Hackers hook the Nexus 4 onto AT&T’s LTE network in limited markets

LTE on the Nexus 4 — it’s not just for Canadians anymore. Android Police points out the some members of the XDA-Developers forum have been able to use AT&T’s (T) LTE network on their Nexus 4 smartphones, but only in limited markets. The reason, as Android Police explains, is that the Nexus 4′s radio can pick up frequencies on the AWS band that spans from 1710 to 1755 MHz on the uplink and from 2110 to 2155 MHz on the downlink. But while AT&T uses this band for LTE services in some markets, it mostly deploys LTE on the 700MHz band that has significantly better propagation than the AWS band. All that said, Android Police notes that if you own a Nexus 4 and live in Phoenix, Raleigh, San Juan, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Chicago or Charlotte, you might want to see if you can pick up on AT&T’s LTE services, since the carrier owns the rights to AWS spectrum in those markets.

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Cyber attacks on Gulf infrastructure seen rising

DUBAI (Reuters) - The former chief of the United Arab Emirates' air force said his country's advanced cyber infrastructure made it a favorite target for hackers, especially when tension heightened in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "The last war in Gaza led to a barrage of cyber attacks because UAE has advanced telecommunications infrastructure," retired Major General Khaled al-Buainnain said. "The biggest attack was during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war which was carried out by pro-Israeli hackers who did not understand the nature of the conflict and its parties." His comments came a few months after a virus infected 30,000 computers at Saudi Arabia's national oil company, Saudi Aramco, which said on Sunday the attack was aimed at stopping oil and gas production at the world's biggest oil exporter. The attack failed to disrupt production, but was one of the most destructive cyber strikes against a single business. Cyber attacks on infrastructure by hostile governments, militant groups or private "hacktivists" have the potential to disrupt oil and gas supplies to power plants and desalination plants, on which the Gulf states are heavily reliant. "There is an interest at the political level in cyber security which has prompted investments in protection systems to protect the interest of the people, the government and national security," Buainnain said, speaking on the sidelines of a cyber security conference in Dubai. "All the evidence that we have confirms that the attacks will increase," said Robert Eastman, vice president for global solutions at Lockheed Martin. Eastman said Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon's top supplier, was in discussions with officials in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates about the company's training and vulnerability analysis systems. A company official estimated last month that 5 to 8 percent of Lockheed's revenues in the information systems sector were related to cyber security. Lockheed generated $9.4 billion sales in that division in 2011. CYBER RISKS "All companies have to prepare response plans," said Hervi Meurie, general manager of C4 Advanced Solutions LLC, an Abu Dhabi-based technology and security firm. "What happens if the electricity network gets hit by a virus and goes down for three days?" Iran, the target of international economic sanctions focused on its oil industry over its disputed nuclear program, has been hit by several cyber attacks in the last few years. In April, a virus targeted Iranian oil ministry and national oil company networks, forcing Iran to disconnect the control systems of oil facilities including Kharg Island, which handles most of the country's crude exports. Iran has blamed some of the attacks on the United States, Israel and Britain; current and former U.S. officials told Reuters this year that the United States built the complex Stuxnet computer worm to try to prevent Tehran from completing suspected nuclear weapons work. Buainnain said he believed Iran would remain the target of cyber attacks rather than a source for them. "I don't think Iran poses any threat," he said. "I think their activity is less aggressive and more focused on intelligence gathering, they are in fact subject to cyber attacks because of the nuclear program." He said the UAE was in the process of creating a government body that will be responsible for handling cyber threats, adding that the National Electronic Security Authority was expected to be officially launched within the next few months. While it is standard industry practice to shield plant operating networks from hackers by running them on separate systems, these have not been enough to fend off cyber attacks. Qatar's natural gas firm Rasgas was hit by a cyber attack in September, although it has not said how much damage was caused or whether it was the same virus that hit Aramco. Theodore Karasik, director of research at the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis which organized the conference, said governments and companies must stay on high alert. "You're always in catch-up mode because the bad guys can out-think the good guys faster," he said. "The Gulf states need to stay as far ahead as possible given their enemies who may be more technically savvy."

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Android 4.2′s built-in antivirus software only detects 15% of malware

The latest version of the Android operating system has been called one of the most bug-ridden releases since Honeycomb, although it has also been recognized as the safest version yet. With Android 4.2, Google (GOOG) integrated a unique and high-powered security feature into the platform that scans for malicious or potentially harmful codes in apps that are loaded onto a user’s device. According to a study conducted by researchers at NC State University, however, the company’s malware protector was found to be less than satisfactory. Google’s app verification service was found to identify malicious apps only 15.32% of the time, compared to various anti-virus programs that varied from 51% to 100% accuracy. The experiment used 1,260 samples of malware, to which the built-in feature in Android 4.2 only detected 193 of them. “By introducing this new app verification service in Android 4.2, Google has shown its commitment to continuously improve security on Android,” Xuxian Jiang, an associate professor of computer science at NC State University, said. “Based on our evaluation results, we feel this service is still nascent and there exists room for improvement.” It should be the noted that in real world situations a majority of users will not experience malware, which is generally found in pirated software.

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Russia backs down on proposals to regulate the Internet

DUBAI (Reuters) - A Russia-led coalition on Monday withdrew a proposal to give governments new powers over the Internet, a plan opposed by Western countries in talks on a new global telecom treaty. Negotiations on the treaty mark the most sustained effort so far by governments from around the world to agree on how - or whether - to regulate cyberspace. The United States, Europe, Canada and other advocates of a hands-off approach to Internet regulation want to limit the new treaty's scope to telecom companies. But Russia, China and many Arab states, which want greater governmental control, have been pushing to expand the treaty beyond traditional telecom operators. Representatives from about 150 countries - members of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) - have been negotiating for the past eight days in Dubai on the new treaty, which was last revised in 1988, before the advent of the World Wide Web. The Russia-led proposal could have allowed countries to block some Internet locations and take control of the allocation of Internet addresses currently overseen by ICANN, a self-governing organization under contract to the U.S. Department of Commerce. An ITU spokesman said this plan had now been scrapped. "It looks like the Russians and Chinese overplayed their hand," said American cyber security expert Jim Lewis of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. U.S. ambassador Terry Kramer welcomed the decision to withdraw the Russia-led plan. But he also said: "These issues will continue to be on the table for discussion in other forms during the remainder of the conference." China, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates had co-signed the aborted proposal. The UAE insisted the document had not been withdrawn. "It may come down to the wire," said a Western delegate on condition of anonymity. "There are a lot of other (similar) proposals so I don't think this represents a substantial conclusion and could be just maneuvering." The ITU usually takes decisions by consensus, but the intransigence of both sides means it could come to a vote in which the United States and its allies might be in the minority. The United States' position is that the Internet has flourished with minimal state interference. It wants this to continue, arguing that many of the proposed treaty changes could allow governments to stifle free speech, reduce online anonymity and censor Internet content. Russia and its allies have insisted they need new powers to fight cyber crime and protect networks. Countries can opt out of parts of the revised treaty when it is finalized or even refuse to sign it The talks are due to end on Friday.

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Editorial: If Barrett Brown's Guilty, Then So Am I

Dallas writer Barrett Brown, who was involved with the "hacktivist" movement Anonymous until earlier this year, was indicted last Tuesday (Dec. 4) on 12 counts related to possession of stolen credit-card numbers. The indictment alleges that Brown possessed at least 10 stolen credit-card numbers and card-verification values (CVVs), and also shared a link to a document that contained thousands more stolen credit-card numbers. He faces 45 years in prison if convicted on all counts. However, the indictment does not allege that Brown himself stole the credit-card numbers or that he profited from having them. It states that merely possessing the numbers shows "intent to defraud." What Brown actually did was post a link to a "data dump" of stolen information, including credit-card numbers, on his own Internet Relay Chat forum. He also had one or more text files containing about 10 stolen credit-card numbers on his own computer. If that's the case, then dozens of technology journalists, including possibly this writer, as well hundreds of technology researchers, might be considered just as guilty as Brown. Many online news reports include links to websites where politically motivated hackers post their manifestos, and those manifestos in turn often contain links to file-sharing sites that house stolen data. Are journalists who post those links trafficking in stolen goods? Because of those manifestos, data dumps themselves are easy to find, copy and analyze. To security researchers, they provide a good look at how bad digital security can be. To journalists who cover digital security, they are primary sources for news stories. Are researchers and journalist who possess copies of the data dumps guilty of "intent to defraud," even if they never plan to use the information for ill-gotten gain? The Stratfor connection Last week's indictment stems from the December 2011 hack into servers belonging to Stratfor Global Intelligence (formerly Strategic Forecasting, Inc.), an Austin, Texas, firm that consults corporations and government agencies on geopolitical matters. Hackers working with the Anonymous offshoot AntiSec (which included a government informant) broke into Stratfor's servers looking for evidence to support their suspicions that the firm was operating as a private spy agency. AntiSec copied everything it could access in Stratfor's servers and posted the information online. There was a lot of it — approximately 860,000 email addresses and encrypted passwords, 68,000 unencrypted credit-card numbers and 50,000 telephone numbers, most of them belonging to subscribers of Stratfor's email newsletter. But the real find was 5 million internal company emails, which Wikileaks later posted online, again as part of an attempt to prove that Stratfor was deeply involved with secret governmental and corporate skullduggery. (Disclosure: This writer subscribed to Stratfor's emailed newsletter for several years and still finds the company's analyses informed and insightful.) "Stratfor was not breached in order to obtain customer credit-card numbers, which the hackers in question could not have expected to be as easily obtainable as they were," Brown wrote in an online posting after the breach was revealed. (Stratfor had unwisely stored the card numbers in plain text.) "Rather, the operation was pursued in order to obtain the 2.7 million e-mails that exist on the firm's servers." The AntiSec hackers said at the time that they used some of the stolen credit-card data to make donations to the Red Cross, Save the Children, WikiLeaks and other charities. That was never fully confirmed, but some people on the Stratfor email list were tricked into seeing Rick Astley videos. Brown is not accused of taking part in the Stratfor hack. By his own admission, he's not technically skilled. But he did learn of it before it was publicly disclosed, and sent out tweets promising that something big was about to be revealed. Once AntiSec made the data breach public on Christmas Day 2011, Brown, as he had done before, became the public face of Anonymous, explaining the group's methods and motivations to the media without claiming to be part of it. [5 Steps to Better Credit-Card Security] The alleged crimes "On or about December 25, 2011," last week's indictment states, "defendant Barrett Lancaster Brown … did knowingly traffic in more than five authentication features knowing that such features were stolen and produced without lawful authority." Specifically, "Brown transferred the hyperlink 'http://wikisend.com/download/597646/stratfor_full_b.txt.gz' from the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel called '#AnonOps' to an IRC channel under Brown's control called '#ProjectPM.' "Said hyperlink provided access to data stolen from the company Stratfor Global Intelligence, to include in excess of 5,000 credit card account numbers, the card holders' identification information, and the authentication features for the credit cards known as the Card Verification Values (CVV), and by transferring and posting the hyperlink, Brown caused the data to be made available to other persons without the knowledge and authorization of Stratfor Global Intelligence and the card holders." For this, Brown was indicted on one count of trafficking in stolen authentication features. According to the press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas, the count carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Brown is also alleged to have possessed "at least 15 ... unauthorized access devices," i.e., "stolen credit card account numbers" and CVVs. According to the indictment, that constitutes access device fraud, which could bring 10 years in prison. Brown was also indicted on 10 separate counts of aggravated identity theft, each of which carries a mandatory two-year sentence and a possible $250,000 fine. The identity-theft charges stem from the allegation that Brown "knowingly transferred and possessed without lawful authority the means of identification" of 10 separate individuals identified in the indictment only by their initials and cities of residence. Brown allegedly possessed those 10 individuals' names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, Stratfor usernames, credit-card numbers and CVVs — just as would anyone else who had downloaded and examined the data dumps that were posted online. Pressure to talk? To someone versed in digital security, the government's case against Brown sounds weak. But to the average American juror, the indictment could make it sound like Brown's a master cybercriminal, the equivalent of the Russian crooks who steal millions from American bank accounts every year. The U.S. government seems to be cracking down on nuisances like Brown just as ardently as it does on online organized crime. Prosecutors may be exploiting the general public's lack of understanding of digital security in order to bring charges for trivial or non-existent offenses. The technology is ahead of the law by a generation or two, and there's no easy way to fix that problem. Just last month, "gray hat" hacker Andrew "Weev" Auernheimer was convicted of conspiracy to hack into a computer and of personal-information fraud, even though all he did was show a reporter data that a friend had collected from a publicly accessible website. Brown never tried to sell the information he had, which might have netted him a few dollars in underground criminal bazaars. Auernheimer's information, a collection of email addresses, might have been of interest to spammers or online marketers, but he made no attempt to sell it either. Perhaps the government feels emboldened by the Auernheimer conviction. Perhaps prosecutors plan to use Brown's indictment to pressure him into giving up what he knows about Anonymous. (Brown has been jailed since September for allegedly threatening an FBI agent.) What is clear is that federal prosecutors seem to be stretching the definition of digital-information crimes to include a wide range of activities that would, in the physical world, be considered lawful. In the real world, it's not a criminal offense to know a stranger's name, address or license-plate number. It's not a crime to find and pick up a credit card that someone else dropped in the street. In the physical world, you don't actually commit a crime until you take action by stealing the stranger's car, breaking into his house or using his credit card. But according to Barrett Brown's indictment, merely knowing the digital equivalents of these items is enough to send you to prison for 45 years.

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Serena Williams named WTA Player of the Year

LONDON (Reuters) - American Serena Williams has been named WTA Player of the Year after one of the most successful seasons in her career. The 31-year-old won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open to take her grand-slam haul in singles to 15 while she also won Olympic gold in singles and doubles in London. After a relatively slow start to the year, Williams was virtually unstoppable from April to October when she won 48 of her 50 matches, culminating in the title at the WTA Championships in Istanbul. Williams, who ended the year No.3 in the rankings but clearly the outstanding player, has now won the WTA award four times, having also taken it in 2002, 2008 and 2009. The award is voted for by international tennis media.

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After winning Wimbledon, US Open, Olympic gold, Serena Williams named WTA's Player of the Year

LONDON - Serena Williams has been named the WTA's Player of the Year after winning major titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and claiming gold at the London Olympics. Williams, who has won 15 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals, was 48-2 over the final seven months of the season. It is the fourth time Williams has won the award, which is voted on by international tennis media. She also was named Player of the Year in 2002, 2008 and 2009. Only Steffi Graf (eight times) and Martina Navratilova (seven times) have won the award more than Williams.

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Broach Sports Tours Announces 2013 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Tours

It's the perfect year to go as this year's Westminster Dog Show expands to include more breeds and more dogs than ever. Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) November 30, 2012 Broach Sports Tours is pleased to announce travel packages to the 2013 Westminster Kennel Club dog show. The two-day event, considered the Super Bowl of dog shows, is scheduled for Feb. 11-12, 2013 in New York City. This year’s Westminster Dog Show has expanded to be the biggest show ever, with more breed judging and more dogs. There’s another first: breed judging and benching will now take place during the afternoon at Piers 92/94 on the Upper West Side, then Best In Show judging will be held at night at Madison Square Garden, as in the past. “This promises to be the best Westminster Dog Show ever,” Broach Sports Tours president Tom Broach said. “It is a spectacle that every dog lover should experience at least once in his or her lifetime. The night session at Madison Square Garden is always the premier session, but dog lovers can actually get closer to the dogs during the afternoon sessions or even by visiting the hotel where the dogs are kept in the morning.” The package includes tickets for both days and both venues, transportation to all shows, three nights hotel accommodations at either the Marriott Marquis in Times Square or the Wingate by Wyndham across from Madison Square Garden, Westminster Kennel Club program, guided New York City tour, and a Broach Sports Tours host. Prices start as low as $749 per person double occupancy, with options to upgrade to premier seating and add nights or other events such as Broadway plays or NBA games. Broach Sports Tours, located in Charlotte, has been a leader in the sports and group travel industry since 1995. It specializes in Major League Baseball tours, tennis tours to all four Grand Slam tournaments, and golf travel packages which include the Masters, U.S. Open and Ryder Cup. Broach Sports Tours prides itself in repeat business. For more information, contact Melanie Hicks at 1-800-849-6345 or visit http://www.broachsportstours.com.

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Andy Murray Gets Our Vote for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, says Racquet Depot UK

Leading UK supplier of tennis equipment online, Racquet Depot UK, says first British man to win grand slam in more than 75 years deserves SPOTY title. (PRWEB UK) 1 December 2012 Racquet Depot UK, the online retailer for tennis racquets, equipment and accessories, says that US Open champion Andy Murray deserves to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award; but admits that the Scot faces stiff competition in a uniquely strong shortlist. Murray was nominated for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, after ending a 76 year wait for a male British Grand Slam champion, he also took singles gold at the London 2012 Olympic games; then hours later, claimed doubles silver in partnership with teenage sensation Laura Robson. The 25 year old from Glasgow, who also reached a tearful Wimbledon final, has already admitted that 2012 had been the very best year of his career so far. But if he is to end the year with one last sporting accolade, he will have to beat an unprecedented array of fellow Olympic heroes, sporting world number ones. Bradley Wiggins, who won Olympic time trial gold and became the first Britain to win the Tour de France, is currently installed as the favourite to land the SPOTY title. But the shortlist also features double Olympic gold medal winner, and ‘Mobot’ creator, Mo Farah. Fellow Olympic heroes Jessica Ennis, Chris Hoy, Nicola Adams, Katharine Grainger and Ben Aislie are joined on the list by Paralympians Ellie Simmonds, David Weir and Sarah Storey. Rounding off the list is golf’s World Number 1, Rory McIlroy, after the Irish youngster bagged the US PGA title, helped Europe win the Ryder Cup, and took home the season ending Tour Championship too. So Murray certainly has his work cut out for him to earn the best of the public vote, but the team at Racquet Depot UK are confident that he deserves the accolade. Paul White from Racquet Depot UK said: "Andy has enjoyed a phenomenal year of tennis success. We’d waited more than three quarters of a century for our very own Grand Slam champ and now thanks to his hard work, we’ve got one. "Of course, the Olympic Games was undoubtedly the sporting event of the year, but Murray excelled their too, adding to Team GB’s impressive gold medal haul with a fine win over Roger Federer. "It was a poetic moment, because it had been Federer that had beaten him just weeks earlier on that court for the Wimbledon title; and the passion that Murray showed in the aftermath melted many British hearts." The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award will be presented at a star studded event at the Excel Arena in London on 16 December. Until then Murray fans and tennis enthusiasts can pick up affordable tennis equipment and accessories from the Racquet Depot UK online store, and grab everything they need to emulate Murray’s success in the future.

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Tennis-Nadal eyes clay season for return to top form

MADRID, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal is aiming to be back to his best after injury in time for the claycourt season and the run-up to Roland Garros, the Spaniard said on Monday. The 26-year-old former world number one has slipped down to fourth in the ATP rankings and has not played since his shock second-round exit at Wimbledon in June. The Spaniard was diagnosed with a partial tear of the patella tendon and inflammation of the left knee, only returning to hitting balls on a practice court two weeks ago. "My recovery is going well and the doctors are pleased," Nadal told Spanish radio. "I have to look at my career with a five-year view. I considered having surgery, but the doctors have always preferred not to take risks with my treatment." The 11-times grand slam singles champion was pragmatic about his return to competition. "I would like to return in January," he said. "I don't expect to return and win the Australian Open, I have to be realistic. The results will not worry me in the first tournaments back. "I have to take into account my form after so long out. It wouldn't bother me if I slipped down to 15th in the world as long as inside I knew was able to continue. "I want to be 100 percent in time for Monte Carlo and the run-up to Roland Garros." Nadal won a record seventh French Open title in May.

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Hard-serving Milos Raonic leads Canadian tennis charge after strong 2012 season

TORONTO - The strong play of rising tennis star Milos Raonic has created a sense of optimism that the Canadian may soon crack the sport's highest tier in the men's singles game. He has also helped instill a sense of confidence that can be felt across the national program. Raonic built on his strong 2011 season this past year with two more ATP tournament victories. He has risen to No. 13 in the world rankings and is one of the top young stars on the circuit. Tennis Canada president Michael Downey said Raonic's impressive play has also given a boost to young Canadian players like Grand Slam junior champions Filip Peliwo and Eugenie Bouchard. "I think they look and they go, 'Why can't I do it?,' Downey said in a recent interview. "And both of them actually said that after they won Wimbledon. "They said Milos gives them a new sense of confidence that they might not have had before on that end." Peliwo reached the junior final at all four Grand Slams, winning at the All England Club and the U.S. Open. The 18-year-old from Vancouver rose to No. 1 on the ITF junior world rankings list last July — the first Canadian to do so — and will end the year in top spot. Like Raonic and Peliwo, Bouchard also came up through the national training centre in Montreal. The 18-year-old from Westmount, Que., became the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title when she took the 2012 girls' trophy at Wimbledon. She added the girls' doubles title a day later. "I think the system is better than we've ever had and they're getting great coaching," Downey said. "But when you get to that level, a lot of it is a belief that you belong and you can win." Fifth-ranked doubles player Daniel Nestor of Toronto enjoyed another stellar campaign. He won five men's doubles titles on the year to push his career total to 80. One of his victories came at the 2012 French Open, when he took the title with Max Mirnyi of Belarus. Their two-year run as partners will end in 2013 when Nestor will start playing with India's Mahesh Bhupathi. While Bouchard provided some highlight moments at the junior level, WTA veteran Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., returned to form after some injury-plagued seasons. Wozniak did not win a title this season but made a big jump to No. 43 in the women's singles rankings, a significantly higher position than any other Canadian. Raonic, who won tournaments at Chennai and San Jose this year, had several big moments in 2012. The Thornhill, Ont., player posted victories over Olympic champ Andy Murray of Britain and guided Canada to victory over South Africa in Davis Cup competition. Raonic also came achingly close to beating Roger Federer — falling in third-set tiebreakers on two occasions — and had a memorable marathon match with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France at the London Games. Raonic said the Federer match in Madrid last May — a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4) win for the Swiss star —really stands out when he looks back at the year. "Just in the sense that it gave me a lot motivation, a lot of belief, a lot of sense of what I need to do," Raonic said in a recent interview. "And it's a lot easier to learn from losing than it is from winning. "It was a hard one to lose but I felt like I took the most away from that one." Raonic's booming serve is a huge weapon and his overall skill-set continues to blossom. He still makes unforced errors at critical times but he's using a more aggressive style to dictate the style of play. "He's finding his range now," said Canadian Davis Cup team coach Martin Laurendeau. "He's putting more tactics behind his play other than cranking his serve. "So he's following up with some big forehands, he's also combining really well with the returns, followed with big forehands — especially his inside-out forehand — I think it's probably his best weapon besides the serve." Age is also in Raonic's corner. He turns 22 this month and has already soaked up precious experience on the biggest stages against top-flight opposition. "He's only going to get better," Laurendeau said. "You can't really fast-track ahead of the clock. Everyone has got a clock and the men's game is such now that you're getting into your best years between 25 and 30. So time is really a big factor here ... given the proper amount of time, he'll figure it out." Raonic will lead Canada against powerhouse Spain in a Davis Cup World Group first-round tie Feb. 1-3 in Vancouver. Nestor and world No. 125 Vasek Pospisil of Vancouver round out the team's core. That competition might just take the Raonic buzz to new heights. "He's got the confidence but he's not cocky, he knows he has to work really hard and we just have high aspirations for him," Downey said. "But it's going to get tougher because at the end of the day, he's more targeted. People are prepping more for Milos.

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