THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2013 technology

Adobe data breach more extensive than previously disclosed

BOSTON: Adobe Systems Inc said that the scope undisclosed number of Adobe IDs and encrypted determine how much invalid account information same passwords for multiple accounts, he said. of a cyber-security breach disclosed nearly a passwords that were stored in a separate data- was breached and is in the process of notifying “This is a treasure trove for future attacks,” Carey month ago was far bigger than initially reported, base. On Tuesday, it revealed that about 38 mil- affected users. Even though the company said. with attackers obtaining data on more than 38 lion records from that database were stolen. believes the stolen passwords were encrypted, Adobe spokeswoman Heather Edell said that million customer accounts. On Oct. 3, the company also reported that the the attackers may have been able to access them the company was not aware of any unauthorized The software maker also said that hackers had attackers stole source code to three other prod- in plain text by one of several methods, including activity on Adobe accounts as a result of the stolen part of the source code to Photoshop edit- ucts: Acrobat, ColdFusion and ColdFusion Builder. breaking the algorithm that Adobe used to attack. Yet Edell said she could not say whether ing software that is widely used by professional Adobe spokeswoman Heather Edell said the soft- scramble them, said Marcus Carey, a security stolen credit cards or passwords had been used to photographers. The company disclosed the ware maker believes the attackers also obtained researcher and expert on cyber attacks, who for- launch follow-on attacks against Adobe cus- breach on Oct. 3, saying attackers took credit card access to “many invalid Adobe IDs, inactive Adobe merly worked as an investigator with the National tomers or conduct other types of cyber crimes. information and other data from nearly 3 million IDs, Adobe IDs with invalid encrypted passwords Security Agency. “Our investigation is still ongoing,” she said. “We customers’ accounts. and test account data.” They could likely use those passwords to break anticipate the full investigation will take some Adobe also said that the hackers accessed an She said the company is still investigating to into other accounts because many people use the time to complete.” — Reuters ‘World’s first’ bitcoin ATM opens in Canada Customers use private key to access online account VANCOUVER: Three young entrepreneurs have opened what they call the world’s first ATM able to exchange bitcoins for any official currency. The machine inaugurated Tuesday, delivered to Vancouver in Western Canada by Robocoin, an American manufacturer, stands against a wall of a popular coffee shop, and resembles an ordi- nary cash ATM. However, instead of cash transactions it swaps Canadian dollars for bitcoins, the virtual currency of the Internet invented in 2008 by an anonymous computer scientist known only by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Customers lined up Tuesday to use the ATM, BERLIN: In this Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013, file photo, a model touches the screen of a then used their smart phones to buy coffee and Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch in Berlin, Germany. The so-called smartwatch is what muffins at the Waves coffee shop. The ATM is the some technology analysts believe could become this year’s must-have holiday gift. — AP world’s first, said co-owner Mitchel Demeter, a local entrepreneur who started trading in bit- coins several years ago, then earlier this year Smartwatches abound with two partners set up Bitcoiniacs, a Vancouver storefront money exchange. this holiday season He and his friends, who were high school stu- dents together, said they saw ATMs as a business NEW YORK: Computerized wristwatches ety of Android phones, not just Sony’s. But opportunity. “Nobody had an ATM, everyone that display message alerts and weather it doesn’t let you make phone calls directly was buying and selling on websites,” said VANCOUVER: A user is instructed on how to scan his palm using scanning identification to updates are abound this holiday season: through the wristwatch. You can answer Demeter. ensure that a single user cannot exchange more than $1,000 in a single day day on the world’s Consumer electronics companies are try- calls using the watch, but you need a Customers use a private key - like a bank PIN first bitcoin ATM at Waves Coffee House yesterday in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The ing to persuade you to add these smart- Bluetooth wireless headset linked to the number - to access their online account of bit- ATM, named Robocoin, allows users to buy or sell the digital currency known as bitcoins. Once watches to your shopping lists. phone if you don’t want to hold it to your coins on the ATM. only used for black market sales on the internet, bitcoins are starting to be accepted at a grow- Samsung and Sony have devices out, ear. They withdraw cash equivalents (the conver- ing number of businesses. — AFP and Qualcomm has one coming before the Qualcomm Inc., meanwhile, plans to sion rate is currently about one bitcoin for $200) holidays. Apple is believed to be making start selling Toq before the holidays. It, too, from their bitcoins, or deposit cash bills. The Investment Group said bitcoins could be used as neurs. one, and a new report says Google is will work with several Android devices. machine transfers the money on the Internet via a cheaper way of transferring money in coun- One of the ATM’s first customers was Mike developing one, too. Why the big push for Another smartwatch getting attention is the Canadian VirtEx exchange. tries with weak banking systems, the Financial Yeung, a business student at the city campus of smartwatches? It’s not coming from con- the Pebble, which comes from a startup Users can then spend their bitcoins with a Times reported. Simon Fraser University, where he helped set up sumers, says Jonathan Gaw, a research that raised more than $10 million through smartphone, in a similar way to the way interact In Vancouver, bitcoins are accepted by some a university bitcoin club, one of a handful of manager at IDC. Rather, it’s a product in the fundraising site Kickstarter. It notifies or credit cards are used, or by transferring the 15 local businesses, from coffee shops to a land- such clubs in the world. The club’s mission “is to search of a market - and an expensive one you of incoming calls, texts and emails. money to purchase goods online. “It’s the cur- scaping business. Bitcoins are also increasingly educate people about bitcoin so they can adopt at that. Apple isn’t likely to release its iWatch rency of the Internet, as real as any other,” said common in several hotspots around the world, bitcoins in their everyday lives,” he said. “We’ve had smartwatches for a while, before next year, given that no mention Demeter. The volatile currency is as yet unregu- especially San Francisco, Berlin, and Argentina, “I think bitcoins are the wave of the future, and while the capabilities and technology was made of it at the company’s product lated by any government in the world, and it and accepted by online companies such as because they provide maximum value and effi- have gotten better, this is still not some- showcase last week. As for Google, The has had a share of notoriety by being used in the Wordpress. ciency,” said Yeung. Once bitcoins are more thing that people are clamoring for,” Gaw Wall Street Journal cited unnamed people drug trade. David Lowy, a city businessman who used his established, Yeung predicted, they will common- says. “The idea that it would ramp up for familiar with the matter on Tuesday in Germany, however, became the first country smart phone to transfer .0101 bitcoins to the ly be used to send money around the world the holidays was always kind of a stretch.” reporting that the Internet search compa- in the world earlier this year to declare bitcoins a Waves barista, for a cup of dark coffee worth $2 cheaply, the way the Internet allows people to That hasn’t stopped gadget makers ny is in late-stage development on a “private currency.” And earlier this month (Canadian), said Vancouver was a likely candi- talk with each other on apps such as Skype. He from trying. Companies are under pressure smartwatch which could be ready for mass investors were startled when a senior invest- date to claim the first bitcoin ATM because the gestured at the new machine in the coffee shop. to create a new source of buzz now that production within months. ment officer with giant hedge fund Fortress wealthy city is popular with Internet entrepre- “The ATM is a step forward.” —AFP consumers are no longer wowed by the Samsung and Sony executives say latest smartphones and tablet computers. they’ve designed their watches to give BlackBerry, Facebook Many people already have those devices, people ready access to information they and the new ones out this year are evolu- would normally check on their phones, meet over potential bid tionary rather than revolutionary. reducing the need to constantly pull out Gaw says many gadget makers see an the phones. NEW YORK: BlackBerry executives met with their counter- opportunity to jump in with a smartwatch, Only Qualcomm seems to be acknowl- parts at Facebook last week over a potential bid for the before a behemoth like Apple is able get edging that there’s no real consumer struggling Canadian phone-maker, The Wall Street Journal its rumored iWatch ready. Last month, demand for smartwatches yet. The compa- reported yesterday. Samsung Electronics Co. started selling the ny says it’s trying to showcase what’s possi- Although BlackBerry is weighing a sale, it was unclear $300 Galaxy Gear in the US It works with ble, so other manufacturers will take the whether Facebook plans to bid on the company, the selected Samsung smartphones to display concept and build better products - using Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter. email and text alerts. There’s a camera on Qualcomm’s display technology and other The leading social network has made a priority of fol- the strap for low-resolution photos and a components. lowing its more than one billion members onto smart- speakerphone on the watch to make calls In a September briefing with The phones and tablets, and of finding ways to make money while leaving your phone in the pocket. Associated Press, Samsung executives said from visits by users on mobile devices. You can install apps for additional func- the company has a history of taking risks. Blackberry has $2.6 billion in cash, though that figure is tionality, such as tracking fitness activities Samsung notes that people were skeptical eroding as the smartphone-maker loses traction in the and playing games, though there are only about its Note phones with big screens, market. a handful of apps available for now. too, but now several other manufacturers The company’s patents, with an estimated value of Sony Corp.’s SmartWatch 2 is cheaper, at are making Android phones with bigger between $1 billion and $3 billion, are likely the most attrac- $200. Unlike the Gear, it works with a vari- screens. — AP CALIFORNIA: Lenovo’s first multi mode tablet Yoga Tablets introduced by US actor tive BlackBerry asset for Facebook, the Journal speculated. Ashton Kutcher during Lenovo, a Chinese computer maker, press conference at The patents namely cover security-network technology Youtube Space yesterday in Los Angeles, California. — AFP and smartphone component patents, which would be key to a company seeking to get a head start in the competi- FutureTech participates tive smartphone market. BlackBerry also has about 70 mil- China’s Lenovo unveils lion subscribers. Last month, the company reached a preliminary deal for in E-Government Forum a $4.7-billion buyout by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, ‘game-changing’ tablet but also left the door open to other offers. The Journal sep- KUWAIT: FutureTech announced yesterday • Filing management system. arately reported earlier this month that Chinese computer that the company shall participate in the • Decision support system. LOS ANGELES: Chinese computer maker optional bluetooth keyboard is available for the giant Lenovo Group Ltd. was mulling a possible counterbid “E-Government Forum: Recent Trends, • Electronic Government system. Lenovo presented a new tablet device includ- larger model, which serves as a cover. to buy Blackberry, and BlackBerry has signed a nondisclo- Security Risks, and Implementation Barakat concluded by saying: ing a hinge-cum-handle allowing it to tilt and It enters a hugely crowded tablet market sure agreement with distressed asset specialists Cerberus Challenges” due to be held on 11-13 “FutureTech was able to build strategic stand, a feature it billed as a “game-changing” still dominated by Apples iPad, but with rivals Capital Management LP. — AFP November 2013 under the patronage of partnerships with companies like Microsoft innovation. including notably South Korea’s Samsung His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh and Oracle. During the EGOV Forum, Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher unveiled vying to attract customers in the run-up the all Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. FutureTech shall demonstrate, along with the Yoga Tablet at a Los Angeles event which important US holiday gift-buying season. Alexander Barakat, FutureTech General its partners, its portfolio of solutions, invest- had been shrouded in mystery, with teaser The design looks like a wireless Apple key- Manager was delighted at this participa- ments, and expertise that may help the videos and social media hints tagged #better- board, and observers noted that the extra tion which conforms to FutureTech’s vision, government sector in Kuwait to embark on way. The device, which has 18 hours on a single space in the hinge/handle allows Lenovo to mission, and goals. successful e-government solutions that battery charge and goes on sale Wednesday, boost the battery charge to last longer than In a press release, Mr. Barakat said: “We delivers efficiency and high ROI. has three modes: hold, tilt and stand. A cylindri- that of many competing tablets. hope that this participation shall trigger a cal hinge on one side can either be held, or The devices run on Google’s Android oper- path of joint efforts with the Central opened to produce a stand, similar to the kick- ating system, and have relatively low-resolu- Agency for Information Technology and stand on Microsoft’s Surface tablet. tion 1280 x 800 screens. Tech website the Verge other government agencies. A relationship, “Watching and discovering that people fre- said the 8 inch version seems targeted directly we hope, builds true partnership to ensure quently use tablets in three main ways allowed at Google’s $229 Nexus 7, while the 10-inch the success of the e-government program us to break the mold on the current ‘sea of tablet undercuts the price of Amazon’s 8.9 inch in Kuwait. He added that FutureTech was sameness’ designs,” said Lenovo senior vice Kindle Fire HDX. Tech review site CNET said the established in 2006 to fulfill the need of the president Liu Jun, calling it “game-changing.” Yoga tablets were reminiscent of the Sony information technology market for inte- Teaser videos ahead of the event had included Tablet S and Xperia Tablet S, with their cylindri- grated solutions that help decision makers some suggesting that it could somehow be cal edge offering a solid handle. They “do feel and enhance operational efficiency in the attached to furniture or household appliances. well-balanced and light when held this way- various business sectors. But the product appeared less radical. especially true with the lighter 8-incher-and the Commenting on FutureTech participa- “For this me is a risk,” Kutcher said in a cylinder gives your hands something smooth tion in the EGOV Forum, Mr. Barakat said livestreamed event from Los Angeles, praising and easy to grip.” “Overall the tablets feel pretty that FutureTech hopes to help the govern- Lenovo for realising that “the risk is to be taken well-built,” it added. The new Lenovo tablets WASHINGTON: A technology representative demon- ment sector through its solutions portfolio now because this is happening in the world were unveiled exactly a week after Apple strates the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone using that includes the following: now. “They understand that they have to take revved up its iPad line as it moved to fend off Blackberry 10 operating system in Washington, DC, in • Electronic messaging system. risks and lead,” added the “Two and a Half Men” rivals which have eroded its dominance in the this April 16, 2013 file photo. BlackBerry executives • Document workflow system. actor, who is known as a tech investor, and who sizzling tablet market. A slimmer version of its met with their counterparts at Facebook last week over • Portal systems. donned a “Lenovo product engineer” badge for top-selling full-size tablet computer, dubbed a potential bid for the struggling Canadian phone- • Document management system. the presentation. the “iPad Air,” was announced last week along maker, The Wall Street Journal reported October 30, • Content management system. Alexander Barakat The device comes in 8 and 10 inch models, with a revamped iPad Mini with an improved priced at $249 and $299 respectively. An high-definition display. — AFP 2013. — AFP