Top 5 Coolest New Tech!

Researchers have created Cyborg Cockroaches by hijacking the cockroach brain and nervous systems using advanced computer chips

Recently researchers from North Carolina State have tried a new method wherein a battery operated micro controller is connected into the nervous system of a live cockroach.  Scientists built up a small back pack weighing around 3 grams which contained battery operated computer chip which was attached to the back of a cockroach. Then the chip was connected to the brain in such a way that would control the leg movements of the cockroach. The entire system is wireless and the operator can control movements of the cockroach as per their will and wish and the poor insect will not have any say as its nervous system has been hijacked. In their study, researchers found they could make the cockroach move using sensible stimulation of one or both sides of the nerve bundle. Researchers have named this cyborg cockroach as  “remotely controlled hybrid robotic system.” The back pack though small is still an additional burden which can be tiresome for the live cockroaches.

Cockroaches have been used earlier for cyborg treatment, wherein their antennae were stimulated. It was seen that stimulating the antennae would just trick the cockroach to think there is some obstacle ahead and change its direction, however its complete nervous system is not under operator’s control.  It was seen that a direct stimulation to the nervous system gave far better results. This is not the first time that a cockroach has been used, scientists have previously attached “Kinetic” to the insect for steering its direction, also in some other study the cockroach was made to survive on its fluid. Cockroaches are small in size and the “robot cockroaches” can be  used to reach places which human or a robot cannot reach.

Cyborg cockroaches could someday rescue disaster survivors of the nuclear power plants or collapsed mines. By attaching micro cameras and micro phones the rescuers can even communicate with the survivors who are  trapped beneath the debris. Having said that there are chances that these Cyborg cockroaches might also be used for eavesdropping, so be careful of such an insect if you are engaged in some important discussion!! However as of now researchers have converted the pest into most useful robot.

Lenovo Rapped for Preinstalling Spyware

Lenovo on Thursday came under fire for preinstalling spyware on some of its laptops.

The software, Superfish, uses the same techniques cybercriminals often employ to crack encrypted traffic from computers to the Internet.

"Superfish is purposely designed to bypass the security of HTTPS websites in a manner that would allow malware and attackers to also bypass the security provided by HTTPS," said Adam Ely, cofounder of Bluebox.

"Users are inherently at risk of being directed to malicious sites that appear valid," he told TechNewsWorld, "making it much easier for attackers to steal information and further infect computers with malware."

However, security concerns raised by malware fighters are misplaced, Lenovo insisted.

"We have thoroughly investigated this technology and do not find any evidence to substantiate security concerns," the company said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by spokesperson Brion Tingler.

No Tracking Involved

Superfish was installed on some consumer notebooks from September to December of last year to help customers potentially discover interesting products while shopping, Lenovo explained.

After receiving negative customer feedback, the company in January disabled the software on all Lenovo machines and stopped preloading it on new laptops.

"We will not preload this software in the future," the company said.

Although it has been reported that Superfish monitors user behavior, Lenovo refuted that claim.

"To be clear," it said in its statement, "Superfish technology is purely based on contextual/image and not behavioral. It does not profile nor monitor user behavior," the company maintained.

"It does not record user information. It does not know who the user is. Users are not tracked nor re-targeted. Every session is independent. Users are given a choice whether or not to use the product," Lenovo added.

Further, "the relationship with Superfish is not financially significant; our goal was to enhance the experience for users," the company said. "We recognize that the software did not meet that goal and have acted quickly and decisively."

Copycatting Bank Robbers

Preloading software that has more to do with marketing than utlilty is a common practice in the PC world, but what makes Superfish so disturbing to many in the security community is the program's disregard for SSL security. SSL is used to encrypt communication between computers and websites.

"Superfish allows every bit of communication with your bank, your email provider, or your healthcare provider to be inspected," said Kevin Bocek, vice president for security strategy and threat intelligence at Venafi.

"It uses the exact same technique that cybercriminals use for bank account takeovers," he told TechNewsWorld.

When SSL is used to encrypt a data stream from a device, a digital certificate is used to do it. Superfish circumvents that process by substituting its own certificates for the legitimate ones.

Communication isn't the only thing compromised by Superfish, noted Pavel Krcma, CTO of Sticky Password.

"It allows anything to be injected into the data stream from your computer," he told TechNewsWorld. "It can install a backdoor to your computer."

SSL Stymies Adware

Superfish can be removed from a computer through Windows uninstall, but that won't plug all security holes created by the program, Lenovo explained in one of its forums.

"If you uninstall the software, it doesn't remove the certificate created by it," Venafi's Bocek said. "That allows hackers to create malicious websites that will be trusted by those Lenovo computers."

As more and more websites start using SSL, advertisers will be looking at ways around it.

"Adware thrives on being able to monitor a user's activity when they visit websites," Bocek explained. "If I can't look inside that traffic because it's encrypted, that's a problem."

Just how pernicious Superfish is may lie in the eye of the beholder.

"When it comes to Superfish as an adware provider, they are not one of the biggest and most offensive companies out there," said Pat Belcher, director of security analytics at Invincea.

"They have a slick interface that allows for object-based searching based on photographs," he told TechNewsWorld, "and while they may collect personal information about you for eventual advertising purposes, there are lots of companies out there that do that and much, much, much worse.

Sony New Technology MUST WATCH

BMW fixes software glitch that exposed 2.2 million cars to theft

BERLIN: German automaker BMW says it has fixed a security flaw that made 2.2 million of its vehicles vulnerable to break-ins.

The company says the problem affected BMW, Mini and Rolls Royce models equipped with its ConnectedDrive technology, which allows drivers to access certain car functions with a smartphone.

German automobile club ADAC, which discovered the flaw last summer, says hackers could have used a fake cellphone base station to intercept network traffic from the car and lower the windows or open the doors. There are no reports such a break-in ever took place.

BMW spokeswoman Silke Brigl said today that hackers wouldn't have been able to start or stop the engine. Brigl said the problem has been fixed with an automatic update and customers don't need to take any action.