LinkedIn Intro called 'a dream for attackers' by security researchers

LinkedIn's Intro, an ambitious service that inserts LinkedIn profile information into your iOS emails, has been slammed by security researchers. As The New York Times reports, several researchers have spoken out against Intro, likening it to a "man-in-the-middle attack." The concerns arise from how LinkedIn adds profile information to your email. Essentially, when signing up for the service you authorize LinkedIn to scan your emails. When its server detects a person with a LinkedIn profile, it adds in data to your email and sends it to you. It's a neat trick, but it also means that a third party is scanning all your emails. In a lengthy blog post, security firm Bishop Fox describes Intro as "a dream for attackers," a viewpoint shared by Richard Bejtlich, a researcher at Mandiant that The New York Times interviewed for its report. "I don't think people who use this are seriously thinking about the implication of LinkedIn seeing and changing their email," Bejtlich tells the paper. "It just completely breaks the idea that email traffic is going where it should go and no place else." "LinkedIn had a major security breach last year" Both Bishop Fox and the NYT also raise an important point: last year, LinkedIn fell victim to perhaps the most public username and password theft in recent history. The company saw 6.4 million user accounts compromised, and it was established that the professional social network had not followed best practices when securing users' data. With privacy and security high on the public agenda following this year's NSA leaks, several researchers have raised the point that Intro makes LinkedIn a big target for government surveillance. "All data to and from your device is encrypted" There's a parallel to be drawn with LinkedIn's system, and it's one that many mobile users have benefitted from. Mobile browsers like Opera, and more recently Google Chrome, offer services that compress your browsing data. That's done by passing your data through the companies' servers before it's sent to you. Such services have also come under fire for posing a possible security issue, though they remain available. Of course, your email is private, personal, and very different from your general web browsing, but it's worth noting that LinkedIn Intro is making similar claims in regards to security. The social network says all data is encrypted to and from your device, and that your passwords, email contents, and security tokens are stored on your iPhone rather than LinkedIn's servers.

Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points

iOS and OS X: Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points The following Wi-Fi base station (or Wi-Fi router) settings are recommended for all Macs and iOS devices. These settings will help ensure maximum performance, security, and reliability when using Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi base stations are 802.11a/b/g/n access points that include AirPort Extreme Base Stations, AirPort Express, and AirPort Time Capsule. "Wi-Fi router" is a generic term and includes Wi-Fi base stations and third-party 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi access points. Before configuring or adjusting specific settings, perform the following steps: Ensure that your Wi–Fi router's firmware is up to date. If you are using a Wi–Fi base station, refer to this article for information on how to update it. Verify that all Wi–Fi devices you intend to use support the settings recommended in this article. If possible, back up your current Wi–Fi router's settings. If necessary, refer to the product documentation or manufacturer's website. Forget or remove the Wi-Fi settings for your network from any devices that connect to your Wi-Fi router. (This will prevent the devices from attempting to connect to your network with the old configuration.) You will need to reconnect these devices to your network once you've finished applying the new settings. Configure all Wi–Fi base stations on the same network with the same settings. Not doing so will cause connectivity and reliability issues. On dual-band Wi–Fi base stations, configure both bands to have the same settings unless otherwise noted below. Use the following settings for maximum performance, security, and reliability. SSID (Service Set Identifier—Wi-Fi network name) Set to Any unique name. Description The SSID, or network name, identifies your Wi-Fi network to users and other Wi-Fi devices. It is case sensitive. More details Choose a name that is unique to your network and is not shared by other nearby networks or other networks you are likely to encounter. If your router came with a default SSID (network name), it is especially important that you change it to a different, unique name. Some common default SSID names to avoid are "linksys", "netgear", "NETGEAR", "dlink", "wireless", "2wire", and "default", but there are others. If your SSID is not unique, Wi-Fi devices will have trouble identifying your network. This could cause them to fail to automatically connect to your network, or to connect to other networks sharing the same SSID. In addition, it may prevent Wi-Fi devices from using all base stations in your network (if you have more than one Wi-Fi base station), or prevent them from using all available bands (if you have a dual-band Wi-Fi base station). Hidden network Set to Disabled Description Hidden networks don't broadcast their SSID over Wi-Fi. This option may also be incorrectly referred to as a "closed" network, and the corresponding nonhidden state may be referred to as "broadcast" or "open". More details Because hidden networks don't broadcast their SSID, it is more difficult for devices to find them, which can result in increased connection time and can reduce the reliability of auto-connection. Note that hiding a network doesn't secure your Wi-Fi network, because the SSID is still available through other mechanisms. Security is enforced by a different setting (see Security below). MAC address authentication or filtering Set to Disabled Description Restricts access to a Wi-Fi router to devices with specific MAC (Media Access Control) addresses. More details When enabled, this feature allows a user to configure a list of MAC addresses for the Wi-Fi router, and restrict access to only devices with addresses that are in the list. Devices with MAC addresses not in the list will fail to associate to the Wi-Fi network. Unfortunately, device MAC addresses can be easily changed, so this cannot be relied upon to prevent unauthorized access to the network. Security should be enforced by a different setting (see Security below). Security Set to WPA2 Personal (AES) Description The security setting controls the type of authentication and encryption used by your Wi-Fi router. This setting allows you to control access to your wireless network, as well as to specify the level of privacy you'd like to have for data you send over the air. More details WPA2 Personal (AES) is currently the strongest form of security offered by Wi-Fi products, and is recommended for all uses. When enabling WPA2, be sure to select a strong password, one that cannot be guessed by third parties. If you have older Wi-Fi devices on your network that don't support WPA2 Personal (AES), a good second choice is WPA/WPA2 Mode (often referred to as WPA Mixed Mode). This mode will allow newer devices to use the stronger WPA2 AES encryption, while still allowing older devices to connect with older WPA TKIP-level encryption. If your Wi-Fi router doesn't support WPA/WPA2 Mode, WPA Personal (TKIP) mode is the next best choice. Note that the use of WEP is not recommended for compatibility, reliability, performance, and security reasons; WEP is insecure and functionally obsolete. However, if you must support legacy WEP devices and you have a newer (802.11n) Wi-Fi router, you may be able to select the WEP Transitional Security Network (WEP TSN) security mode. This mode will allow legacy WEP clients to join your network with WEP encryption while allowing newer devices to use more modern and secure encryption modes, such as WPA TKIP or WPA2 AES. If WEP TSN mode is not supported, then WEP128 with Shared Authentication should be used (with a single WEP key in key index 1). For compatibility reasons, WEP128 networks should use 13-character ASCII passwords. For reference, "None" or unsecured mode, provides no authentication or encryption. If you use this security mode, anyone will be able to join your Wi-Fi network, use your Internet connection, or access any shared resource on your network. In addition, anyone will be able to read any traffic you send over the network. For these reasons, this security mode is not recommended. Note: Due to serious security weaknesses, the WEP and WPA TKIP encryption methods are deprecated and strongly discouraged. These modes should be used only if it is necessary to support legacy Wi-Fi devices that don't support WPA2 AES and cannot be upgraded to support WPA2 AES. Devices using these deprecated encryption methods will not be able to take full advantage of 802.11n performance and other features. Due to these issues the Wi-Fi Alliance has directed the Wi-Fi industry to phase out WEP and WPA TKIP. 2.4 GHz Radio Mode Set to 802.11b/g/n Description This setting controls which versions of the 802.11a/b/g/n standard the network uses for wireless communication on the 2.4 GHz band. Newer standards (802.11n) support faster transfer rates, and older standards provide compatibility with older devices and additional range. More details Routers that support 802.11n should be configured for 802.11b/g/n for maximum speed and compatibility. Routers that only support 802.11g should be put in 802.11b/g mode, while those that support only 802.11b can be left in 802.11b mode. Different Wi-Fi routers support different radio modes, so the exact setting will vary depending on the Wi-Fi router in use. In general, enable support for all modes. Devices will then automatically select the fastest commonly supported mode to communicate. Note that choosing a subset of the available modes will prevent some devices from connecting (for example, 802.11b/g devices will be unable to connect to a Wi-Fi router in 802.11n-only mode). In addition, choosing a subset of the available modes may cause interference with nearby legacy networks, and may cause nearby legacy devices to interfere with your network. 5 GHz Radio Mode Set to 802.11a/n Description This setting controls which versions of the 802.11a/b/g/n standard the network uses for wireless communication on the 5 GHz band. Newer standards support faster transfer rates, and older standards provide compatibility with older devices and additional range. More details Routers that support 802.11n should be configured for 802.11a/n mode for maximum speed and compatibility. Routers that only support 802.11a can be left in 802.11a mode. Different Wi-Fi routers support different radio modes, so the exact setting will vary depending on the Wi-Fi router in use. In general, enable support for all modes. Devices will then automatically select the fastest commonly supported mode to communicate. Note that choosing a subset of the available modes will prevent older devices from connecting (for example, 802.11a devices will be unable to connect to a Wi-Fi router in 802.11n-only mode). In addition, choosing a subset of the available modes may cause interference with nearby legacy networks, and may cause nearby legacy devices to interfere with your network. Channel Set to Auto Description This setting controls which channel your Wi-Fi router will use to communicate. "Auto" allows the Wi-Fi router to select the best channel automatically. You can also manually select a channel. More details For best performance, choose "Auto" mode and let the Wi-Fi router select the best channel. If this mode is not supported by your Wi-Fi router, you will need to manually select a channel. You should pick a channel that is free from other Wi-Fi routers and other sources of interference. Refer to this article for information about possible sources of interference. 2.4 GHz channel width Set to 20 MHz Description Channel width controls how large a "pipe" is available to transfer data. However, larger channels are more subject to interference and more prone to interfere with other devices. A 40 MHz channel is sometimes referred to as a wide channel, with 20 MHz channels referred to as narrow channels. More details Use 20 MHz channels in the 2.4 GHz band. Using 40 MHz channels in the 2.4 GHz band can cause performance and reliability issues with your network, especially in the presence of other Wi-Fi networks and other 2.4 GHz devices. 40 MHz channels may also cause interference and issues with other devices that use this band, such as Bluetooth devices, cordless phones, neighboring Wi-Fi networks, and so on. Note that not all routers support 40 MHz channels, especially in the 2.4 GHz band. If they are not supported, the router will use 20 MHz channels. 5 GHz channel width Set to Both 20 MHz and 40 MHz Description Channel width controls how large a "pipe" is available to transfer data. However, larger channels are more subject to interference, and more prone to interfere with other devices. Interference is less of an issue in the 5 GHz band. A 40 MHz channel is sometimes referred to as a wide channel, with 20 MHz channels referred to as narrow channels. More details For best performance and reliability, enable support for both channel widths. This allows devices to use whichever width they support, which results in optimal performance and compatibility. Note that not all client devices support 40 MHz channels, so do not enable 40 MHz-only mode; devices that support only 20 MHz channels will not be able to connect to a Wi-Fi router in 40 MHz-only mode. In addition, not all routers support 40 MHz channels; a router that doesn't will use 20 MHz channels. DHCP Set to Only one DHCP server per network Description The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) assigns addresses that identify devices on your network. Once assigned, devices use these addresses to communicate with each other and with computers on the Internet. (The functionality of a DHCP server can be thought of as similar to a phone company handing out phone numbers, which customers then use to call other people). More details There should be only one DHCP server on your network. This DHCP server may be built in to your DSL or cable modem, a standalone router, or integrated with your Wi-Fi router. In any case, only one device should act as a DHCP server on your network. If more than one device has it enabled, you will likely see address conflicts and will have issues accessing the Internet or other resources on your network. NAT Set to Only enabled on your router; only one device at most should provide NAT services on the network. Description Network address translation (NAT) translates between addresses on the Internet and those on a local network. (The functionality of a NAT provider is like that of a worker in an office mail room who takes a business address and an employee name on incoming letters and replaces them with the destination office number in a building. This allows people outside the business to send information to a specific person in the building). More details Generally, NAT should only be enabled on the device acting as a router for your network. This is usually either your DSL or cable modem, or a standalone router (which may also act as your Wi-Fi router). If NAT is enabled on more than one device—"double NAT"—you will likely have trouble accessing certain Internet services, such as games, Voice Over IP (VoIP), and Virtual Private Network (VPN), and communicating across the different levels of NAT on the local network.

Connecting your ipad, iphone, ipod touch to Wi-Fi

To connect to a network Tap Settings > Wi-Fi. When Wi-Fi is on, your device will automatically search for available Wi-Fi networks: Tap the name of your desired Wi-Fi network. When your device is connected to a Wi-Fi network, a checkmark will appear to the left of the network name. The Wi-Fi logo will also appear in the status bar at the top left of your display: To connect to a password-protected network Tap Settings > Wi-Fi. When Wi-Fi is on, your device will automatically search for available Wi-Fi networks. Tap the name of your desired Wi-Fi network. A password-protected network will have a lock icon to the right of the network's name. You will be prompted to enter the password: Enter the password for the Wi-Fi network. Tap Join. Note: If tapping Join has no effect, the password you have entered is too short. If you do not know the password to the secured network, please contact your network administrator. When your device is connected to a Wi-Fi network, a checkmark will appear to the left of the network name. The Wi-Fi logo will also appear in the status bar at the top left of your display. To connect to hidden network Tap Settings > Wi-Fi. By default a hidden network will not appear in your available network list. Tap Other. Enter the exact name of the network: Tap Security to choose the security type: Note: Not all hidden networks are secure. Please check with the network administrator if necessary. Choose the appropriate security type, and then tap "< Back" in the top left. You will now be able to type the network password in the Password field. Tap Join. When your device is connected to a Wi-Fi network, a checkmark will appear to the left of the network name. The Wi-Fi logo will also appear in the status bar at the top left of the display.

iOS: How to change the language when it's set to one you don't understand

On the Home screen, locate and tap the icon that shows the image of a gear. When the following screen appears, tap the section that shows a similar gear icon. Tap General iOS 7: Locate the fifth group of settings, which contains three options. Tap the last option. Tap International iOS 6 and earlier: Locate the sixth group of settings, which contains four options. Tap the third option. On the next screen, tap the first option. Language settings Pick your language from the list and tap the bright blue icon in the upper right. [Tap Done screenshot] After a few seconds, your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch should return to the Home screen and display the language you selected.

What to do when you return or send your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch in for service

If you're going to return your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch or send it in for repair or service, be sure to follow the steps below to ensure the best experience. Please perform these steps: Sync your device with iTunes. Back up your device. Turn off iMessage: Tap Settings > Messages. Erase all the data on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch by tapping Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. If you're using iOS 7, you will be prompted to: Enter your passcode, if one is enabled. Tap Erase. Tap a second time to confirm that you want to erase your device. Enter your iCloud passcode to remove the device from your account. Remove any case or film, if present. If your iPhone or iPad has a SIM card, remove the SIM card. Note: If your iPhone or iPad has cellular service, be sure to contact your carrier to suspend service. You can also discuss which options may be available for using another cellular device while yours is being repaired. Additional Information The Contact Support webpage has further service information. When you receive the replacement device: Before you restore your device from the backup, update to the latest version of iOS. Restore your device from a previous backup, if needed. Note: iOS does not support restoring a backup from a newer version of iOS to a device using an older version of iOS.

Best Buy offering between $200 and $350 for Microsoft Surface trade-ins

As it has previously done for iPads, Best Buy is now running a trade-in promotion for Microsoft's Surface tablet. The retailer is guaranteeing that customers will receive a gift card worth at least $200 when they trade in a working Surface at a participating Best Buy location. The most Best Buy will give you is $350, so if making maximum profit is your goal, eBay or Craigslist may be a better option for offloading your current Surface ahead of Microsoft's latest hardware. Then again, these deals are never really the most lucrative path; they're an easy and quick way to get back at least some cash for an old device. To be eligible, the Surface that's being traded in must power on, be free of any water / liquid damage, and the screen can't be cracked. The gift card promotion runs through October 21st, just one day before the arrival of Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2.

iPhone 5S users report 'Blue Screen Of Death' reboots

Apple's latest iPhone 5S has an unexpected feature: the Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD). While it's typically an error found on older Windows PCs, a number of iPhone 5S users are reporting random reboots on their handsets following a BSOD. The blue screen reboots appear to be iPhone 5S specific and are largely occurring with Apple's own iWork apps that come free with all new iOS devices. Videos detailing the issue show that multitasking between apps seems to trigger the BSOD. iPhone 5S users are also reporting random reboots during device use. Apple has released iOS 7.0.2 to primarily fix lock-screen security bugs, but the latest version does not address the reboot issues. Several threads on Apple's support forums highlight the problem, and a number of Twitter users have also expressed their frustration. One workaround to alleviate the iWork-related reboots is to disable iCloud syncing for Apple's Pages, Keynote, and Numbers apps. We've reached out to Apple to comment on the blue screen reboots, and we'll update you accordingly.