Tech Knock

Researchers found critical vulnerabilities in three popular VPN services that could leak users' real IP addresses and other sensitive data. VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a great way to protect your daily online activities that work by encrypting your data and boosting security, as well as useful to obscure your actual IP address. While some choose VPN services for online anonymity and data security, one major reason many people use VPN is to hide their real IP addresses to bypass online censorship and access websites that are blocked by their ISPs. But what if when the VPN you thought is protecting your privacy is actually leaking your sensitive data and real location? A team of three ethical hackers hired by privacy advocate firm VPN Mentor  revealed  that three popular VPN service providers—HotSpot Shield, PureVPN, and Zenmate—with millions of customers worldwide were found vulnerable to flaws that could compromise user's privacy. The team includes app...

Chicago-based online travel booking company Orbitz, a subsidiary of Expedia, reveals that one of its old websites has been hacked, exposing nearly 880,000 payment card numbers of the people who made purchases online. The data breach incident, which was detected earlier this month, likely took place somewhere between October 2016 and December 2017, potentially exposing customers' information to hackers. According to the company, hackers may have accessed payment card information stored on a consumer and business partner platform, along with customers' personal information, including name, address, date of birth, phone number, email address and gender. Orbitz worked closely with cybersecurity experts and law enforcement to investigate the breach and confirms that the social security numbers for U.S. customers were not exposed in this incident. The company claims to have enhanced the security of its compromised platform, though it assures its customers that the curren...

Hyperloop One’s parent company Virgin has dropped some concrete details about their plans to bring Hyperloop to regions across the globe. Last year, India bagged 2 out of 10 routes selected for laying futuristic Hyperloop tunnels. According to the  latest announcement , the Mumbai-Pune route could witness the world’s first hyperloop test track to facilitate ultra high-speed travel between the two cities. It will be built as a part of the partnership between Virgin Hyperloop One and the Maharashtra state government. The operational demonstration track is expected to get completed in a time span of three years linking Mumbai, Navi Mumbai International Airport, and central Pune. And the test rides could start as soon as 2021. Virgin’s Hyperloop pre-feasibility studies have shown that after 30 years of operation the Mumbai Pune route could provide a socio-economic benefit of INR 350,000 crores ($55 billion) and cause a reduction in the emission o...

Should you get an unlocked phone? The US wireless market is more competitive than ever, which is great news for consumers who have lots of choices when it comes choosing a service provider. But one barrier still exists when trying to switch carriers: the locked smartphone. The end of wireless contracts marked a watershed trend for consumers because it finally opened the door for them to more easily shop around for alternative wireless carriers. But the software locks that carriers put on phones restricting its use on other networks still prevent many consumers from having total freedom when it comes to choosing a provider. Now Verizon, the only wireless carrier that sold its phones unlocked out of the box, is reversing course. The company  said earlier this week  it would begin locking the phones it sells to consumers for an undetermined period of time, which will prevent them from using a SIM card from another carrier. But Verizon promised it would eventually ...

Commentary: Art like "Black Panther" overturns stereotypes to reclaim the past and reimagine the future. To understand the film's power, you need to understand Afrofuturism. There's a secret at the heart of Marvel's superhero adventure "Black Panther": the African nation of Wakanda, bursting with advanced technology and hidden from the world. Enlarge Image Afrofuturist icon Janelle Monae at the Los Angeles world premiere of "Black Panther" in January. But that's not the only thing this Afrofuturist epic uncovers. By drawing directly from Africa as its source material, "Black Panther" gives us a new way to think about a past, present and future rarely seen in mainstream movies.  Marvel's latest superhero flick is the perfect example of the genre and movement known as Afrofuturism. It combines elements of sci-fi, fantasy and African history and culture to create a new world to explore and escape into. The term  ...

You'll see Amazon's Alexa infiltrate the New York Toy Fair as toymakers figure out how to use the digital assistant to add new sound experiences to games. Alexa, shall we play a game? Amazon's smart assistant is making her way into playtime, with Mattel and other toymakers adding Alexa voice commands to products to enhance game play. Several such toys are due this fall, and this weekend some will be on display at the ginormous New York Toy Fair. In many of these products, you can't actually play against Alexa. Instead she's a guide, keeping score, reading rules and setting the mood with sound effects and music. In an age when parents are accustomed to syncing toys with smartphone apps, it's not much of a leap for companies to want to leverage smart speakers. Industry watchers expect Amazon's Echo speakers to be in more than 66.3 million US households by 2022. Why make your own voice recognition system and battle privacy worries when you ca...