Techmeme: Gemalto confirms probable hack by NSA and GCHQ, but says there was no massive theft of SIM encryption keys, only a breach of its office network (Gemalto)

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February 25, 2015, 12:15 PM

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Bloomberg Business:

Apple told to pay $532.9M to Smartflash LLC for patent infringement in iTunes, will appeal — Apple Told by Jury to Pay $532.9 Million in Gaming Patent Trial — Don't Miss Out — (Bloomberg) — Apple Inc. was told to pay $532.9 million after a federal jury said the company's iTunes software …

Gemalto:

Gemalto confirms probable hack by NSA and GCHQ, but says there was no massive theft of SIM encryption keys, only a breach of its office network — Gemalto presents the findings of its investigations into the alleged hacking of SIM card encryption keys by Britain's Government Communications Headquarters …

Sebastian Anthony / Ars Technica:

Source: Top-end 128GB Samsung Galaxy S6 priced at $1,189, curved model facing supply constraints — Source: Curved Samsung Galaxy S6 will suffer from yield issues at launch — One of Samsung's carrier partners gives Ars Technica the skinny. — According to a source …

More: BGR, Business Insider, Droid Life, Android Authority, GadgeTell, TechnoBuffalo, ExtremeTech, Forbes, The Overspill, SamMobile, Ubergizmo and Gotta Be Mobile

Dan Seifert / The Verge:

Motorola's new Moto E has LTE and a bigger screen for just $149 — Motorola teased an announcement in the form a hand-delivered package last week, and sure enough, today the company delivered a box with a new Moto E. The second-generation Moto E is still Motorola's most affordable smartphone in its lineup …

More: Engadget, ABC News, TechCrunch, ZDNet, PC World, The Next Web, CNET and Electronista

Facebook:

Internet.org's 2014 State of Global Connectivity report: Internet adoption growth slows to 6.6%, just 32% of people have Internet access in emerging economies — The State of Global Connectivity — State of Connectivity: A Report on Global Internet Access, a new study by Internet.org examines …

More: GeekWire, SiliconANGLE, SocialTimes and The Next Web

Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:

Perceptiv introduces SHIFT, a plug-in accessory for drones that lets filmmakers track and frame subjects; available fall 2015 for $600 — Perceptiv's SHIFT Turns Drones Into Smart Dollies For Filmmakers — Drone tech is exciting and full of potential, but few companies are focusing on tech …

More: Techvibes Global News

Paul Carsten / Reuters:

Since Snowden leaks, China has dropped Cisco, Apple, McAfee, and others for government purchases — Exclusive: China drops leading technology brands for state purchases — (Reuters) - China has dropped some of the world's leading technology brands from its approved state purchase lists …

More: The Verge, Patently Apple and MacDailyNews

Steven Davidoff Solomon / New York Times:

Dish Network saved $3.25B by bidding for spectrum as a “very small business” using loopholes — How Loopholes Turned Dish Network Into a ‘Very Small Business’ — Charles W. Ergen, the billionaire who controls the satellite-TV provider Dish Network, and his company …

More: Bloomberg View

Jordan Novet / VentureBeat:

Hortonworks falls short with $12.7M in revenue in its first earnings report — Updated at 4:38 p.m. Pacific to remove references to Cloudera's customer base. A Cloudera spokeswoman says Cloudera and Hortonworks count customers differently. — Hortonworks, a company selling a distribution …

More: ZDNet, Gigaom, Hortonworks and Gizmorati

Dan Thorp-Lancaster / Android Central:

Ting launches open beta for GSM service on T-Mobile's network — Ting launches open beta for its GSM network — Ting's GSM network, which it announced late last year, has officially entered into an open beta. Previously, customers could test the network out on an invite-only basis.

More: Ting.com, Gigaom, Phandroid, PhoneDog.com and Android Police

Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:

Microsoft Garage incubator delivers new Windows Phone, Android productivity apps — Summary:Microsoft has made a handful of new, free experimental productivity apps for Windows Phone and Android available for download from its Garage incubator. — In October 2014, Microsoft announced …

More: Microsoft, BetaNews, TechCrunch and FierceMobileIT News

Ben Popper / The Verge:

Layer launches to the public with the aim of unifying mobile messaging in all apps — As messaging apps proliferate, one service aims to power them all — We live in a world where messaging apps command $20 billion valuations, but amidst that embarrassment of riches is a major pain for users …

More: TechCrunch. Tweets: @hunterwalk

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:

Target Says Credit Card Data Breach Cost It $162M In 2013-14 — When it comes to data breaches, retailers are one of the biggest targets these days, and today we have some detail on the costs around one of the more high-profile attacks. Target today said that it has booked $162 million …

More: Business Wire and Business Insider

Inside BlackBerry:

Blackberry Classic will launch on Verizon Feb. 26; $100 with $50 rebate on two-year contract — BlackBerry Classic Available This Thursday On The Verizon Wireless Network — BlackBerry Classic Available Feb. 26 on the Verizon Wireless Network — Familiar Design and QWERTY Keyboard on the Nation's Most Reliable 4G LTE Network

More: Business Insider, FierceWireless, Verizon Wireless Promotions, TechnoBuffalo, PhoneDog.com, TWICE, Digital Trends, The Verge and The Next Web

Kim Zetter / Wired:

Firmware is vulnerable because vendors rarely sign or authenticate the software — Why Firmware Is So Vulnerable to Hacking, and What Can Be Done About It — When Kaspersky Lab revealed last week that it had uncovered a sophisticated piece of malware designed to plant malicious code inside …

Mark Hosenball / Reuters:

US offers $3M reward for Russian hacker Evgeniy Bogachev for his role in GameOver Zeus botnet — U.S. offers highest-ever reward for Russian hacker — (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department and FBI on Tuesday announced a $3 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction …

More: US Department of State, FBI, FBI, Digital Trends, CNET, Qntra.net, BBC, Forbes, TIME, PC World and Slashdot

Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:

Google Acquires Facebook Marketing Startup Toro — Toro, a startup that helps developers promote their apps on Facebook, just announced that it's been acquired by Google. — The company was originally known as Red Hot Labs, and it's led by Amitt Mahajan and Joel Poloney.

More: Toro Blog, VatorNews, SiliconANGLE, Bloomberg Business, Xconomy, The Tech Portal, Socialnomics and Gizmorati. Tweets: @joshelman

Catherine Shu / TechCrunch:

Twitter's “While You Were Away” Feature Launches On Android — One month after launching on iOS, Twitter's “While You Were Away” feature is finally available for Android users. — “While You Were Away,” which Twitter first previewed last fall, represents a significant departure from the real …

More: GeekWire, Digital Trends, TechnoBuffalo and PC World

Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:

Google Tests Live Chat With Businesses From Search Results — Google is testing out a service that incorporates live chat with businesses right into search results, via a new link that shows whether a business is currently available, and immediately launches a chat via Google Hangouts (on either desktop or mobile) if they are.

More: PC World, Search Engine Land, WebProNews, Beyond Search, Ubergizmo, Street Fight, Tech Gadget Central, Understanding Google …, Search Engine Land and 9to5Google

Dennis Fisher / Threatpost:

Google turns annual Pwnium bug-hunting contest into year-round program with unlimited rewards — Google Pwnium Program Now Open All Year — Google is expanding its successful Pwnium vulnerability reward program-which has run at various security conferences for a couple of years …

More: Gizmorati

Caroline Humer / Reuters:

Anthem says breach may have also affected up to 18.8M Blue Cross Blue Shield customers — Anthem says at least 8.8 million non-customers could be victims in data hack — (Reuters) - Health insurer Anthem Inc, which earlier this month reported that it was hit by a massive cyberbreach …

More: Help Net Security, PYMNTS.com, Gizmodo, The Hill, Minneapolis Star Tribune, NBC News, bizjournals, Bloomberg Business, Wall Street Journal, The Register and VTDigger

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Microsoft removing Google Talk integration and discontinuing support for Facebook chat in Outlook — Microsoft kills off Google and Facebook chat for Outlook.com — Microsoft is revealing today that it plans to kill off Google and Facebook chat from its Outlook.com email service “within the next couple of weeks.”

More: ZDNet, The Register, InvestorPlace, BetaNews, SiliconANGLE, SuperSite for Windows, GeekWire, The Next Web and Neowin

Liz Gannes / Re/code:

Former Kleiner Perkins partner Trae Vassallo to testify she was harassed by same partner as Ellen Pao — Venture Capitalist Trae Vassallo to Testify She Was Harassed by Same Partner as Ellen Pao — One of the first witnesses in the gender discrimination case brought by former partner Ellen Pao …

More: bizjournals, Ars Technica, CNET, USA Today, Bloomberg Business, TechCrunch and Timmins Press

Paul Smith / The Australian Financial Review:

Xero lands $100M backing from Accel Partners for US expansion ahead of expected IPO — Xero lands $NZ132.9 million backing from Accel Partners ahead of US listing — Online accounting software maker Xero has scored a $NZ132.9 million ($US100 million) investment from Silicon Valley …

More: PE Hub Blog, VentureBeat, Forbes, ITWire.com, StartupSmart, TechCrunch, bizjournals and The Diversity Blog

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