In Cyber Security, All Eyes on Car Hacking

A few hundred people crowded into an expansive ballroom in Las Vegas are laughing and clapping at a joke I don't get. That happens a lot here.

I'm at the Black Hat cyber security conference and a computer science minor has not prepared me for quips about lua script, femtocells or daughter boards. But that's not why I'm at this talk. And it's not why hundreds of cyber security researchers have planted themselves in seats and then stood by the dozens in the Mandalay Bay convention center.

We came because two guys are here to tell us how they hacked into a Jeep while it was on the highway, taking over the radio, speedometer, windshield wipers and transmission -- bringing the car to a crawl in traffic while the hapless driver panicked. Later, they said they took over the steering in reverse and braking at slow speeds. And they said they could've done it to thousands of other vehicles, and continuing research could lead to even more dangerous maneuvers.

Cyber security researchers Charlie Miller of Twitter and Chris Valasek of IO Interactive said they have been breaking into cars' electronic systems for years, but after the pair used a WIRED reporter as a guinea pig in a terrifying live test using new hacking techniques last month, the world took notice. They said they weren't physically wired into the vehicle and didn't need previous access to it to perform their hack -- they just needed the car's IP address and could potentially break in from miles away if they wanted.

In the simplest terms, Miller and Valasek said they were able to go in either over the car's WiFi or cellular connection, break into the car's entertainment and navigation system and, from there with a bit of clever work, slip into more critical systems, like the car's transmission.

In the talk Wednesday, the pair showed a slide with just the few lines of code that were exploited to eventually gain control over the Jeep.

"If you want to own 1.4 million vehicles, there's four lines of Python," Valasek joked. "We wanted it to be sexier, [but] that's it. Right there."

Valasek was referencing a recall announced late last month by Fiat Chrysler for 1.4 million vehicles "equipped with certain radios." The company said it was taking action against "remote manipulation" following the WIRED report. The pair's research has also brought about talk of new legislation to secure vehicles' electronic systems and a reported newly-filed class action lawsuit. Miller and Valasek said that after the recall, a manufacturer-provided update via USB stick and, more importantly, after a wireless carrier disabled a vulnerable link in its related network, they can no longer hack into the vehicles the same way.

In previous demonstrations in which Miller and Valasek connected their computers directly to a vehicle in order to take over the controls, some critics dismissed the vulnerabilities because the hackers still needed physical access.

"The difference this year is, a lot of the car companies [had said], 'Well if you had physical access, you could strap dynamite [to the vehicle] or slash the tires,'" Joshua Corman, CTO of the software management firm Sonatype, told Fusion's Tim Pool. "So what [Miller and Valasek] did with the more recent one is they shattered that excuse for good now."

So car hacking is forefront in the minds of cyber security researchers here and at other cyber security conventions nearby (several are timed to coincide in Las Vegas). Black Hat today will feature a second car hacking session and two, including a repeat of Miller and Valasek's, are planned for the popular, if more subversive conference DEFCON. That conference also plans to have a "car hacking village" for researchers to delve into vehicle vulnerabilities.

At B-Sides, a smaller conference here, Miller and Valasek's hack was subject of some controversy -- were the two actually doing good, or was it a dangerous cyber stunt that put drivers at risk?

Miller vigorously defended the work.

"Stunt hacking?" he said in a B-Sides panel in reaction to a question. "It worked, right? And you can't argue with that... Listen, like six months before this thing happened, on '60 Minutes' they did exactly the same thing with Lesley Stahl driving in a f***ing parking lot with cones and guess what happened? Nothing. Right? All the sudden you get out on the highway, people are like 'Oh, s***, that could've been me.'"

To a cheering crowd at Black Hat, Valasek added Wednesday, "Hackers did something. A physical change happened and it wasn't in the infosec [information security] community, it was in the real world."

"Remote compromises are capable, right? We don't have to prove this anymore... Just know that it's possible," he said. "This is an everybody issue."

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Apple Music's Next Big Challenge

Apple's foray into the world of music streaming is paying off. More than 11 million people having signed up for Apple Music just five weeks after its launch, according to data released today by the company.

Launching in 100 countries on June 30, Apple Music is available for iOS, watchOS, Mac and PCs. The company won't tap into the one billion strong Android market until sometime this fall, according to the latest release date posted on Apple's website.

Of those who have signed up so far, Apple said near 2 million are taking advantage of the family plan, which allows as many as six people to share an account.

The subscription numbers are a strong start for Apple but the company's next challenge will be to convert those 11 million subscribers and counting into paying customers after their free three month trial subscriptions end.

After the a user's trial period ends, a $9.99 per month subscription fee will apply for individual users, while a competitively priced family plan will cost $14.99 per month. If Apple were able to convert most of its existing user base into paying members, the company would already have half the number of paid members of Spotify, the current leader in music streaming.

When it comes to selling music streaming subscriptions, Spotify had something Apple doesn't have: a big head start.

The nearly 7-year-old company announced in June it reached 20 million paid subscribers to its streaming service with a total of 75 million active users. Paid subscriptions, which start at $9.99 per month, were up 100 percent from last year, according to company data released in June.

An estimated 41 million people paid for a streaming music subscription service in 2014, according to IFPI, a London-based recording industry trade group that represents more than 1,300 record labels.

Apple's huge advantage: With more than 800 million iTunes accounts, Apple Music has the opportunity to quickly amass a following, especially as more continue to upgrade their devices to iOS 8.4, the operating system refresh that includes the option to sign up for Apple Music

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'Paralyzed Bride's' Racy Photos Inspire #WhatMakesYouSexy

"This is for that 22-year-old single girl in a wheelchair at the bar."

The social media campaign #whatmakesmesexy was started with that girl in mind by Rachelle Chapman, a young woman who, in 2010, was injured at her bachelorette party and paralyzed.

Then Rachelle Friedman, Chapman married the man she was engaged to at the time of the accident and they now have a three-month-old baby girl names Kaylee. She also wrote a book called The Promise: A Tragic Accident, a Paralyzed Bride, and the Power of Love, Loyalty, and Friendship.

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She started posting her #whatmakesmesexy photos to Instagram in July and she said the response so far has been "overwhelmingly positive." She said the opinions of those who don't like the photos or who don't think they're appropriate don't really matter.

"I've received a lot of messages from people who specifically tells me this [the photos] helps them."

After her injury, "my body changed a lot." Chapman said she struggled with self confidence and sexuality.

"Sexuality is not all of who were are, but it is part of who we are," she said. The same goes for a relationship, she said. It's not all of it, but it is a part of it.

"I want to open up a conversation about disability and sexuality," she said. "Fewer than 10 percent of people have sated someone with a disability." Chapman said she thinks that's partially because of a general misconception that people with disabilities cannot have sex. "I have a healthy and intimate sex life," she said.

The hashtag #Whatmakesmesexy, Chapman said, is about finding the thing about yourself you love and posting it for the world to see. it's ok if that's not your body," she said. "It could be your confidence or your sense of humor, whatever you love about yourself."

Chapman insists she's "not trying to glamorize disability. I am fighting for a cure, I don't want to have a spinal cord injury," she said. "Some people see the wheelchair and they can't see past it. I'm exactly the same person when I get out of the wheelchair."

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Puerto Ricans Face Punishing Drought Amid Economic Slump

Puerto Ricans are learning to live without water on an island that already was suffering an economic crisis.

A severe drought is forcing businesses to temporarily close, public schools to cancel breakfast service and people to find creative ways to stay clean amid sweltering temperatures.

Rationing rules that had meant water coming through the pipes only one day out of three will increase the cutoff to one day out of four starting next week, government officials say.

"I've grown fearful of the weather report," said Cornelio Vegazo, owner of a roof-repair company. "There's no light at the end of the tunnel."

The drought is one of the worst in the U.S. territory's history. July was the fourth driest month in the capital of San Juan since 1898, the yearPuerto Rico became a possession of the United States. Only 1.60 inches (4 centimeters) of rain fell last month, and forecasters predict several more weeks and possibly months of dry conditions.

More than 20 percent of Puerto Rico is in extreme drought and an additional 45 percent is in a severe one, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center, which says 2.8 million people are affected.

The situation has grown so dire that Puerto Rico's water and sewer company announced Wednesday that it would spend about $200,000 over three months on a pilot project to use "cloud seeding" in hopes of creating rain clouds over three of the island's main reservoirs.

If Puerto Rico does not receive significant rainfall this week, tens of thousands of clients who depend on the Carraizo reservoir will get water only every fourth day starting next week, said Alberto Lazaro, executive director of the water and sewer company.

"We are doing everything within our reach to address the situation at the reservoirs," he said. "We will not stop looking for alternatives to deal with a situation that, without a doubt, is one of the island's biggest concerns."

Forecasters blame the lack of rain on El Nino, a warming of the tropical Pacific that affects global weather and has led to a quiet Atlantic hurricane season, which began in June and ends in November.

So far this year, it has rained as much as 12 inches (31 centimeters) less than usual in San Juan and as much as 20 inches (51 centimeters) less in some areas around the Carraizo reservoir, said Carlos Anselmi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack has declared 20 of the island's 78 municipalities as disaster zones, with farmers reporting an increase in crops shriveling and cattle dying.

The drought comes as Puerto Rico struggles in a nearly decade-long economic slump that has hit the government's coffers and led authorities to raise the sales tax, even on bottled water. Puerto Ricans also are grumbling about having to pay high water rates amid severe rationing measures.

"It's not fair," said Hector Linares, a car wash worker. But he is resigned. "You can't fight Puerto Rico's bureaucracy."

The government has set up water trucks throughout the San Juan metropolitan area and beyond, including one at a public housing complex in a working class community in Rio Piedras.

As the truck rumbles through the Gardens of Paradise complex, Alexander Cabrera says that one of his fellow residents there has taken to yelling: "The water is here! The water is here!"

"That's when everybody comes out running. They look like ants," Cabrera said.

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Multimasking Beauty Trend Takes Over Social Media

The latest trend to take the beauty world by storm is called multimasking -- and it has women from coast to coast mugging on social media to show the secret to a flawless face.

So what exactly is multimasking? It’s the practice of using different types of masks on different areas of the face, all at the same time.

The resulting patchwork effect may look strange, but experts including Dr. Julie Russak say multimasking makes sense.

“The skin on the T-zone where you have the highest concentration of oil glands is very different than the sensitive skin around the eyes. You cannot use the same product on different areas if you want to address those issues,” Russak, a dermatologist, said. “It's applying the right product to the right area on your face so it’s appropriate to all the patients. We all have different skins on different parts of our face. Multimasking is really for everybody."

Yahoo beauty editor-in-chief and celebrity makeup artist Bobbi Brown visited “Good Morning America” to give viewers useful tips about how they can make multi-masking part of their routine.

“It’s good to be able to do it yourself at home, and everyone has different skin,” Brown explained. “Some people have combination skin; sometimes we’re dry, sometimes we’re oily. So it’s good to be able to know what different things do.”

The benefit of multimasking is to target specific areas on the face that have different needs. Here is a breakdown of the masks and how they are most beneficial to your skin type:

For Oil: Green Tea Oil Mask (Light green, apply thick)

This mask keeps skin clear, eliminates shine and reduces acne.

Unclog Pores: Mud Mask (Gray)

This mask removes impurities and reduces blemishes.

For Brightening Skintone/Hyperpigmentation: Bright White Mask (White, apply thick)

This mask reduces dark spots, brightens complexion and is good for sun damage, acne, etc.

For Blackheads/Acne: Charcoal Mask (Gray)

This mask draws out impurities like a magnet.

For Detoxifying: Luminizing Black Mask (Black, apply thick)

This mask draws out dirt, is made with clay and is a great way to reboot the skin.

For Anti-Inflammatory/Hydrating: Blue Calming Mask (Blue, apply thick)

This mask calms skin, adds moisture and is good for sensitive skin or post-sun.

Beauty bloggers have jumped on board to camouflage their complexions.

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Lost Wedding Ring Returned 25 Years After Being Found in Minnesota Hospital's Sewer

It took more than 25 years, but a missing wedding ring has finally been found.

Linda Matti said the ring slipped off her husband's finger while he was a patient at Mayo ClinicMethodist Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, according to ABC affiliate KAAL-TV. Though she looked everywhere for it, they never found it.

Not long after the ring disappeared, plumber Dale Grobe found it when he unplugged the hospital's sewer main. It sat in the lost and found for six months but was never claimed, said Grobe.

Grobe took the ring home and his wife Kathie wore it for the next 25 years. About two weeks ago at a friend's party, Grobe's wife met a man whose parents had the same names as those inscribed on the gold band she wore.

They quickly realized he was the Matti's son and she returned the ring to him.

"I've thought about them and prayed for them, so it's great to know the ring is home again," Kathie Grobe told KAAL-TV.

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Teens Text While Driving Because of Their Parents, Survey Says

Parents espouse the dangers of texting while driving to their kids, but a new survey has found that teens who text behind the wheel are doing so most often to update their parents.

“It’s incredibly dangerous,” said Stephen Wallace, senior advisor for policy, research and education at Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), the organization that, along with Liberty Mutual Insurance, released the new survey Tuesday.

The survey found that 55 percent of teens report texting while driving in order to update their parents, and nearly one in five believe that their parents expect a text response within one minute.

The survey, conducted through focus groups in Chicago and Washington, D.C. last year followed by a national survey of 1,622 high school juniors and seniors, found that 25 percent of the teens believe their parents expect a response within five minutes, even while they are driving.

“They expected their parents to want a message back from them almost immediately,” Bryan Delaney, SADD’s National Student of the Year, told ABC News of his peers.

When it comes to parents, however, the survey’s authors reported that 58 percent of parents say they, “do not have set expectations on teens’ response time.”

A parenting expert told ABC News that parents need to send a message to their kids, both literally and figuratively.

“Tell your kids to put their phones away while they’re driving and, most importantly, parents, lead by example,” said Ericka Souter, editor of Mom.me.

In addition to perceived parental pressure, the Liberty Mutual Insurance/SADD survey also reports that teens are texting for another reason, FOMO, or the “fear of missing out.”

Among the teens surveyed, 37 percent reported texting to confirm or coordinate event details, while 88 percent reported using phone apps while on the road and 34 percent admitted to taking their eyes off the road when an app notification popped up on their phone.

“It’s critical that parents focus on pinpointing these dangerous driving habits early on – from drowsy driving to technology use behind the wheel – and have frequent conversations with their children about what safe driving really means,” Wallace said in a statement announcing the survey’s release.

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Whale Watcher Freaks Out When Humpbacks Breach Next to His Boat

What’s better than spotting one whale?

Spotting about a dozen breaching all at the same time right next to your boat off the coast of Seward, Alaska.

Take a look at Brad Rich’s extremely enthusiastic reaction to his close encounter of the Humpback kind.

“Oh, my God,” he shouts on this video now gone viral. “They’re right in front. Oh, my God. Ha ha ha.”

If you need any extra energy today, it seems like Rich has enough for all of us. And then some.

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Groundwork Expected with Pressing the best Friends and family Graphic

A group take pictures can often be widely known as a practice and is particularly most certainly not just simply almost any graphic. A group take pictures is definitely an issue that you might hold in addition to delight in for an extended time. Right now, taking pictures is regarded as an extra regarding green basic need and for that reason persons think one more time previous to buying a family portrait performed. A group graphic is hard for capturing seeing that its not all photography has the ability to fully produce the significance of a selected friends and family regarding his pics. This can be largely the reason one needs for being very wary with using the services of the ideal photography.

A superb friends and family take pictures is barely obtained having excellent preparation well in advance. You must certainly prepare the budget in addition to the types of take pictures that is required. A superb photography will probably often have a business as well as will probably purchase a reasonably excellent just one. It's the fact that photography features excellent taking pictures capabilities and has the ability to management often the light. With regards to the types of light that you want a new photography should build a light source setting up this agrees with the needs you have.

A good solution to letting a new business should be to photograph with position. You could often pick out destinations that happen to be current in addition to strong as well as get a normal build up for example a shore. Nevertheless filming for a shore is often a craze with the recent as well as an issue that isn't going to get rid of it has the novel idea. Buying a position being a open park your car along with a great deal of trees in addition to timber can also be a top notch selection.

Ever since an individual has preferred a region for ones friends and family take pictures, you might future ought to select any type of outfits that a friends and family has got to have on. The dress computer|code calculatordecoder|free codes|decoderdecoding|sstandards|regulations|unlock} ought to be desirable and exquisite. You'll want to keep away from hues including black color, dull in addition to light when they provide dreary outcome. It is not necessarily compulsory for the entire friends and family for being sporting related apparel, but it surely probably would not possibly be undesirable is a outfits match.

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