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Millions of stolen Twitter logins put on sale

3:08 AM

More than 32 million Twitter login names and passwords are reportedly being offered for sale online.
A hacker using the name Tessa88 is asking for 10 bitcoins (£4,000) from anyone that wants to copy the list.
It is not yet clear whether the list is genuine or how it has been compiled. Some reports suggest it brings together data stolen from users by malware.
In a statement, Twitter said it was "confident" that the data did not emerge from a breach of its network.

Virus victim

Information about the list emerged in a blog entry on the website of a company called Leaked Source, which has built a database of login data that has been stolen or leaked.
It said the dataset shared with it by Tessa88 contained 32,888,300 records - each one of which listed an email address, username and password.
"We have very strong evidence that Twitter was not hacked, rather the consumer was," said the company in its blog.
This has been taken to mean that the list has been compiled using data stolen by a virus that returned it to whoever ran the campaign to infect people.
Analysis of information supplied with the dataset suggested it had been gathered this way, said Leaked Source.
Other information, such as a breakdown of where most victims live, provided further evidence that it had not come from Twitter, it added.
Leaked Source said it had taken steps to verify a small number of the email accounts and passwords in the list were genuine. ZDNet said two staff members found on the list verified that the password listed next to their name was accurate but one other staffer said their details were incorrect.
Image copyright Tumblr
Image caption A total of 65,469,298 Tumblr account details are being offered for sale
A breakdown of email addresses in the list revealed that Russian accounts feature prominently. Russian email addresses make up more than 7.4 million of the total number of login credentials in the list.
In a tweet sent soon after it blogged about the data going on sale, Leaked Source said it had been contacted by Twitter's security staff who would now "forcibly" protect users from the data in the list.
Separately, Twitter's security boss Michael Coates confirmed it was working with Leaked Source on using credential data in the list to help users.
He added: "We have investigated reports of Twitter usernames/passwords on the dark web, and we're confident that our systems have not been breached."
In another statement, Twitter said it had been "working to help keep accounts protected by checking our data against what's been shared from recent other password leaks".
Security expert Troy Hunt, who runs a website that lets people check if their login names and accounts are in data breaches shared online, expressed some scepticism about the leak.
"Just because we've seen some serious breaches recently doesn't mean we should assume new ones are legit," he said.
He advised people to change their Twitter password if it was weak or if people had used the same one for other online services.
The sale of the Twitter data comes soon after huge amounts of login data from MySpace and Tumblr were widely shared. Earlier in May, millions of records about LinkedIn credentials were offered for sale online.

Twitter accounts locks after log-ins go on sale

2:58 AM

Twitter has locked some accounts following reports that log-in details for millions of users were on sale.
On Thursday reports surfaced that a Russian hacker called Tessa88 was asking for 10 bitcoins (£4,000) for access to a list of 32 million names.
In a blogpost, Twitter said it was confident that the data had not come from a hack attack on its servers.
But after scrutinising the list, it had locked some accounts and users would need to reset their passwords.
"The purported Twitter @names and passwords may have been amassed from combining information from other recent breaches, malware on victim machines that are stealing passwords for all sites, or a combination of both," wrote Michael Coates, chief security officer at Twitter, in the blogpost.
Security firm Leaked Source, which first shared information about the list, said its analysis suggested the information came from PCs infected with data-stealing malware.

'Sceptical'

Twitter's cross-checking of the list showed that some of the log-in data being offered was real, said Mr Coates, and led to the micro-blogging service locking those accounts and forcing a password reset.
He said Twitter had taken similar action in recent weeks as data from other breaches became publicly available.
He did not say how many of the supposedly stolen log-ins were legitimate or how many accounts had been locked.
Some security experts have expressed doubt about whether all the information in the list of 32 million log-in names is genuine.
Per Thorsheim, who advises companies about security and safe log-in procedures, said he was "sceptical" about the data but added that he had not had chance to look through it himself.
"A 32 million leak doesn't make sense," he said. "It could be a very old leak from when Twitter only had 32 million users, it could be a chunk of the full dataset from a recent breach or what I usually think - it's just made-up junk."
Troy Hunt, who maintains an online repository of breach data, told technology news site Ars Technica that he too had his doubts about the list.
"I'm highly sceptical that there's a trove of 32 million accounts with legitimate credentials for Twitter," he said. "The likelihood of that many records being obtained independently of a data breach and them being usable against active Twitter accounts is extremely low."
The sale of the Twitter list comes in the wake of a series of "mega-breaches" which have seen data stolen from companies many years ago now being widely shared. More than 600 million passwords feature in the massive data dumps.
Cyberthieves are keen to get at this data because many people reuse log-in names and passwords so finding a working combination on one service may unlock many others.

MTN South African mobile phone firm to pay $1.7bn Nigeria fine

2:41 AM
South African mobile-phone giant MTN has agreed to pay $1.7bn (£1.1bn) to Nigeria over failing to disconnect unregistered Sim cards.
The firm was originally fined a record $5.2bn by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) but the two sides have settled on a lower amount.
"This is the best outcome for the company," MTN executive chairman Phuthuma Nhleko said.
The fine was imposed amid fears that militants were using the phone lines.

The NCC confirmed in a statement that payments would be made by instalments over the next three years.

Microsoft Surface Pro 5 With Kaby Lake CPU and 16 GB of RAM

12:50 PM

It’s been a while since we heard about Microsoft launching a new hardware product and aside from the rumors of a new Xbox coming at E3, today we learn there’s also a new flagship tablet coming. It’s the Microsoft Surface Pro 5, expected to pop up in Spring 2017.


The device is said to pack an Intel Kaby Lake processor, as well as 16 GB of RAM. Initially, the slate was meant to debut this year, but it was delayed, possibly to better fit it with the best Intel CPUs around. Sources from China have confirmed the arrival in Spring, with a 7th gen Kaby Lake CPU, that has the advantage of drawing less power than the models before.
16 GB of RAM are also said to be on board, plus an optional version of the Surface Pro 5 will come with a 4K display. Regular versions will be available with 2K displays. The new Nvidia Pascal or AMD Polaris GPU will take care of gaming and video editing, while on the software front we’ll be getting Windows 10 Redstone 2.
USB Type C should be in the mix, a new Surface Pen, too, improved cameras and of course new accessories

Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet Expected to Get Android 6.0 Marshmallow Update on June 16th

12:47 PM

It appears that the Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet is expected to get the update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow on June 16th, at least in the versions sold by carrier KDDI and au. The SOT31 codenamed version of the slate is the one getting updated.


This update comes via OTA or via PC connection, or via LTE, if you want to waste gigabytes. The software package takes up 1.5 GB if you’re doing it wirelessly and for some reason the package offered via PC takes up a big 2.7 GB. After the update, the slate will reach build version 32.1.C.0.281. As usual, Marshmallow brings Doze, Google Now on Tap, improved permission management and improved storage and RAM management.

Bug fixes, security updates and more tweaks will be provided. It’s not very clear what happens with the Stamina mode, that has been an on and off love affair till now for Sony. I guess that by this point, all the mainstream Xperia tablets already have Marshmallow, right?
SOURCE: blogofmobile

Foldable Phone and Tablet Announced During Lenovo Tech World 2016

12:42 PM


This week’s biggest tech event is Lenovo Tech World 2016, where Lenovo unveiled a series of devices and technologies that are very interesting. The most unusual one is pictured below and it’s a foldable phone, showcased together with a foldable tablet.
Smartphone Pliabil (4)
During the demos at the show we saw the smartphone morphing from handset into smartwatch and being worn at the wrist. The tablet that was also showcased comes with a 10 inch display and folds down the middle, thus becoming a regular phablet. Interestingly when the demo happened, the phone that was placed at the wrist did a cracking sound, but didn’t break.
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The folding tablet was showing cat faces and continue to to do, then it was placed next to the ear to make a call. I didn’t see a big hinge or seam here, so that’s nice. A flexible device requires a flexible battery, components and motherboard, so that’s why the device is still in concept phase. Expect more details over the next weeks.
Smartphone Pliabil (6)

Allview Debuts Tablets Wi901N and Wi1001N Models With Keyboard Docks

12:38 PM

East European brand Allview announced this week two affordable new Windows 10 tablets, both with keyboard docks in the mix. They’re dubbed Allview Wi901N and Wi1001N and they come with pretty good looking designs.

First on the list of the Romanian firm is the Allview Wi901N, packing an 8.9 inch IPS LCD screen with a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution and a quad core Intel Atom Z3735F CPU, clocked at 1.83 GHz and accompanied by 2 GB of RAM. We also get 32 GB of storage, a microSD card slot and a 4800 mAh battery, good enough for 5 hours of usage.
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There’s also Bluetooth 4.0 support in the mix, a 2 megapixel front camera and a main one with the same MP count. The dock has two USB 2.0 ports and the price is $225. The Allview Wi1001N is the bigger model, with a 10.1 inch screen and an Intel Atom Z3735F CPU inside, clocked at 1.83 GHz and running together with 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage.
There’s a microSD card slot here, Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi, plus stereo speakers. The same camera setup is included and the battery is a 5800 mAh unit. This model is priced at $250.
Wi901n
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