Makan Dua Belas

Jumat, 19 April 2019

BlackBerry Messenger is shutting down in May - Engadget

BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for consumers is shutting down for good on May 31st. When Indonesia-based media conglomerate Emtek took over its development in 2016, it redesigned the app with modern features in hopes that it can better compete with more popular chat applications these days. Unfortunately, its efforts failed to drum up enough interest in the new BBM.

Part of Emtek's statement reads:

"We poured our hearts into making this a reality, and we are proud of what we have built to date.
The technology industry however, is very fluid, and in spite of our substantial efforts, users have moved on to other platforms, while new users proved difficult to sign on."

According to CrackBerry, one of the reasons why Emtek's BBM failed was because it became a bit too bloated with games, channels and ads -- extra features the enterprise version doesn't have. Now, to make up for the consumer version's shutdown, BlackBerry is making its enterprise-grade encrypted Messenger (BBMe) available for personal use.

BBMe is now available for Android devices, including the BlackBerry KEY2 Red Edition, through the Google Play Store. It will also land on Apple's App Store "soon." The application is free for the first year and will set users back $2.49 for a six-month subscription afterward -- it remains to be seen whether people will find it good enough to pay for when they have a plethora of messaging apps to choose from.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.engadget.com/2019/04/19/blackberry-messenger-consumers-shutdown/

2019-04-19 13:38:26Z
52780271538228

BlackBerry Messenger is shutting down in May - Engadget

Part of Emtek's statement reads:

"We poured our hearts into making this a reality, and we are proud of what we have built to date.
The technology industry however, is very fluid, and in spite of our substantial efforts, users have moved on to other platforms, while new users proved difficult to sign on."

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.engadget.com/2019/04/19/blackberry-messenger-consumers-shutdown/

2019-04-19 13:27:26Z
52780271538228

Samsung Galaxy Fold review: after the break - The Verge

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7WpRzSnNAU

2019-04-19 13:00:07Z
52780271730025

Google to block sign-in attempts from embedded Chrome pages - Android Police

Most of us have way more usernames and passwords than we can remember. Thankfully, our browsers can store these for us, but using single sign-on is even more convenient, as it avoids creating credentials for each and every site we visit. The most popular one around is Google's solution, which lets you use your Gmail username and password to connect to any website that supports it. However, as the solution is widely used, some malicious sites embed login pages which can capture the user's credentials and even their 2FA token. To protect users from such attacks, Google is now blocking sign-in attempts from embedded pages.

This phishing attack is known as MITM (Man in the middle), where the actual login page is embedded inside another one that acts as a relay. What this means it the first one can not only capture your username and password, but get access to your authentication token even if you used two-factor authentication to log in. From there on, the attacker will be able to copy your cookies and impersonate you.

Unlike more traditional malicious sites, this method doesn't try to replicate the authentication page, but instead uses the actual one and acts as a proxy to capture the exchanged data packets, which makes it much harder to spot. The safest way to know if you're on the actual sign-in page is by looking at URL you're on, and not the green lock icon, which merely indicates whether the site uses an SSL connection. Because embedded pages do not display the web address, Google is now preventing users from logging into its service from embedded pages.

While this makes the process more secure for Gmail users, bear in mind the phishing process can be used with any site, so you should always check the address before entering your credentials. For example, a site could impersonate Outlook's login page using a similar-looking URL like 0utlook.com (the first character being a zero instead of an O), so it's essential to pay close attention to the address bar when signing in, even if you're using 2FA.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/04/19/google-to-block-sign-in-attempts-from-embedded-chrome-pages/

2019-04-19 11:50:00Z
52780271784864

Google will block embedded browser log-ins to fight phishing - Engadget

Embedded browsers within apps can be useful if you want to use an existing account from another service -- say, your Gmail log-in -- to access their features. However, they're also really easy to weaponize for man-in-the-middle types of phishing attacks. Since Google can't differentiate between a legitimate log-in and a phishing attempt through a browser from within an application, it's blocking sign-ins from all embedded browser frameworks starting in June.

Bad actors can exploit embedded browsers, such as Chromium Embedded Framework, by intercepting communications between the user and providers like Google. The method gives them a way to steal log-in credentials, sometimes even multi-factor authentication details, in real time. Google has been implementing more security measures around log-ins in recent months in an effort to protect users' details. In late 2018, for instance, it launched a risk-assessment feature that requires JavaScript to be able to sign into your account.

In the near future, you'll find yourself getting switched to Chrome, Safari, Firefox or other mobile browsers when you have to sign in to access an application. The tech giant is advising developers to switch to browser-based OAuth authentication, which shows the URL of the page you're on and could, in turn, help you avoid phishing attacks.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.engadget.com/2019/04/19/google-block-embedded-browser-log-ins-phishing/

2019-04-19 07:51:55Z
52780271784864

Instagram test visualizes hiding 'Like' counts from viewers - Engadget

This photo of an egg published on the social network Instagram via the account 'world_record_egg' became, over ten days, the most liked photo in the world with more than 33 million 'likes', which makes it the the most 'liked' image in the history of the social network. Chesnot via Getty Images

Everyone has their own opinion about what specifically is wrong with social media, but the currency of likes is a commonly-cited issue. The latest grab bag of Instagram test features dug up by Jane Manchun Wong includes a version that doesn't let the audience see how many likes a post gets. The person who posted it still does, but as the app describes it, "We want your followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes your posts get. During this test, only the person who share a post will see the total number of likes it gets."

Maybe that would help spread out the love on social media instead of people simply liking what others like, or maybe it wouldn't have much of an impact at all. Instagram confirmed to TechCrunch that it's an internal test the public can't see -- yet. It also didn't hide follower counts, which more commonly measure one's popularity, nor did it appear to impact the way posts are ranked by Instagram's inescapable algorithmic feed. Still, at least we'd never have to hear about the 'most-liked post ever' ever again (even it was ultimately for a good cause).

Instagram is testing hiding like count from audiences,
as stated in the app: "We want your followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes your posts get" pic.twitter.com/MN7woHowVN
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 18, 2019

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.engadget.com/2019/04/19/instagram-likes-disappear/

2019-04-19 07:25:35Z
52780271804899

Will, Jaden and Jada Smith Visit Apple Park for Environmental Discussion - Mac Rumors

Will Smith, his wife Jada Smith, and his son Jaden Smith today visited Apple Park to discuss the environment and Jaden's Just Water company, according to a tweet Apple CEO Tim Cook shared on Twitter this evening.

Just Water is a water company that sells ethically sourced spring water in paper-based bottles with sugarcane caps, all of which is more environmentally friendly than a standard plastic bottle. In addition to plain spring water, Just Water also offers infused flavors like lemon, tangerine, and apple cinnamon.

Everyone deserves access to quality water. Thanks for the leading the charge, @officialjaden, and for sharing your passion for the environment with us today at Apple Park. Your enthusiasm is contagious! 🌎 pic.twitter.com/2juv8zxMWT
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 19, 2019

The Smiths were at Apple Park ahead of Earth Day, which takes place on Monday, April 22. Apple today also released its annual environmental report and launched its Material Recovery Lab in Austin, Texas.

In celebration of Earth Day, Apple plans to host environment-themed Today at Apple sessions at its Apple retail stores. The company will also feature original stories and app collections in the App Store and will host an Earth Day Apple Watch challenge.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.macrumors.com/2019/04/18/will-jaden-smith-apple-park-environment-event/

2019-04-19 03:21:00Z
52780271908223