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Holographic messages, a regular feature in science fiction, could be moving closer to reality. Researchers have created holograms that change from one image to another—a breakthrough that could one day lead to the development of animated holograms, and maybe even Star Wars-style messages. Scientists led by Ritesh Agarwal, from the University of Pennsylvania, were building on previous research where they used gold nanorods embedded into a stretchable film to create 3D and multicolored holograms. In their latest study, published in Nano Letters, the team worked out how they could stretch a metasurface film (a flat, ultra-thin, nanostructured surface) to get the holographic image to change into something different. There is great scientific interest in the development of holographic messages. Being able to transmit 3D images from one location to another in real-time has far-reaching applications, including in medicine—during surgery, for example—manufacturing and entertainment. Keep up with this story and more by subscribing now But it also has security implications, as hologram messages would be more difficult to intercept. In an email interview with Newsweek, Agarwal and study co-author Stephanie Malek explain: “Holograms allow signals to be sent via a secure channel, while transmission of photographs can be intercepted. For the other side to read out the hologram, they need to know what type of light source needs to be used.” They said that while photographs encode information based on the amplitude of light alone, holograms use both amplitude and phase, the latter of which is responsible for the modulation of a wave in time and space. “Holograms also use this phase information to store data, which allows more to be stored and transmitted in a safe manner,” they add. In their study, which is currently a proof of the concept, the team looked at how a holographic image changed when they stretched the material generating it. They also looked at how far the image plane would move from its original position. They then used computer models and experiments to make calculations in order to create a multi-layered hologram made up of two to three images. The hologram they created could be stretched so one image would be change into another as the material was changed. Agarwal and Malek say the biggest challenge was creating the stretchable material: “We had to make sure that the repeated process of stretching and releasing the polymer does not dislodge the precise alignment and placement of nanorods in the polymer. Also, the designs needed to ensure minimum interference between different images.” The next big step in this research will be to create multicolor stretchable holograms: “Then we are working to encode many more images in the metasurface hologram to eventually make some sort of animation,” Agarwal and Malek say. “Finally, the holy grail of this area would be to also obtain a tunable response by applying varying voltage to the device, making [the holograms] more compatible with all kinds of applications, including virtual reality.” Tunability refers to the ability to tune the metasurface to different wavelengths so it can be used for different purposes. “Future applications might involve metasurface holograms that transmit multiple secret messages that are accessible by stretching or applying voltage, or hologram images that are also animated upon applying some sort of stimuli (mechanical or chemical force, applied fields etc). These concepts can then be easily extended to other applications related to virtual reality and optical and secure communication. Right now VR devices are very bulky and thick, but if tunability can be programmed as we have shown (and still working on it to extend and improve), then the same VR experience can be obtained by wearing “regular” glasses.” Asked whether sci-fi hologram messages become a reality, they say: “We had not necessarily considered developing talking holograms like the ones in Star Wars but that may be possible by also encoding audio information via some other means.” Tags: cellular iot, cellular iot company, m2m router manufacturers, iot gateway manufacturer, Industrial router, cellular router, 4g router |
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Antivirus company Symantec released its annual threat report this month. The report covered a wide range of issues, including the vulnerability of internet-of-things devices, and revealed an important fact — globally, Americans are the most likely targets of ransomware, and are most likely to pay when digitally extorted. Ransomware is software that allows hackers to go through your data, encrypt it and then extort you in exchange for providing access to the data. Read: Failing To Protect 'Internet Of Things' Data Is Big Threat To Tech, Says Symantec Keep up with this story and more by subscribing now “New sophistication and innovation are the nature of the threat landscape, but this year Symantec has identified seismic shifts in motivation and focus. The world saw specific nation states double down on political manipulation and straight sabotage. Meanwhile, cyber criminals caused unprecedented levels of disruption by focusing their exploits on relatively simple IT tools and cloud services,” Tarun Kaura, Symantec's director for solution product management for Asian Pacific & Japan, Symantec, said. Even though ransomware is now a global menace, Symantec’s report states that Americans are most likely to cave in to ransomware demands. According to the report, “around 100 new malware families have been released in the wild,” which essentially means that you might just receive an email asking you to download a software and as soon as this software is downloaded to your system, your system will be locked using encryption. This marks a 36 percent release in ransomware year-on-year for the financial year 2016. Americans are around twice as likely to pay ransom for their information as compared to the global average. Their willingness to pay ransom has led to average ransom increasing 266 percent year-on-year, with criminals asking for $1,077 ransom per victim on average in 2016 as compared to just $294 for the previous year. Read: Symantec Corp. (SYMC) Buying LifeLock Inc. (LOCK) For $2.3 Billion The report also highlights that email has now become the weapon of choice for hackers and most hackers are basically going for simple tools to hack into your system. It is therefore advisable to follow these tips: Be careful while opening emails, always verify the source URLBe careful with your passwordsAlways have a backup of your system — since you will already have most of the files you need, you might not be willing to pay ransom |
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Several high-profile U.S.-based technology companies are reportedly allowing Russia access to their source codes in order to gain entry or remain in the country’s multibillion-dollar market, even while President Vladimir Putin’s government faces serious accusations of hacking democratic elections, Reuters reported Friday. The companies include IBM, Hewlett-Packard, McAfee and CISCO, as well as Germany-based SAP, each of which has used intermediary companies to safely allow source code for their products to be inspected under requirements made by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB. The FSB has widely been condemned by the U.S. intelligence community, as well as Putin, for directly meddling in last year’s presidential election in order to defame Democrat Hillary Clinton and elevate Republican and President Donald Trump. The agency, which also serves as a regulator for Russia’s technology sector, also has been accused of conducting the 2014 hack on Yahoo that resulted in 500 million email accounts penetrated. Keep up with this story and more by subscribing now Each of the tech companies used an FSB-accredited testing company to have its source code, essentially the lifeblood of advanced systems like computers, examined and approved to hit the Russian market. Last year, the market was valued at $18.4 billion. However, Symantec claimed one such FSB-approved company, Echelon, “didn’t meet our bar” when it came to its “independence” from the FSB, the cyber security company told Reuters. “In the case of Russia, we decided the protection of our customer base through the deployment of uncompromised security products was more important than pursuing an increase in market share in Russia,” a Symantec spokesperson said. Many of the companies said in separate statements that their code was protected and that precautions were taken, like the use of “clean rooms.” The practice is common in the U.S. and also in China, which had a dispute with iPhone-maker Apple and was also allowed access to source code by IBM. But Russia’s recent actions, which the Department of Homeland Security claimed Wednesday had targeted 21 states during last year’s election, make one question the country’s motives for such source code availability. In May 2016, it was revealed that China, which is known for blocking its population from large swaths of the internet as well as social media sites like Twitter, had honed in on technology companies selling products on their soil, The New York Times reported. The Cyberspace Administration of China had set up reviews of tech companies in the months prior to the report, and Apple’s general counsel told the House Energy and Commerce Committee in April 2016 that the company had refused the overture. In October 2015, The Wall Street Journal reported that IBM had allowed the Chinese to review some of its product source code in a secure room but also insisted that client data and back doors, or ways to break into a system, are not shared with governments. But many companies, including IBM and Microsoft, have attempted to fend off China's requests, the Journal reported in December. Tags:low-cost LTE router, low-cost M2M router, compact industrial router, low-cost cellular router , cellular router, low-cost 4g router |