2 million Google, Facebook, Twitter passwords stolen

Security experts have uncovered a trove of some 2 million stolen passwords   to websites including Facebook, Google, Twitter and Yahoo from internet users across the globe.

Researchers with Trustwave's SpiderLabs said they discovered the credentials while investigating a server in the Netherlands that cybercriminals use to control a massive network of compromised computers known as the "Pony botnet."

The company said that it has reported its findings to the largest of more than 90,000 websites and internet service providers whose customers' credentials it had found on the server.

The data includes more than 3,26,000 Facebook accounts, some 60,000 Google accounts, more than 59,000 Yahoo accounts and nearly 22,000 Twitter accounts, according to SpiderLabs. Victims' were from the United States, Germany, Singapore and Thailand, among other countries.

Representatives for Facebook and Twitter said the companies have reset the passwords of affected users. A Google spokeswoman declined comment. Yahoo representatives could not be reached.

SpiderLabs said it has contacted authorities in the Netherlands and asked them to take down thePony botnet server.

An analysis posted on the SpiderLabs blog showed that the most-common password in the set was "123456," which was used in nearly 16,000 accounts. Other commonly used credentials included "password," "admin," "123" and "1."

Graham Cluley, an independent security expert, said it is extremely common for people to use such simple passwords and also re-use them on multiple accounts, even though they are extremely easy to crack.

"People are using very dumb passwords. They are totally useless," he said.

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Why Barack Obama can't use an iPhone

The troubled mobile phone maker BlackBerry still has at least one very loyal customer: US President Barack Obama.

At a meeting with youth to promote his landmark healthcare law, Obama said he is not allowed to have Apple's smartphone, the iPhone, for "security reasons," though he still uses Apple's tablet computer, the iPad.

Apple was one of several tech companies that may have allowed the National Security Agency(NSA) direct access to servers containing customer data, according to revelations by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The companies deny the allegation.

Obama fought to keep his BlackBerry after coming to the White House in 2009, though he said only 10 people have his personal email address. Neither George W. Bush nor Bill Clinton used email during their presidencies.

BlackBerry, a Canadian company formerly known as Research In Motion, virtually invented the idea of on-the-go email, but lost its market stranglehold as rivals brought out more consumer-friendly devices, like Apple's iPhone and phones using Google's Androidsoftware.

The company recently halted plans to be sold and is trying to chart a new course by focusing on large business and government clients.

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Flipkart tops hiring charts at IITs, makes 118 offers in three-and-half days

Ecommerce major Flipkart has stormed the IITs emerging as the largest recruiter in the first three-and-half days of this placement season.

Dozens of other, lesser-known startups including Unbxd, Wooqer, Edudigm, ZeMoSo Labs are also making a significant number of hires, getting the better of many established companies in the war for talent.

Flipkart has made 118 offers so far to the class of 2014 and is turning out to be a huge draw at IITs, hotspots for the best Indian engineering talent. At IIT-Roorkee, for example, 600 out of 1,600 students applied for job at Flipkart, according to placement sources. It picked up 11 students. The company picked up the most number of students, 36, at IIT Kanpur.

"Our USP is clear - those who join us get the opportunity to build a company and its business from the ground up, grow along with it and learn at a pace and flexibility that is unmatched in the industry," Sachin Bansal, co-founder, Flipkart told ET.

Founded six years ago by two IITians, Flipkart has raised $360 million in the last six months that is now funding its talent acquisition.

Money from investors including Dragoneer Investment Group, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Sofina SA and Vulcan Capital, that is now funding its aggressive talent acquisition. The company has so far offered salaries in the range of Rs 10.5-11.5 lakh, a cut above average salaries on offer at the IITs this year, but slightly lower than what marquee names like Citicorp and even some smaller startups are offering.

"We look for talent that is smart, and has the ability to learn and adapt in a rapidly evolving industry. We look for people with great problem-solving skills and passion," Bansal added. Even as Flipkart is topping the charts early on, a bunch of smaller - and in some cases, hardly-known - startups thronged the campuses and have found ready takers. If IIT-Roorkee had ecommerce company Unbxd, Bangalore-based Wooqer and analytics firm Axtria; IIT-Kanpur saw mobile advertising technology maker In-Mobi and Fuzzy Logic.

IIT-Kharagpur, on its part, has a big line-up, including A-star Singapore, Housing.com, Chronus, Ivy Cap Venture, Edudigm, InterviewStreet, App-Daily and Sharobi. At IIT-Guwahati, a number of different startups, including Capillary Technologies, Hike and ZeMoSo Labs, have signed up. At Guwahati alone, startups are expected to make over 30 hires.

"This shift in trend from the rudimentary job profiles to a startup profile becoming the choice of fresh graduates is the thing of future," said Natesan Srinivasan, faculty incharge, training & placement, IIT-Guwahati. Many factors work in startups' favour. Timings are flexible; there's a flatter hierarchy; smaller teams lead to better bonding; individual contribution is reflected better and people are able to work in different verticals simultaneously, resulting in an exponential career growth curve.

 

"Students are showing more interest in startups as many of them have been started by our alumni or those of other IITs," said Avijit Chatterjee, professor-in-charge, placements at IIT Bombay. "Some of the large startups also seem to have been infused with investments and therefore salary paid is good as well." Compensation offered by startups, though not bulge-bracket, is quite competitive.

At IIT-Roorkee, Unbxd hired for software engineer and business analyst profiles for Rs 14.5 lakh; Wooqer hired two software engineers for Rs 10.27 lakh; InMobi picked up 5 students for Rs 16 lakh and web application maker maxHeap Technologies came with 3 profiles for Rs 5-12 lakh. Gwynnie Bee India will come on Friday with Rs 10-lakh packages. Groupon has picked up 6 students with Rs 12-lakh offers.

Analytics firm Axtria has made a unique offer, where a student will get total compensation of Rs 25 lakh if he sticks with the company for three years.

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'Samsung Galaxy S5 to have highest-ever screen resolution'

Samsung is expected to unveil its Galaxy S5 next month. However, so far few details are available about the device.

Seems, not any more. According to data collected by popular benchmark app GFXBench, an upcoming Samsung device codenamed SM-G900S will have 2K or 2560x1440p resolution. This is the highest resolution for any smartphone, as the current maximum is 1920x1080p.

It is said that Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S5 smartphone will have a 5.2-inch display. This will mean pixel density of 560ppi, the highest in any smartphone available in the market. Currently, HTC One boasts of highest pixel density among smartphones - 469ppi.

However, Galaxy S5 will not be the first 2K phone in the market. Chinese manufacturer Vivo is slated to launch the world's first smartphone with 2K resolution. The successor of HTC is also rumoured to have 2K resolution screen and hit the market in February next year.

The benchmark test also shows that the upcoming Samsung model will run on a 2.46GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset and come with Adreno 330 graphics processor. Earlier reports have said that Samsung will debut its 64-bit processor with the Galaxy S5. This has given rise to speculation that the smartphone will come in two variants - one with Snapdragon 800 processor and the other with a 64-bit chip.

According to another report (by Japanese technology website EMSOne), Samsung has asked three companies - Taiwan's ODM Catcher Technology and Ju Teng as well as China's BYD - to manufacture 10-30 million metal unibody shells for Galaxy S5. Recently, images of a metal frame for an upcoming Samsung device also leaked on the internet.

According to previous rumours, Galaxy S5 will have a 16MP camera and may have a water-resistant body.

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Microsoft joins move to encrypt Web traffic

 

Microsoft is joining the movement to encrypt traffic that flows across its networks, citing "serious concerns" about government surveillance. 

The move by Microsoft follows similar actions by Google and Yahoo in the wake of revelations of vast online surveillance programs led by the US National Security Agency. 

"Like many others, we are especially alarmed by recent allegations in the press of a broader and concerted effort by some governments to circumvent online security .. 

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China has over 1.3 billion microblog accounts

The number of Chinese microblog accounts had exceeded 1.3 billion by the end of November, making this a major channel for disseminating information. 

Media institutions' microblogs are developing fast and about 37,000 such accounts have been opened via popular websites including Weibo, said Liu Zhengrong, a senior official with the State Internet Information Office. 

Chinese authorities have also opened microblog accounts as they consider it as an effective channel for disclosing information, communicating with the public and providing services. 

Official statistics show that China had more than 170,000 government microblogs by the end of last year, an increase of almost 2.5 times from the previous year. 

And disciplinary authorities across China have opened nearly 1,000 microblog accounts, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. 

The country's Supreme People's Court also created official accounts on Sina Weibo and WeChat last month in an effort to promote judicial transparency.

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Search giant Google joins heavyweight competition in the cloud

Google already runs much of the digital lives of consumers through email, Internet searches and YouTube videos. Now it wants the corporations, too. 

The search giant has for years been evasive about its plans for a so-called public cloud of computers and data storage that is rented to individuals and businesses. On Tuesday, however, it will announce pricing, features and performance guarantees aimed at companies ranging from startups to multinationals. 

It is the latest salvo in .. 

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This Christmas Santa being tracked by Microsoft and Google

The competition between Microsoft and Google is stretching to the North Pole as the Internet search rivals vie to be top Santa tracker this Christmas.

Google on Wednesday launched a google.com/santatracker website offering reindeer games, elf antics and updates on beloved gift-giver Kris Kringle as children worldwide count down to Christmas eve.

"A team of Google engineers are working hard to track Santa's sleigh with the most advanced maps and holiday technology available," self-titled Elf Creative Director Sandy Russell said in a blog post.

Google has crafted software to involve Android-powered devices and its Chrome web browsers on the Claus tracking action.

"Use your phone for on-the-go flight practice with the elves or cozy up near the fireplace with your tablet to follow Santa around the world as he delivers presents Christmas Eve," Russell said.

"If you have Chromecast, cast from the Santa Tracker Android app to explore the Village or track his route right from your TV."

Meanwhile, Microsoft teamed with North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) to create a Santa Tracker powered by the organization's global radar system and technology such as Bing Maps and Windows software.

Colorado-based NORAD is a combined US and Canadian command center that works to "defend North America" by watching the skies and seas for threats.

"Since we're watching the skies anyway, it only makes sense to watch for Rudolph as well," said NORAD Tracks Santa project manager Marisa Novobilski.

NORAD's tradition of Santa tracking began in 1955, after a US retail chain's newspaper ad inviting children to telephone Mr. Claus mistakenly listed a phone number reserved for emergency US air defense situations.

A colonel on duty played along for the sake of children callers, and "it became the goodwill military outreach program it is today," Novobilski said.

This is the first time NORAD has teamed with Microsoft, which is helping power a noradsanta.org website featuring games, video and more.

"Once upon a time, children would have to take their parents' word that Santa Claus was on his way (but will only stop at their house if they go to sleep already), " US-based Microsoft said.

"Now, using a website, a mobile app, or by placing a phone call to NORAD, children can determine Santa Claus's approximate global position.

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How to protect your Facebook, Twitter account

Security experts say passwords for more than 2 million Facebook, Google and other accounts have been compromised and circulated online, just the latest example of breaches involving leading Internet companies. 

Some services including Twitter have responded by disabling the affected passwords. But there are several things you can do to minimize further threats -even if your account isn't among the 2 million that were compromised. 

Here are some tips to help you secure your online accounts: 

One thing leads to another

When a malicious hacker gets a password to one account, it's often a stepping stone to a more serious breach, especially because many people use the same passwords on multiple accounts. So if someone breaks into your Facebook account, that person might try the same password on your banking or Amazon account. Suddenly, it's not just about fake messages being posted to your social media accounts. It's about your hard-earned money. 

It's particularly bad if the compromised password is for an email account. That's because when you click on a link on a site saying you've forgotten your password, the service will typically send a reset message by email. People who are able to break into your email account, therefore, can use it to create their own passwords for all sorts of accounts. You'll be locked out as they shop and spend, courtesy of you. 

If the compromised password is one you use for work, someone can use it to break in to your employer's network, where there are files with trade secrets or customers' credit card numbers. 

Better passwords

Many breaches occur because passwords are too easy to guess. There's no evidence that guessing was how these 2 million accounts got compromised, but it's still a good reminder to strengthen your passwords. Researchers at security company Trustwave analyzed the passwords compromised and found that only 5 percent were excellent and 17 percent were good. The rest were moderate or worse. 

What makes a password strong?

* Make them long. The minimum should be eight characters, but even longer is better. 

* Use combinations of letters and numbers, upper and lower case and symbols such as the exclamation mark. Try to vary it as much as you can. "My!PaSsWoRd-32" is far better than "mypassword32." 

*Avoid words that are in dictionaries, as there are programs that can crack passwords by going through databases of known words. These programs know about such tricks as adding numbers and symbols, so you'll want to make sure the words you use aren't in the databases. One trick is to think of a sentence and use just the first letter of each word - as in "tqbfjotld" for "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." 

* Avoid easy-to-guess words, even if they aren't in the dictionary. Avoid your name, company name or hometown, for instance. Avoid pets and relatives' names, too. Likewise, avoid things that can be looked up, such as your birthday or ZIP code. 

One other thing to consider: Many sites let you reset your password by answering a security question, but these answers -such as your pet or mother's maiden name- are possible to look up. So try to make these answers complex just like passwords, by adding numbers and special characters and making up responses. 

A second layer

Many services offer a second level of authentication when you're accessing them from a computer or device for the first time. These services will send you a text message to a phone number on file, for instance. The text message contains a code that you need in addition to your password. The idea is that a hacker may have your password, but won't have ready access to your phone. 

Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter are among the services offering this dual authentication. It's typically an option, something you have to turn on. Do that. It may be a pain, but it will save you grief later. In most cases, you won't be asked for this second code when you return to a computer you've used before, but be sure to decline that option if you're in a public place such as a library or Internet cafe. 

One final thought

Change your passwords regularly. It's possible your account information is already circulating. If you have a regular schedule for changing passwords for major accounts, you reduce the amount of time that someone can do harm with that information. 

You'll need to decide what counts as a major account. Banking and shopping sites are obvious, as are email and social-networking services. It probably doesn't matter much if someone breaks into the account you use to read newspaper articles (unless it's a subscription). 

And strong passwords alone won't completely keep you safe. Make sure your computer is running the latest software, as older versions can have flaws that hackers have been known to exploit. Be careful when clicking on email attachments, as they may contain malicious software for stealing passwords. Use firewalls and other security programs, many of which are available for free.

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How tech tools are helping hire the right talent

 Online recruitment portals are developing innovative tools to help technology companies spot the right talent in a market where there is a shortage of skilled professionals. 

These ventures help their clients filter candidates, administer specialised tests and make the right choice in a process designed to deliver quality rather than quantity. 

"Companies always want the best developers, who can build the best platform or the next iPad, our job is to filter candidates accordingly," said 26 year old Harishankaran K, co-founder of online recruitment portal InterviewStreet. 

Founded in 2009 by two NIT Trichy graduates, it was the first Indian startup to be selected by the Silicon Valley incubator Y Combinator in 2011 and has also raised funds from Khosla Ventures.

The Bangalore-based firm now has clients including Facebook, Flipkart and Amazon and expects a revenue of up to Rs 18.7 crore this fiscal. A number of such portals including Hirerabbit.com and HasGeek are helping aggregate supply in the fragmented Indian online recruitment sector dominated by older ventures such as Naukri.com. 

Interview Street creates coding challenges based on client requirements and also allows clients to administer tests from any location and in real time. Even for many young technology ventures, who do not have the deep pockets of Interview Street's bigger clients, these tools are proving to be a major asset. 

"We earlier used LinkedIn and Facebook to hire people with mixed results," said Biju Asokan, founder of Chennai-based real estate-focused startup Metroplots who turned to Interview Street. 

HasGeek, founded by Kiran Jonnalagadda, 34, in 2010 with a seed capital of Rs 10,000, organises technology events attended by scores of coders and developers. The firm has has bagged marquee clients such as Yahoo, Microsoft, Google and Facebook. 

This fiscal it expects to earn a revenue of up to Rs 3 crore Another company that is developing innovative hiring tools is Bangalore-based Hirerabbit. Founded in 2012, by NIT graduates Piplayan Nayak and Prafull Sharma, both 29, the company provides software that powers the job site and helps carry out analytics.

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Review: Microsoft Xbox One

The Xbox One won't quite replace your TV set-top box, but it comes awfully close. 

The latest game console from Microsoft takes a big leap toward being the main entertainment hub in your living room. It gives you a programme guide for browsing what's on TV and what's highlighted in apps such as Netflix and Amazon. You can listen to music and view photos stored on Microsoft's SkyDrive service. You can make Skype video calls. 

And yeah, you can even play games. 

Some of the updates to the Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4 help turn them into multi-function devices that make them more attractive to non-gamers. The Xbox goes further than the PlayStation, mainly because it integrates regular live TV. Slick new operating systems and voice controls on both consoles can make navigating the offerings part of the fun. 

The Xbox still requires a regular TV set-top box to feed it TV signals using what's called "HDMI pass-through." And you need subscriptions for TV and streaming services. The Xbox One acts like a traffic cop and weaves it all together elegantly. It doesn't pull up on-demand shows or programmes saved on a digital video recorder; you have to use the traditional remote control with the Xbox still powered on to do that. But Microsoft is looking at adding that feature in a future software update. 

The $500 Xbox One comes with an updated Kinect device for motion and voice detection, while the $400 PlayStation 4 has a voice-command camera system for the first time, sold separately for $60. Both systems are good at facial recognition and will sign you in automatically. 

The Xbox adds a few neat tricks: Using your voice, you can power it on, adjust the TV volume, find shows and channels and start photo slideshows. That's much easier than searching my couch cushions for the TV remote control, even though my wife found it odd that I kept talking to the machine. 

A nifty "snap" function that is unique to the Xbox makes it possible to do two things at once. This way, I could play "Need for Speed: Rivals" in a large window and watch the British TV show "Sherlock" on Netflix in a smaller one. 

I simply say to the machine, "Xbox snap Netflix," after firing up the game and the show separately. Because snap also works for TV, I found this a great way to keep tabs on a football game, listen to a talk show or see when a commercial break ended. 

I did notice some quirks, though. Using snap, I found the image stuttered when the console was starting a game or doing some other intense computing. In some cases, I found the audio lagged people's lips moving, even when I went back to full-screen mode. In troubleshooting with Xbox support, I was told to restart the set-top box and console and make sure I had the highest-rated HDMI cables. That didn't resolve the issue, but the hiccup isn't a deal-breaker. When I'm doing two things, I'm not zeroing in on every detail anyway. 

At this point, the PlayStation's new user interfaces are more rudimentary, but they seem capable of improving over time. The voice commands you can give it are more limited than on the Xbox, and its home screen doesn't make use of the touchpad on the new DualShock 4 controller. Its PlayRoom app shows off what's possible, like kicking imaginary robots that appear to multiply in my living room. But I got the sense that game developers have yet to take advantage of the new hardware. 

Both new consoles bring music into the mix with their proprietary music subscriptions, "Music Unlimited" and "Xbox Music." Either allows you to listen to music while playing a game if you have a $10-a-month subscription. In both cases, you'll have to fiddle with volume settings manually. 

Both consoles also offer ways to buy movies and TV shows, similar to the previous generation of consoles. And both consoles play streaming video in 1080p high definition. With the One, the Xbox has caught up to the PlayStation in enabling you to watch video on Blu-ray discs. 

Both systems also introduce new ways of sharing some of your game play with friends. On the Xbox, you say "Xbox record that." With the PlayStation, you press the share button to capture a good chunk of action that just happened. The PlayStation makes it much easier to post to Facebook and Twitter. Both offer ways to edit these videos. The Xbox lets you insert video commentary, while the PlayStation lets you broadcast your game play and video commentary live on the online game video app Twitch. 

Although the Xbox One's ambitions are higher, it comes with a few oddities. You can't say "Xbox play game" to go back to your video game, because the "play" command is reserved for playback controls or launching the music app. You have to say "Xbox select" to light up certain words on the screen that allow you to navigate, but the choices are inconsistent. Sometimes apps have "full screen" as an option, and sometimes it's "go to full screen." 

However, I think the benefits outweigh any initial frustrations. 

There are reasons to buy either the new Microsoft and Sony consoles, not least of which is to benefit from machinery that is more powerful than its predecessors. And neither company is done innovating. 

The Xbox will have a Verizon FiOS app by early next year so subscribers can pull up on-demand programming. Sony plans to add original video content from Sony Pictures exclusively for its PlayStation Network. If done regularly, it will be a long-term benefit of owning its console, though it's not yet clear whether you need to pay for a PlayStation Plus subscription for those extras. 

Neither console is perfect out of the box, but both offer a range of intriguing possibilities that will definitely entertain you -- at least until the next consoles come out years from now.

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