'SafePay' for Credit Card

'SafePay' for Credit Card

From large-scale data breaches such as the 2013 Target case to local schemes that use skimming devices to steal data at the gas pump, credit card fraud is becoming commonplace.

The key challenge is that existing magnetic card reader use plain text to store confidential information, which makes them vulnerable to an untrusted card reader or skimming device. Analyst firm Alite Group estimates that this vulnerability is adding up to $8 billion in incurred losses per year in the U.S.

Solutions have been proposed—such as integrated circuit cards and mobile wallets systems. However, they are incompatible with current systems making them too costly and time-consuming for retailers to implement.

For the first time, researchers have developed an inexpensive, secure method to prevent mass credit card fraud using existing magnetic card readers. The novel technique—called SafePay—works by transforming disposable credit card information to electrical current and driving a magnetic card chip to simulate the behavior of a physical magnetic card.

The research, led by Yinzhi Cao assistant professor of computer science and engineering at Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA) with coauthors Xiang Pan and Yan Chen from Northwestern University, will be presented at the IEEE Conference on Communications and Network Security which takes place next week, September 28-30, in Florence, Italy and published as paper: SafePay: Protecting against Credit Card Forgery with Existing Magnetic Card Readers.

"Because SafePay is backward compatible with existing magnetic card readers, it will greatly relieve the burden of merchants in replacing card readers and at the same time protect cardholders from mass data breaches," said Cao.

Broadly speaking, SafePay is related to Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), which are systems consisting of computational elements that control physical entities. The computational elements in SafePay consist of a mobile device and a server which distributes disposable credit card numbers. The physical entity is the magnetic credit card chip controlled by a mobile application inside a customer's mobile device.

The paper outlines the overall architecture and server-side deployment model, the design of SafePay, prototype implementation and security analysis.

Here's how it works: First, the user downloads and executes the mobile banking application which communicates with the bank server. During transactions, the mobile application acquires disposablecredit card numbers from the bank server, generates a wave file, plays the file to generate electrical current, and then drives the magnetic card chip via an audio jack or Bluetooth

The critical elements that make SafePay unique are:

Disposable credit card information that expires after a limited time or number of usages (i.e., just one time) so, even if the information is leaked, it cannot be used for future transactions.

A magnetic credit card chip that makes it completely compatible with existing readers. In the evaluation, the researchers show that the cost of the magnetic card chip is about $0.5, and could be even lower if manufactured in large scale.

A mobile banking application that automates the process making it extremely user-friendly.

Cao and his colleagues conducted real-world experiments with the SafePay technology performing transactions with a vending machine, a gas station, and a university coffee shop. During the experiments, they used a bank application, cell phone application plus GPS chip, and magnetic credit card chip.

The disposable credit card information was acquired from ShopSafe by registering several disposable credit card numbers with Bank of America. In all three scenarios, the SafePay method worked and the transactions were successful.

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Finale of The Big Bang Theory

Finale of The Big Bang Theory

On the season finale of The Big Bang Theory, our four favorite scientists were all experiencing significant life changes.

Howard (Simon Helberg) and Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) contemplated kicking Stewart out of the house, Raj (Kunal Nayyar) took his relationship with Emily to the next (albeit disturbing) level, Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) were driving to Vegas to elope, and Amy (Mayim Bialik) announced to Sheldon (Jim Parsons) that she needed time to reevaluate their relationship.

As you may recall, Sheldon pulled out an engagement ring and the scene ended without even a hint of a BAZINGA from Amy.

Season 9 picks up exactly where the finale left us hanging. Leonard and Penny wait their turn in a random Chapel of Love when Sheldon calls Leonard to announce that women are the worst. When Penny overhears the news, she immediately calls Amy to hear her side of the story. Amy invites her bestie to come over and is irritated to learn that she is tying the knot in Vegas. Clearly Amy will not be catching the wedding bouquet — not that it matters now.

Sheldon decides that like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, 11 hours is plenty of time for Amy to get over her aversion to his countless idiosyncrasies. He corners her outside of her apartment and is shocked to hear that Amy has been invited to Bernadette’s to watch a live streaming version of Leonard and Penny’s wedding. A line has clearly been drawn and sides must be chosen among the peer group.

Sheldon creeps in Bernadette’s window like a world-class weirdo until someone lets him inside. Sheldon berates Amy for not deciding the outcome of their courtship. Is she in or is she out? It only took one incredibly rude comment for Amy to snap: “Men can sire offspring their entire lives, but those eggs you’re toting around have a sell-by date.”

Needless to say, Amy and Sheldon are officially over. Consider the Relationship Agreement null and void.

Meanwhile, Penny and Leonard make their way down the aisle, face each other, and exchange vows that are heartfelt and endearing. Leonard suspects that billions of atoms came together to create their two bodies for the sole purpose of them meeting and making each other whole. This elicited a few tears (from me and) the bride.

Penny, who had not come prepared, quickly started reciting lyrics from “You’ve Got A Friend In Me.” It would have been majorly cheesy if Cuoco hadn’t delivered the line in such a charming way. Plus, Toy Story is one of Leonard’s favorite movies. Cue more waterworks.

After the wedding, Leonard summons the upper body strength to carry Penny across the threshold. When they start kissing, Penny can’t help but recall the deep, dark secret Leonard revealed on the way to Vegas — he had kissed another woman when he was on the trip to that North Sea. Penny wants to know if he ever feels guilty. He assures her that he feels tremendous guilt every time he sees her. Whhhhaaaaattt?

Newsflash: Leonard works with the woman. And according to Sheldon, Mandy Chow is an attractive, smart woman who can do much better than Leonard. Uh oh.

Leonard and Penny return home to their separate apartments. Amy tries to fend off Stewart’s advances. Bernadette and Howard celebrate the fact that their wedding totally trumped Penny and Leonard’s. And Sheldon bemoans the fact that women are the less-superior species. Well, except Madame Curie who is obviously an honorary man with a penis made of science.

Theoretical Laughter

“There’s a lot of gorgeous blondes out there who don’t believe they can land a short, near-sighted scientist. Let’s give them hope!” — Leonard convincing Penny to live-stream the wedding

“Women are the worst. I thought it was paper cuts, but I was wrong. No paper ever cut me this deep.” —Sheldon
“I’m done with women. It’s like when I swore off Pop Rocks. They both hurt you on purpose.” —Sheldon

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Johnny Galecki : 'I Got Lucky'

Johnny Galecki : 'I Got Lucky'

Playing an on-screen love interest with an off-screen ex is pretty common on TV – think The O.C.'s Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson, One Tree Hill's Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush or Gossip Girl's Penn Badgley and Blake Lively.

But Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting says there's no awkwardness between her and her Big Bang Theory costar/former boyfriend Johnny Galecki – or between him and her husband Ryan Sweeting.

"We dated like five years ago, so I think everyone's moved on," Cuoco-Sweeting, 29, said on Watch What Happens Live on Sunday night. "Johnny's actually one of my best friends. It's a situation that ended well, I understand sometimes it doesn't."

As for her tennis player hubby?

"Ryan loves him, Johnny loves him. It's been a long time, so it's great," she said. "I got lucky. It could have been horrible."

The actress and Sweeting, 28, tied the knot in a fire-and-ice-themed wedding on Dec. 31, 2013. 

And when she forgot to thank her new spouse at the People's Choice Awards this year, Galecki, 40, swooped in for the save.

"Ryan, you are my heart," he joked.

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Unic UC50 Portable Projector

Unic UC50  Portable Projector

The Unic UC50 DLP is a portable projector that can be carried anywhere to view videos or presentations on a larger screen. It comes with manifold features, including an inbuilt power bank. GearBest, a popular Chinese retailer, has started preorders of the projector with a $119 price tag.

The Unic UC50 is an LED projector that measures only 80 x 70 x 2.5 mm and weighs 180 grams. Hence, this portable device can be easily carried in a college or office bag. It also comes with an inbuilt Lithium battery of 1500 mAh. The product can also be used as a power bank to charge other devices.

The native resolution supported by the Unic UC50 projector is 854 x 480 pixels. The highest resolution the device can support is 1920 x 1080 pixels. It has numerous connector ports such as HDMI, a standard USB slot, a microSD slot, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, infrared receiver and CVBS 3-in-1 input. Hence, one can seamlessly connect the projector to a PC, USB drive, smartphone or a gaming console.

The device works at the shortest projection distance of 35.5 mm to offer a picture size of 14 inches. At a maximum distance of 170.5 mm, it delivers a picture size of 64 inches.
Moreover, the Unic multimedia system interface makes it easy for users to navigate across the functions of the projector on the screen. The lamp life offered by the Unic UC50 is 20,000 hours. It offers a brightness of 800 lumens and a contrast ratio of 800:1.

The Unic UC50 is available in white, deep pink and green colors on GearBest. The last date for preordering, which began Tuesday, is Oct. 5.

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Panasonic 4K IP cameras

Panasonic 4K IP cameras

Pro-Vision Distribution Limited, the distributor of branded CCTV and access control equipment, are pleased to announce that they can now offer the new 4K IP cameras from Panasonic.

Outdoor security camera

David Westwood, External Sales Manager for Pro-Vision Distribution, said “Panasonic have launched the brand new ultra-high-definition WV-SPV781L 4K security camera that’s designed to provide the crispest and clearest of images.

Vandal-proof and packed with a multitude of features this new outdoor security camera provides extremely high picture quality with 1/7th the file size of other 4k cameras thanks to their compression technology. Panasonic understand the importance of wide angle viewing through HD cameras and have ensured that their True 4K security cameras maintain crisp clarity in any area of view.“

David continued “The 1/1.7” sensor in combination with the True 4K F1.6 lens achieves low-light performance at just 0.3lux in colour, 0.03lux in black and white mode or 0lux through the smart IR-LED function. Virtual PTZ operation allows the user to crop certain areas in the camera view whilst still recording the whole area so no event is missed in mission critical applications.

The camera's rain wash coating allows for continued high visibility in rainy conditions by ensuring that the water is sheeted from the surface of the camera rather than forming droplets which can scatter light and impair visibility. It also conforms to IP66, NEMA4x- and IK10-ratings.”

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Laser ablation boosts terahertz emission

Laser ablation boosts terahertz emission

From almost instantaneous wireless transfer of huge amounts of data and easy detection of explosives, weapons, or harmful gases, to safe 3-D medical imaging and new advances in spectroscopy --technologies based on terahertz (THz) radiation, the electro-magnetic band with wavelengths from 0.1 to 1 mm, can transform science fiction into reality. However, scientists and engineers still do not have cheap and efficient solutions for mass production of THz-based devices.

For years, the THz portion of the spectrum remained unused, giving rise to the term "terahertz gap". Research, recently published in Optics Letters by the Femtosecond Spectroscopy Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), suggests one possible solution for this problem: a method to increase efficiency of THz emission gallium arsenide (GaAs)-based devices.

THz radiation lies between infrared and microwave radiation in the electro-magnetic spectrum. It is absorbed by water --which limits the use of THz devices in the Earth's atmosphere, laden with water vapour, to short distances--but it can penetrate fabrics, paper, cardboard, plastics, wood, and ceramics.

Many materials have a unique "fingerprint"in the THz band allowing their easy identification with THz scanners. Moreover, unlike X-rays and ultraviolet light, THz radiation is safe for live tissues and DNA, due to its non-ionising properties. THz technology could be a next important breakthrough in medicine, security, chemistry, and information technology.

Generation of THz waves is difficult since the frequency is too high for conventional radio transmitters, but too low for optical transmitters, like the majority of lasers. Therefore, researchers have to come up with new innovative devices.

One of the most frequently used THz emitters is a photoconductive antenna, comprising two electric contacts and a thin film of semiconductor, often GaAs, between them. When the antenna is exposed to a short pulse from a laser, the photons excite electrons in the semiconductor, and a short burst of THz radiation is produced. Thus the energy of the laser beam is transformed into a THz electro-magnetic wave.

OIST researchers showed that micro-structure of the semiconductor surface plays an important role in this process. Femtosecond-laser-ablation, in which the material is exposed to ultrashort bursts of high energy, creates Micrometer-scale grooves and ripples on the surface of GaAs. "The light gets trapped in these ripples", says Athanasios Margiolakis, a Special Research Student at OIST. Since more light is absorbed by the ablated material, the efficiency of THz emission, given a sufficiently powerful laser, increases by 65%.
Other properties of the material change as well.

For example, ablated GaAs shows only a third of the electrical current of non-ablated GaAs. "We observe counter-intuitive phenomena,"the researchers write, "One generally expects that the material showing the higher photocurrent would give the best THz emitter." They explain this phenomenon by shorter carrier lifetimes. That is, electrons in ablated samples return to non-agitated states much faster than in control samples.

Dr Julien Madéo, one of the OIST team members, says that "femtosecond-laser ablation allows us to engineer the properties of materials and to overcome their intrinsic limitations, leading, for example, to near 100% photon absorption as well as broader absorption bandwidth, control of the electron concentration and lifetime". This technique is a fast, lower-cost alternative to existing methods of manufacturing materials for THz applications.

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Ryan Adams Covers "Bad Blood"

 

Ryan Adams Covers  "Bad Blood"

Ryan Adams released the first single off his upcoming cover album of Taylor Swift’s 1989 on Thursday, Sept. 17 — and the mellow singer-songwriter has undeniably made the pop princess’s summer hit "Bad Blood" his own.

Adams, 40, premiered his acoustic interpretation of Swift’s song on DJ Zane Lowe’s Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio, and all of a sudden lines such as “Band-aids don’t fix bulletholes” seemed to take on a deeper meaning.

The seasoned musician has been teasing the album on social media for weeks, leading the 25-year-old “Blank Space” singer to tweet her excitement.
“is this true??????? I WILL PASS OUT,” Swift tweeted on Aug. 6 after a music journalist dropped the news.

Adams also announced that he will be releasing the full album online on Monday, Sept. 21, after previously tweeting that he and his team were “sandblasting” the songs and “they’re holding steady.”

“Ryan’s music helped shape my songwriting,” Swift tweeted Thursday shortly after the first cover dropped. “This is surreal and dreamlike.”

This isn’t the first time Adams has completed such a project, however. In 2002, the “Gimme Something Good” singer covered the whole Strokes album Is This It, but never released it to the public.

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