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IFTTT 101: How to Find & Set Up Applets

IFTTT (short for If This, Then That) is an amazing piece of software that automagically links actions on your phone with online services and real-world objects. For example, an applet could read: "if you come home, then turn on Wi-Fi." IFTTT goes further than just using simple smartphone functions, though — thanks to applets, it's fully configurable with a ton of smartphone apps.

How To: Hide DDE-Based Attacks in MS Word

In a previous article, we learned how to take advantage of a feature, Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE), to run malicious code when a Microsoft Word document is opened. The biggest challenge of this attack is that it requires getting the user to agree to a pop-up prompt. Fortunately, since I posted that article, many new obfuscation techniques have been discovered to make this easier. Today, we explore and combine some of them to make the ultimate hidden DDE attack.

News: Mastercard, Qualcomm-Powered ODG Smartglasses Use Iris Authentication for AR Shopping

As the level of data being generated grows exponentially, past the Information Age and into the coming Hyper-Information Age of immersive computing — as resistant as many of us are to the idea — personal data security is becoming a necessary consideration in our everyday lives. Recognizing this, Mastercard, Qualcomm, and Osterhout Design Group have teamed up to show what secure shopping could look like in the very near future with iris authentication.

PSA: You Can Upgrade Your iPhone at the Apple Store if You Financed Through AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon

With four major carriers, buying an iPhone X or iPhone 8 can be more complicated than you'd think. While Apple has its own iPhone upgrade program, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile all have versions of their own. Which plan you choose depends on your needs and, of course, your carrier. However, getting around to upgrading can be challenging to say the least.

News: Game Dev Superstar Leaves Windows Mixed Reality Team to Return as GM of Bioware

Casey Hudson, the one-time project director for games like Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic and the original Mass Effect trilogy, has announced his return to his former home, Bioware as the General Manager. Of course, that also means he is leaving his role at Microsoft Studios as Creative Director, where he was reportedly working on both Xbox One and HoloLens projects.

How To: Save Your iPhone's SHSH2 Blobs So You Can Downgrade iOS for Future Jailbreak Methods

When a new jailbreak method comes out, Apple is quick to patch the vulnerability it exploits by issuing a new iOS update. If you were to accept such an update, you'd no longer be able to jailbreak your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch unless you could roll back your firmware to a version that could be jailbroken. But Apple even takes things a step further and stops signing older iOS firmware versions, which makes downgrading next to impossible. This is where your SHSH2 blobs come into play.

How To: Secure Your Instagram Account by Adding 2-Factor Authentication & Managing Privacy Settings

The photo-centric Instagram app is a great way to share "evergreen" pictures and videos when compared to Snapchat and Facebook's new Messenger Day feature. But like all social media, keeping the account secure is an essential aspect, as it restricts unwanted viewers from seeing your content and can prevent unauthorized users from accessing your account. Instagram has several methods for locking down the account including a new two-factor authentication (2FA) mechanism.

News: Finally, Someone Is Fixing the Major Issues with Texture Compression

We live in a computer world full of file formats. Whether we are talking about images, videos, or text documents, there are dozens of file types for each, and there are new ones added every year to applications. Keeping in mind that many of these formats were created before the internet was widely available (at least, in infant form), the primary reason for this glut of often complex choices is competition.

How To: Slip a Backdoor into PHP Websites with Weevely

Backdoors are convenient to leave behind once you've already found a way into a server, and they can come in handy for a variety of reasons. They're good for developers who want a quick way into machines they're working on, or for systems administrators who want similar access. Of course, backdoors are also a hacker's best friend, and can be added in a variety of ways. One good tool for doing this is Weevely, which uses a snippet of PHP code.

News: YouVisit Teleports You Around the World with an Expansive, Elegant Library of 360-Degree Video Content

Virtual reality holds the promise of electronically visiting distant places we'd otherwise struggle to reach, but that teleportation-esque ability isn't possible without the right content. YouVisit created a platform that makes it easy for almost anyone to create immersive 360-degree experiences so we can map our lives and see the world through the eyes of our fellow humans.

News: Fantastic Food Deals for Super Bowl 50

The big day is nearly here... Super Bowl 50 kicks off this Sunday, February 7, at 3:30 p.m. PST (6:30 p.m. EST). And whether you're having a giant party or watching the game on your big-screen TV by yourself, there's one thing you probably won't be doing: cooking food in your kitchen.

Hack Like a Pro: Digital Forensics for the Aspiring Hacker, Part 13 (Browser Forensics)

Welcome back, my novice hackers! In this series, we have been exploring how a forensic investigator can find evidence of illegal or illicit activity. Among other things, we have examined the registry and prefetch files for artifacts and have done some rudimentary forensic analysis. For those of you who are seeking career as a forensic investigator or security engineer, this can be invaluable training. For hackers, it might be life-saving.

Hack Like a Pro: How to Hack Web Apps, Part 6 (Using OWASP ZAP to Find Vulnerabilities)

Welcome back, my tenderfoot hackers! Web apps are often the best vector to an organization's server/database, an entry point to their entire internal network. By definition, the web app is designed to take an input from the user and send that input back to the server or database. In this way, the attacker can send their malicious input back to the servers and network if the web app is not properly secured.

No Preservatives, Please: How to Make Frozen TV Dinners

Please read the following in Rod Serling's voice. Picture, if you will, a mother. She comes home after a long day at the office, relieved that she took some chicken breasts out to thaw and will be able to make a quick and easy dinner for her family. She opens her refrigerator to get the chicken, but to her horror she does not see it… she forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer after all. What will she make for dinner now? How will she feed her family? She has entered…the Panic Zone.