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Friday
MARCH 14, 2014
Tech News
New Legislation Would Require Netflix Phishing Scam Tricks You a 'Kill Switch' in Every Phone with Phony Customer Service Reps
A New York congressman announced legislation aimed at reducing the growing number of smartphone thefts across the country. The bill, introduced by Democratic Rep. José E. Serrano, would require all phones sold in the United States to feature “kill switch” technology that allows consumers to wipe their data and shut down a phone’s capabilities when it’s reported stolen. Such a feature could reduce the incentive for thieves to steal phones by eliminating their resale value on the black market. Serrano’s bill comes just weeks after four Democratic senators introduced similar legislation, and a California state lawmaker proposed a measure that would require every new smartphone sold in that state to carry antitheft technology. “It is time for smartphone carriers and manufacturers to get serious about protecting the safety and security of their customers,” Serrano said in a statement. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who has been leading a nationwide effort to reduce phone thefts, said of the legislation, “Because the industry dragged its feet, Congress is poised to act on legislation that will put consum-
ers ahead of profits.” But the success of such legislation is uncertain. The wireless industry has resisted rolling out a kill-switch feature, claiming it could be misused by hackers. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon has suggested the industry has resisted for another reason: to preserve their profits from selling phone insurance. During a Senate hearing, however, a Verizon Wireless official expressed support for a kill switch. “We are actively engaging with app developers and manufacturers to encourage them to bring forward these options,” Randal Milch, Verizon’s general counsel, said in response to questions from Sen. Amy Klobuchar (DMinn.), who co-sponsored the Senate bill.
About 40 percent of robberies in major U.S. cities involve mobile devices, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Thefts of smartphones and other mobile devices increased in several major cities again in 2013, including New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. The robberies have become increasingly violent. Serrano represents a congressional district the Bronx where in 2012, Hwangbum Yang, a 26-year-old Korean immigrant, was shot and killed during an iPhone robbery. Last summer, Schneiderman and Gascon launched their “Secure Our Smartphones” initiative, aimed at pressing the industry to adopt technology that could make stolen phones worthless to thieves.
CarPlay is Apple's Latest Attempt to Take Over Your Life
By Dino Grandoni Now you never ever have to stop using your iPhone -- that is if you’re planning on buying a very
expensive car in the next year or so. Apple announced a new iPhone-to-automobile integration system called
CarPlay on Monday, ahead of the Geneva auto show. CarPlay syncs your iPhone with your car, letting you take phone calls, dictate text messages and emails and play music while driving. The new technology uses Siri to control native iPhone apps and a few third-party apps, including Spotify and iHeartRadio. CarPlay won’t work with the one app drivers probably need the most: Google Maps. Instead, CarPlay gives drivers access to turn-by-turn directions in the much-maligned and far less reliable Apple Maps. CarPlay will be available in Ferrari, MercedesBenz and Volvo cars starting this week. Thirteen other auto makers, including Ford, General Motors, Hyundai and Toyota, will integrate CarPlay, though Apple did not specify when. The system will only be available starting with new, 2014 models and will only work with the iPhone 5, 5C and 5S. Apple first hinted at its plans to weasel iOS into people’s cars at its developers conference in June. Last year, Apple made a similar partnership to integrate iOS into select Beetles with a built-in iPhone docking station. Both Apple and Google want a bigger place in people’s cars, starting with the software that runs vehicles’ entertainment and navigation systems. Last month, Google announced plans to bring Android to four auto makers’ vehicles. Google has its own highly touted plan to develop self-driving cars.
By Taylor Casti A new Netflix phishing scam preys on our blind trust of customer service representatives when it comes to our personal information. Users being targeted by the scam will see a phony Web page modeled after the Netflix login page. When a user enters Netflix account info, the scam site claims that the user’s Netflix account has been suspended due to “unusual activity” and then provides a fake customer service number. When the user calls that number, a representative on the phone recommends a download of “Netflix support software,” which is actually remote login software that gives the scammers complete access to your computer. The scammers may also ask for copies of photo IDs or credit cards. Jérôme Segura of Malwarebytes Unpacked first noticed the scam on Feb. 28 and made a handy video to protect customers from falling for it. He told The Huffington Post that users might stumble across the fake site via a link in a phishing email, pop-up
This page was designed to trick Netflix customers into calling a phony number and handing over sensitive personal data to someone posing as a Netflix customer service employee. Note that the URL is not Netflix.com. window or ad. Segura says that while he was on the phone with the “rogue representatives,” they were busy searching his computer for things like banking information or lists of passwords. There are plenty of red flags here to warn customers that something is awry, but for those who are too trusting of the voice on the other end of the customer service line, check out Segura’s video for highlights from the call. A good rule to remem-
ber is to not be too trusting when it comes to giving out personal information. Avoid letting someone remotely control your computer, don’t send pictures of your ID or credit cards over the Internet and be sure to double check URLs in the address bar of your browser. Also, anyone can look up the real Netflix customer service number and see that it doesn’t match the scammers’ number. Happy streaming, and stay safe out there.
Texting is a literal pain in the neck. HuffPost's Executive Lifestyle Editor Lori Leibovich has used computers and smartphones often over many years, and after visiting the doctor she found out her technology use was to blame for the perpetual pain she had been suffering. "I couldn't ignore the shooting pains anymore in my neck, and there was numbness and tingling in my arm," she said. "I'm getting an MRI next week to figure it out." Leibovich told HuffPost Live's Caitlyn Becker that she deduced the cause of the pain when she realized that it was triggered by the motion of swiping across her phone's screen and using her thumb to scroll.
Chiropractor Dean Fishman has seen that before. He recalled an appointment with a 17-year-old girl who was experiencing headaches and neck pain. As he was reviewing the xrays, he noticed the patient was texting in the corner.
"We put the pieces of the puzzle together and we found that the repetitive stresses of having her head in a forward, titled posture for long periods of time was the contributing factor," he said.
Keeping an eye on tailgaters just got a whole lot easier with Nissan’s Smart rearview mirror. Whereas traditional rearview mirrors use reflective glass, the Nissan Smart rearview mirror relies on a camera located at the back of the car which feeds an image to an LCD screen within the rearview mirror housing. Nissan plans to release this tech to the global market by 2015. The company claims the camera lens gives drivers a wider view of what’s going on behind the car, and that the image will remain clear in all kinds of weather. Passenger heads, rear seat headrests and luggage will not obstruct the driver’s line of sight, since the image the driver sees comes from the rearmounted camera feed.
The LCD screen is also layered with a regular mirror, allowing drivers to turn off the screen and use a traditional glass rearview mirror if they desire. Nissan says that the Smart rearview mirror will
be used in the race car it’s fielding for this year’s 24 Hours of LeMans competition in June. The company plans to initially offer the Smart rearview mirror as a dealer option this spring in Japan.
What Your Screen Obsession is Doing to Your Body
Nissan Just Kicked the Traditional Rearview Mirror in its Glass