GSM SIM Card is Finally Hacked, Puts 750 Million Users at Risk

The SIM was one of the few common things in tech which were considered impossible to hack. Until now. Karsten Nohl of Security Research Labs (based out of Germany) has finally got a way past the 56-digit unique code and found a simple process which leaves an estimated 750 million SIM cards at risk.

The research was done on a 1000 SIM cards and only the ones which were using the old DES (Data Encryption Standard) standard were found vulnerable. Cracking them is super-easy and takes just 2 minutes. A message is sent to the target SIM card while disguised as the carrier. In response, a message is received containing information needed to find a way past the 56-digit code or the digital key which can allow the hacker to take control of the target SIM.

After getting this information and taking control, the intruder can easily listen to your calls, send text messages and in short, have control over every form of data on your SIM card.

Mr. Nohl said:

“We can spy on you. We know your encryption keys for calls. We can read your S.M.S.’s. More than just spying, we can steal data from the SIM card, your mobile identity, and charge to your account.”

In all, about 25% of the SIM cards which were tested were found susceptible to such penetration. Newer technologies like NFC might be at risk too.

D.E.S. encryption, which is vulnerable to such hacks – is used on about half of the about six billion cellphones. Over the past decade, most operators have adopted a stronger encryption method, called Triple D.E.S., but many SIM cards still run the old standard.

The GSM Association hasn’t confirmed this just yet though as it will investigate the case first but if this, in any way is true, it will pose some serious threats to people using SIM card for much more complex purposes than calling and texting. Mobile payments that is.

HTC Announces the One Mini

Following the suite of Samsung and some other manufacturers, HTC too has made the trimmed-down version of its flagship the HTC One for people who don’t adore the large form-factors of today’s smartphones.

The new One mini has a 4.3 inch HD display and an UltraPixel camera at the back.

The One mini looks remarkably similar to its bigger brother. It features the same design (including the same speakers) and aluminium unibody. It does fell short in other departments though including the hardware.

Here are the specs:

• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• 4.3 inch HD display with resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels
• Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• 9.3 mm thick
• Weight: 122g
• 1.4Ghz dual-core processor with Krait 300 CPU and SnapDragon 400 SoC
• Adreno 305 GPU
• 1 GB RAM with 16 GB non-expandable storage
• 4 mp UltraPixel camera with Full HD 1080p video recording and HDR
• HTC Zoe, Beats Audio, BoomSound
• 1.6 megapixel HD front-facing camera
• 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0, Wifi Hotspot
• 1800 mAh battery
• Available in Glacial Silver and Stealth Black

And compared to the HTC One here’s what has changed in the One mini:

	HTC One Mini	HTC One
Status	Announced	Available
Weight	122g	143g
Thickness	9.3mm	9.3mm
OS (pre-installed)	Android 4.2.2	Android 4.1.2
Display	4.3 inch	4.7 inch
Resolution	720 x 1280 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels
Processor	1.4 Ghz dual-core Krait 300	Quad-core 1.7 Ghz Krait
GPU	Adreno 305	Adreno 320
RAM, storage	1 GB, 16 GB non-expandable	2 GB, 16 GB non-expandable
Camera (rear)	4 mp Ultrapixel, 1080p video	4 mp Ultrapixel, 1080p video
Camera (front)	1.6mp HD	2.1mp Full HD
Connectivity	Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0, Wifi, optional NFC	Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0, Wifi, optional NFC, Infrared
Battery	1800 mAh	2300 mAh

So it’s obvious from the specs that the One mini isn’t a smaller carbon copy of its older sibling. That might not sound good but at least its better than the Galaxy S4 miniwhich doesn’t even come with an HD display. Also the One mini is considerably smaller than that phone.

If you want, however, you can also take any of the previous generation flagships for the same price. The One mini will retail for 449 euros or about 60,000 rupees. It will be available this September.

Nokia Chief Reveals Why Nokia Didn't Go Android

A lot of harsh words and bashing (including from this author) followed the moment when Nokia told the world that Windows Phone was its future. Two years later, Stephen Elop, the Nokia chief has shown that he is a man of his words. After the Lumia 1020 announcement last week, he told the press why Android isn’t an option.

What’s ironical, however, is that his judgement that Android will end up benefiting one manufacturer was somewhat true, as clear by the case of Samsung.

“What we were worried about a couple of years ago”, he said, “was the very high risk that one hardware manufacturer could come to dominate Android. We had a suspicion of who it might be, because of the resources available, the vertical integration, and we were respectful of the fact that we were quite late in making that decision. Many others were in that space already”. And that’s where Samsung exactly is.

“Now fast forward to today and examine the Android ecosystem, and there are lot of good devices from many different companies, but one company has essentially now become the dominant player.”

While it’s true that other manufacturers have been cashing in from Android quite a lot lately, it’s Samsung which stands atop everyone else, and that too by a monstrous margin.

You look at a number of other Android providers right now and they’re in a tough spot.

This compelled Nokia to look for a third alternative to the competition. The deal with Microsoft has also granted Nokia some exclusive rights and perks, the most prominent among which is the $250 million quarterly payments. They wouldn’t have gotten so much by Google.

While, arguably, Nokia has lost the smartphone race already, but they are still making sufficient enough to keep the ball rolling. And who knows if there might come a time when Windows – backed by mighty Microsoft – outshine other operating systems (in terms of features, performance and apps) and that is when Nokia will have the chance to get crowned again.

Nokia Sells More Lumias than Ever but Still Fails to Make a Profit

Nokia has announced the earnings for the second quarter of 2013 and the results aren’t particularly spectacular. The company sold 32% more Lumia smartphones than before at 7.4 million units, but still encountered a loss of 115 million euros. The shares of the company fell by almost 4% at this news.

The Finns also sold 53.7 million dumb phones and 4.3 million Asha smartphones while the sales of the Symbian devices plunged to almost zero. All of these three categories saw their sales slide.

To sum it all up, almost all the divisions of the company except for the Nokia-Siemens Network showed losses. This resulted in revenues of $7.4 billion, down from $9.2 billion of the quarter before.

What’s good to see, is that the series of really large losses posted some time ago are long gone but profits still aren’t showing up. With the launch of the Lumia 1020 flagship (which is already sold out in pre-order in some places) might change this. Also the death of the Symbian market must be hurting Nokia.

Still, worth noting is the fact that Nokia continues to receive $250 million per quarter from Microsoft which must be helping the company in such times.

Pattinson out of remainder of Ashes

LONDON – Australia bowler James Pattinson is out of the remainder of the Ashes series owing to a stress fracture in his back, Cricket Australia confirmed Monday.

Pattinson was diagnosed with the lower back problem after the tourists’ defeat in the second Test at Lord’s and he will now return home after the third Test at Old Trafford.

“James Pattinson reported some hip and back soreness on the final day of the second Ashes Test,” said Team doctor Peter Brukner said.

“We had some scans done today (Monday) in London that have identified an early stage low back stress fracture.

“Unfortunately he will not take any further part in this Test series and will commence a rehabilitation program with the aim to have him back for the Australian summer.”

Australian selectors may now recall Mitchell Starc, left out for the 347-run loss at Lord’s, while James Faulkner and Jackson Bird are also available to back up Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris.

Cricket Australia general manager Pat Howard said: “While we are obviously disappointed for James, the selectors have five bowlers fit and ready to perform in England, providing them with many options.”

England lead the series 2-0 and could clinch overall victory in Manchester, starting from August 1.