Your WhatsApp messages can be read by Facebook: Report

The WhatsApp messages could be read without its billion-plus users knowing about it. 

According to a report in The Guardian, the Facebook-owned mobile messaging service WhatsApp is vulnerable to interception due to a security backdoor in the way the company  has implemented its end-to-end encryption protocol.

WhatsApp system relies on unique security keys that are traded and verified between users to guarantee communications are secure and cannot be intercepted by a middleman.

However, the report points out that WhatsApp can force the generation of new encryption keys for offline users "unbeknown to the sender and recipient of the messages."

"If WhatsApp is asked by a government agency to disclose its messaging records, it can effectively grant access due to the change in keys, " Tobias Boelter, a cryptography researcher at the University of California was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

Boelter claimed that he had reported the backdoor vulnerability to Facebook in April 2016 and was told that Facebook was already aware of the issue but that it was not actively being worked on.

In a statement, the Facebook said that there was a way of notifying users when a contact's security code had changed. 

"We know the most common reasons this happens are because someone has switched phones or reinstalled WhatsApp.... In these situations, we want to make sure people's messages are delivered, not lost in transit," the statement said.

However, The Guardian claimed that it had verified that the security backdoor still exists. 

“ WhatsApp can effectively continue flipping the security keys when devices are offline and re-sending the message, without letting users know of the change till after it has been made, providing an extremely insecure platform," The Guardian quoted Steffen Tor Jensen, head of information security and digital counter-surveillance at the European-Bahraini Organisation for Human Rights, as saying.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped in to help a 12-year-old with a deadly disease

NEW DELHI: The father of 12-year-old Parth - who has a rare and deadly brain disorder - had almost given up hope to treat his son. He had spent all his savings, sold off his property and his wife's jewellery, DD News reported.

With no option left, Parth's father thought, "Why not write to the PM?" And to his complete surprise, he got a reply. A positive one.

Parth is from Gujarat's Amreli district and suffers from the rare Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE), a deadly brain disorder related to measles (rubeola) infection. The disease is debilitating and progressive.

"He (Parth) was diagnosed with the disease (SSPE) some four months back. I consulted all the specialists in Amreli as well as in Ahmedabad but there was no improvement in his condition," Parth's father told DD News.

"I sold all my property, including my wife's jewellery, to help my only son. As a final resort, I wrote a letter to PM Modi and to the health ministry seeking help in the treatment for Parth," he said.

A few days later, the family received a letter from the Prime Minister's office assuring free and full treatment for the boy in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

"Parth is now undergoing treatment at AIIMS after PM assured us full support and financial assistance for my son's treatment. So now, not only do we have financial aid, the PM has also given us moral support."

While the financial aspect of the treatment has been taken care of, it is still an uphill battle for Parth, said specialists at AIIMS, to DD News. They said his condition is very critical.

"This is a degenerative brain disease. We are providing every possible treatment to the patient. Currently, all the required tests are being done," said Dr Sheffali Gulati of the child neurology department at AIIMS.

Parth's father though is pleased that everything possible is now being done, thanks to the PM.

This is not the first time that PM Modi has stepped in to provide succour in such cases. Earlier, a eleven-year-old boy from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh had written to the Prime Minister about the difficulty he faced in crossing railway tracks to reach his school. This prompted PM Modi to ask the Railways to intervene, following which the Northern Railways has written a letter to the boy.

Before that, an eight-year-old girl Taiyyaba from Agra wrote to Modi seeking financial aid to treat her congenital heart disease. Touched by the girl's appeal, the Prime Minister's Office immediately responded to the letter and arranged for her treatment at New Delhi's GB Pant Hospital, where all the expenses incurred in her treatment will be borne by the government.

Free offer that is better than Jio!

New Delhi: After Reliance Jio introduced its offers on free call and internet services, other telecom companies are leaving no stone unturned to lure customers.

To give a tough competition to Jio, Airtel has now introduced a new plan worth Rs 99. According to the plan, the users can enjoy unlimited calls and 2GB 4G data for 28 days.

This offer is valid for prepaid users. Meanwhile, some airtel users are getting offers to avail plan of Rs 148 which includes 6GB 3G/4G data for 28 days.

To avail such offers, users need to download My Airtel app on their airtel number. After downloading the app, the recharge option on the home screen will help in availing new cheap plans.

Reliance Jio's Happy New Year Offer: How to Use High-Speed Data Beyond 1GB Daily Limit

If you've been using Reliance Jio then you've probably become used to the free Welcome Offer, which let users have high speed Internet access for up to 4GB of data a day. Before the public rollout even this limit was not there, but from January 1, Reliance Jio was supposed to get its commercial rollout when people would start paying for the service. Instead, the company launched the Jio Happy New Year Offer, which came into effect on Sunday. 

As part of this promotional offer, users will be able to make unlimited phone calls and enjoy 1GB of free high-speed data per day till March 31. To browse again at high speed, you can buy a booster pack from Reliance Jio, which should help people to get used to the idea of paying for Jio. The company has priced this at Rs. 301 for a 6GB pack, or Rs. 51 for a 1GB pack, in line with what Jio Chairman Mukesh Ambani had announced at the launch of the network. Buying a recharge is pretty simple. Here is how you can use 4G speeds on Reliance after crossing the 1GB daily limit:

On your phone, open the MyJio app.

Log in, or register if you haven't already. Your Jio phone number is your username.

Now, you'll see a list of Jio apps. Tap Open next to MyJio.

Tap Usage and tap on Data - do this to confirm that you've crossed the 1GB limit. This is because Jio speeds aren't always stable, and sometimes a slow connection could just be a slow connection.

If you've crossed the limit, tap the Back icon, and go back to the main screen.

Tap on Recharge

Tap on Booster

Choose the plan you want, and tap on the price on the right side.

This takes you to the payment screen, where you can pay via JioMoney, credit or debit cards, or via netbanking. Complete the payment as normal.

That's it - you're done. You can go back to browsing and using the Internet as always, at the regular 4G speeds. Buying a 6GB pack will save you Rs. 4, but given that the data limit resets daily, while the 6GB pack has a 28 day validity, it might not be the most value for money option at this point. Later, once you're paying for a regular data plan, it might make sense to purchase the bigger pack, but while the Jio Happy New Year Offer is running, it makes more sense to buy data in 1GB blocks - unless of course, you're planning a big download and need to use up more than 1GB in one go.

Better than Jio..Rs 9000 data free from this company

New Delhi: Here comes real and tough competition for Reliance Jio. Airtel on Tuesday offered Rs 9000 worth of data free for users. This offer is for users  who switch to its 4G service.The offer is meant to counter Jio's free offer which aims to achieve 100 million users by March this year.
The 12-month Airtel offer, worth up to Rs 9000, is available to any user with a 4G handset who is currently not a Airtel user. The offer is available to users from January 4 till February 28, 2017.
Under the plan, users will get free 3GB data every month till December 31, with select prepaid and postpaid packs. New data benefit will be over and above the existing benefits.
The prepaid customers opting for Rs 345 recharge will get additional 3GB data every month.
The data benefits will be valid for 28 days and can be availed for a maximum of 13 recharges till December 31.The first-time free 3GB data benefit can be availed through MyAirtel app and data benefits on subsequent recharges will be automatic.

Who withdrew Rs 3300 crore from Jan Dhan accounts in 15 days..Govt knows

New Delhi: Jan Dhan accounts witnessed net withdrawal of Rs 3,285 crore in the last fortnight after a huge surge in deposits post demonetisation in November.

Total deposits increased to a record high of Rs 74,610 crore for the week ended December 7 and thereafter, it started gradual decline to close at Rs 71,037 crore on December 28, two days ahead of the close of demonetisation exercise, according to Finance Ministry data.

In the last fortnight, the total deposit came down by Rs 3,285 crore. This was despite the fact that the monthly upper withdrawal limit was fixed at Rs 10,000 per month from November 30 to check misuse of Jan Dhan accounts.

The upper limit for deposits in Jan Dhan account is Rs 50,000.

As of November 9, the balance in about 25.5 crore such accounts was Rs 45,636.61 crore.

Total deposits in Jan Dhan accounts surged by around Rs 28,973 crore in about a month after the announcement of ban on old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes on November 8 midnight.

Interestingly, the percentage of zero balance account still remains flat at about 24.13 per cent despite surge in deposits.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was launched in August 2014 to increase banking penetration and promote financial inclusion in the country.

In 1 sec download a movie

New Delhi: Download movie in 1 second. After reading you must be thinking that we are taking you for a ride or playing a prank on you. But, you are wrong. This is going to be a reality in 2017 with high speed internet 5G services. Mobile and net service providers are currently testing this across the world, including India.

The government has almost made up its mind to introduce 5G services in  India in 2017, according to a report in the Mint. Soon telecom regulator TRAI will issue a consultation paper on 5G to frame the guideline and laws for governing the new service.

Through 5G, users will be able to download heavy data files and high quality digital movies without any limits in few seconds. Users of 5G services will be able to enjoy and access high-end services like 3D films, games, ultra HD content and remote medical services.

It is the next generation technology, and speed under 5G  is 100 times faster than the 4G services.