exposure
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Hotels.com, Expedia provider exposed data for millions of guests
A cloud provider left exposed for millions of guests using major hotel reservation services.
Cloud leak exposed sensitive data from over 200,000 voicemails
Broadvoice's cloud voicemail system leaked over 200,000 messages, many of them with sensitive details.
Razer data leak may have exposed info of over 100,000 customers
A server mis-configuration may have leaked the personal information of more than 100,000 Razer customers.
Fujifilm's slimmer Instax Mini 11 features automatic exposure
It's been a while since we heard anything from Fujifilm's Instax arm, but three years after the launch of the colorful, selfie-friendly Mini 9, its successor has arrived. The Instax Mini 11 (it's not clear why they jumped the 10) offers up the same fun instant-photography experience, but with a few notable improvements.
Analytics firm exposed data for 120 million households
Exposed databases are all too common, but this one may be more serious than most. Researchers at UpGuard discovered that the Australian market analysis firm Tetrad left data for 120 million households exposed in Amazon S3 storage. It appeared to be a blend of data from providers like Experian Mosaic, Claritas/Nielsen's PRIZM as well as Tetrad customers like Chipotle, Kate Spade and Bevmo. The info varied from source to source, but frequently included sensitive details like names, addresses and purchasing habits. Experian Mosaic's data, for example, sorted users into types based on factors like income.
Porn cam network leaked sensitive data for thousands of models
Data leaks by their nature subject people to some kind of unnecessary risk, but this latest could be genuinely dangerous. Researchers at vpnMentor have discovered that a porn cam affiliate network, PussyCash, left nearly 20GB of models' extremely sensitive data exposed in an Amazon S3 bucket. The repository included not only 875,000 keys for different file types (such as photos and videos), but personal info for over 4,000 models worldwide that includes their names, ID photos, passport/ID numbers, release forms and driver's license images. Some of the data could be up to 20 years old, but other info is just weeks old -- there's a very real chance stalkers, extortionists and others could have used this to threaten many of the models.
Millions of text messages were carelessly exposed by a marketing firm
Yet another exposed database has left public data out in the open, and this time it affects something you might use often: the systems businesses use to text you for appointments. Researchers at vpnMentor recently discovered that TrueDialog, an SMS solution provider for businesses, left "millions" of accounts and "tens of millions" of text messages unprotected on the web. The messages sometimes included sensitive info like recipients' full names, email addresses and phone numbers, but the accounts' data was noticeably worse. You could find usernames, email addresses and a mix of clearly visible and lightly-encrypted passwords, including for commonly-used sites like Facebook and Google.
Camgirl sites exposed data for millions of users
Exposed databases are already enough of a security problem, but the latest incident could be particularly damaging for both porn site visitors and sex workers. Condition:Black security researchers have discovered that Barcelona's VTS Media left a database for its camgirl network (including sites like amateur.tv) unprotected for weeks. The trove included months of logs for millions of people, including their usernames, IP addresses, viewing habits, private chats and even passwords from failed login attempts. Some account details also escaped for account workers, Condition:Black told TechCrunch.
Anonymous social network Blind left user data exposed
Blind is a workplace social network that lets employees at various companies discuss sensitive topics anonymously. The company describes it as a safe place where workers can talk about salaries, workplace concerns and employee misconduct without being identified. But Blind recently left a database server unsecured, exposing some of its users' account information, including their corporate email addresses.
Fitness app PumpUp left users' personal data exposed on server
While it's not at the catastrophic level of MyFitnessPal's 150 million-user data breach , the company behind the workout app PumpUp left information for 6 million of its members exposed. The Amazon cloud-hosted back-end server holding the data didn't have a password set up for an uncertain lenght of time, enabling anyone to observe sign-ins and exchanged messages.
Study shows some 3D printing fumes can be harmful
If you do a lot of 3D printing and are worried about the fumes, you may want to read a new study from US and French researchers. It measured the amount of particles emitted by five 3D printers using nine different filament materials. The new research builds on two previous studies, but the team tested more printers and plastics, and measured more kinds of potentially hazardous fumes. As you might suspect, they discovered that you should be 3D printing in a well-ventilated room or use an enclosed printer with a vent, particularly while printing with ABS, nylon and similar materials.
Exposure for iOS lets you selectively edit and color a photo
Exposure (US$1.99) is a slick iOS app that lets you selective apply effects to your photos. Of course the app also lets you globally apply an effect too, like sepia tint or black and white effects, but the nice feature here is the ability to use your finger to paint out an overlay and substitute a color or effect. The app is smart so it can pretty easily separate objects. For example, you can paint a building in color while the background remains black and white. In general, the effect stays in the proper place and doesn't splash out of the selected area, although you may need to do a bit of touch up, which is easy. There are numerous effects in the app, like intense colors, a Picasso effect, glows, pencil sketch, watercolor and more. I thought the tilt-shift effect was well implemented, allowing objects in your photo to look like miniatures. An undo command lets you step back and rework part of the photo, and you can completely clear an effect and start again. You can zoom in or out of your photo to make it easier to define the area you are working on. There is also the ability to open your photo directly in another photo editor for any finishing touches, cropping, or adding text or frames. You won't want to use this app on every photo, but when you need the effects it offers, it can make for a stunning presentation. I found no glitches using the app. It was responsive and easy to use. Tutorials are built in, plus links to video examples. Exposure requires iOS 7. It's a universal app, and I found it particularly easy to work on using my iPad, but it's just fine on an iPhone too. The app is optimized for the iPhone 5 and 6 series.
Lytro camera gets manual controls, new colors and accessories for exacting light-field fans
A frequent gripe of Lytro camera owners has been the hands-off nature of the photography, with that signature infinite focus about the only real fine-tuning that's on tap. As of a fresh firmware upgrade, the light-field camera is much friendlier to demanding shooters. The unconventional point-and-shoot now lets owners manually adjust the ISO sensitivity (80 to 3,200) and shutter speed (1/250th of a second to 8 seconds) as well as lock the exposure or invoke a neutral density filter. Regardless of their precision demands, anyone who was already sold on the concept still gets a few perks with today's refresh: the 8GB model now comes in Seaglass green and a Target-exclusive Moxie Pink, and there's both a $30 sleeve as well as a $60, accessory-friendly case for those who've fully committed to the Lytro lifestyle. Neither upgrade will bring higher resolutions or video, but they'll go a long way towards accommodating those who were at least on the fence. Check out an interactive sample of the shutter speed control's benefits after the break.
Apple patents iOS 5's exposure metering based on face detection, keeps friends in full view
Many photographers will tell you that their least favorite shooting situation involves a portrait with the sun to the subject's back: there's a good chance the shot ends up an unintentional silhouette study unless the shooter meters just perfectly from that grinning face. Apple has just been granted a patent for the metering technique that takes all the guesswork out of those human-focused shots on an iOS 5 device like the iPhone 4S or new iPad. As it's designed, the invention finds faces in the scene and adjusts the camera exposure to keep them all well-lit, even if they're fidgety enough to move at the last second. Group shots are just as much of a breeze, with the software using head proximity and other factors to pick either a main face as the metering target (such as a person standing in front of a crowd) or an average if there's enough people posing for a close-up. You can explore the full details at the source. Camera-toting rivals, however, will have to explore alternative ideas.
Canon 'examining countermeasures' for 5D Mark IIIs experiencing top LCD light leak problem
Looks like the honeymoon period with Canon's beastly 5D Mark III is officially over. Over the past few weeks some users have noticed that light leaking from its top-mounted LCD can affect exposure readouts, and now the company has confirmed that it's indeed an issue. Essentially, the camera's meter can experience a shift in the readout whenever the LCD's backlight turns on in a dark situation -- ensuring frustration when composing shots. There's no word on how wide-spread the problem currently is, but Canon notes that it's "examining the countermeasures" and plans to circle back once it has a solution. Interestingly, PetaPixel also reports that some folks have experienced the phenomenon when ambient light beams down on the panel as well. This isn't the first time Canon's had an issue with a shooter after its release, but hopefully a fix will be in soon. You'll find more details at the links below, but while you're here, let us know if you've got a Mark III showcasing the symptoms in the comments.
Engadget Primed: Camera metering explained
Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day -- we dig deep into each topic's history and how it benefits our lives. You can follow the series here. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com. Is learning how to meter with your camera really necessary? With all the intelligent models out today, who needs it, right? Well, you may, depending on the type of killer photography you hope to produce. When it comes to the person behind the camera, there are a few types of photographers. First, there's the photog who just wants to snap away, not terribly concerned about how their photos turn out -- or, at the very least, not interested in knowing how to alter the camera. If this describes you, that's fine -- the latest-and-greatest compact cameras may be your cup of tea. But then there's the amateur shooter who desires a better understanding of how their cameras determine exposure, and if you fit into this category, this piece should be right up your alley.Metering is not a subject you can easily master, let alone explain entirely in an article of this length, but we can give you an idea of how it all works. I consistently see the faces of my workshop students glaze over as I wax rhapsodic about the wonders of metering, but I also notice wry smiles from time to time, which shows me the wheels are turning -- they begin to realize all the things they can do if only they can conquer this aspect of photography. However, comprehension and applied mastery are two separate balls of wax. Putting what you learn to practice is the start, and you can improve over a number of months, but true metering control in any situation requires years of practice.So for our 2012 pre-apocalyptic installment of Primed, we'll break down the world of camera metering, giving you a bit of history, dissecting the main components, describing what your camera wants to do and telling you what the future may hold. By the end, you'll have a better understanding of this vital photographic topic... either that or you'll be in a nice deep sleep.Note: Check out our recent Primed articles on aperture and image sensors to add to your metering knowledge.
Samsung study finds no link between cancer and work conditions, might not be released in full
Samsung has finally wrapped up that investigation into alleged cancer risks at its chip facilities, but it might not share the details with the rest of the world. In the study, which the company commissioned last year, researchers from US-based Environ International Corp. found that cancers affecting six semiconductor employees were unrelated to any chemicals they may have been exposed to on the job. Of those six workers, four have already died and five of the families are currently pressing charges. Last month, a South Korea court determined that two of the cases could be linked to toxic chemical exposure -- a ruling that Environ's report clearly contradicts. Samsung, however, is reluctant to disclose the results in full, for fear that doing so may reveal some proprietary information. Environ's Paul Harper declined to say how much Samsung paid for the investigation, due to client confidentiality, while confirming that the research was carried out in consultation with a panel of independent experts. Semiconductor exec Kwon Oh-hyun, meanwhile, denied that the company commissioned the study in order to use it as evidence in the ongoing court case, in which Samsung isn't even listed as a defendant.
Guest Post: Long exposure WoWtography
This article has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com. Long exposure photography is an intriguing photographic technique that involves slowing a camera's shutter speed, thereby allowing light more time to strike the film. The technique often produces otherworldly images in which there is a sharp contrast between stationary and moving objects -- perhaps you have seen long exposure photos of cars at night, their headlights melting into long streaks of color. Because long exposure photography often reveals hidden patterns, its applications can go far beyond generating simple eye candy. Last summer, I had the opportunity to do research on interactive digital media (read: video games) at the University of Rochester, and I thought it might be fun to try some long exposure photography within my favorite game, World of Warcraft. Rather than do real long exposure photography, however (difficult when one has no camera!), I opted to emulate the effect using video clips captured with Fraps and processed with a program called Exposure. Both of these programs have free versions available. %Gallery-99392%
Canon EOS 7D joins fleet in receiving firmware update to fix manual exposure movie bug
"Fixes a phenomenon in which the set aperture moves when shooting movies in manual exposure mode using some Canon lenses (such as macro lenses)." If you've got a 5D Mark II, 1D Mark IV, or Rebel T2i handy and have been keeping its firmware fresh, that phrase should be all too familiar; all three of those shooters have received updates in the past two months to fix such an issue, and now it's time for the EOS 7D to get a fix all its own. Our darling budding filmmakers' tool is also getting a few tweaks with AF point display and selection, and the multilingual copy editors of this world can breathe a deep sigh of relief as typos in the Spanish and Thai menus have been corrected. Well, what are you waiting for? Focus your lens on Canon's website and download away.
Nintendo DS hacked to control DSLR shooting
This is easily one of the more unorthodox hacks we've come across, and while we have all ideas only a few will even bother to give it a go, we couldn't help but share. Steve from PanoCamera decided that lugging around a laptop for precisely controlled shooting was just too much effort, so rather than throwing in the proverbial towel, he simply figured out a better way. By hacking the DS to play nice with his monstrous Canon, he was able to use the handheld to begin / stop shooting and tweak all manners of settings. For those interested in having one of their own, but completely uninterested in using their innate DIY skills to make it happen, drop ole Steve an e-mail.
