“Dirty” devices…fresh out the box!

Android devices, after being unpacked, have been found to have malware. The devices were not sold via retail outlets. But this is an example of why no device can be considered absolutely safe…anyone can be vulnerable when it pertains to issues of security.


“The Check Point Mobile Threat Prevention has recently detected a severe infection in 36 Android devices, belonging to a large telecommunications company and a multinational technology company. While this is not unusual, one detail of the attacks stands out. In all instances, the malware was not downloaded to the device as a result of the users’ use, it arrived with it.

“According to the findings, the malware were already present on the devices even before the users received them. The malicious apps were not part of the official ROM supplied by the vendor, and were added somewhere along the supply chain. Six of the malware instances were added by a malicious actor to the device’s ROM using system privileges, meaning they couldn’t be removed by the user and the device had to be re-flashed.”

http://blog.checkpoint.com/2017/03/10/preinstalled-malware-targeting-mobile-users/

Solar energy for your house, and networking in your neighborhood

Justin tells us about how he uses solar energy in his house, the cost benefits of doing so, and the types that might be available to you…

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We discuss Nextdoor, “the private social network for you, your neighbors and your community…”

Their mission:
“…We hope that neighbors everywhere will use the Nextdoor platform to build stronger and safer neighborhoods around the world.

Using their service, you can get the word out about a break-in…coordinate a Neighborhood Watch Group…look for lost pets…other participate in other networking events with people in your neighborhood.

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And we mention some apps we use.

Here are some popular ones (according to comScore):
Facebook
YouTube
Facebook Messenger
Google Search
Google Maps
Pandora
Instagram
Apple Maps
Amazon
Twitter
Snapchat
Spotify

(I’m) Up (on) Periscope!…

Andy has been bugging me…(this time) about using Periscope.

In one of the posts on our blog I stated I was waiting for something to be done by personnel at Periscope. It was to change my username. You can now follow me at “Slick1”.

My thanks to the “Periscope people” (Nader/Jamie/all) for being nice to look into the issue for me. Some of our conversations is posted below…

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SEP 02, 2015

Dear Periscope Team,

I assumed I would be allowed to use my Twitter name with Periscope…

Is there any possibility I can request to have “slick” assigned to me?

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SEP 04, 2015

Nader replied:

Hi…

We are now able to change usernames on our end. Please note that this is a one-time request. We have alerted our team this is a feature users want for the future. In order to change your username, please provide the following: 1. Provide your current username. 2. Confirm what you would like as your new username. (No spaces or special characters.) 3. Provide your Twitter account or phone number. Once we have the above information, we will do our best to help you out.

Happy Scoping,

Nader
Periscope Team

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SEP 04, 2015

S!ick replied:

Cool! Thank you very much…

My current Periscope username is: slick1

(To match my Twitter account,) I am requesting: slick

My current Twitter username is Slick (http://twitter.com/slick)

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SEP 17, 2015

Jamie replied:

Hi…

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to change your username because it was already taken. Do you have another in mind? Let us know!

Happy Scoping,

Jamie
Periscope Team