Code-sharing site GitHub now offers two-factor authentication to its users

Code repository GitHub offers two-factor authentication to beef up security around its users’ accounts. Github is a coding repository where developers used to build their projects projects that may turn out to be valued knowledgeable assets.

Two-Factor Authentication adds another layer of authentication to the login process, Now users have to enter their username and password, and a secret code in the second step, to complete the sign in. If a hacker manages to steal a user's credentials through phishing or trojans, cannot do anything, as they do need a second key to enter.

“We strongly urge you to turn on 2FA for the safety of your account, not only on GitHub, but on other websites that support it,” the company says. This two-factor authentication for Githu can be turned on in your account settings.

GitHub hit 3.5 million users’ landmark along with 6 million repositories deposited on its 5th anniversary in April. Two-factor authentication can protect you from phishing attacks, where hackers try to trick you into giving over your information.

For receiving the second authentication factor, users can either choose to receive it via a text message or can use dedicated authentication mobile app i.e. Google Authenticator for Android/iPhone/BlackBerry or Duo Mobile for Android/iPhone or Authenticator for Windows Phone 7.

Fear of NSA PRISM : Indian Government may ban US email services for official communication

The Indian Government is planning to ban the use of US based email services like Gmail for official communications to increase the security of confidential government information.

The recent disconcerting reports that that India was being spied upon by American intelligence agencies has opened an all new chapter in the cyber security space. As leaked by former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, that NSA involved in widespread spying and surveillance activities across the globe.

The Government plans to send a formal notification to about 500,000 employees across the country, asking them to stick to the official email service provided by India's National Informatics Centre, Time of India Reported.

The fact that several government officers in top positions use their Gmail IDs for official communications i.e. Several senior government officials in India, including ministers of state for communications & IT Milind Deora and Kruparani Killi, have their Gmail IDs listed in government portals as their office email.

Last week, India's IT minister Kapil Sibal revealed that the new policy will enforce rules such as use of static IP addresses, virtual private networks and one-time passwords for accessing Indian government email services on all Indian officials who are stationed abroad.

“All Indian missions will use NIC servers which are directly linked to a server in India and that will keep government information safe.” Sibal said.

Apple Patents Tech Allowing Cops To Remotely Switch Off Their Devices

Recently, The Social Media is buzzing over reports that Apple has invented a new technology that now can Switch off iPhone Camera and Wi-Fi, when entering a 'sensitive area'. Technology would broadcast a signal to automatically shut down Smartphone features, or even the entire phone.

Yes ! It's true, On June 2008 - Apple filed a patent (U.S. Patent No. 8,254,902) - titles “Apparatus and methods for enforcement of policies upon a wireless device” that defines the ability of U.S. Government to remotely disable certain functions of a device without user consent.

All they need to do is decide that a public gathering or venue is deemed sensitive and needs to be protected from externalities. Is it not a shame that you can't take a photo of the police officer beating a man in the street because your oppressive government remotely disabled your Smartphone camera? Civil liberties campaigners fear it could be misused by the authorities to silence 'awkward citizens'.

Apple insists that the affected locations are normally cinemas, theaters and concert grounds, but Apple admits it could also be used in covert police or government operations that may need complete blackout conditions. 

"This technology would be a dangerous power to place in the hands of the government," Kurt Opsahl, a civil liberties lawyer at Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). "The government shutting down iPhone cameras and connectivity in order to prevent photos of political activity or the organization of the event would constitute a prior restraint on the free speech rights of every person affected, whether they're an activist or an observer" he added.

Apple also says that the user can be given a choice to approve changes being sent remotely, however one cannot rule out the possibility of some changes being applied to the device without user consent.

China hit by DDoS attack causes Internet inaccessible for hours

During the weekend China's Internet was taken down by a powerful distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on the .cn domain slowed and blocked Internet access inaccessibility for hours.

Security expert clarified that China could have been perpetrated by sophisticated hackers or by a single individual. The China Internet Network Information Center [CINIC] reported that the attack began at 02:00 local time on Sunday with a peek at 04:00 that made it the largest DDoS attack the country’s networks have ever faced. The CCINIC is responsible for registering sites in the .cn domain.

Before malicious coders can launch a DDoS attack, they must infect the computers of unsuspecting users, often by tricking people into installing malware on their computers.

The China Internet Network Information Center confirmed the attack with an official statement informing internet users that it is gradually restoring web services and that will operate to improve the security level of the Internet infrastructure of the country to prevent and mitigate further attacks.

Following the translated announcement: "8 May 25 at 0:00 or so, the State DNS node Denial of Service attacks, the China Internet Network Information Center disposal, to 2 pm, the service is restored to normal, early morning 3 through the official micro notice. Morning four o'clock, the state once again under DNS node biggest ever denial of service attacks, some websites analytical affected, leading to slow or interrupt access. 

In the notice, the attack continues, national domain name resolution services have been gradually restored. Ministry of Industry and Information Technology launched the "Domain Name System Security specific contingency plans" to further the protection of national domain name resolution services. China Internet Network Information Center, the affected user apologized to launch cyber attacks on the Internet stable behavior affect condemned. China Internet Network Information Center will work with the sector to work together to continue to enhance the service capabilities."

The Wall Street Journal was the first media agency that reported the important outage, the official source of Chinese Government confirmed that its network suffered the biggest distributed denial-of-service attack ever.

It's not currently known who attacked the Chinese domain or the motivations, CloudFlare CEO Matthew Prince said that there is no certainty that behind the attack there is a group of hackers, he added that "it may have well been a single individual".