Hugging the Web (Part 1: Introduction)
Greetings, hackers and friends! I know it has been a while since I posted a tutorial, and hopefully I can make up for that by posting a series.
Government Search Results
News: Is FireChat the Future of the Internet?
As you already know, Hong Hong has been rocked in recent weeks by protests against their Beijing overlords. Promised free and fair elections, Beijing has reneged on this promise and is now telling Hong Kongians (that's what they're called, aren't they?) that they will only be able to vote on Beijing-selected candidates. All that is interesting from a political perspective, but from a technological perspective, the more intriguing story is how the protesters are communicating. Faced with their...
Blue Screen of Death: Prank Your Friend's Precious Android Phone with Fake Viruses
It's time for another mobile prank. The classic pranks and practical jokes are always great, but let's hit your friends where it really hurts—their precious (and expensive) smartphones. And what better way to scare the shit out of them than making them believe their phone's been infected by malware?
News: It's Now Completely Legal to Unlock Your Cell Phone—President Obama Signs Bill
Update: August 1, 2014 Earlier today, President Obama signed into law the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, making the act of unlocking your unsubsidized cell phone 100% legal.
News: Apple's iOS 7.1.1 Update Is Now Available: Why It's a Bigger Deal Than You Think
Incorporating features such as CarPlay, UI enhancements such as the new call screen, and several bug fixes, iOS 7.1 was the first major update to Apple's operating system since iOS 7 was released in June of last year.
How To: Make Secure Phone Calls Without Using Your Cellular Network for Enhanced Encryption
In the wake of the NSA controversy and its subsequent fallout, many dashed towards finding means of secure communication—using private internet browsing and encrypted text messaging applications—out of fear of being spied on.
How To: You Can Now Jailbreak Your iOS 7 iPhone & iPad, but You Totally Shouldn't—Here's Why
Update 1: Evad3ers have released a statement to the jailbreak community, claiming that the safety and security of their users is the most important thing to them and that all speculations about malware being encoded into the jailbreak is simply not true. You can read the full letter over at Evasi0n's site.
How To: Become Anonymous & Browse the Internet Safely
We all know about PRISM. The Surveillance Program allowing the U.S Government to access private user information. Such as, Google Searches, Tweets, Facebook Posts, Private Images, and other private user data. "Hiding" yourself can be very difficult, but it is possible. I'm here to show you How to Become Anonymous & Browse the Internet Safely.
Dark Side of the Prism: Get Alerted Whenever You Visit a Website Owned by a PRISM-Targeted Company
Since The Guardian published leaked documents exposing the depth of the NSA's spying powers, many people who've never put much effort into protecting their privacy are finally starting to pay attention. Evidence of public opinion concerning PRISM can be seen from the rise in traffic for pro-privacy sites like DuckDuckGo to the petitions demanding that the program be scaled back or done away with altogether. Some would argue that you waive your right to privacy by signing the terms of agreemen...
How To: Get Informed and Ready to Vote with Google's Voter Information Tool
With presidential voting going down on Tuesday, November 6th, voters are beginning to anchor down on their choice for president. But with the way the media works, this may be difficult for some people because the news sites they listen to give conflicting and sporadic information on the candidates.
How To: Track the Super Storm Hurricane Sandy Live
As Hurricane Sandy barrels towards the East Coast, 50 million people are expected to be affected in the nation's most populated corridor. The behemoth super storm is a cause for concern, evident by the massive evacuations. The picture above is an eerie snap of the mostly crowded Times Square subway station in New York. Government officials have warned over half a million people to evacuate their homes and head to higher grounds. To help prepare for this storm, the internet has provided severa...
Obamacare Passed: What It Means to You
I'm sure a lot of people have been following the news and depending on your position on the issue, you might have been happy or dissappointed about the fact that Obamacare has been OK'd by Congress. Let's see what this really means to us.
How To: The Best 'No-Logs' VPN Apps for Safe & Private Mobile Browsing
There's a lot of misinformation about VPN services, and it stems from the fact that not all of them are created equal. Some focus on privacy, others on security, and a few VPNs are seemingly even purpose-built for the polar opposite: data collection. We made this guide to help clear the air on some of these issues while objectively ranking the best of the best.
How To: Eliminate Unwanted Texts & iMessages on Your iPhone to Avoid Spam, Scams & Phishing Attacks
Next to spam calls, few things are more annoying than being inundated with spam, scam, and smishing texts. Your iPhone's Messages app should be a place for your friends and family to stay in touch, not a minefield of phishing attacks, malicious links, and viruses. Luckily, there are quite a few methods to block and report your way to a more spam-free iPhone.
How To: 8 Web Courses to Supplement Your Hacking Knowledge
We're living in uncertain times. The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus and subsequent self-isolation of roughly half the world's population has led to a massive reorganization of the economy, countless layoffs, compromised security networks, and a variety of other significant disruptions that will forever alter the landscape of our daily lives.
Gadget Hacks' Pandemic Prep: Apps, Info & Services to Keep You Safe & Productive
As the COVID-19 virus continues to spread, counties, cities, and states are closing down businesses, events, and schools that aren't absolutely necessary. Some companies around the US are recommending or requiring employees to work from home during the coronavirus pandemic. If you're stuck at home, there are apps and services to help you make it through a lockdown.
How To: Download Your TikTok Data & Activity Report to See What's Been Collected About You
If you're concerned about your privacy, TikTok might not be the app for you. Its shady practices with user data have been the subject of concern, criticism, and even legal action by the US government. Then again, it's just so addicting. If, like me, you're not going to stop using TikTok anytime soon, you should at least know how to view the personal data it has collected on you.
How To: Prevent Samsung's Shady 360 Storage Cleaner from Phoning Home to China
Samsung, like other OEMs, partners with third-party companies to include their apps on Galaxy devices. For example, Microsoft pays Samsung millions to pre-install certain Office apps. But one of these partners might not be on the up and up.
News: Meta's New Enterprise User Video Shows Signs of Life at Cash-Strapped Augmented Reality Headset Maker
Despite funding difficulties that forced Meta to place employees on temporary leave in September, the augmented reality headset maker is reminding enterprise companies that it remains a viable option for visualizing and working with 3D design models.
News: Try These 5 Hot New Snapchat Lenses — The Zucc, PUBG Helmet & More
Spring is finally here (in earnest now), and a new batch of great augmented reality Snapchat lenses have come along with it. New life has been breathed into meme culture with the spring lineup of TV shows, Mark Zuckerberg's ongoing investigation, and college kids with too much time on their hands.
Market Reality: Vuzix Defends Blade, Magic Leap Shows Off ML1 & Snapchat Reintroduces Consumers to Its AR Camera
The augmented reality business was all about audiences this week. Vuzix looked for an audience with the Supreme Court of New York regarding a defamation lawsuit against an investor. Magic Leap held an audience with royalty, showing off the Magic Leap One in a rare public appearance. And Snapchat wanted to remind its consumer audience of all the things its camera can do.
News: New Magic Leap Images Appear as Saudi Prince Gets Demo from CEO Rony Abovitz
It turns out that the government of Saudi Arabia has managed to do something last month's Game Developers Conference couldn't — give us a few new glimpses of the Magic Leap One being worn by someone other than Shaq.
News: Meet the Huawei Mate SE — the 'Plus' Version of the Honor 7X
Huawei's push into the US market has by no means stopped, even despite the recent US government pushback. Huawei has already released their top-notch flagship device from 2017, the Mate 10 Pro, and a couple great budget and midrange devices. Their latest release offers an upgrade to a past release.
Market Reality: As Magic Leap & Microsoft Seek Funds, Educators Prepare the Next Class of AR Innovators
For a company who hasn't released a product and has a reputation for being secretive, Magic Leap sure has a tendency to make waves. Over the past few weeks, they've refreshed their website design, released an abstract YouTube video, and announced a partnership with Madefire to offer mixed reality comics on its device whenever it launches. Next, they are gearing up for another round of funding.
Dev Report: These College Students' AR Game Had Their School LARPing a Cyberpunk 'Humans vs. Zombies' in AR
Anyone who knows me well is aware that I am a cyberpunk junkie. The conflict between lowlifes, corporations, and the government, flavored with dystopian future, high technology, transhumanism, artificial intelligence, and noir storytelling, just does something for me.
News: CDC Warns About a Big Spike in Cyclospora Infections — Here's What That Is & How to Avoid It
The intestinal parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis has a dramatically increased infection rate this summer, and the source is still unknown, the CDC advised today. 2017 is a good year for Cyclospora looking for homes to start their families and a bad year for those of us who don't like food-stealing tenants living in our bodies.
Today's Top News: Tesla Jumps Aheads with a Truly 'Silk Smooth' Autopilot Update
Some drivers give Tesla's Autopilot update released this week rave reviews, after version 8.1 has taken longer than expected to live up to Elon Musk's "smooth as silk" Tweet from earlier this year.
News: Sneaky! WhatsApp Adds Encryption to iCloud Backups on the Sly
WhatsApp sneakily made some security changes to iCloud backups without your knowledge, ladies and gents. Not that strengthening security is a bad thing, but still!
Brief Reality: Healthcare Industry Prescribes Innovations Through Augmented Reality
In this Tuesday's Brief Reality report, there's a trio of stories from the healthcare world where augmented reality is helping out with surgical microscopes, asthma treatment, and other diagnostic and treatment tools. There's also something for all of you AR/VR storytellers out there.
News: Huge iPhone Security Flaw Reveals One Big Benefit iOS Has Over Android
A human rights activist from the United Arab Emirates recently stumbled upon three gaping security loopholes in iOS that work by enticing you to tap a link sent to your iPhone. Ahmed Mansoor received a text message from an unknown number roughly two weeks ago, but instead of following the link it included, he sent the message over to a security researcher at Citizen Lab.
Android Basics: How to Unlock Your Phone with Your Fingerprint
Starting with version 6.0 Marshmallow, Android now supports fingerprint scanners natively. This change has effectively opened the floodgates, and now almost every flagship Android device includes a fingerprint scanner out of the box.
News: U.S. Justice Department Indicts Iranian Hackers
Last week, the U.S. Justice Department issued criminal indictments against seven Iranian hackers. These hackers, working for private companies in Iran, are accused of orchestrating DDoS attacks against U.S. financial institutions from 2011-2013 as well as intruding into the control panel of a small dam in Rye, New York. It is thought that these attacks were a response to the U.S. tightening financial restrictions on Iran during those years and the NSA-based Stuxnet attack on their uranium enr...
News: Save Money with These Awesome Freebies from Your Cellular Provider
Cellular carriers like to nickel-and-dime us out of every bit of money they can feasibly justify, so as consumers, we owe it to ourselves to make sure that we're getting our money's worth.
News: The World's First $4 Android Phone Is Here... Maybe
A little-known company in India is making waves after announcing that it will sell an Android 5.1 Lollipop smartphone for less than $4 (or, more precisely, 251 rupees). The Freedom 251, from Ringing Bells, sounds almost too good to be true. Is that because it is?
News: Islamic State (ISIS) Attacks U.S. Power Grid!
Those of you who have been a part of the Null Byte community for even a short while know that I sincerely and firmly believe that hacking is the most important skill set of the future.
How To: Fun with OSX Terminal
Disclaimer: All information in this tutorial is for entertainment and educational purposes ONLY. You pesky teenagers.
How To: Create a Hootsuite Mac App to Manage All Your Social Media Accounts from Your Desktop
As this generation continues to evolve, we become more involved with social media. For example, you may have a Facebook, Twitter, and a Google+ account, and be heavily involved in using all three, but the constant switching between sites, logins, and conversations can get very tedious.
How To: Encode Secret Text-Based Messages into Bitmap Images in Windows 8
Whether or not you believe that the government is snooping around in our private emails, texts, and phone calls, it wouldn't hurt to protect ourselves a little better in the digital realm.
How To: The Real Story Behind Rooting the Samsung Galaxy S4—And Its New Secured Kernel
Rooting a mobile device may not be a big deal these days, but not being able to root definitely is. Even the Library of Congress, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and White House can agree on that.
News: Why Nikola Tesla's Wireless Power Was Fated to Fail Due to Exploding Airships
Nikola Tesla is one of the most tragic figures in the history of science, a history that is practically filled to the brim with tragic figures. Francis Bacon, a 16th century philosopher and scientist, caught pneumonia and died because he was trying to stuff snow into a dead chicken. Marie Curie died as a result of her long-term exposure to radioactivity, and her papers from the 1890s are too radioactive to touch without protective gear to this day.