Superfish points fingers over ad software security flaws

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A little-known Silicon Valley startup was caught in a firestorm of criticism this week for making software that exposed Lenovo laptop users to hackers bent on stealing personal information. But Superfish Inc. has also won praise for producing visual search technology that many see as the next big thing in online shopping.

Is Superfish an Internet pioneer or a computer-user's privacy nightmare?

Either way, don't expect a mea culpa. Faced with a withering publicity barrage that could jeopardize any startup's future, Superfish CEO Adi Pinhas blamed another company for the security flaw and complained about what he called "false and misleading statements made by some media commentators and bloggers."

Researchers revealed Thursday that some laptops sold by China's Lenovo, the world's biggest PC maker, had a security flaw that could let hackers impersonate shopping, banking and other websites and steal users' credit card numbers and other personal data.

Lenovo has since apologized for pre-loading the computers with Superfish's visual search software, which captures images that users view online, such as a sofa or pair of shoes, and then shows them ads for similar products. By itself, the image recognition algorithm might not be a security risk. But the problem arose because Superfish used software from another company that can eavesdrop when Internet users visit secure or encrypted websites.

That software replaced the encryption code on websites with its own easily-hacked code, according to several researchers. The Department of Homeland Security issued an alert Friday saying Lenovo customers should remove Superfish software because of the hacking dangers

Superfish on Friday insisted its own code is safe and said the security flaw was "introduced unintentionally by a third party." In an email to The Associated Press, Pinhas identified that party as Komodia, a tech startup based in Israel that makes software for other companies, including tools for companies that show online ads and for programs parents can use to monitor their children's Web surfing.

Some experts say the problem may extend beyond Lenovo. The Komodia tool could imperil any company or program using the same code. "It's not just Superfish, other companies may be vulnerable," said Robert Graham, CEO of Errata Security. Komodia CEO Barak Weichselbaum declined comment Friday.

Launched in Israel by Pinhas and fellow entrepreneur Michael Chertok, Superfish is among a handful of companies pioneering the use of "visual recognition" technology, which industry experts say could revolutionize online shopping by letting people search online with pictures as easily as they now search with words. Superfish's visual recognition algorithms can analyze a picture and search through a database for similar images, even if they're not labeled with descriptive text.

"I've been impressed. They're probably one of the best technologies that's out there," said Sucharita Mulpuru, a Forrester Research analyst. "It can be a powerful tool for a lot of things, but definitely for shopping and e-commerce."

Consumers will see more of this in the future, said Yory Wurmser at the eMarketer research firm. Amazon.com Inc. built a similar shopping feature into its Fire smartphone last year. Google Inc., Facebook Inc., Pinterest and other tech giants are investing heavily in visual search

Now based in Palo Alto, Calif., Pinhas has called Superfish a "deep technology company." But Superfish critics call its products "ad-ware" or worse. Several Internet message boards are filled with complaints that an earlier Superfish program, WindowShopper, bombarded users with annoying ads and diverted them to websites they didn't want to visit. Pinhas didn't respond to an emailed question about WindowShopper.

US judge dismisses antitrust case against Google over Android apps

A U.S. federal judge has dismissed an antitrust lawsuit that charges Google harmed consumers by forcing Android handset makers to use its apps by default, but gave the plaintiffs three weeks to amend their complaint.
The two consumers who filed the suit failed to show that Google’s allegedly illegal restrictive contracts on manufacturers of Android devices resulted in higher prices on phones, U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman said in a Feb. 20 ruling.
The complainants, who were seeking class-action status for the lawsuit, said that Google required manufacturers including Samsung Electronics to set the search giant’s own apps as default options on Android-based phones, restricting access to competing software such as Microsoft’s Bing search engine. The complaint alleged that this practice limited competition in the search engine market, stifled innovation and resulted in higher prices for phones.
But Freeman ruled that the complainants failed to establish a link between software requirements and phone pricing, also noting that “there are no facts alleged to indicate that defendant’s conduct has prevented consumers from freely choosing among search products or prevented competitors from innovating.”
She gave the plaintiffs three weeks to amend the antitrust complaint, filed in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California.
Google faces allegations of anticompetitive behavior in a number of antitrust cases around the world. The most recent case involves Russian search engine company Yandex, which has accused Google of illegally forcing Android device manufacturers to install its own apps and exclude software from competitors. Yandex said on Feb. 18 that it had filed a complaint with the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) asking the authority to investigate Google for possible violations of Russian antitrust law.

Google Rails Against Proposal to Give Feds Remote Hacking Authority

Google and others have raised strenuous objections to a proposed judicial rule change that would make it easier for U.S. agencies like the NSA or the FBI to hack into computers anywhere in the world. The issue is one that should be taken up by Congress, not the courts, argued Google. It "raises a host of data security, constitutional and international law issues," said CDT's Harley Geiger.

Google is fighting a proposed amendment to Rule 41 of the United States Criminal Code that might allow authorities to hack into computers abroad.

The Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, which advises the Judicial Conference of the United States, is considering the amendment.
It seeks to empower a magistrate in a district where activities related to a crime may have occurred to issue a warrant for remote search of computers, as well as seizure or copying of their files, when a target computer's physical location is unknown, or when multiple computers in several districts are used simultaneously to carry out complex criminal schemes.
The use of anonymizing software, or damage to a computer used in interstate or foreign commerce or communications, would add weight to requests for a remote search-and-seizure warrant.
Investigators would be allowed to send an email, remotely install software on the receiving device, and determine its true IP address or identifying information.
The proposed amendment does not address constitutional questions that could be raised by such warrants, such as compliance with the Fourth Amendment, leaving those issues to case law development instead.

Googleplex Battles the G-Men

The proposed amendment likely would be used to search computers and devices around the world, according to Richard Salgado, Google's director for law enforcement and information security. Salgado last week filed comments on the issue.
The amendment would allow remote search without defining the meaning of the term, he pointed out, under the assumption that such searches would be constitutional and otherwise legal.
Congress is the proper body to determine whether such changes to electronic surveillance rules are warranted, Salgado argued.

Take the Good With the Bad

"This proposal raises a host of data security, constitutional and international law issues," said Harley Geiger, senior counsel at the Center for Democracy & Technology. CDT also filed comments in opposition to the proposal.
Remotely searching a computer physically located in another country "may violate the international legal principles of sovereignty and comity," Geiger told TechNewsWorld.
"What the Justice Department wants is to loosen warrant processes to be able to obtain a court order from any jurisdiction to hack devices whose locations are concealed, or damaged devices," he said.
Other concerns are the broad legal definition of "damage" -- which may encompass the 30 percent of machines worldwide that are degraded, many because they're victims of hacking -- and the fact that there may be legitimate reasons to conceal a computer's location, Geiger pointed out.
The U.S. government previously has pushed the envelope for international computer searches, notably in the case of Ross Ulbricht, the alleged founder of the infamous Silk Road marketplace on the Dark Web, when a server in Iceland "was apparently accessed without a warrant," noted Darren Hayes, director of cybersecurity at Pace University's Seidenberg School of CSIS.
However, giving authorities broader powers to go after pedophiles and other criminal suspects "must be seen as a good thing," he told TechNewsWorld.

No Free Pass for the Feds

The amendment is arguably the FBI's bid to broaden its surveillance capabilities in order to strengthen its counterterrorism capabilities.
"We don't want the FBI to go chasing court orders to do a remote search on a PC in the United States," said Daniel Castro, senior analyst at the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation. "That's not terribly efficient."
On the other hand, "we don't want to tell criminals that as long as they use a server outside of the U.S. for their attacks, they are safe from law enforcement," he told TechNewsWorld. "But should the FBI get to hack into any system anywhere in the world with a court order? Probably not -- at least not without a high threshold of evidence."
Google's opposition "is somewhat similar to the Microsoft case in Ireland," Castro said. "Companies don't want governments to make them turn over data stored abroad."
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to hear arguments in that case later this year.

How to use AirDrop to instantly share files from your iPhone or iPad

AirDrop helps you to quickly and simply transfer files between iPhones and iPads (and Macs). It uses Bluetooth Low Energy to broadcast, discover, and talk terms connections, and point-to-point Wi-Fi to transfer data. that produces it power economical, fast, and secure. once you are exploitation it between iPhones and iPads, you'll be able to bringing photos, videos, contacts, bankbook passes, Voice Memos, Map location, and any and everything else that seems on a Share sheet.

How to enable or disable AirDrop on your iPhone or iPad

1. Launch centre by swiping your finger up from all-time low edge of your iPhone or iPad. 
2.  check that each Bluetooth and Wi-Fi square measure activ faucet on delivery.
3.  opt for the Contacts solely or everybody.

Note: If you decide on Contacts solely, you and anyone you wish to share with has to be logged into iCloud. For privacy reasons, Apple will not share your contacts with another device to see if there is a match, it\'s going to check each your iCloud accounts instead. Then, if there is a match, it\'s going to show you your own version of the contact on your own device. That way, no knowledge gets leaked.

How to transfer files between iPhone and iPad with AirDrop

Find the file you need to send with bringing.faucet the Share button.

opt for the contact you need to bringing to.
 To disable AirDrop, repeat the same steps and choose Off.

How to transfer files between iPhone and iPad with AirDrop

1.  Find the file you would like to send with delivery.
2.  faucet the Share button.
3.  opt for the contact you would like to delivery to.

Once it finishes you ought to see a Sent message beneath it.

How To Setup IMAP For Gmail On Your iPhone

In the event that you haven't listened, Gmail is currently turning into the most obvious email customer on the planet. The explanation behind this is basic, they give their record holders always expanding supply of storage room, and the email interface is amazingly straightforward and simple to utilize. The Google email administration is much the same as the Google web index, there aren't promotions set all around on your page, and you have the capacity find the data (or messages) that you need in a minutes notice. Along these lines, in the event that you are continually on the go, you need to have the capacity to check your Gmail account wherever you are.

In the event that you have an Apple iphone, than you are presumably thinking about how you can incorporate your Gmail account inside the iphone to make checking your email as straightforward as looking at your telephone.

Google has quite recently as of late affirmed that you have the capacity add a convention to your iphone entirely for Gmail accounts. This IMAP application permits Gmail account holders to check their email on any logged off email perusers, which is ideal for people who have an iphone, and actually for those that don't. It is greatly easy to introduce and run the IMAP application on your iphone, subsequently permitting you to flawlessly incorporate your iphone to your Gmail account. The primary venture to starting this procedure is to go to your Gmail account and empower IMAP. You can do this by logging into your Gmail record and after that going to Settings. After that click on Forwarding and POP/IMAP, then click "Empower IMAP."

After you have done in this way, verify that you click Add Account. After you have done thus, don't click the Gmail choice, on the grounds that this has not been upgraded to the freshest IMAP settings. Rather, click Other. When you have done thus, you will then start to enter you data. You will begin off by entering your Name, and afterward you will put the Host Name, which is:  imap.gmail.com after you have done this enter your full Gmail record address, which incorporates the @gmail.com toward the end of your username.

Under the Host Name, you will need to put: smtp.gmail.com then spare the majority of your progressions. You have now quite recently set up your IMAP Gmail account, consequently permitting you to view the greater part of your Gmail messages, both old and new.

Having the capacity to check your email wherever you are is to a great degree vital in our quick paced society. Whether you are a business proficient who needs consistent access to their email account, or in the event that you just need to have the capacity to check your email while enjoying a reprieve in school, you will have the capacity to do so when you actuate your IMAP benefit on your iphone. Openness is absolutely vital in our reality, and in the event that you are not able to answer to email messages rapidly, than you may endure the result, either professionally or socially. With the iphone, you have the capacity stay joined with your general surroundings, regardless of where you are.

How Zen can give you more self development

Zen is an empowering method that you are going to really enjoy. You are going to find it very interesting to use when you are looking to make some changes in your life.  It is amazing what you can do to make yourself feel better and to release the bad energy that is creating problems in your life

Zen is a way to release the negative energy that is building up inside you all the time. It is hard to deal with the problems that you are going through so you need to work hard at finding something better to help you.  Having this type of breathing method and exercise to get you motivated will be a great improvement in your life.

Finding something that makes you happy is not always easy. You might have to do some searching to find just what you need to give you a sense of happiness and enjoyment.  There is nothing wrong with trying to fix the problems and get moving to a better and new you.  With the Zen, techniques you can be a very positive and successful person that will make you feel great.

Having self-development is something that we all need. Using Zen can be a great way to make it all happens.  Finding yourself is not always easy but you have to do what you need to in order to make it work.  Do not let anyone or anything stand in your way of being whom you want to.  Finding the powers of Zen and getting ahead in the world today is only going to make you a stronger and more motivated individual no matter what you are trying to do.

Being relaxed and letting go of the pressures of the everyday life is something that we all may need to do.  Having a good source of energy behind is can be a great strength in our life.  Using Zen can be the method of support that we are looking for. Do not give up and be prepared to make your changes so that you can be happier and healthier as well.  Unbelievably when you are feeling good mentally you will then be better physically too.

Zen is for anyone that is willing to try it. You can be any age and have any type of feelings. You do not have to be a depressed person or a person that has no issues at all. Either way, Zen is there to help you achieve more in your life. You will be able to set goals and use the Zen techniques to make it all work for you in any situation that you are going through.  You are going to realize how much Zen can do for you and what it is going to mean in your everyday life.

Getting others motivated to try your Zen styles and techniques is something that you can do as well. Finding people to share your interests and learn about this important method of release is something that is going to get you ready for any challenge that comes your way.  Get ready and go for a better and healthier you with the learning powers of Zen all around you.

Decorating your Gift Basket

Blessing wicker bin are one of the approaches to make your friends and family feel extraordinary and in the event that you have ever had the chance to make a blessing crate of all your own then risks are that you know how exceptional it can feel to do so. Maybe the primary reason that you feel pleased about the blessing wicker container that you are going to provide for your family or companion is on account of you have used endless hours assembling something that will be acknowledged for quite a while! One fundamental piece of the blessing wicker container making methodology, however, is brightening the outside. In the event that you effectively own a blessing bushel business then risks are that you have a trap or two up your sleeve that will do pleasantly for designing the outside of a blessing wicker bin, however here are a few thoughts in case you're not exactly beyond any doubt how to go about doing it. 

First off, wrapping cellophane paper around the outside of the wicker container and everything that is contained inside is the best thing that anybody could accomplish for a blessing bushel. Considering the way that cellophane paper is pretty much the main way that blessing bushel are ever wrapped you will likely be hard pressed to discover all else. Obviously you can simply utilize an alternate sort of psychologist wrap paper underneath the cellophane plastic external wrapping, yet this is just generally done if the blessing bushel is loaded with foods grown from the ground or other clumsy endowments. 

The outside wrapping of the blessing crate, however, is simply the begin of enlivening the outside of the blessing wicker container. For one thing, twisting strips and taping them on the outside of the cellophane paper or other external wrapping will include an inventive and delightful enrichment to the outside of the blessing bushel. There are a lot of shades in which strips can be bought too so making great utilization of colors is additionally an alternate tip if strips are going to be taped to the blessing wicker container. 

Obviously you additionally would prefer not to disregard the remaining details of the wrapping paper, either. The highest point of the blessing bushel will more than likely need to be tied by one means or another and this is the place some other utilization of the strips can be utilized. One recommendation that you have is to just tie a little bow around the highest point of the cellophane or other wrapping paper of the blessing bushel, however an alternate intriguing thing to do would be to make the lace a long one. You can either be innovative and wrap it numerous times around the base of the blessing bushel or you can do an alternate inventive thing by connecting a helium inflatable to the highest point of the blessing wicker container too! 

One additionally would like to disregard the blessing label that ought to go on a blessing wicker bin, either. Verifying that the beneficiary knows who the blessing wicker bin is from is extremely critical. Out and out, however, these things are incredible proposals if needing to make the most out of beautifying a blessing wicker container!