There are several reasons that you might want to restore the factory firmware on your device—maybe you need to send your phone back for warranty purposes, or perhaps you're getting ready to accept an over-the-air update and need to unroot first. In some cases, reverting to the stock firmware can even resurrect a soft-bricked phone.
Hi everyone! Last time we finished analyzing the assembly representation of our vulnerable piece of code (have I ever told you it is vulnerable?). This time we are going to introduce some fundaments about exploitation by demonstrating how to crash a program's execution. If that sounds lame, next time we will see how this crash can in fact be useful to control the program's execution, achieving remote code execution!
Master Lock combination padlocks have been known to be vulnerable to an attack that reduces their 64,000 possible combinations down to 100. I've devised a new attack for cracking any Master combo lock that simplifies the process and reduces the amount of work down to only 8 combinations.
Hi everyone! Last time we explained what roles Ebp and Esp registers have. We first introduced function's stack frame building, return address and calling conventions, but left some of the concepts floating without a full stop.
Hi everyone! After messing around a little bit with IDA and Hopper disassemblers and briefly introducing you to memory, registers and Assembly, we are going to understand what happens when a process is running, which variables join the play and especially what happens when a function is called and why is this procedure-logic so interesting and useful along with the concept of stack.
After several weeks of testing out the public beta, Apple has finally released iOS 8.3 to the general public. The latest iteration of iOS for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch serves mostly as an update to fix many of the bugs that plagued earlier versions, but there are still a couple of awesome new features included in the new build.
After utilizing Spotify's My Year in Music tool, I came to realize that I listened to over 30,000 minutes of music in 2014. Most of that was played while working from my Mac using the desktop version of the service.
When the Chromecast first came out about a year ago, developers were quick to find a way to root the streaming device. Google was almost as fast, however, in updating the Chromecast's firmware to close the loophole that this method used.
There are many different reasons that you might want to revert your Samsung Galaxy S5 back to stock. The main one would probably be that you need to return your device to the manufacturer for warranty purposes. And if you've used root to modify system-level files and components, you'll need to undo those changes before you send the phone back.
At the core of your Galaxy S5's hardware lies the central processing unit, or CPU for short. Practically every piece of data, every binary bit, has to pass through your CPU before it can be used to display a video or execute a game command.
Biting into a perfectly ripened piece of fruit is enough to convince you to give up baked goods and plant your own garden. The combination of flavor, juice, and sweetness in a ripe mango, apple, plum, or berry is the stuff of life itself.
Back in the day when computers relied on CRT monitors, having a static image displayed for too long actually resulted in the image being burned into the screen. For this reason, screensavers were developed, which display animated images in constant motion to prevent burning in when you stepped away from your computer.
Let's be real, browser histories are virtually useless. Trying to find something you passed up a week ago is like, pardon the cliché, finding a needle in a haystack.
Google is widely renowned for its mastery in using data to tailor specific search results and ads. Their Android and iOS search apps put this ability to use in finding the most relevant pages for your query, and their desktop site is the most-used search engine on the web as a result of it.
It's time to trip out with your tablet. If you're not looking to drain that precious battery life with a fancy-looking live wallpaper, then apply an optical illusion that appears to be moving on your Nexus 7 (or any other Android device) instead.
In a much-hated move, Flappy Bird developer Dong Nguyen removed his incredibly popular, yet extremely frustrating app from both Google Play and the iOS App Store. The jury is still out on the exact reason behind the move, though we can rule out pressure from Nintendo, but one thing is for sure—Flappy Bird has fallen for good.
Fresh off the heels of their latest agreement, Google and Samsung may soon be further aligned in their mobile technology outlook. The two tech giants signed a cross-licensing patent agreement, but that doesn't mean that Samsung was just going to start putting out stock Android devices. Quite the opposite really, as we saw from leaks of its new Magazine UX. The new user interface was shown during Samsung's presentation of it's latest Galaxy tablet at this years CES, and as reported to Re/code,...
The space on your phone is extremely valuable, so getting the most out of your screen real estate can help you out when multitasking or for just making your device feel bigger. One thing that is often overlooked when it comes to saving space on the screen is the keyboard.
If I were a math major, I'd probably be rolling in dough somewhere in Silicon Valley right now, but since multiplying numbers and figuring out tangents gives me panic attacks, I went the English route... pays much better.
Although mowing is key to keeping your lawn healthy and good looking, it isn't anything worth jumping up and down for when it comes time to doing it. As it turned out, the first time I mowed my lawn wasn't nearly as fun or exciting as Hank Hill made it out to be. Maybe it was the beer.
Welcome back, my greenhorn hackers. When Wi-Fi was first developed in the late 1990s, Wired Equivalent Privacy was created to give wireless communications confidentiality. WEP, as it became known, proved terribly flawed and easily cracked. You can read more about that in my beginner's guide to hacking Wi-Fi.
A few weeks ago, Bluebox Security uncovered a bug that could potentially effect 99% of Android devices. Bug 8219321, dubbed the Master Key bug, works by allowing applications with modified code to pass Android's signature verification system, thereby bypassing security measures that normally wouldn't allow these apps to be installed.
I've never understood gift cards. Aside from being severely restricted as to where you can use them, they're also a strange gift, especially if you don't shop at that particular store. Some even have expiration dates and service fees.
Who am I? First let me introduce myself. I am Th3skYf0x, an -well lets call it
Approximately 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year. That’s more than 1,200 bags per U.S. resident and more than 54 times the number of people who live on the planet. That's why here in Santa Monica, thanks to a city-wide plastic bag ban, you won't find a plastic bag at any of the major retail stores.
Ready to start rooting your Samsung Galaxy S4? For those of you with the GT-i9500 model GS4, this quick video will walk you through the entire rooting process using Odin and CWM.
Food can smell great before, during, and after cooking. A pot of stew simmering away on the stove will tantalize you all afternoon, and there's nothing better than the smell of fresh-baked cookies lingering in the house for hours.
UPDATE (February 26, 2014) Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1123 with a 295-114 vote decision. The ruling repeals the 2012 Library of Congress (LOC) decision that limited the ability to legally "unlock" your smartphone (see below).
Earlier today, a meteorite flew over the Chelyabinsk region of Russia, triggering a shock wave that injured hundreds of people and caused damage to buildings and vehicles in the area. Witnesses describe seeing a bright ball of light streak through the sky followed by a loud boom as the 10-ton meteorite entered the Earth's atmosphere and exploded.
In the Harry Potter world, there was a character by the name of Beedle the Bard, who told a story about witnessing the three Peverell brothers building a bridge out of magic and successfully crossing a very dangerous river that had claimed many lives.
Welcome back my fellow hackers! In my last few articles, I've concentrated on what is called a listener, which is basically the same thing as backdoor and rootkit, only "listener" sounds much less malevolent than the other two terms.
The stock music player on the iPhone hasn't changed much since its inception. Sure, with the recent iOS 6 update the design became sleeker, but it's not really what you'd expect from a top of the line smartphone. And when I say "MEH," it isn't directed towards the Kendrick Lamar album (which is awesome). It's the layout of the application, the lack of gesture control, and the sometimes tedious job of shuffling through certain albums and artists.
The Geminid meteor shower happens every December and has been observed for over 500 years. It's is also known as Winter's Fireworks because when viewed from the right location, there are enough meteors to light up the whole night sky, and some of them can even be different colors. The shower appears to come from the Gemini constellation, but is actually caused by Earth passing through the tail of dust and debris left behind by the comet 3200 Phaethon.
Over the past few years, indie game developers have gathered together to release their products in the widely popular Humble Indie Bundle, a collection that gamers can purchase for whatever price they want. It's a win-win for both. Developers get more exposure for their games, and customers get tons of games for whatever they could afford. Heck, charities even get a little piece of the pie.
Want to take vibrant photographs like this one? You won't find this filter in Instagram, and that's because it's a little more difficult than just slapping a digital filter on a solo photo. The extra RGB colors are created using a special strip device called the Harris shutter, invented by Robert Harris of Kodak.
If you don’t have any little children to blame for an inadvertent or misguided app, book, or music purchase from Apple, you might still have a fighting chance. Apple has a very strict return policy, specifically stating that all sales and rentals of products are final for purchases made in the iTunes Store, Mac App Store, App Store, and iBookstore. But if you play it carefully and do a little digging, a return and full refund may still be possible.
So, this idea was born from a necessity to save. My household uses tissues a lot. I have two small kids, so they are extremely useful. The problem with tissues is that they seem to disappear in no time. So, whenever we ran out in-between shopping visits, my family would just use toilet paper.
The next mobile operating system for the iPhone, iOS 6, will be available in fall 2012. The major details and features were released 2 weeks ago a Apple's World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC). While the goal of these yearly OS updates is to move forward with technology, there are a couple of this to watch for. Keep reading to see the good and the not so good. Do Not Disturb
Are your knives starting to look a little dull? This how to video demonstrates the proper way to use a sharpening steel to sharpen all your knives. If 15 or 20 passes over the steel doesn't work, it means you need to get your knife ground. Steels don't wear out! Unless perhaps you work in a commercial kitchen.
I must admit, upon learning that the NFL was broadcasting the contest between the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears on CBS, Amazon Prime Video, and Nickelodeon, the latter was the only option I wanted, purely for the novelty of the experience.