Episode 461 – Aussie Tech Heads Shownotes

posted in: Show Notes

 

$200,000 Jaguar hacked and stolen

A Jaguar car has reportedly been ‘hacked’ in Auckland, New Zealand.

 

a man sauntered into a car dealership in New Zealand’s largest city and stole a Jaguar XFR, worth nearly $200,000.

This unidentified thief did not have the key, which was locked safely away inside the dealership, nor was the car unlocked when it was taken. The car was stolen, it has been concluded, using an electronic device used to hack the lock system.

The Metropolitan Police statistics show 6,000 cars in London were stolen in 2014 using these techniques.

 


IBM installing almost 2,000 Macs per week

IBM now has more than 30,000 Macs within its fleet

 

While Macs tend to be considered a high-end choice, Maestri said IBM was saving US$270 compared with a traditional PC, “thanks to the much reduced support cost and better residual value”.

 

IBM is expected to eventually deploy up to 200,000 Macs per year. The deployment program follows Apple and IBM’s partnership in the mobile space, with IBM building enterprise-centric apps to help Apple carve out market share in the corporate world.

 

Apple chief executive Tim Cook revealing enterprise business had grown 40 percent in the past year to crack US$25 billion.

 


Apple made $15.5 billion last quarter

Analysts on average had expected a profit of US$1.88 per share and revenue of US$51.11 billion.

 

Boosted by a new pink or ‘rose gold’ color option, Apple posted record sales of its latest iPhones in the first weekend that they hit stores in late September. The latest quarter only included two days of sales of the new iPhones.

 

 


 

Internet-connected kettles leak wi-fi passwords

iKettles that are designed to pre-boil water – by allowing the white-good to be switched on using an app – are unfortunately, revealing the owner’s wi-fi password in the process.

 

Ken Munro of Pen Test Partners says, “If you haven’t configured the kettle, it’s trivially easy for hackers to find your house and take over your kettle,” Munro says.

Munro says that hacking communities have begun using online directories like 192.com to record a house’s wifi password, allowing the creation of a Google Map plotted with wifi passwords of houses all over London.

“Attackers will need to setup a malicious network with the same SSID but with a stronger signal that the iKettle connects to before sending a disassociation packet that will cause the device to drop its wireless link. I can sit outside of your place with a directional antenna, point it at your house, knock your kettle off your access point, it connects to me, I send two commands and it discloses your wireless key in plain text,” Munro said.

Munro went on to explain that the Android app for the iKettle is easy to crack since all the passwords remain the default ones. The iOS app is slightly more secure but still sets six digit codes that are crackable within hours.

Equating the quality of cyber-security in the year 2000, Munro called the state of security in the Internet of Things “Utterly Bananas”.

 


 

Kogan launches $999 high-performance notebook

Kogan is launching its first own-branded laptop targeted to gamers for $999.

 

The Atlas Pro comes with a 15.6-inch 1920×1080 screen, a 1TB hard drive and Windows 10 pre-installed. It’s powered by an Intel 3.5GHz i7 processor (came out over a year ago, and absolutely eats power. And despite what the press release says, the processor features a 2.5GHz clock speed as opposed to a 3.5GH) , 8GB RAM and an NVidia GeForce 940M graphics card. GeForce 940M is not a hardcore graphics card, sitting very close to the bottom of Nvidia’s current-generation 900-series mobile chipset line-up

 

The device is available for pre-order now on Kogan’s website and begins shipping on 6 November.

 

Founder Ruslan Kogan said the new device would fill a gap in the market for high-performance laptops on a budget.

 

Keep it in mind as you do your due dilligence when looking for a laptop


 

Nine to launch new lifestyle channel 9Life and stream all channels 24/7

 

Chanel 7 began streaming all channels this week – 7, 7Two and 7 Mate – With polus 7 getting some good catch up .  7plus on the ios works great.

 

The Nine Network is set to launch a new lifestyle-focused free-to-air television channel next month called 9Life.

 

Nine’s fourth channel will be broadcast on channel 94 from November 26, and the network has signed a multi-year deal with Scripps Networks International as the main supplier of TV shows for the lifestyle channel.

 

shows such as Flip or Flop, Tiny House Big Living, Top Chef and Millionaire Matchmaker.

 

Nine’s new channel will join SBS, which is also launching a 24/7 food channel on November 17.

ow will replace Nine’s current online catch-up service Jumpin, and will also house 24/7 streams of its broadcast channels for mobile, tablet and desktop to be rolled out in 2016.

 

We have recut our entire platform, sourced a new tech supplier, which has the global best practice in this sort of technology, and as of early 2016 9Now will take the place of 9Jumpin. At its core, it’s a live-streaming destination for all of Nine’s content … [and] will also house all our catch-up services.”


 

Apple Pay to land in Australia this year

 

Apple has confirmed its Apple Pay mobile payments service will land in Australia this year through a partnership with American Express.

 

The local deal would mean only American Express cardholders will be able to use the service in Australia.

 

In the US and UK, Apple partnered with numerous banks as well as several credit card companies, including Amex, MasterCard and Visa.

 

NAB, the Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, Westpac and MasterCard had no partnerships to announce.

Visa declined to comment.


 

XBOX ONE BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY LAUNCHES ON NOVEMBER 12

Microsoft today announced that it will begin rolling out the “New Xbox One Experience” system update for Xbox One from November 12, providing the console with the ability to play select Xbox 360 titles.

Over 100 Xbox 360 titles will be playable via Xbox One Backward Compatibility, with “hundreds more” to follow. Compatible titles include Borderlands, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Kameo, and Shadow Complex. Digital Xbox 360 titles a gamer owns will automatically show up in the Xbox One’s “Ready to Install” section. Disc-based games will also need a new download, but will still require the user to keep the game in the disc drive to play.

Titles played via Xbox One Backward Compatibility operate in an emulated Xbox 360 environment, and users will retain any achievements they may have earned while playing the game previously. Backwards Compatible titles will however gain access to some Xbox One features such as Windows 10 streaming.

The New Xbox One Experience, also referred to as Windows 10 for Xbox One, introduces a completely new user interface, and a new friends system.

Xbox One Backward Compatibility launches on November 12


 

NEW APPLE TV NOW AVAILABLE TO ORDER STARTING AT AUD$269

The new Apple TV is now available to order via Apple’s Australian online store, with units due to ship out within three to five business days. A 32GB Apple TV retails for AUD$269, while a 64GB Apple TV is priced at AUD$349. A HDMI cable isn’t included, but Apple sell one for AUD$29.

 

Netflix, HBO Now, Guitar Hero Live, Galaxy on Fire, Rayman Adventures, Disney Infinity 3.0, Airbnb, and Transistor will all be among the first apps available for the new Apple TV. Two notable Apple TV exclusives include a multiplayer version of Australian-hit Crossy Road, and a new rhythm game called Beat Sports from Harmonix of Rock Band fame.

 

New Apple TV now available to order starting at AUD$269

 


Shayne – I’m back…. for now!

 

Why Apple Is Our Best Hope To Stop Online Fraud

  • When the barrier to entry is so low, it’s no surprise that online fraud is a huge problem. In fact, according to the authoritative annual True Cost of Fraud report from LexisNexis/Javelin Group, fraud losses as a percentage of revenue for retailers grew to 1.32 percent in 2015, nearly doubling from 2014.

  • Hacks of T-Mobile/Experian, Ashley Madison, Chase, Anthem Blue Cross, OPM and many more released huge amounts of sensitive personal data like names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and social security numbers onto the dark web.

  • With all these hacks, it makes sense that financial institutions are bolstering security. The EMV deadline is just that — now that the deadline has passed, brick-and-mortar retailers must have chip-enabled point-of-sale terminals, or be held liable for any fraudulent transactions that happen in their stores. The U.S. EMV liability shift is being hailed as a firewall against fraud; in reality, it’s nothing more than a half-measure taken by credit card companies and banks to protect themselves while leaving retailers holding the bag.

  • To mitigate losses due to fraud over the long term, merchants and consumers alike need to move en masse to next-generation tokenized payment systems — which, like two-factor authentication to protect passwords, adds an extra barrier to the payment process, keeping sensitive data out of merchants’ fragile systems and safe from hackers.

  • Despite big promotion, use of Apple Pay is very low — a recent survey from theAite Group found that it accounts for just 1 percent of all U.S. retail transactions. That’s still far above Android Pay (the product formerly known as “Google Wallet,” and now on its umpteenth rebranding) and Samsung Pay, which only launched recently.

Fix The User Experience

  • To change consumer behavior, it’s necessary to offer a product that is simpler than the most common option available.

  • TheMarch 2015 study from Phoenix Marketing International found that a whopping two-thirds of consumers who tried to use Apple Pay had issues paying both in-store and online, and only 48 percent decided to use the service again after their first try.

  • The SDK they’ve offered to developers results in inconsistencies to the user experience when used within third-party apps, leading many consumers to simply give up.

  • Apple Pay is not available in the browser, where the vast majority of online shopping takes place.

Incentivize The Consumer

  • The reality is that consumers do not have a financial incentive to change behavior from the way things have always been done. Further, the banks have no incentive to change the status quo for online transactions as retailers are responsible for any fraud that happens there.

  • Options like cash back or rewards points will push consumers to use Apple Pay regularly, which will help drive adoption in the long run.

  • Not a lot of wiggle room as Apple’s margin on an Apple Pay transaction is reportedly 0.15 percent.

  • Merchants could offer discounts and rewards to customers who choose to pay with Apple Pay, rewarding them for using a more secure payment system.

 

How to protect yourself against hackers using your key fob’s signal to steal your car

  • Wirelessly unlocking your car is convenient, but it comes at a price. Criminals can easily intercept the key fob’s signal and open your car without setting off any alarms. If you have a true keyless car model, they might be able to just drive away. Let’s look at how criminals pull this off and what you can do to keep your car safe.

 

How your car’s security system works

  • As you’ve probably noticed, you can’t just open your car with any old radio signal. You need your specific key fob to do the job.

  • A key fob uses a computer chip to create a unique code that it sends to your car’s security system. The car also has a chip that uses the same algorithm to generate codes. If the codes match up, the car opens, basically.

How criminals attack #1

  • Researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands and the University of Birmingham found that by intercepting the wireless signal just twice, they could narrow down the possible combinations from billions to just 200,000. After that, a computer can figure out the code in just half an hour and unlock the car.

  • In a real-world application, a thief could sit on a street and gather wireless signals as car owners enter and exit their vehicles. Then overnight they could steal a number of cars.

How criminals attack #2

  • Always-on key fobs present a serious weakness in your car’s security. As long as your keys are in range, anyone can open the car and the system will think it’s you. That’s why newer car models won’t unlock until the key fob is within a foot of them.

  • However, for less than $100, criminals can get an amplifier that detects key fob signals from up to 300 feet away and then transmits them to your car. In other words, your keys could be in your house, and criminals could walk up to your car and open it. This isn’t just a theory; it’s actually happening.

 

  • You should also be aware that this kind of signal stealing isn’t a problem just for car key fobs. Newer passports and other I.D. cards contain radio frequency identification chips that enable criminals to use a high-powered RFID reader to steal your information from a distance.

  • Blocking the signal is the best option for now,  Either by purchasing a special pouch or box.  Alternatively one could use foil or the microwave. (DO NOT TURN IT ON)

Google's Getting Serious About Battery Life With the Next Android Version

Google’s Getting Serious About Battery Life With The Next Android Version

  • Android Marshmallow, Google’s latest update to its mobile OS, is already rolling out to a few lucky handsets. With a more general rollout poised to begin, Google is showing it means business when it comes to battery life.

  • One of the big features Google announced for Marshmallow was ‘Doze’, its new power-saving sleep mode.  Similar to Aeroplane mode.

  • Google’s making Doze inclusion mandatory: if manufacturers want to ship a version of Android with all of Google’s search and mapping services (the actual Android code is open-source), they will need to enable Doze.

  • it’s also requiring manufacturers to accurately report information on what’s using battery.  This was previously hidden by manufacturers.

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