Facebook releases Osquery Security Tool for Windows

Facebook releases Osquery Security Tool for Windows

By Unknown   11:14 PM   No comments:

OSquery, an open-source framework created by Facebook that allows organizations to look for potential malware or malicious activity on their networks, was available for Mac OS X and Linux environments until today.

But now the social network has announced that the company has developed a Windows version of its osquery tool, too.

When Facebook engineers want to monitor thousands of Apple Mac laptops across their organization, they use their own untraditional security tool called OSquery.

OSquery is a smart piece of cross-platform software that scans every single computer on an infrastructure and catalogs every aspect of it.

Then SQL-based queries allow developers and security teams to monitor low-level functions in real-time and quickly search for malicious behavior and vulnerable applications on their infrastructure.

In simple words, OSquery allows an organization to treat its infrastructure as a database, turning OS information into a format that can be queried using SQL-like statements.

This functionality is critical for administrators to perform incident response, diagnose systems and network level problems, help to troubleshoot performance issues, and more.

This open source endpoint security tool has become one of the most popular security projects onGitHub since its release in mid-2014 and was available for Linux distribution such as Ubuntu or CentOS, and Mac OS X machines.

So, if your organization was running a Windows environment, you were out of luck.

But, not today, as with the help of Trail of Bits, Facebook has finally launched the OSquery developer kit for Windows, allowing security teams to build customized solutions for their Windows networks.

"As adoption for osquery grew, a strong and active community emerged in support of a more open approach to security," reads the earlier version of Facebook's blog post provided to The Hacker News.

"We saw the long-held misconception of 'security by obscurity' fall away as people started sharing tooling and experiences with other members of the community. Our initial release of osquery was supported for Linux and OS X, but the community was also excited for a Windows version — so we set out to build it."

To get started with the OSquery developer kit for Windows, check this official documentation, the development environment, and a single script. The build is easy to install, and you can start coding right away.

You can read the full documentation of the development process of the OSquery developer kit for Windows on the blog post by Trail of Bits.

Ource:-hackernews

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Google Wi-Fi router to be displayed at October 4th event

Google Wi-Fi router to be displayed at October 4th event

By Unknown   7:46 AM   No comments:

Is Google launching a Wi-Fi router at the October 4th event?

Google is rumoured to announce an own-brand Wi-Fi extendable router at an event on October 4th, according to Android Police’s sources. The device will be called Google Wi-Fi and will cost $129. The event is also expected to unveil Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, a new Chromecast that supports 4K, the Daydream VR headset, and Google Home, an Amazon Echo alternative on the same day.

Google Wi-Fi router will offer longer range connectivity than most off the shelf routers. It will also apparently offer some smart features similar to OnHub, which boasts integration with Phillips smart lights, IFTTT support, all-in-one security updates and more.

The report also notes that Google Wi-Fi could offer a “mesh” network feature by connecting multiple routers around the house, which means you won’t drop offline if you walk into a far-away room in your house. The rumour suggests that routers will have to be signed and trusted by Google on the security front.

Android Police, who received an exclusive story on the news, says it is 90% confident that the rumour is true (10% being deducted over the uncertainty of the deliverance of the mesh functionality). It says:

“We are extremely confident that Google WiFi is real and that it will cost $129 when it is released. We are fairly confident it will be announced on October 4th alongside Google Home, because it seems positioned as a sort of companion device to Home.”

Are you excited about Google Wi-Fi? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Source: Android Police

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Here is how much it cost Apple to make an iPhone 7

Here is how much it cost Apple to make an iPhone 7

By Unknown   7:44 AM   No comments:

HERE’S HOW MUCH IT COST APPLE TO MANUFACTURE AN IPHONE 7

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus has arrived and we may say that it has somewhat lived up to the hype it created before the launch. The same can be evidenced by the sales figures for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus released by Apple. The new iPhone 7 Plus seeks to revolutionize the smartphone industry with it 3.5 mm headphone jackless feature.

As with previous iPhone versions, there have reports of Apple fanboys queuing up in front of stores for the launch. One such fan reportedly sat in the rain for 18 hours to buy the new iPhone 7. It is not known whether there is any truth in the story or it is a planted one to drive up the iPhone 7 craze among buyers.

A single piece of iPhone 7 is being sold to buyers for $649 for 32GB version. What does it really cost Apple to make one piece of iPhone 7?

According to IHS Markit, the total cost to produce a single iPhone is $224.80 which is incidentally, $36.89 higher that the iPhone 6s. And it is marketed by Apple for$649 for the 32GB version. Which means that Apple is charging you 3 times the manufacturing cost. In some places like China and India the prices is even higher, going up to four times the manufacturing cost.

The IHS Markit report states that the new iPhone 7’s Bill of Materials (BOM), a financial estimate of the raw materials used, was “in line” with flagship smartphones made by rival Samsung but Apple saves a lot more on better margins.

Andrew Rassweiler, senior director of cost benchmarking services at IHS Markit said “All other things being equal, Apple still makes more margin from hardware than Samsung, but materials costs are higher than in the past”

Do remember, the above price is the margin on iPhone 7, Apple may be making more on iPhone 7 Plus as IHS Markit has not done a teardown analysis on it. Add to that, Apple earns handsomely through accessories such chargers, earphones, etc. in addition to its earnings from iTunes store.

No wonder Apple is sitting on a cash pile that is more than GDP of countries like Pakistan, Iran etc.

Via:-techworm.net

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The Difference Between A Programmer, Coder, Developer And Engineer

The Difference Between A Programmer, Coder, Developer And Engineer

By Unknown   6:39 PM   No comments:

Do you know the difference between a Programmer, Coder, Developer and Engineer?

The titles such as Engineer, Programmer, Coder, Developer, and Computer Scientist are very confusing even for those who are working in the technology industry. Do you exactly know what do they do and in case of a problem or help whom should you approach?

In reality, it depends upon organization to organization and how these terms are used by them in their industry, as these terms are often interchangeable. It can change and mean different things based on the situation.

So, how do you differentiate between these terms and know who’s who and what kind of expert you will require for a particular job? While there is no specific rule to follow, we will have a look at each title below and see what it means.

Developers and Programmers

They are more experienced code-writers who are versed in at least two to three languages and write awesome, clean, error free and well-factored codes. They can apply their algorithmic knowledge to create more sophisticated levels of software coding.

Developers in some firms are sometimes referred to as the start to finish overseers of a project, who are responsible for the overall design of the application. The developer within these companies will often oversee a team of coders and programmers to ensure that the design of the application is user-friendly and a cohesive end product is created. The developer in these cases would most probably be the client’s direct point of contact and would then interface with the rest of the team to solving problem, make requested changes, and answer client questions.

Coders

Anyone who writes code is often referred to as a coder by the people outside the tech industry. However, this all-surrounding term can be considered judgemental for those who live and breathe programming every day. Coders are commonly considered the least trained or experienced level of programmers. These individuals do not have the same algorithmic knowledge as a programmer or developer, as they are often a beginner in the field, skilled in just one coding language. Coders are usually given the job of writing forthright pieces of code that can easily be delegated by the developers. As some are put-off by the title, it is sometimes used interchangeably with “Junior Programmer” or “Junior Developer.”

Engineers

The title of engineer or software engineer is normally reserved for the highest level, or most expert coders around. Engineers are well versed in three programming languages or more and use their skills to design and implement the overall architecture of the application. They modularize the final product to develop a clean interface, and then work with the programmers and developers to implement the more comprehensive features of the design.

Do you agree with the definitions above, or think otherwise, do let us know in the comments section below.

Source: Jixee Blog

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This guy found out how to take over any Facebook Page using a zero-day

This guy found out how to take over any Facebook Page using a zero-day

By Unknown   6:36 PM   No comments:

Security researcher discovers a Zero-day in Facebook that allows him to take over any FB Page

Facebook is fast becoming a superlative medium for small and medium businesses to promote their products to a wider customer base. The gist of Facebook is the main Facebook Page which allows brands, businesses, organisations and public figures to list their products/services and reach out to their target audience. Anyone with an account can create a Page and reach out to their prospective buyers who will like the Facebook Page if it interests them. Following the page gets automatic updates on his/her News Feed.

An Indian security researcher has discovered a zero-day in the Facebook Page which allowed him to hijack any FB Page belonging to any organisation. Arun Sureshkumar discovered a zero-day in how the Facebook handles requests for its business accounts. Arun has described his bug discovery on his Blogspot where he says he can take over Facebook Page belonging to anybody like President Obama, Prime Minister Modi etc.

Facebook Business Manager lets businesses more securely share and control access to their ad accounts, Pages, and other assets on Facebook. Anyone in a business can see all of the Pages and ad accounts they work on in one place, without sharing login information or being connected to their coworkers on Facebook.

Arun found that he could deceive Facebook into allowing to access any Facebook Page through its Business Manager zero-day using Insecure Direct Object References vulnerability. Here is a video Arun’s Facebook hack PoC

Arun informed Facebook about the vulnerability and the FB Security Team acknowledged that the zero-day is highly critical. Facebook temporarily patched the flaw by removing the end-point and then issued an update to completely patch the zero-day in a week. Arun was paid $16,000 for his bug discovery.
V

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