Daily Archives: October 18, 2019

The Samsung Galaxy S10’s Fingerprint Lock works for everyone if you put a piece of transparent plastic on the sensor

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It was recently discovered that the Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10+ have a major security flaw that makes it easy to bypass their fingerprint locks. On a scale of “one” to “not good,” we are definitely towards the right on this one.

To be fair, fingerprint sensors and other biometric security features aren’t ironclad; hackers can successfully get around these kinds of security measures, albeit with a fair amount of work. However, the Galaxy S10’s fingerprint sensor can be fooled with the simple addition of a screen protector or phone case made of silicone, tempered glass, or plastic. The interference from the protective material is apparently enough to confuse the sensor so anyone’s finger tap can unlock the phone. (Ugh.)

Source: The Samsung Galaxy S10’s Fingerprint Lock Isn’t Very Safe Anymore

Germany’s cyber-security agency recommends Firefox as most secure browser

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Firefox is the only browser that received top marks in a recent audit carried out by Germany’s cyber-security agency — the German Federal Office for Information Security (or the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik — BSI).

The BSI tested Mozilla Firefox 68 (ESR), Google Chrome 76, Microsoft Internet Explorer 11, and Microsoft Edge 44. The tests did not include other browsers like Safari, Brave, Opera, or Vivaldi.

The audit was carried out using rules detailed in a guideline for “modern secure browsers” that the BSI published last month, in September 2019.

The BSI normally uses this guide to advise government agencies and companies from the private sector on what browsers are safe to use.

The German cyber-security agency published a first secure browser guideline in 2017, but reviewed and updated the specification over the summer.

The BSI updated its guide to account for improved security measures added to modern browsers, such as HSTS, SRI, CSP 2.0, telemetry handling, and improved certificate handling mechanisms.

Source: Germany’s cyber-security agency recommends Firefox as most secure browser | ZDNet

DoNotPay app waits on hold for you, cancels subscriptions, helps you out of parking tickets

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DoNotPay helps you get out of parking tickets and cancel forgotten subscriptions, and now it can call you when it’s your turn in a customer service phone queue. The app today is launching “Skip Waiting On Hold.” Just type in the company you need to talk to, and DoNotPay calls for you using tricks to get a human on the line quickly. Then it calls you back and connects you to the agent so you never have to listen to that annoying hold music.

And in case the company tries to jerk you around or screw you over, the DoNotPay app lets you instantly share to social media a legal recording of the call to shame them.

How To Get Off hold

Skip Waiting On Hold comes as part of the $3 per month DoNotPay suite of services designed to save people time and money by battling bureaucracy on their behalf. It can handle DMV paperwork for you, write legal letters to scare businesses out of overcharging you and it provides a credit card that automatically cancels subscriptions when your free trial ends.

“I think the world would be a lot fairer place if people had someone fighting for them” says DoNotPay’s 22-year-old founder Joshua Browder. Indeed; $3 per month gets the iOS app‘s 10,000 customers unlimited access to all the features with no extra fees or commissions on money saved. “If DoNotPay takes a commission then we have an incentive to perpetuate the problems we are fighting against.”

[…]

he full list of DoNotPay services includes:

  1. Customer service disputes where it contacts companies about refunds for Comcast bills, delayed flights, etc.
  2. The free trial credit card that auto-cancels subscriptions before you’re actually charged
  3. Traffic and parking appeals where it generates a letter for you based on answers to questions, like if signs were too hard to read or there was a mistake on the ticket
  4. Hidden money discovery that finds refunds in your bank fees, identifies forgotten subscriptions, gets you free stuff on your birthday and more
  5. Government paperwork assistance that can help you get DMV appointments and fill out forms
  6. Skip Waiting On Hold

Source: This brilliant app waits on hold for you – TechCrunch