T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have closed an SMS hijacking loophole

You might’ve read a couple of news pieces from a couple of weeks back on a scary kind of SMS hijacking attack that was also scarily easy to perpetrate by anyone. Basically, using a service from a company called Sakari, meant to help businesses do SMS marketing, can allow you to take over someone’s number and redirect their SMS text messages to you: no questions asked, the victim doesn’t even get a notification, and the service’s cheapest plan that allows you to do this is just $16. This report from Motherboard surfaced a gigantic loophole: if you’re using something that uses text messages as an authentication method, all a hacker had to do was to pay $16 to reroute your messages. You can now rest easy, though, as T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have all patched this loophole.

This was announced by Aerialink (via: Motherboard), a communication company that helps route text messages, yesterday. The announcement itself reads that “the Number Registry has announced that wireless carriers will no longer be supporting SMS or MMS text enabling on their respective wireless numbers,” adding that this change is industry-wide and affects all SMS providers in the U.S. ecosystem, including all three major U.S. carriers: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, as well as operators that rely on these three companies’ cell infrastructure.

The official announcement then goes on to add that these three companies have “reclaimed overwritten text-enabled wireless numbers industry-wide” and that, as a result, “wireless numbers which had been text-enabled as BYON no longer route messaging traffic through the Aerialink Gateway,” referring to the “Bring Your Own Number” feature most carriers have to allow you to switch cell providers without getting a new phone number. This means that wireless BYON numbers won’t route text messages through the Aerialink Gateway anymore. Most of these changes also mean that companies that provide these rerouting services like Sakari will likely not be able to provide these services normally anymore.

The surfacing of this loophole requires a serious reworking on the way SMS text messages are routed through carriers, and we’re glad to see this issue being addressed. Still, the best course of action is to not rely on SMS as your go-to two-factor authentication option: apps that provide one-time passcodes such as Authy and Google Authenticator, and even more secure methods such as hardware keys, are way more secure options to keep your online accounts secure as we move forward into the Internet era.

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Custom kernel boosts the refresh rates of the ASUS ROG Phone II and ROG Phone 3

ASUS’s ROG smartphone lineup is quite popular among mobile gamers. With each generation of ROG phones, ASUS has continued to push the boundary of smartphone hardware. The recently released ROG Phone 5 is a prime example, offering a 6.78-inch 144Hz AMOLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, up to 18GB of RAM, a total 6,000mAh battery, 65W fast charging, and much more. Although the ROG Phone 5 leads the chart as the company’s most powerful smartphone yet, the previous phones such as the ROG Phone II and ROG Phone 3 still hold their own even in 2021.

Both phones also aftermarket community support from a handful of developers that bring new custom ROMs, kernels, and mods, unlocking new possibilities and giving users greater control over their devices. Case in point: XDA Recognized Developer Freak07 just released a new update to their Kirisakura kernel, which allows the ROG Phone II and ROG Phone 3 to push beyond their default maximum display refresh rates.

Warning: There is always some risk involved in overclocking the refresh rate of your device’s display. Do not increase the refresh rate of the display beyond its normal limit unless you are okay with the possibility that it might be damaged.

For the ROG Phone II, the developer has released Kirisakura v3.2.0, which overclocks the display to 144Hz. 120Hz is the maximum officially supported refresh rate on the ROG Phone 2, but it looks like the display is capable of handling a higher refresh rate. It’s not like going from 120Hz to 144Hz will make a world of difference in terms of perceivable smoothness, but those who like to squeeze every last Hz out of their display will undoubtedly be delighted.

After flashing the latest kernel build, selecting the 120Hz mode from the display settings will set the display to 144Hz — you’ll not see a 144Hz mode listed separately. While pushing a 120Hz display to 144Hz sounds certainly cool, the developer warns, “there’s a certain risk involved” as tends to be the case with overclocking refresh rates. If you understand the risk and would still like to try out the new 144Hz mode, head to the linked thread below, where you’ll find all the instructions and related details.

Download Kirisakura kernel v3.2.0 for your ROG Phone II

ROG Phone II Forums

Meanwhile, Kirisakura kernel v2.1.1 for the ROG Phone 3 bumps the refresh rate to 165Hz (from the default 144Hz). We already knew ASUS was experimenting with a hidden 160Hz mode which was possible to activate with an ADB command. However, Freak07’s custom kernel enables a slightly overclocked 165Hz mode, matching the recent Red Magic 6. Before you flash the new kernel zip, though, you’ll first need to activate the hidden 160Hz mode using the ADB command — which you can do so by following our guide.

If you’re interested in trying out the 165Hz mode on your ROG Phone 3, check out the linked thread below for more details. It goes without saying your smartphone must have an unlocked bootloader and a custom recovery like TWRP installed in order to flash this custom kernel.

Download Kirisakura kernel v2.1.1 for ROG Phone 3

ROG Phone 3 Forums

Besides the aforementioned risks, there is one more caveat with overclocking the display refresh rate. Since all the stock display modes supported by the ROG Phone II and ROG Phone 3 were calibrated by ASUS, that means the new, overclocked display modes haven’t been professionally calibrated by the company. The developer has been tweaking the gamma curve to improve the visibility of dark scenes at low brightnesses and to make colors seem more natural, but these changes may look odd to some users. Still, the developer says they tried to find a balance and are giving users the option to pick between the stock calibration and his.

Featured image: the ASUS ROG Phone 3 running at a 160Hz refresh rate

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Slack might add Clubhouse-style audio rooms and Stories, for some reason

Slack, the business-focused messaging application used by millions, has been rapidly expanding its feature set over the past few months. It now seems the company is looking to implement more functionality currently popular with social media platforms, including elements from Clubhouse and other apps.

According to a report from Protocol, Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield talked about some in-development features for Slack in a Clubhouse audio room. He said that Slack would soon have audio rooms for conversations that didn’t require scheduling a meeting or creating a call, similar to rooms in Clubhouse or voice channels in Discord and TeamSpeak. Slack will also add ephemeral video messages, similar to ‘Stories’ on platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and many others.

Clubhouse-style chat rooms wouldn’t be too different than what Slack offers right now, since creating a call in a chat already displays a message to everyone who can see the channel. However, Slack wants to become the place where all work-related communication takes place, and Clubhouse is currently a popular place for tech executives to talk about anything. Slack also recently started allowing anyone to message anyone else on the platform, which was quickly pointed out as an easy method for harassment.

If a Stories-like feature does arrive, it will make Slack the latest in a long line of services to add the functionality, which started with a Snapchat update in 2013. Stories were quickly cloned by Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype, and other services, to the point that adding Stories to everything became a meme in itself. More recently, Twitter started rolling out ‘Fleets’ in November, and Spotify began testing artist-created Stories in the same month. Google has developed a similar feature for its Discover news feed, called Web Stories, but those are created by publishers instead of users.

Slack (Free, Google Play) →

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Razer is turning its Project Hazel RGB face mask into a real product

Razer used a part of its manufacturing line last year to produce face masks to help reduce the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. After donating over a million of them, the company at CES 2021 announced an ambitious concept to take face masks to the next, absurd level.

Called Project Hazel, Razer showcased an N95 mask that, well, perfectly encapsulates Razer as a brand. That means it obviously was equipped with RGB lighting not to mention a glossy waterproof and scratch-resistant plastic shell. The mask was also said to be the “world’s smartest face mask,” featuring detachable and rechargeable active ventilators and high bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) Smart Pods to regulate airflow. But the company said it was just a concept product, and we didn’t have any expectations it would ever hit the market.

Speaking to Yahoo Finance, though, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan now says that the company is focusing on making its concept RGB-lit mask into a real product.  The company had set up Singapore’s first mask-making facility within 24 days. At the same time, the company realized the challenges with sustainability, which is obviously not the case with disposable masks. Project Hazel was envisioned to continue serving us long after the COVID-19 pandemic is effectively over, which is becoming closer and closer as vaccinations continue to be distributed.

“I think moving forward we decided — and I can tell you now — we are going to proceed in making it a reality and ship the smart mask. We’ve realized that even with vaccinations we are hearing you still have to be masked up because there is still the risk factor that even if you’re vaccinated you still need to be incredibly careful. Secondly, there are also many countries that are unlikely that are going to get the whole [scale] of vaccinations in the next year or even two so traveling everyone should be very careful,” said Tan.

During the initial announcement of the project, Razer pointed out that since it has a transparent design, it will help address the issue of picking up nonverbal cues. Since the face mask comes with interior lighting, it can light up in a dark environment. Other notable features include VoiceAmp Technology, which uses a built-in microphone and amplifier to enhance the user’s voice, active air cooling and regulation, an air-tight seal from its adjustable ear loops, and a fast wireless charging box that can also sanitize the mask with disinfecting UV light. Let’s hope Razer also includes the ability to sync the RGB lighting to your PC and peripherals with its Chroma RGB software.

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Apple Watch with more rugged design rumored for launch in 2021

An Apple Watch with a more rugged design could reportedly launch as soon as this year. The wearable will reportedly be designed to withstand “more extreme environments” and appeal to athletes, hikers, and people who spend a lot of time outdoors. If launched, it would offer the same functionality as a standard Apple’s current wearables.

Bloomberg reports the rugged Apple Watch could launch in 2021 or 2022, and feature a more impact-resistant design with a rubberized exterior similar to Casio’s popular line of G-Shock watches. Apple currently offers its smartwatch in titanium, aluminum, and stainless steel, and there are a variety of third-party cases you can buy.

Apple’s wearables are already popular for exercise tracking, with water resistance up to 50 meters. But in more extreme environments Apple’s wearable isn’t close to being the most durable smartwatch you can buy. That’s allowed competing companies to carve out a niche in this space, where Casio and other watchmakers have seen promising sales. Apple seemingly wants to encroach in this space and own the entire wearable market.

This isn’t the first time Apple has considered releasing a more rugged smartwatch. Bloomberg claims the company weighed a more rugged model after releasing the Apple Watch in 2015, but those plans were shelved. The alleged rugged Apple smartwatch will likely be offered alongside the Apple Watch SE and whatever new model lands toward the end of this year.

Apple typically announces new Apple Watch models in September, so if we do see something, it could be introduced around then. Bloomberg warns, however, that the product could be canceled or delayed. In addition to possibly rolling out a more rugged Apple Watch variant, Apple is said to be working on new swim tracking features in a future update to watchOS.

Featured image shows the Apple Watch Series 6 in the gym

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Xiaomi warns the global chip shortage could increase phone prices

There’s a major shortage in computer chips, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making it difficult to find products like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Apparently, the issue has reached a point where company costs are rising, which Xiaomi said may eventually be passed on to consumers.

In a recent earnings calls (via Reuters), Xiaomi president Wang Xiang implied that due to global shortages, some of its products might go up in price.

“We will continue to optimize the costs of our hardware devices, that’s for sure,” Wang said. “To be honest, we will do our best to offer the best price we can to consumers. But sometimes, we may have to pass part of the cost increase to the consumer in different cases.”

A number of factors have led to a global shortage in computer chips, including increased demand, slowdowns in production, and sanctions against China from the previous U.S. administration. These issues have all converged to create chaos in the supply chain. Qualcomm, for example, which supplies chips for many of the world’s top OEMs, is struggling to meet orders.

Wang admitted that due to the current landscape, the company is “feeling pressure.” It could mean Xiaomi’s products, which are typically priced on the lower end of the spectrum, could get more expensive. Hopefully, if that does happen, it doesn’t become a trend across the industry.

It’s a difficult situation all around. Passing the cost down to consumers during a pandemic, when many people are unemployed, could be detrimental to a brand. But it makes sense from a business perspective, especially when so many companies are competing to secure the same chips.

Now that vaccines are rolling out in some parts of the world — and lockdown restrictions are being lifted — it remains to be seen if things will turn around. For now, Wang said that Xiaomi is “looking okay,” so let’s not sound the alarm just yet.

Featured image shows off the Xiaomi Mi 11

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Motorola starts rolling out Android 11 to the Moto G 5G Plus

After rolling out Android 11 to the Moto G Pro in February, the Moto G8/G8 Power earlier this month, and the Moto Edge lineup just last week, Lenovo-owned Motorola is now bringing the latest flavor of Android to one more device. The company has started rolling out stable Android 11 to last year’s mid-range Moto G 5G Plus.

The Android 11 update package is about 1.08GB in size and it comes with the version number RPN31.Q4U-39-27-5. As reported by TudoCelular.com, this particular build is meant for the Brazilian dual-SIM variant of the Moto G 5G Plus (model number XT2075-3-DS). The OTA also includes the February 2021 security patches.

With the update, Moto G 5G Plus users can look forward to all the new features and changes introduced in Android 11, including Conversation notifications, Chat bubbles, a built-in screen recorder, media controls in the Quick Settings panel, Smart Device controls, one time permissions for apps requesting location and microphone access, and much more.

Moto G 5G Plus XDA Forums

At the time, the Android 11 update seems to be rolling out to Moto G 5G Plus units in Brazil only, but it should be coming to more regions in the following weeks. In case you haven’t received the OTA notification on your phone, you can manually check for the update by heading over to Settings > System > System update. You can also try out the Lenovo Moto Smart Assistant (LMSA) tool to download the updated firmware right now and flash it using a PC.

Launched in July last year, the Moto G 5G Plus is an affordable 5G-capable smartphone from Motorola, packing a 6.7-inch FHD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate, Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 SoC, 4/6GB RAM and 64/128GB storage, quadruple cameras, a 5,000mAh battery with 20W fast charging support, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It came with Android 10 out-of-the-box and Motorola released the kernel source code a few months after its launch.

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