Phone hacking can extend beyond voice mail
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- The phone hacking tactics that brought down the News of the World tabloid were low tech
- The reporters were believed to have tricked customer service people into providing info
- Security experts say the growth of smartphones will lead to more sophisticated breaches
- Many companies offer mobile security software to help protect against malware on phones
(CNN) -- While the phone hacking by British tabloid News of the World was unexceptional by technical standards, security experts say the scandal portends how the growth of smartphones will lead to more sophisticated breaches.
The tactics that tabloid reporters used to eavesdrop on high-profile British targets -- and eventually led News Corp. to announce Thursday it is killing the 167-year-old publication -- were remarkably low tech.
Former News of the World staffers say that reporters employed tricks to access voice-mail inboxes and procure a great deal of information from British celebrities and the royal family. Experts say that to obtain the PIN codes needed to access those accounts, the reporters used an illegal method known as pretexting.
This tactic involves calling, say, a customer-service representative for a cell-phone operator and impersonating someone to get details about that person's account. In many places, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, such practices are now prohibited.
Pretexting used to be a vital tool for freelance investigators, said Frank Ahearn, a former detective who does consulting on how to avoid detection, in an interview with CNN last year. "I could still do it, but I just don't, because it's illegal now," he said.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/07/08/phone.hacking/index.html
Rumor: Apple working on 'iPad HD'
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- Rumor: Apple is said to be working on an iPad with an HD screen
- Tech blog This Is My Next cites unnamed sources in its report
- iPad HD reportedly would target video editors and photographers
(CNN) -- Tech blogs are never short on Apple rumors.
Here's the latest: The company reportedly is working on a new iPad, due out later this year, that will have a higher-resolution screen.
Dubbed the "iPad HD" by a blog called This Is My Next, which is run by former editors from the respected tech site Engadget, the new iPad is said to be a "pro" device that could be used for high-end video editing and photography.
"Think MacBook and MacBook Pro," writes Joshua Topolsky, referring to Apple's lines of laptops.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/07/08/apple.ipad.rumor/index.html
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