsung Galaxy S6 phone. “I have never typed German in my entire life.”The problem might be related to how SwiftKey collects data on the words and phrases users type. That data is then analyzed and used to predict the customer’s typing habits, including what emails they tend to enter -- only in this case those predictions are possibly being shared to others.  To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

SwiftKey’s typing predictions may have leaked users’ emails

SwiftKey, a popular keyboard app, has suspended a syncing feature that may have leaked users’ emails to strangers.The problem has been popping up through the app’s prediction bar. A few users on Reddit have noticed that it’s been offering strange suggestions -- including emails they’ve never seen and foreign language terms they’ve never used.“And now, I'm getting someone else's German predictions,” wrote one user, who recently rooted a Samsung Galaxy S6 phone. “I have never typed German in my entire life.”The problem might be related to how SwiftKey collects data on the words and phrases users type. That data is then analyzed and used to predict the customer’s typing habits, including what emails they tend to enter -- only in this case those predictions are possibly being shared to others.  To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

RNC attendees expose identity in free Wi-Fi trap

So you go to a political convention. Do a little politicking and listen to some speeches. While taking a break from the handshaking and schmoozing you decide to do a little work on your laptop. Then you get hacked.During the Republican National Convention, IT security company Avast security set up fake Wi-Fi hotspots to see who would fall for their trick. As it turns out, a lot of people fell for it. Avast estimated more than 1,200 people logged into the fake hotspots, some with politically leaning names like "I VOTE TRUMP! FREE INTERNET," and "I VOTE HILLARY! FREE INTERNET," and some with an official ring to them like "Google Starbucks" and ATTWifi at GOP."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

RNC attendees expose identity in free Wi-Fi trap

So you go to a political convention. Do a little politicking and listen to some speeches. While taking a break from the handshaking and schmoozing you decide to do a little work on your laptop. Then you get hacked.During the Republican National Convention, IT security company Avast security set up fake Wi-Fi hotspots to see who would fall for their trick. As it turns out, a lot of people fell for it. Avast estimated more than 1,200 people logged into the fake hotspots, some with politically leaning names like "I VOTE TRUMP! FREE INTERNET," and "I VOTE HILLARY! FREE INTERNET," and some with an official ring to them like "Google Starbucks" and ATTWifi at GOP."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

U.S. IT employment grows, with IT services jobs leading the way

The U.S. IT sector added a total of 32,100 new jobs in June, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by technology industry association CompTIA, and continues to grow at a faster rate than overall national employment. Indeed, every category except technology manufacturing, experienced positive job growth.INSIDER: Network jobs are hot: Salaries expected to rise in 2016 CIO.com talked to Tim Herbert, CompTIA’s senior vice president of research and market intelligence, about what this labor data reveals about the state of the domestic IT services market, digital transformation as employment driver, why automation is likely to have a greater impact on American IT jobs than offshoring, and how IT outsourcing job growth will significantly outpace corporate IT roles.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

ISP groups appeal net neutrality court defeat

Trade groups representing many U.S. ISPs have filed an appeal challenging a court ruling that upheld the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules.Trade groups CTIA, USTelecom, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and the American Cable Association on Friday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to rehear their challenge of the net neutrality rules after a three-judge panel upheld the rules in June. The challenge isn't to the FCC's rules prohibiting broadband providers from selectively blocking or slowing web traffic, but to the agency's reclassification of broadband as a regulated, common-carrier service, the NCTA wrote in a blog post.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here