A skilled hacker has shown how to hijack a smartphone via a short-range radio technology known as Near Field Communication (NFC).
Charlie Miller created tools that forced phones to visit websites seeded with attack software.
The software on the booby-trapped websites helped Mr Miller look at and steal data held on a handset.
NFC is becoming increasingly common in smartphones as the gadgets are used as electronic tickets and digital wallets.
Beam guideMr Miller, a research consultant at security firm Accuvant, demonstrated the work at the Black Hat hacker conference in Las Vegas.
During his presentation, Mr Miller showed how to attack three separate phones - the Samsung Nexus S, the Google Galaxy Nexus and the Nokia N9.
To attack the phones Mr Miller wrote software to control a reader tag that works in conjunction with NFC. As its name implies, NFC works when devices are brought close together or are placed near a reader chip.
In one demo Mr Miller piped commands through his custom-built chip that abused a feature of the smartphones known as Android beam. This allows phone owners to send links and information over short distances to other handsets.
He discovered that the default setting in Android Beam forces a handset to visit any weblink or open any file sent to it. Via this route he forced handsets to visit websites that ran code written to exploit known vulnerabilities in Android.
"The fact that, without you doing anything, all of a sudden your browser is going to my website, is not ideal," Mr Miller told tech news website Ars Technica.
In one demonstration using this attack Mr Miller was able to view files on a target handset.
On the Nokia phone, Mr Miller demonstrated how to abuse NFC and take complete control of a target handset, making it send texts or make calls, via the weaknesses exploited by his customised radio tag.
Mr Miller said that to successfully attack phones they must be running a particular version of the Android operating system, be unlocked and have their screen active.
Nokia said it was aware of Mr Miller's research and said it was "actively investigating" his claims of success against its N9 phone. It said it was not aware of anyone else abusing loopholes in Android via NFC.
Google has yet to comment on the research.
Samsung in Clear Lead Over Apple Thanks to 'Shotgun' Tactics, While Nokia Tumbles - ibtimes.co.uk
Follow us 
While Apple kept the iPhone 4 and aging 3GS on sale at discounted prices when the flagship 4S went on sale in October 2011, Samsung has a much broader range of smartphones, including the hugely popular Galaxy S3 and smartphone/tablet hybrid, the Galaxy Note.
Shipping just over 50 million smartphones in the second quarter means Samsung is responsible for 32.6 percent of the global smartphone market, which is a big leap from 17 percent in 2011. Samsung achieved that rise despite growth of just one percent from Q2 last year to now in the market as a whole.
Meanwhile, Apple commands 16.9 percent of the market, down from 18.8 percent last year.
Struggling manufacturer Nokia saw its global share of the market fall from 15.4 percent in Q2 of 2011, to just 6.6 percent in the most recent quarter, despite its continued investment into Windows Phone with its range of Lumia devices, and the 808 Pureview with its 41 megapixel camera.
HTC, too, saw its market share fall from 10.7 percent to 5.7 percent, despite its flagship One X and One S offering stiff competition to the iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S3.
The little-known ZTE, however, stole the show this quarter, with year-on-year growth of 300 percent, taking the Chinese manufacturer up from 1.8 percent of the market to 5.2 percent, representing shipments of eight million.
Of course, Apple's downturn in market share is in part as a result of consumers waiting for the highly anticipated iPhone 5, which is due to be released with a larger screen and faster processor in the autumn. This was also reflected in the companies most recent quarterly earnings report earlier this week.
IDC said: "What remains to be seen is how the company's smartphones will fare against Apple's next-generation iPhone expected later this year."
The research firm added: "The quarter-on-quarter shipment decline came six months after it unveiled its latest iPhone. The decline is not unusual as iPhone shipment volume is highest in the first two quarters after its release."
To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail:
To contact the editor, e-mail:
Telecom Companies' Quarterly Reports Out, Cell Tower Lease Value Up - YAHOO!
Vertical Consultants reveals how telecom companies' record profits affect cell tower lease value.
Nashville, TN (PRWEB) July 27, 2012
Telecom companies are reporting second quarter results and these results are impacting cell tower lease value. Companies like Verizon Wireless and AT&T are experiencing highest profit margins, subscriber increase, and profitability. In the recent quarter, Verizon raked in a staggering amount of new subscribers with a net gain of 1.2 million subscribers. Verizon Wireless, boasting its highest profit margins ever, has 94.2 million retail subscribers. The largest wireless telecom company in the U.S. saw a $1.1 billion dollar increase in data revenue, with retail wireless service up 18.5%, surpassing $15.8 billion.Verizon’s competitor, AT&T, fared very well in the second quarter, saving on phone subsidies that led to its best profitability to date. In addition to this, AT&T saw a boost in subscribers adding a net 320,000 contract-based subscribers. With total wireless revenues up 4.8%, the second largest wireless telecom company saw wireless data [internet access, apps, messaging, etc.] revenues surge by $1.0 billion.
Telecom companies’ record-high margins, increases in wireless data revenue and a more than substantial customer base is indicative of a growing dependency on the wireless industry with no signs of deceleration. Just as customers rely on their wireless provider for the facilitation of wireless services, the provider also relies on property owners leasing there land for cell tower placement. With the rise in wireless technology and data usage and subsequent upturn in wireless telecom revenues, comes the increase in cell tower lease value, however, property owners leasing their land often do not realize it, therefore are not paid fair value for the use of their land.
Telecom companies are making record profits while providing services facilitated by cell phone towers and these cell towers and their rent revenues remain the same: undervalued.
According to Hugh Odom, President of Vertical Consultants, "Telecom companies have relied on property owners’ misinformation and lack of information to perpetuate the disparity between themselves and cell tower property owners for years. Cell towers and their related leases are more valuable than ever; without them, wireless subscribers would not have sustainable service."
Until now, property owners have not had someone working strictly on their behalf to obtain full and fair value for the use of their land. Vertical Consultants, a Nashville, Tennessee based telecom consulting firm, has successfully helped cell tower property owners achieve full value for their land, increasing rents in 2011 by an average of 98% and recouping over 100 years’ worth of unpaid cell tower rent and expenses, collectively, since its 2010 inception.
Odom adds, “The numbers don’t lie, telecom companies continue to garner record profits. However, property owners who help make these profits possible are not seeing any benefits from these increasing numbers and are sometimes asked to reduce the amount they receive for the use of their land. Ultimately, property owners around the country are indirectly and unknowingly subsidizing the telecom companies.”
Vertical Consultants, founded in 2010 by Hugh Odom, is comprised of a group of wireless industry veterans with decades of combined experience. Vertical Consultants specializes in issues surrounding the wireless telecom industry and is a unique source of information for property owners. Vertical Consultants experience in the industry allows it to offer its clients unmatched services, expertise and results, handling all aspects of a telecom lease from start to finish. To learn more about the issues of disparity between the telecom giants and property owners, visit http://www.vertical-consultants.com or contact Vertical Consultants at info(at)vertical-consultants(dot)com or 877.456.7552.
Joanna Gaston
Vertical Consultants
1-877-456-7552
Email Information
Nokia Asha 300 Goes Live at Three UK - Softpedia
It looks like Three UK only offers the graphite color option to customers who wish to purchase the Asha 300, though Nokia launched additional color schemes, such as Night Shade, Gold, White Silver, Pink, and Red.
Keep in mind that while the phone is in stock now, Three UK mentions the estimated delivery date is July 30. This means customers who order it today might get it next week on Tuesday if nothing major happens.
Nokia Asha 300 is aimed at emerging markets, which is probably why it landed at Three UK so late. The phone was unveiled back in October at the Nokia World 2011 and hit shelves one month later.
It comes with a 2.4-inch resistive touchscreen display that supports 240 x 320 pixels resolution and 262k colors. There also a 5-megapixel rear camera with fixed focus and video recording.
Hardware-wise, the Asha 300 is pretty impressive for a feature phone. The handset is equipped with a 1 GHz single-core processor, which is complemented by 256MB of ROM, 128MB of RAM and 140 MB of internal memory.
As expected, storage amount can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD memory card. When it comes to connectivity, Nokia Asha 300 comes with standard features specific to most feature phones, but also packs a few enhanced capabilities.
In this regard, the device offers HSDPA (10.2Mbps) and HSUPA (2Mbps), along with Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and EDR support.
Last but not least, the phone’s 1110 mAh Li-Ion battery should provide users with up to 550 hours of standby time (600 hours in 3G mode) or up to 7 hours of talk time (4 hours in 3G mode). Check it out here.
Nokia Lumia X Concept, a Portable Xbox Phone - Softpedia
However, users of Android, BlackBerry, iOS, and Windows Phone devices, among other, can enjoy a nice range of highly appealing, optimized games today.
To up the ante, Sony Ericsson came to the market last year with an Android smartphone specifically designed for gaming, the Xperia PLAY, though it did not enjoy the expected success.
Even so, enthusiasts around the world continued to dream of a smartphone that could offer the better of the two worlds, and a concept device based on this idea has emerged recently.
We’re referring here to the Nokia Lumia X smartphone concept, which would run under Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system, the same as all other Lumia handsets from the company, and which would also offer Xbox controls for a better gaming experience.
Coming from Bob Freking, the handset resembles a lot what Xperia PLAY looked like, since it has the same sliding form factor and a gamepad with gaming controls hidden beneath the screen.
Unlike the already available phone, Lumia X would feature an Xbox 360 controller, so that those Xbox LIVE games that Windows Phone users can access would feel more like on the console than on a handset.
According to the designer, the phone comes with two analog sticks that are not movable, as well as with the usual Xbox logo in the middle of the pad.
The concept device also features rounded upper and lower parts, a large touchscreen, and the usual Windows Phone buttons beneath the display.
Of course, this is not the first time a designer imagines an Xbox phone, but it’s the first one that would feature Nokia’s logo on it, which could easily make it a bit more appealing if actually released on the market.
At the moment, Microsoft and its partners are working on the launch of Windows Phone 8, which brings along support for better hardware. Great new handsets should land on shelves this fall, though we doubt that any will actually look as the Nokia Lumia X concept.
Trai to telcos: Provide broadband service in transparent manner - Economic Times
"Authority has been receiving complaints...that service providers are not delivering broadband services in a transparent manner as they are not providing adequate information to the consumers regarding broadband services," Trai said while asking telecom service providers to take care of these issues.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said that the complaints include broadband plans with Fair Usage Policy (FUP) which is making it difficult for the consumers to make an informed choice regarding plans on offer.
Taking note of the issue, Trai directed telecom companies to alert customers either through SMS on their mobile or registered email, each time when usage by the customer reaches 80 and 100 per cent of the limit bundled in broadband plan subscribed by him.
The regulator has even directed the telecom service providers to alert customers through Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) in this regard.
USSD are messages sent to alert user at end of each call or sms to inform about balance, mostly in pre-paid connections.
TRAI has asked telecom companies to provide information data usage limit with higher speed, speed of connection upto and beyond data usage limit in printed form to the new subscribers on their enrolment and to existing subscribers through email and through SMS.
The regulator directed all telecom service provider to ensure that speed of broadband connection is not reduced, in all broadband tariff plans, below the minimum download speed of 256 kbps, to an individual subscriber.
No comments:
Post a Comment