5 Terrifying Smartphone Hacks

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5 Terrifying Smartphone Hacks You Won't Believe Are Possible
By Teddem Yee July 22, 2013 1,191,463 views


Sometimes we fail to appreciate the fact that today, right now, we're living in a sci-fi universe. The smartphone is a miracle of mathematics and engineering genius, converting a little over 4 ounces of inert matter into a Star Trek-level wondercomputer. But the downside of storing your entire world inside an ass-pocket-dwelling supercomputer is that there are always those who are itching to turn that technology against you in ways you'd never expect, like ...

#5. Your Phone's Tilt Sensor Can Sense What You're Typing on Your Computer

Creatas/Creatas/Getty Images

If you work a desk job, chances are you keep your smartphone handy on your desk while you're working. And why not? If you get a call, it's hard to pull your phone out of your pocket with your butt custom molded and sweat glued to your chair. The whole point of a mobile phone is convenience, so there's really no reason not to keep it right there by the keyboard.

That is, there wasn't until a cadre of supervillains (ahem, "researchers") from Georgia Tech decided to create a program that turns your innocent-looking smartphone into a nosy little asshole that sits there spying on your every keystroke. Passwords, email messages, IMVU sex chats -- your phone could be eavesdropping on all of it. You might suspect that some kind of camera or microphone hack is at play here, but the real modus operandi is even sneakier: As you clack away on the keyboard, your phone's accelerometer can pick up the tiny impacts resounding through your desk and, based on the distance of the keys from the phone, mathemagically deduce which keys you're stroking.

Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

"P-O-R-N-H-U-B ..."

Phones with motion sensitivity on the level of an iPhone 4 can guess what you're typing with up to 80 percent accuracy. And this clever bit of spyware can easily Trojan horse its way onto your phone as part of an otherwise trustworthy-looking app, since it doesn't arouse your tinfoil-hat suspicions by asking for permission to use your camera or microphone. The humble tilt sensor is rarely protected against privacy intrusions, because who would ever have guessed that the little gizmo that flips your screen over when you turn your phone sideways could also be used as a goddamn drunken Facebook status update interceptor?
Of course, the algorithm for figuring out what you're typing based on tiny desk tremors is mind-bogglingly complicated, and the whole system is easily defeated by ... just not setting your phone next to your keyboard, so the chances of such an attack by your local garden-variety hacker are low. But since we already know that the government is trying to listen in on us at all times, we're typing up this article with a phone next to the keyboard just to let them know that we know.

Martin Poole/Stockbyte/Getty Images

It's called subtlety, guys.

#4. Smartphones Can Steal Your Credit Card Information Just by Being Near Them

Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images

By this point, you might be ready to chuck your smartphone out the nearest window and go back to living without one like folks did in the Stone Age (the '90s were the Stone Age, right?). The only problem with that strategy is that every smartphone out there is a potential threat to you whether you own one or not. For example, did you know that any old Joe Android can brush against you in a grocery store and remotely steal the data right off your credit card with his phone? And that once that information is on his phone, he can wave it at a register and pick up $300 worth of Slim Jims and Mountain Dew on your tab?
Don't worry, not all of your cards are vulnerable. But if you're one of the millions of people carrying a futuristic "contactless" card -- the kind you just wave in front of a terminal to pay for stuff, such as American Express' ExpressPay -- then you'd better keep that fucker in a lead-lined wallet because, as you may have already realized, they're designed to have their radio chips scanned from inches away.

Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

Anniversary provided by "Some Dude."

That means all it takes is a modern phone with near field communication (NFC) capabilities and a special scanning program, and voila -- a crook can use thief magic to pass right through a solid wallet to steal your credit card with goddamn radio waves, and you don't even get the satisfaction of a fleeting grope. Yep, in our technological age, even the intimate act of digging inside a stranger's pocket has become detached and impersonal for the sake of convenience.
Now, before you ask: Yes, someone has already created this, and yes, you can totally download it for free if you know where to look. The program's creator, Eddie Lee, demonstrated the hack with his own phone at DefCon 2012, then released his simple app on the Internet as a flashing "Fuck you, fix this!" sign to credit card companies.

Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images

"It's like Candy Crush, only with people's lives!"

The program is also capable of shipping card data to someone else's phone, meaning you can go on a shopping spree on Madison Avenue with a card your buddy just swiped from Sunset Boulevard. Now that's modern convenience, folks!

#3. Fake "Free Charging" Stations May Be Waiting to Ambush You

John Foxx/Stockbyte/Getty Images

Imagine this: You're sitting at a coffee shop, preparing to Vine about the horrific lack of a design in the foam of your cappuccino, when your phone suddenly alerts you that it's down to 2 percent power. Holy shit, tragedy has struck! Not a single wall socket in sight -- but hey, is that a free cellphone charging kiosk over there? Thanks, modern convenience!

Via Krebonsecurity.com

What could it hurt? It's FREE!

So you hook up to the free charger, the battery indicator flares back to life, and the world narrowly averts missing out on your latest coffee-related outrage. Meanwhile, a hidden device that a "technician" packed inside the charger is casually mining your phone for personal data, stealing all your saved passwords and bathroom mirror self-portraits, and probably slipping you some nasty phone STDs for good measure. Smooth move, moron -- you just did some lowlife a big convenience by plugging your phone directly into his phone-hacking machine.
Don't feel too bad for being fooled, though. In 2011, over 360 people fell for the same trick at the DefCon convention in Las Vegas. And in case you've never heard of it, DefCon is a conference for professional hackers and security experts from around the world. That's right: A convention full of actual hackers was easily taken in by this so-obvious-nobody-expected-it ruse. Fortunately, the kiosk was operated by Aries Security, and instead of actually snatching data from everybody's phones, the kiosk displayed an educational message reminding these security "experts" not to plug their phones into a random box at a hacker convention.

Via Krebsonsecurity.com

We're not sure if the anthropomorphic sheep was intended to make this more or less unsettling.

This ploy is known in the security industry as "juice jacking," a term we're pretty sure they borrowed from the porn industry. Based on the same concept as ATM skimming, a criminal could set up a fake phone charging station (or tamper with an existing one) to immediately steal your data, or install a program on your phone to steal it later.
While charging stations in high-profile areas like airports and shopping malls are probably safe, fake charging stations (just like fake ATMs) could crop up anywhere -- especially with numerous no-name companies renting them out to special events. Your best bet to avoid such a disaster? Carry your own cord and find an electrical outlet of the plain old-fashioned variety. Or, you know, maybe just learn to cope with the hardship of missing a prime tweeting opportunity every now and then.

Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images

We know, it's easier said than done.

But really, just stealing the data off your phone is minor when you consider ...

#2. Fake Cell Towers Can Turn Your Phone into a Remote Listening Device

Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images

So you've invested in the most obnoxiously tank-like OtterBox money can buy, you don't go around stuffing random cords into your phone-holes, and, for what it's worth, you've kept your phone's antivirus software up to date. When it comes to mobile security, your smartphone is absolutely watertight.
... but is it airtight?

Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com

"I'd like to order some cocaine, please."

Ralf-Philipp Weinmann of the University of Luxembourg discovered that hackers can infiltrate your phone through the airwaves themselves, completely bypassing your operating system and antivirus software to hack directly into the radio processor. This aerial attack requires a special box that acts like a cellphone tower and tricks your phone into thinking it's connecting to a real network. Once the connection is made, the infection juice starts a-flowing, giving the hackers access to everything that the radio processor controls. And since this processor is in charge of handling phone calls, that means the hackers now have your dialer and your microphone -- and on some phone models, possibly your camera, too.
Weinmann presented his technique at the Black Hat conference in 2011 (presumably while wearing an Abe Lincoln-style stovepipe), demonstrating how a phony cell tower can remotely and silently "answer" your phone and broadcast any conversations within earshot to prying ears. Yes, kind of a crude version of what Batman was using in The Dark Knight. But you don't have to be as rich as Bruce Wayne to wield this kind of power: The same brand of tower was set up at Burning Man 2008 for about $4,500.

Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images

Basically, the cost of your medical bills after balancing lunch with driving.

Pretty scary stuff, but it gets better ...

#1. Big Brother Can Use Your Phone to Spy on You in 3D

Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images

Yes, it's the actual Dark Knight device -- one that generates a complete 3D image of the inside of any building. Disguised as a harmless camera app, PlaceRaider secretly snaps random pictures as you go about your day. The pics are then shipped off to a central server to be analyzed and compiled into a detailed model of your home, office, or terrorist stronghold.
So it's also kind of like that scene in Iron Man 3 where Tony Stark uses a bunch of images from a suicide bombing to recreate a 3D view of the crime scene, the only difference being that ...

Via Technologyreview.com

... actually, no, that's pretty much exactly what it is.

In fact, Iron Man's fictional technology falls a little behind the curve this time, considering that PlaceRaider (developed by the U.S. military) was already developed, tested, reported, and published by the fall of 2012. The test runs were a smashing success, by the way: PlaceRaider was put in the hands of unsuspecting phone users in an office setting, and in addition to rendering a detailed view of the environment, the resulting images captured computer screenshots, account numbers on checks, and random loose documents.
The idea is that the malware could be embedded in a camera app like Instagram so that it wouldn't raise any red flags when the app asks for permission to access your camera. Then, in practically no time at all, a burglar's virtually strolling through your home -- browsing through your family photos, scanning your wall calendar with "VACATION" scrawled across it in red Sharpie, jotting down the exact locations of your valuables, even seeing close-up detail of what the keys in your pocket look like ...

PhotoObjects.net/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images

Dude, you have got to do some upgrading on your house.

Wait, we may have just stumbled across the biggest weakness of PlaceRaider: Seeing as how most smartphones spend the majority of the day buried deep inside their owners' pants, the ne'er-do-well on the receiving end would likely end up sifting through piles of detailed 3D renderings of pocket lint and crotch bulges. Maybe we're panicking a bit prematurely on this one.

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12 Really Good Reasons To Jailbreak iOS 6 Right Now

Cydia has thousands of tools and tweaks available and developers are always hard at work coding the next experimental feature.
John Paul Titlow John Paul Titlow February 08, 2013 Hack


12 Really Good Reasons To Jailbreak iOS 6 Right Now



Now that you have the option to jailbreak your iPhone 5, iPad Mini or other iOS 6 device, you might be wondering if you should. For many, it's a no brainer. For more casual users or folks who only recently jumped on the iOS bandwagon, there are some important questions.

Is jailbreaking legal? That depends. The latest DMCA rules do not provide an exemption for jailbreaking and rooting tablets, which means jailbreaking your iPad is technically illegal. Jailbreaking your iPhone or iPod Touch is fine, though, which makes absolutely no sense.

Is jailbreaking hard? No, not really. The process will likely take you less than an hour, as long as you're cautious and back everything up. We have step-by-step instructions outlining how to jailbreak iOS 6 running on your iPhone, iPod Touch or, if you dare, iPad.

Why should I bother jailbreaking? Now, there's the really important question. For an answer, here are 12 of the most compelling reasons to break free of Apple's control.
1. Rename And Reorganize Apps

It may seem mundane, but having the ability to rename your apps is kind of nice. Maybe you want to call Sparrow "Email" or change "Spotify" to "Music." It's so basic, it seems like something iOS should just let you do by default. But it doesn't. You have to jailbreak to get that ability.

Jailbreaking also gives you more freedom over the organization of your apps. You can add an additional row of apps, adjust icon sizes and even add a more icons to the home screen's dock, which is handier than it sounds. A tool called FolderEnhancer lets you create subfolders, put folders on the dock and customize the way folders generally look and work. Want to get rid of Newsstand? There's a Cydia tweak for that.
2. Make Chrome (Or Anything Else) Your Default Browser

The fact that Apple won't let you change your default browser is positively Orwellian. BrowserChanger fixes that by letting you choose from several dozen different mobile browsers, including Chrome, Dolphin, Skyfire, Opera Mini and Atomic.
3. Change Your Default Email App

Apple's native Mail app is pretty dull and its feature set evolves only gradually. The Sparrow+ tweak will let you boot Mail from your life by making Sparrow the phone's default email app, which is so much better.
4. Tether Your Data Connection To Your Laptop

This is now something you can legally do through your carrier, but jailbroken phones can tether their data connections to other devices at no extra charge (aside from the cost of the app). MyWi and TetherMe are both popular options in Cydia.
5. Customize the Look And Feel Of iOS



Apple does a pretty nice job of polishing the way its mobile OS looks, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have the option to change its appearance. Jailbreaking lets you do things like change the logo that appears when the device boots (vintage rainbow Apple logo anyone?), change the lock screen design or overhaul the entire theme. If you ever wanted iOS to look like Android, now's your chance.

There are some really well-designed custom themes available, but also plenty of gross-looking ones. Cydia is loaded with themes and discovering the best ones isn't easy, so you may want to search the Web for theme options first.
6. Make The Most Of Siri

When Apple launched Siri in 2011, it gave jailbreak devs a whole new playground in which to experiment. Using the Siri tweaks available in Cydia, you can install chatbots, have Siri tell you jokes, ask it to search YouTube and integrate it with third party apps like Spotify and Waze. In my testing, some tweaks caused Siri to freeze, so proceed with caution.
7. Play Classic Video Games

Since day one, running video game emulators has been popular among the jailbreaking set. On Cydia, you can find emulators for a number of classic video game consoles. These apps don't come with games (called ROMs), so you'll have to do some searching online or grab the EmuROMs app from Cydia. Note: It's not always legal to download ROMs of video games, so proceed at your own risk.
8. Beef Up Security

Jailbroken iDevices have more options in terms of privacy and security, although it's worth noting that not all of them are necessarily reliable.

The Security section of Cydia offers tools that let you lock down media files and individual apps, install key loggers, encrypt messages, remotely track and wipe your iPhone and make it harder to access the device. There are also tweaks that let you use facial recognition to unlock the device or email a photo of whoever keeps trying to guess your passcode.



9. Get A Taste Of GoogleNow

Okay, so it's not exactly GoogleNow, but the functionality provided by the NowNow tweak brings iOS users a step closer to using Google's predictive, voice-enabled mobile assistant. NowNow works with the jailbreak-only Activator app Google's own iOS search app to integrate Google voice search right into the device's home button. This way, you can hold down the button to ask Siri question and then triple-press it to get a second opinion from Google voice search.
10. Rid Your Life Of Apple Maps Forever

MapsOpener is a jailbreak tweak that lets you open map URLs in Google Maps rather than default to Apple's famously imperfect replacement app. Some third party apps may still default to Apple Maps, but this tweak will minimize the likelihood of you ever seeing those smushed-up skyscrapers again.
11. Multiple Users

One commonly pined-for iOS feature is the ability to have multiple users on a single device. This is especially true of iPads, which are often shared among family members. Thanks to a tool called iUsers, it's now possible for different people to log in and out of the device without ever seeing each other's weird little secrets.
12. Catch a Glimpse Of The Platform's Future

Even though there's plenty of junk in Cydia, the jailbreak app store has become home to some very useful, impressive and well-designed apps, tweaks and themes. In some cases, Apple has not only hired jailbreak developers but stolen ideas directly from the jailbreak community. Before Notification Center arrived in iOS 5, for example, it was something jailbreakers had been been using for quite some time. Things as basic as multitasking and copy/paste were also available via Cydia before Apple implemented them.

By jailbreaking, you can get a glimpse at the future of iOS itself, even if it's often in an unpolished and experimental form.

There are many, many more reasons to jailbreak than this. Cydia has thousands of tools and tweaks available and developers are always hard at work coding the next experimental feature. Some are better than others. Some are downright awful. A few might screw up your device. But the freedom afforded to you by jailbreaking iOS can be hugely rewarding, not to mention addictive.

[airdog07]

Unlock Code Input Instructions



Understanding Your Samsung Unlock Codes:

The unlock codes emailed to you will look something like this example:

NETWORK also known as NCK =12345678

SERVICE PROVIDOR also known as SPCK=12345678

SUBPROVIDER also known as SCK=12345678

DEFREEZE also known as MCK or FREEZE =12345678



REMEMBER: Most networks only lock their Samsung handsets with the NETWORK lock enabled.

Android Models Default Method ( Works on most new models )

Insert a non accepted SIM card ( your new one )
Switch the phone on
The phone will ask you to enter 'unlocking code' ( or something similar )
Enter the NCK unlock code provided



How To Check Which Lock Needs Unlocking On Your Samsung Phone

Turn on your phone without a sim inserted
Key in *#7465625# this will display which lock is active
(An easier way to remember this is *#SIMLOCK#)
Doing this will display a screen similar to the example below, ON means that particular lock is locked, off means it is not locked.:

Network Lock [ON]
Network Subset Lock [OFF]
SP Lock [ON]
CP Lock [OFF]

If only the Network lock is displayed saying ON then you will only need to use the NCK code with the instructions below. If you see the Subset lock value as ON then you will need the SCK code and if you see the SP lock value as ON you will need the SPCK code.

How to enter specific unlock codes
Once you know which lock(s) is active, you can now enter the specific code for it.


If your phone says the NET lock is ON then you need to do this without a sim inserted:
#7465625*638*NCKCODE#
or #SIMLOCK*NET*NCKCODE#

If your phone says the SP lock is ON then you need to do this without a sim inserted:
#7465625*77*SPCKCODE#
or #SIMLOCK*SP*SPCKCODE#

If your phone says the Subset lock is ON then you need to do this without a sim inserted:
#7465625*782*SCKCODE#
or #SIMLOCK*SUB*SCKCODE#


Once all locks are off your phone is unlocked.

Alternatively you can simply put the sim in that the phone wont yet accept and enter the required code directly into the phone.

PHONE FREEZE HELP:
If your phone displays this message or similar when inserting an incorrct sim, you must do the following:
1. Power on phone with wrong sim inside so phone displays "Phone Freeze, SIM unavailable. Please contact service provider"
2. Now type CODE1 that we supplied you and press OK (no digits will be seen on display when entering this code)
3. Now phone will ask you for Network Code, so enter CODE2 and press OK.
4. If nothing happens when you enter CODE2, you will need to compose code like this: #7465625*638*CODE2#
5. Now your phone should be unlocked.

Imortant Help For Samsung i9000 Galaxy S, i9003 Galaxy SL, i9100 Galaxy S2, i9300 Galaxy S3 etc.

1 - Insert a sim that your phone will not yet accept
2 - It will ask for the code, enter it and unlock your phone

NOTE: if you get "network lock unsuccessful" it means that the i9100, i9300 is actually Phone Frozen (even though it doesnt display it, as i9100+i9300 dont display Phone Freeze like other samsung phones do)

SOLUTION: reboot phone with a sim it will not yet accept. Enter the UNFREEZE code (this will also state it was unsucessful - his is normal) then Enter you NETWORK code and it will unlock your phone.

================================================== ==================

more help below

================================================== ==================

Model : Samsung i9000 Galaxy S, i9003 Galaxy SL, i9100 Galaxy S 2 etc.

1 - Insert a sim that your phone will not yet accept
2 - It will ask for the code, enter it and unlock your phone

NOTE: if you get "network lock unsuccessful" it means that the i9100 is actually Phone Frozen (even though it doesnt display it, as i9100 dont display Phone Freeze like other samsung phones do)

SOLUTION: enter the MCK code to unfreeze your phone first (this will also state it was unsucessful) followed by entering your unlock code and it will unlock your phone.



================================================== ==================

Older Methods

================================================== ==================

Important Message: Read notes at bottom of page if your phone display "Phone Freeze"

Model : Samsung S8300, U900(soul), F480, F490, J700, Z105, Z107

Unlock code is composed like this: #7465625*638*CODE#

1. Press the # button on the keypad 1 time to display #
2. Type 7465625
3. Press the star (*) button on the keypad 1 time
4. Type 638
5. Press the star (*) button on the keypad 1 time
6. Now type in CODE2 we sent you (If phone is still locked with CODE2 try CODE1)
7. Press the # button on the keypad 1 time
9. phone is unlocked!



Model : Others Samsung inc S3500

1 - Switch ON your phone with a not Accepted SIM Card,
2 - Phone will ask for "Password",
3 - You can now enter the Unlock Code we send to you.

OR (if phone show "Insert Correct SIM Card")

1 - Switch ON your phone with a not Accepted SIM Card,
2 - Compose : #0111*CODE# for NCK

To check lock status: type *#7465625# and you will see [OFF] or [ON] for all locks

If locks are [ON] then you will need to input code as detailed below for whichever lock is [ON]:

#0111*1017668158# [NET]
#0121*856395534# [SUB]
#0133*554303236# [SP]
#0141*1456038655# [SIM]
#0149*856395534# [SIM]
#0151*1456038655# [AUTO]
#0199*856395534# [FREEZE]

Model : Samsung i900 Omnia / i8910

1. Insert a sim card from a different network.
2. Power ON handset (Make sure wirelesss mode is ON)
3. When asked for code, enter Code 2
4. Now phone should be unlocked
5. If Code 2 not working, try again with Code 1.

Method 2

Switch ON your phone without a SIM Card, and bring up dial pad
Type : #0111*CODE#
Press green dial button
phone now unlocked

Model : i8910 HD

Unlock code is composed like this: #pw+CODE+1#

1. Press the # button on the keypad 1 time to display #
2. Press the star (*) button on the keypad 3 times quickly to display p
3. Press the star (*) button on the keypad 4 times quickly to display w
4. Press the star (*) button on the keypad 2 times quickly to display +
5. Now type in the 15 digit CODE we sent you via email
6. Now press the star (*) button on the keypad 2 times quickly to display +
7. Press number 1 on the keypad 1 time
8. Press the # button on the keypad 1 time
9. phone is unlocked!

Model : Samsung M8800, F480

Unlock code is composed like this: #7465625*638*CODE#

1. Turn on phone without any sim inserted
2. key in code like this: #7465625*638*CODE#
3. If phone is still locked, you have a 2nd lock activated so please enter next code code

Model : Samsung J600

Unlock code is composed like this: #0149*MCK# or #0111*NCK#

1. Press the # button on the keypad 1 time to display #
2. Type the 4 digit code which corresponds to your lock type (in most cases the MCK code will work with code:1)
3. Press the star (*) button on the keypad 1 time
4. Type your unlock code which corresponds to your lock type
5. Press the # button on the keypad 1 time
6. phone should now be unlocked
7, If phone is still locked, you have a 2nd lock activated so please check locks and enter 2nd code

Model : Samsung Z320i, Z510i, Z650i

Unlock code is composed like this: **CODE#

1. Switch ON your phone with a not Accepted SIM Card
2. Compose **CODE#

Model : Samsung i560
Unlock code is composed like this: #pw+CODE+1#

1. Press the # button on the keypad 1 time to display #
2. Press the star (*) button on the keypad 3 times quickly to display p
3. Press the star (*) button on the keypad 4 times quickly to display w
4. Press the star (*) button on the keypad 2 times quickly to display +
5. Now type in the 15 digit CODE we sent you via email
6. Now press the star (*) button on the keypad 2 times quickly to display +
7. Press number 1 on the keypad 1 time
8. Press the # button on the keypad 1 time
9. phone is unlocked!

Model: Samsung i616 Jack or Blackjack2 from Fido Canada

1. Power ON your phone with a FIDO SIM Card that the phone is locked to
2. Type #7465625*638*
3. Network Lock Screen appear, enter UNLOCK CODE
4. Device is now unlocked

Model: Samsung A767 (Propel), A437, T459 (Gravity):

1 - Power on without SIM
2 - Type in #7465625*638*Unlock code# (8 digit unlock code*)
3 - Device should say: “Network Lock Deactivated”
4 - Phone may automatically reboot

Model: Samsung SGH-T459 (Gravity):

1. Power on without SIM
2. From the standby screen, use the dial pad to enter the number sequence
3. Type in #7465625*638*Unlock code# (8 digit unlock code*)
4. Device should say: “Network Lock Deactivated”

Model: Samsung i900 / Omnia

1 - Switch ON your phone with a NON Accepted SIM Card,
2 - Enter the pin code of this refused Simcard
3 - Device is now asking for another pin code
4 - Then enter the Unlock Code !

Model: Samsung Zxxx, Dxxx, Pxxx & F490 (ex : Z140, D520, P200, etc...)

1 - Switch ON your phone with a not Accepted SIM Card,
2 - Compose : #7465625*638*CODE#

Model: Samsung Z510 et Z320i et Z650i :

1 - Switch ON your phone with a not Accepted SIM Card,
3 - Compose **CODE#

Model : All others Samsung

1 - Switch ON your phone with a not Accepted SIM Card,
2 - Phone will ask for "Password",
3 - You can now enter the Unlock Code we send to you.

OR (if phone show "Insert Correct SIM Card")

1 - Switch ON your phone with a not Accepted SIM Card,
2 - Compose : #0111*CODE#

Model : Samsung i450 & i560 and I8910

1 - Switch ON your phone without SIM Card,
2 - Compose #PW+CODE+1#

The letter P appear after press 3 times quickly the button star ( * )
The letter W appear after press 4 times quickly the button star ( * )
The letter + appear after press 2 times quickly the button star ( * )

Model : Samsung i780

1. Insert an unaccepted SIM card
2. Enter the pin code to simcard
3. At the top of screen an "exclamation mark" icon will appear
6. Click on "exclamation mark" icon
7. There will appear link "settings" - click on it
8. Virtual keyboard appears on screen with Enter PIN prompt.
9. Enter your 8-digit unlock code.

Model : Samsung SGH-P207:

1. Reset to original factory setting by typing *2767*3855#, youre phone will reboot
2. Then insert a sim card that is from another network that your phone is not locked to.
3. An Wrong sim message will come up on the screen
4. When message appears type in* #9998*3323#
5. At this time a white screen will appear which says "exit"
6. Tap the rigth soft key, (occasionally it will not go to the next screen, if so press the down key)
7. From the menu that appears scroll down to the malloc Fail option, this will reboot, and normal service screen will appear.
8. Then type *0141# and press the green call key, Personalized will appear on the screen, and the name of the current sim card provider will appear on the screen.
9. Turn phone off, and then turn on
10. Go to menu by tapping left soft key, then settings in bottom right hand corner, then choose option number 7 security, then choose option number 6 Sim Lock, select option 1 disable
11. Then enter 00000000 (eight zeros), the message will come up sim lock disabled with a check mark, your phone is now unlocked to use with other carriers.



more general help

=================

here are the different prefix's for the different locks

[PCK]:#0141*code#
[NCK]:#0111*code#
[SCK]:#0121*code#
[SPCK]:#0133*code#
[MCK]:#0199*code#

PHONE FREEZE:
If your phone displays this message or similar when inserting an incorrct sim, you must do the following:
1. Power on phone with wrong sim inside so phone displays "Phone Freeze, SIM unavailable. Please contact service provider"
2. Now type CODE1 that we supplied you and press OK (no digits will be seen on display when entering this code)
3. Now phone will ask you for Network Code, so enter CODE2 and press OK.
4. If nothing happens when you enter CODE2, you will need to compose code like this: #7465625*638*CODE2#
5. Now your phone should be unlocked.

N.B. If phone does not accept CODE2, and still have no luck with #7465625*638*CODE2# please try step 4 using CODE1


NEW Debrand Packs

After you have unlocked your phone, why not debrand it?



De-branding basically means removing awful operator firmware, and replacing it with the manufacturers original firmware. Hence converting your phone to the full spec as it was intended by the manufacturer (the way it should be). This also un-caps fixed mms/wap/web settings. Ideal if you have just unlocked it by code and want to use new web/mms settings that wont save on branded models.



More info on debrand packs for Samsung phones here Debrand Your Mobile Cell Phone: Debrand Samsung, Motorola, SonyEricsson, LG, Nokia,

[airdog07]

Researchers hack smartphone cameras to figure out PINs

Posted on: 8:49 pm, November 11, 2013, by CNN Wire

Smartphones



(CNN) — Researchers have found a way to figure out what personal identification number, or PIN, someone is typing into their smartphone by using the device’s built-in cameras and microphones to secretly record them.

Smartphones are handling an increasing amount of sensitive financial information, with banking and payment apps and other features that turn phones into full-featured mobile wallets. That makes mobile devices a ripe target for cybercriminals.

In a paper published Thursday, security researchers at the University of Cambridge detailed how they exploited the smartphone’s camera and microphone to detect PINs and gave some suggestions for making this type of hack more difficult.

This type of malware doesn’t exist in the wild just yet. The PIN Skimmer program was created by Cambridge’s Ross Anderson and Laurent Simon. The idea is to identify potential security holes before they can be exploited by criminals. In tests, the PIN Skimmer had a 30% success rate detecting four-digit PINs after monitoring a few attempts, and that number went up after it grabbed information over five tries.

First, the microphone detects that a person is entering a PIN. On many apps, the device will vibrate each time a number is tapped. That vibration creates a sound that is picked up by the microphone, which lets the malware know that a “touch event” is happening — in this case it is the entering of a secret PIN.

Then the camera takes over. The camera isn’t looking for reflections in your eyes or triangulating what numbers you’re looking at while typing in the code. The researchers use the camera to detect the orientation of the phone and determine where the user’s finger is on the screen. On-screen keypads typically display number in a standard order, so if the program can tell where a finger is tapping on the screen based on how the person is holding it, it can deduce what number is there. In their example, researchers assume people are holding their phones with one hand and typing in numbers with their thumb.

The malware captures some photos and a few seconds of video and uploads them to a remote server, evading detection by hiding any data usage charges by possibly waiting for the phone to have a WiFi connection.

Depending on the phone, it could take some additional precautions like disabling any LED light that would let a person know their smartphone camera was recording. The researchers tested the program on the Galaxy S3 and Google Nexus Android phones.

In the past, security researchers have warned that criminals could use other phone sensors like the accelerometer and gyroscope to puzzle out what someone is typing. The paper suggests that apps or electronic wallets like Trustzone take control of and disable all the available sensors when entering a secure mode. Another suggestion includes randomizing where the numbers appear on the screen.

[airdog07]

Your Kids Probably Have This App That’s Been Hacked — Here’s How to Find Out if Their Number’s Being Circulated
Jan. 2, 2014 11:09am Liz Klimas


Millions of phone numbers and usernames were exposed in a hack of an app that’s especially popular among teens.
snapchat



Snapchat, which is among the newer social media apps that experts say is diluting Facebook’s popularity, is a phone messaging app that allows users to send photos or brief messages. The appeal of the app is that it only hosts up to 10 seconds before it’s deleted.

But Gibson Security before Christmas posted information on its website that showed how user information could be compromised due to a security flaw on Snapchat’s part.

Here’s Snapchat’s full statement about the Gibson’s information (emphasis added):

Occasionally computer security professionals and other helpful people reach out to us about potential bugs and vulnerabilities in Snapchat. We are grateful for the assistance of professionals who practice responsible disclosure and we’ve generally worked well with those who have contacted us.

This week, on Christmas Eve, a security group posted documentation for our private API. This documentation included an allegation regarding a possible attack by which one could compile a database of Snapchat usernames and phone numbers.

Our Find Friends feature allows users to upload their address book contacts to Snapchat so that we can display the accounts of Snapchatters who match the phone numbers found in the address book. Adding a phone number to your Snapchat account is optional, but it’s helpful for allowing your friends to find you. We don’t display the phone numbers to other users and we don’t support the ability to look up phone numbers based on someone’s username.

Theoretically, if someone were able to upload a huge set of phone numbers, like every number in an area code, or every possible number in the U.S., they could create a database of the results and match usernames to phone numbers that way. Over the past year we’ve implemented various safeguards to make it more difficult to do. We recently added additional counter-measures and continue to make improvements to combat spam and abuse.

But this theoretical situation became not so theoretical on New Year’s Eve when a database, which is now offline, was posted with 4.6 million Snapchat usernames and phone numbers.

“The company was too reluctant at patching the exploit until they knew it was too late and companies that we trust with our information should be more careful when dealing with it,” the hackers wrote on the database’s website, according to GigaOM.

So now, it’s important to check if your — or your kid’s — account information has been compromised.

Will Smidlein and Robbie Trencheny created a tool Snapchat users can use to check their status in the leak.
gs lookup


A tool was created to easily let Snapchat users check if they were exposed in the recent leak. (Image source: Gibson Security)

Smidlein told Mashable they created the tool to “help the public quickly understand if they were affected so that they could take the appropriate actions.”

If you find your data was leaked, Gibson Security has a few orders of business for you.

First and foremost, you can delete your Snapchat account here - sadly, this won’t remove your phone number from the already circulating leaked database.

If you feel that you’d rather unscrupulous entities not potentially have your phone number, you’re free to contact your phone TelCo, and request that they give you a new number. If you detail the breach, they’ll almost certainly give you a new one.

Lastly, ensure that your security settings are up to scratch on your social media profiles. Be careful about what data you give away to sites when you sign up – if you don’t think a service requires your phone number, don’t give it to them.

Check if your information was compromised using the tool on GS Lookup.

[airdog07]

Malware Can Turn Your PC into Bitcoin Miner
Added: Sunday, February 23rd, 2014

Security experts have discovered a new type of “ransomware” that blocks access to the Internet and turns your PC into a Bitcoin miner pending payment of a ransom. The malware was named “Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Linkup”, and security specialists admit it differs from previous examples of ransomware. The matter is that the program doesn’t directly lock the machine or encrypt files – it rather blocks access to the Internet by modifying your DNS. Moreover, it can also turn a machine into a Bitcoin mining robot.



When an infected PC loads up any page, its user is redirected to a fake site accusing them of having viewed “child porn” and demanding payment of one-cent fine. The latter is taken by the user inputting their credit card number, and you can understand that it is very unlikely that the malware developers will limit themselves to just one cent. But this is not all. Once installed, the malware is also trying to download Bitcoin-mining software, which then uses your processor to perform the energy-intensive tasks to mine for Bitcoin. There is the risk to damage the computer and run up a large electricity bill.

Security experts point out that in the case of Linkup, if a hacker manages to get more computing power, they will be able to earn more Bitcoins. This is the reason why aside from blocking online browsing, the malware also tries to connect the infected PC to a Bitcoin-mining botnet. The latter combines the computing power of multiple infected machines to earn new Bitcoins for a hacker.

In the meantime, security experts point out that Linkup is quite a fearsome combination of different types of malware, but not the most dangerous one. For example, Cryptolocker, the virus that forced an American police department to pay about $1200 in Bitcoins, features some traits that can render it more concerning than Linkup.

Cryptolocker works by encrypting the victim’s hard drive and then demanding money (normally 2 Bitcoins) to unlock it. Since the files really get encrypted, cleaning the machine and deleting the virus will not help in this case. The security experts point out that the most dangerous thing is that Cryptolocker (and all of its versions) doesn’t necessarily keep its promise and unlock the files after payment is received. While users, whose PCs are infected with Linkup, have a simple challenge, Cryptolocker victims have a much harder decision.

[airdog07]

Bitcoin Exchanges Hacked
Added: Tuesday, February 25th, 2014

The infamous cyber currency is seen walloped by attacks from some computer hackers. Security experts found that someone is sending “mutated” lines of code into the app running Bitcoins.



It is known that the attacks have already caused major headaches for 2 Bitcoin exchanges, because they had to temporarily halt withdrawals by users who stored virtual currency in digital wallets provided by the exchanges. Bitcoin Foundation confirmed that the exchanges suffered from a DDoS attack. However, they explained that hackers are not stealing coins, but rather are preventing some transactions from confirming. In other words, the trouble doesn’t affect customers’ Bitcoin wallets or funds.

Bitcoin Foundation announced that a team of core software developers focused on Bitcoin have been working to fix the problem, but until then some users could be unable to do anything with their coins, while the affected funds would be “tied up” in transactions. Apparently, the only people who will suffer are users making multiple transactions in a short period.

Media reports confirmed that the Slovenia-based Bitstamp is one more Bitcoin exchange to halt customer withdrawals in the recent days, citing “inconsistent results” and blaming a DDoS attack. That was a day after Mt. Gox, the famous digital marketplace operator, claimed a halt on withdrawals would continue indefinitely. Many traders reacted to the halt and sent the value of Bitcoin to its lowest in nearly 2 months.

It was definitely not the best days for the virtual currency, as the US, Canadian and Russian authorities ordered investigations into Bitcoin. As for the Russians, they insisted that Bitcoin violates the law and can be used for money laundering. In the meantime, Canada claimed it will toughen rules targeting money laundering and terrorist financing and keep a closer eye on the use of digital currencies. Finally, New York’s Department of Financial Services is going to adopt consumer disclosure rules and capital requirements, along with a framework for permissible investments with consumer money.

[airdog07]

Europe Suffered the Largest DDoS Attack
Added: Tuesday, February 25th, 2014


Security experts confirmed that a content delivery network provider was recently hit by the largest denial of service attack in the world. The attackers used a Network Time Protocol (NTP) Reflection attack that exploited a flaw in the way that the Internet works to greatly amplify small and ineffective assaults.



The victim of the hacker attack was CloudFlare, which is actually meant to protect websites and providers from DDoS attacks itself. Thus far it is not clear how many sites and users were affected, but one of the networking hosts located in France reported a 350Gbps DDoS attack during the assault.

According to CloudFlare CEO, the attack tipped 400Gbps, which is at least 100Gbps larger than the previous record DDoS attack. The latter used DNS reflective amplification. CloudFlare claimed that “someone’s got a big, new cannon” and sadly suggested that this attack was the “start of ugly things to come”.

In the meantime, the fact that the intruders used NTP became a huge headache for security experts trying to find out who did it. The matter is that the initial requests which kick off the attacks are spoofed. In case the hacker sends 100Mbps of spoofed NTP traffic, it can cause up to 5.8Gbps of malicious traffic to strike the spoofed target.

Security experts also point out that early versions of the hack have already taken down gaming streaming servers, which were used by professional gamers for EA and League of Legends. Although DDoS protection services are able to help to mitigate the impact of NTP DDoS attack, security specialists claim that administrators have to correct Internet configuration mistakes which squash the attack vector. The experts say that all you need to do to stem the flow of NTP-based DDoS is to make the simplest configuration changes to firewalls and NTP servers. However, this seems to be out of the league of many to sort out.

[airdog07]

Iranians Seriously Hacked US Navy
Added: Sunday, March 2nd, 2014

Iranian hackers have seriously damaged the US Navy. Back in September 2013, the US Navy’s largest unclassified computer network was cracked by someone believed to be working for Iranian government or acting with its approval.



In September there were no other details revealed, but the whole affair looked like a simple hack to revenge all Stuxnet stuff that the United States and Israel did to the country’s nuclear plant. Today US officials claim that the network infiltration appeared to be far more extensive than previously admitted. Moreover, it lasted much longer.

Media reports confirm that it took the United States 4 months after initial news of the hack emerged in the end of September to purge the hackers from the network. The Iranian intruders hit the Navy Marine Corps intranet via some security vulnerability in one of the Navy’s public-facing sites. The US officials revealed that although the intruders made no headway into classified networks, they seemed to be everywhere in the network.

It is known that it took a coordinated plan to push the hackers out, and the government even had to hire cyberwarriors and contractors to do the job. Overall, the cost to repair the network, according to a senior defense official, was $10 million. In addition, the bill can rise when a few other invoices are paid.

According to the US Navy, their experts were surprised at the skills of the Iranian hackers, who had previously tended to use DDoS attacks to attack American government networks. Such attacks aren’t very difficult to stop. The only worrying thing is that while the intruders reportedly were unable to extract any truly valuable data from their infiltration, they could still do very much damage. In addition, the Iranians could train other hackers in their techniques.

[airdog07]

Google Chrome Annoys Users with Adverts
Added: Sunday, March 2nd, 2014

Spammers keep using a feature in Google Chrome to fill people’s browsers with unwanted advertisements. Google Chrome had a feature that could silently automatically update everything (including extensions). This means that it’s only up to the user to decide whether the owner of an extension is trustworthy.


However, it suddenly turned out that ownership of Chrome extensions can be easily transferred to another party, with users never being informed about this. Perhaps, malware and adware vendors are just showing up at the doors of extension authors, asking to sell their products. After the deal is finished and the ownership of the extension is transferred, the new owners can do whatever they want – for example, release an ad-filled update over Chrome’s update service, sending the adware out to everyone.

Security experts had to admit that it wasn’t necessarily Google’s fault, but vendors were exploiting Google’s extension system to set up a subpar browser. The tech giant admitted that it knows about the problem and promised to change Chrome’s extension policy in June 2014. Google explained that the new policy will require browser extensions to serve a single purpose and this requirement will put an end to the adverts.

So, the users suffering from lots of annoying adverts can disable Chrome extensions, especially the more obscure ones. Some of the most discontent users complain that advertising people screw up people’s lives and are part of the reason the others cannot have nice things.

[airdog07]

WhatsApp Will Introduce Voice Calling
Added: Tuesday, March 4th, 2014


It became known that WhatsApp started working on adding free voice-calling to its text messaging app for mobile devices, which was acquired by Facebook for $19 billion just a few weeks ago. Jan Koum, the WhatsApp founder and CEO, confirmed that the newly acquired Facebook company has been working on voice calling to be introduced into the messaging app for a while now. According to his estimations, the iPhone and Android versions will get this feature in the second quarter of 2014, and BlackBerry and Windows Phone will be updated later.


Jan Koum, like many other brilliant IT technicians, grew up in Russia. He remembers that they had a telephone line, but most of their neighbors didn’t. In USSR and in times of perestroika the landline telephone was a shared resource for the whole apartment complex. People – neighbors, friends or relatives – could come and knock on the door to ask to call someone in another city.

Although today you can call to the moon and back from any place in the world, WhatsApp decided to add voice to its client “so people could stay in touch with friends and loved ones even if they are far from each other”. I would admit it’s pretty normal – I still buy myself toys I couldn’t get in childhood, too.

Jan Koum said that the evolution of the WhatsApp service goes to another stage, continuing its mission to connect people and keep them in touch. The developer also explained that they had taken the speed and efficiency of text messaging to voice, claiming that WhatsApp would have the best voice product on the market. Well, this may change things.

Koum said they use the least amount of bandwidth out there, but have extremely optimized it. In other words, they made sure the quality is there, just like the messaging functions of the app known worldwide.

WhatsApp CEO also explained that no changes were planned for his company after Facebook acquisition. Apparently, WhatsApp will be allowed to operate as a standalone company, maintaining its startup mentality with a bit more than 50 employees, today’s changing industry.

[airdog07]

"Chameleon" Virus Can Infect Your WiFi
3/6/2014 11:00 AM ET

A virus called "Chameleon", has been found to infect WiFi networks. The virus jumps from one WiFi network to another, actively identifying the most vulnerable networks and avoiding detection throughout the way. In addition, it spreads more quickly in densely populated areas. The research team involved the study found Chameleon to mimic the behavior of an airborne virus.

Chameleon doesn't disrupt your WiFi, but steals your credentials, as well as of those Internet users connected to your WiFi, and reports it. It does not end there. The virus seeks out more WiFi networks to enter and infect.

The team of researchers from the University of Liverpool simulated an attack on Belfast and London (in a laboratory setting) and found that Chameleon traveled across WiFi networks via access points. In cities, where the access points are much closer to one another, the virus spread more quickly, especially between networks connectable within a 10-50 metre radius.

So do we have to worry? The researchers say perhaps not. The virus may be denied entry if the WiFi access points are sufficiently encrypted and password-protected. However, public networks such as those present in coffee shops and airports, which are less protected, could be more vulnerable.

"WiFi connections are increasingly a target for computer hackers because of well-documented security vulnerabilities, which make it difficult to detect and defend against a virus," said Alan Marshall, Professor of Network Security at the University.

He added that this study will help to develop a technique to predict attacks by viruses on WiFi networks. The research was published in EURASIP Journal on Information Security.

by RTT Staff Writer

[airdog07]

NSA Authorized Monitoring of Pirate Bay and Proxy Users

By Andy
on February 18, 2014
C: 118

Breaking

New leaked documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden reveal that the NSA authorized the monitoring of torrent sites including "malicious foreign actor" The Pirate Bay. The internal discussions further indicate that tracking people through multiple proxies is possible and suggest that once a release is made on Pirate Bay it's possible to go back over old traffic to see where it originated from.

cameraspyThe revelations of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden have caused shockwaves around the world and resonated in all corners of the online community. Today the leaked material is of particular interest to torrent site users.

Published on Glenn Greenwald’s The Intercept, the new papers reveal internal NSA discussions over what can and cannot be monitored in various circumstances.

In Q&A‘s between NSA staff, Threat Operations Center Oversight and Compliance (NOC), and the NSA’s Office of General Council (OGC), torrent sites are mentioned on a number of occasions, with The Pirate Bay sitting front and center.

Tracking The Pirate Bay and its users

The first question concerns the querying of non US-based IP addresses which have been obtained from home soil.

“If we run across foreign malicious actors at home (spam email, router/IDS logs, torrent sites, etc) can we bring those IPs here and use the SIGINT [intelligence-gathering by interception] system to monitor these guys?” the member of staff asked.

“It might be okay,” NOC and OGC responded, “but wait for confirmation.”

The second instance came from a staff member asking questions over the monitoring of servers overseas, alongside the possibility that U.S. citizens may be using them.

pirate bay“Is it okay to query against a foreign server known to be malicious even if there is a possibility that a US person could be using it as well? Example, thepiratebay.org,” the NSA employee wrote.

No problem, came the reply, but exercise caution.

“Okay to go after foreign servers which US people use also (with no defeats). But try to minimize to ‘post’ only, for example, to filter out non-pertinent information,” NOC and OGC wrote back.

From the documents it’s clear that the NSA sees both The Pirate Bay and Wikileaks as organizations that threaten U.S. security through their distribution of U.S. secrets. What follows is a question which seems to suggests that once a torrent has been released on The Pirate Bay, it’s possible to analyze traffic sent before the release was made in order to trace the leaker.

“[If a] list of .mil passwords [were] released to thepiratebay.org…can we go back into XKS-SIGINT (using a custom created fingerprint) to search for all traffic containing that password in foreign traffic just before the release? the NSA worker asked.

Tracking people using proxies to hide their activities

While many consider proxies as useful tools to mask their online activities, it has to be presumed that organizations such as the NSA have the ability to track individuals using even multiple instances. The next set of questions skip over the mechanics of how that might be possible (with the clear implication that it is) and jump straight to what is permissible.

spy[When an actor is]….posting to thepiratebay.org (a foreign web-server)….through multiple proxied hops, are we allowed to back-trace that communication even if it hops through US based proxies?” an NSA worker asked.

“In other words, back-trace the post from thepiratebay.org to a Chinese base proxy which came through a US based proxy, which came through another US based proxy, which came through a Russian based proxy etc”

“Assuming you mean via SIGINT metadata,” came the NOC response, “then SPCMA-trained [Supplemental Procedures Governing Communications Metadata Analysis] analysts would be able to use SPCMA-enabled tools to chain through U.S. based proxies. It is not authorized otherwise.”

While on the one hand these discussions suggest that some kind of effort is being made to protect US citizens from NSA spying, on the other it’s fairly obvious that they are being swept up en masse whether they like it or not.

Furthermore, the odds of being caught up in that dragnet only increase should U.S. citizens dare to become involved in organizations like Wikileaks or use torrent sites including The Pirate Bay. Worryingly, the threshold for becoming categorized as an associate of a “malicious foreign actor” appears to be lower than ever.

[airdog07]

Scary UFC Copyright Propaganda Matters to Everyone

By Andy
on February 16, 2014


You're probably thinking, I don't watch the Ultimate Fighting Championship, why should I care about what they have to say? Well, when a world leader in PPV can obtain a website's member list and set about threatening to sue each and every one of them for simply viewing an unauthorized stream, the gravity of the situation should start to sink in.

ufcTo some it’s just a couple of half-naked men or nowadays women (NSFW) wriggling round in a sweat and blood filled cage in a pointless display of mindless violence. To others it’s the pinnacle of unarmed combat, the planet’s most elite warriors pushing their bodies and minds to the limit while showcasing the very best of martial arts.

Whatever your stance, the UFC and its aggressive approach to copyright enforcement matters to you, because where they tread today, others may tread tomorrow. And it’s a scary path indeed, one that would tick all the boxes of “overly-paranoid file-sharer”, if such a meme existed.

The file-sharing site honeytrap is a much-feared beast, set up to ensnare unsuspecting users in order to subject them to an awful but largely undocumented fate. But while in 2005 the MPAA were believed to have obtained the database of then-famous torrent site LokiTorrent, nothing has been publicly done with that data. Almost certainly, no one has been sued.

Since then dozens of sites have come and gone, many along with whispers that some evil entity or other has secured access to thousands of user’s details. No proof has ever surfaced to show a grain of truth in that notion, but now – not for the first but for the second time – the UFC is claiming to have done just that.

In 2012, the UFC announced that it had obtained the user database of a site called Greenfeedz, along with a promise it would chase down its members for watching unauthorized UFC streams.

While the announcement caused concern at the time, little was known about the outcome. However this week the UFC were back again, categorically stating they were going to sue people who watched unauthorized streams on another site. But how were those people identified? By the UFC obtaining the site’s database, that’s how.

“As part of the on-going initiative against online piracy, Zuffa, LLC, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization, successfully took down and seized the records of www.cagewatcher.eu, a website that illegally streamed two UFC pay-per-view events,” the UFC announced.

“UFC has obtained details of the streaming site’s userbase, including email addresses, IP addresses, user names and information pertaining to individuals who watched pirated UFC events including UFC 169. Also recovered were chat transcripts from the website. Using this data, UFC will work with Lonstein Law Office to prosecute identified infringers.”

If the UFC is to be taken on face value, anyone watching an unauthorized video on YouTube or Vimeo for example, can be subjected to legal action by the UFC. However, rather than go through the messy process of subpoenas and the like, the UFC can turn up at any unauthorized site, threaten the owner, and walk away with the site’s entire database and use it for legal action.

The UFC says it’s carried through with its threats too, stating that Lonstein Law Office has “successfully prosecuted hundreds of claims for the UFC organization for sites illegally streaming content and individual users since 2007.”

In order to find out more, MMA site Bloody Elbow did some digging and found a case dating to just after the UFC made its Greenfeedz announcement. It turns out the UFC did indeed have some success against one individual. However, the case navigated an extremely unusual track.

Probably understanding they were on delicate ground in respect of a regular copyright infringement prosecution, the UFC took action under Title 47 of the United States Code, Section 553, which prohibits people from intercepting or receiving “any communications service offered over a cable system, unless specifically authorized to do so.” Basically the UFC claimed that the individual had received a PPV signal without paying for it.

Since the defendant didn’t show, the court noted this was an admission of guilt, even though it was established that “there is no evidence that defendant obtained any financial gain from his illegal receipt of the copyrighted broadcasts since he viewed them on his home computer.”

Case won by the UFC via default judgment, with the target landed with a bill for $11,948.70.

How the UFC is intimidating others into settling isn’t clear, but it seems very likely that this judgment will be waved in front of users from sites where the databases have been obtained, with the threat that they will suffer the same fate unless they pay a few thousand dollars.

And this is why the UFC’s actions are important to everyone.

If big companies like Zuffa can intimidate site owners into ratting out their users, those users can be bullied into paying settlements. Remember, there is no official discovery process here, no friendly ISP to contest the handing over of their subscribers’ details. Just an aggressive copyright holder bullying victims over the simple viewing – not distribution – of a video stream.

Note: First Amendment attorney Marc Randazza previously told us that if anyone was threatened by the UFC for simply viewing a stream, he would defend their case for free.

[airdog07]

Popcorn Time: Open Source Torrent Streaming Netflix For Pirates

By Ernesto
on March 8, 2014
C: 136

News

Popcorn Time, a cross-platform and BitTorrent-powered movie streaming app, may very well be Hollywood's worst nightmare. The software can be best described as a Netflix for pirates, allowing users to stream the latest blockbusters at no cost. TF talks to one of the developers to find out how the app came about.

popcorn-timeOver the years BitTorrent has become fairly mainstream, with hundreds of millions of people using torrent clients to download the latest entertainment.

Despite its popularity the downloading process can be cumbersome at times, especially for novices. Faced with this challenge Sebastian, a designer from Buenos Aires, Argentina, decided to come up with a piece of software that would make the process as easy as Netflix.

“As a designer I love the challenge of simplification. Take something hard for the common user and make it usable. I have a lot of friends who don’t understand torrents and I wanted to make it easy and effortless to use torrent technology,” Sebastian tells us.

A few months of coding later “Popcorn Time” was born, a tool that allows users to stream popular movie torrents with the click of a button. Popcorn Time offers instant access to hundreds of films, in various qualities and complete with subtitles if needed.

Popcorn Time



What started out as an experiment for a group of friends soon developed into something much bigger. Popcorn Time now has 20 collaborators on Github and continues to expand at a rapid pace. Developers from all over the world have added new features and within 24 hours it was translated into six languages.

Sebastian explains that Popcorn Time uses node-webkit and is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It’s basically a browser that users HTML, CSS and JavaScript to serve the movie streams.

“The technology behind the app is very simple. We consume a group of APIs, one for the torrents, another for the movie info, and another for the poster. We also have an API for the subtitles. Everything is automated, we don’t host anything, but take existing information and put it together,” Sebastian says

The torrent files all come from YTS (formerly YIFY), which has an API Popcorn Time taps into. The application can search this database and allows users to stream the torrent on demand. When finished the app will continue to share for a while after the download is finished, to avoid leeching.

Since Popcorn Time links to a lot of copyrighted movies, Hollywood is not going to be happy, but according to Sebastian the developers don’t expect any legal issues. They inform users that sharing copyrighted material is not allowed everywhere, and other than that they are just repackaging existing content, without a commercial angle.

“We don’t expect legal issues. We don’t host anything, and none of the developers makes any money. There are no ads, no premium accounts, and no subscription fees or anything like that. It’s an experiment to learn and share,” Sebastian notes.

All the people who work on the project are big movie fans themselves, and most have Netflix accounts. Sebastian believes that going to the cinema is the best way to experience a movie, but if people who want to enjoy a recent film at home they should be able to do so. This is often not the case, and that’s where Popcorn Time comes in.

“We hate that we don’t have the chance to watch some movies at home. Popcorn Time is an experiment to show that you can do something better for the users, and that you can do it with BitTorrent,” Sebastian says.

Popcorn Time is officially still in Beta, and will continue to improve in the weeks and month to come. However, one thing will never change, it will remain free and open source for as long as it exists.