Why are public WiFi considered so unsafe for your data?

Even though our mobile packages are becoming more and more generous in terms of data, everyone once found themselves without the Internet and had to settle for a public or open WiFi. It often happens during holidays or abroad, where it is not possible to benefit from a 4G connection. However, these open WiFi are potentially dangerous.

A hacker or a novice hacker can easily find out what you’re doing on your smartphones, from visiting websites to passwords to your email or bank account.

Why is open WiFi so easy to hack?

The answer is in the question: because it is open. Most WiFi routers do not by default encrypt the data they receive and transmit. It is necessary for its owner to activate it in the options. If this is not the case, it means that once anyone can connect to a WiFi point, anyone can also look at what a network neighbor is doing. It requires some knowledge and software to do it. But they are neither particularly complicated to find nor complicated to handle.

Man-in-the-middle attacks

This is probably the most common attack that can be found on open WiFi. The principle is simple; the hacker will look at the data that flows between your smartphone or PC and the router and see in real time what you are doing. The latter will suck up all the data that passes through the network and reassemble it using software to visualize what the user has been able to consult on the Internet but also to show what he has entered on these websites. Or, for an experienced hacker, modify the site the user visits to steal his or her credentials.

However, with one limitation: it will be impossible to see what is displayed on HTTPS sites, whose connection is encrypted. The hacker will know that you have logged into a particular site, but will not know what you have seen or the data (password, login) you have entered. Generally speaking, if you have no choice but to connect to an open WiFi hotspot, go to HTTPS sites. The vast majority of websites have already switched to HTTPS, as is the case on FrAndroid.

An excellent way to deploy malware

Connecting to an open and potentially unencrypted network is also a unique opportunity for a hacker to install malware by exploiting one or more vulnerabilities in an operating system. As soon as he can access your PC’s network (this is less the case on smartphones, much more restrictive on the network aspect), he can easily inject malicious code to infect your device.

A threat that does not necessarily target a tourist on the run, but can easily affect travel professionals.

3 connected wristbands for less than $60, our 2019 selection

The market for connected wristbands is booming in 2019. They are available for all profiles, both for athletes and nerds, as well as for those who are concerned about adopting a healthier lifestyle. Also, there are connected wristbands for all budgets. Here is a selection of the best activity trackers for less than $60.

How to choose your connected wristband?

As with any purchase you wish to make, you must first think about how you will use it. There are multiple types of wristbands connected, so you need to know what needs it will have to meet.

If it is, for example, to control your heart rate, monitor your diet, your weight loss, have notifications from your phone, etc. And then you have to think about the characteristics you could not do without like having good autonomy, having a screen, waterproofing, etc.

The Xiaomi Mi Band 2: our recommendation

Marketed by Xiaomi, the Mi Band 2 has a 0.42-inch OLED display, on which it is possible to consult the time, the number of steps taken, the number of calories burned, but also the heart rate and a 70 mAh battery for ten days of autonomy (20 days in standby). It is also IP67 certified.

Its mobile application, the Mi Fit, compatible with iOS and Android, provides access to various data such as sleep monitoring.

August SWB100: the alternative

The August SWB100 incorporates the essential features of a smart tracker such as a pedometer, distance calculation, and sleep control while integrating some new functions, all with a 5-day autonomy. Among them, we will note the possibility of activating an anti-loss alarm to find your smartphone, but also the addition of the alarm clock and note-taking.
Thanks to FitApp, iOS, and Android compatible, it is possible to receive your call and message notifications directly on the August SWB100 OLED screen.

Misfit Shine 2: the multiple features

This Misfit wristband comes in the form of tablets integrated into a wristband or belt clip. It is powered by a button cell battery, which gives it an autonomy of up to 6 months. It is waterproof to 50 meters and displays the time with twelve LEDs arranged in a circle, activity objectives, distance covered, calories burned and sleep monitoring.

Triggering a specific activity for better overall monitoring is possible. Thanks to its mobile application compatible with iOS, Android and Windows, it is possible to access various features and use it as a remote control to locate the smartphone, take a picture, put music on it, etc.

For the IMF, global growth is becoming “less equitable

The effects of trade tensions should, so far, remain contained, according to the multilateral institution in its latest forecasts.

The world may well be talking about the risks to the economy of the sharp rise in trade tensions. The figures do not show that. At least for now. The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) new forecast, presented on Monday 16 July, projects global growth to reach nearly 4% in 2018 and 2019. This figure – + 3.9% to be exact – has not changed one iota since the IMF the last forecast in April.

The institution thus maintains its scenario in spite of the protectionist salvos launched, meanwhile, by the United States against all its major partners (European Union, China, Canada, Mexico…), which immediately retaliated. The negative effects of the measures announced and to come should be contained, according to the IMF, since “so far, they affect only a tiny share of world trade.” Moreover, the impact on sentiment in financial markets should be “limited,” the Fund continues.

The fact remains that the threats of a break-up are there. The commercial battle, if it continues and intensifies, “could derail the recovery and reduce medium-term growth projections,” the institution warns. By increasing uncertainty, it risks undermining investment, which has been and remains, one of the primary drivers of global economic recovery.

Warning signals

The worst is not always certain. However, already, the global economic scoreboard is giving warning signals. Overall, growth has become “less homogeneous.” Among the advanced countries first, between on one side the United States and, opposite, all the others. The powerful fiscal stimulus provided by Donald Trump’s administration is driving an already very robust US economy (+2.9% in 2018). The acceleration in activity should enable the unemployment rate to fall to levels not seen for 50 years. At the risk of rekindling inflationary pressures. Moreover, warns the IMF, to increase “global imbalances,” since the United States will import more fuel and increase its trade deficit…

In contrast, the euro area’s growth forecasts are slightly lower: it is expected to grow by 2.2% in 2018, whereas the IMF predicted 2.4% in April. Meanwhile, activity has faltered slightly in Germany and especially in France, whose forecasts are revised (+1.8% in 2018 and +1.7% in 2019, instead of 2.1% and 2% previously forecast). Europe is also suffering from uncertainty in Italy, where political turbulence is likely to affect activity.

Emerging and developing countries have also faced stiff headwinds in recent months. The rise in oil prices had, logically, favored exporters but weighed on others. The appreciation of the dollar (+5% in recent weeks) and the rise in US interest rates have caused the currencies of several major emerging markets to unscrew. The countries with the most unbalanced external accounts were the most shaken. Among them, Argentina, Brazil or India for which the IMF has revised its growth forecasts downwards.

Risk of inflationary pressures in the United States

Currently, financial conditions remain favorable. However, the situation could become more complicated, warns the Fund. There is no shortage of disruptive factors, between the risk of inflationary pressures in the United States, the escalation of trade tensions and the threat of geopolitical shocks. A correction in the markets would put the most indebted economies to the test.

What about the future? While renewing its traditional exhortation to accelerate structural reforms, the IMF launches targeted recommendations. In the United States, asked to press the brake on fiscal stimulus. Germany, too, should use its massive trade surpluses to support growth and reduce global imbalances. The lesson is not new. So is the call to save international cooperation.

To preserve global innovation, productivity and improved living conditions, “countries should work together… to resolve their disagreements without increasing tariff and non-tariff barriers,” the IMF advocates. This advice has been repeated over and over since the election of Donald Trump, to the point of giving the impression that the institution is preaching more and more in the desert…

Speed up your Mac OS X

Boosting your Mac OS X El Capitan or other versions does not require any special skills but mainly common sense and a little rigor on the part of the user from time to time. As usual, we will deploy several practical and easy-to-apply tips that will boost your iMac, MacBook, Mac mini or Mac Pro.

Improving Mac Performance: Basic Maintenance

We recently devoted an article to the new Mac OS X El Capitan Disk Utility. It is always an important ally to inspect and repair any errors on a disk or SSD. A drive that contains errors, cross-files, or faulty sectors is a source of slowdowns and problems. Remember to regularly run the Disk Utility via the Finder (Applications, Utilities) under session or better still for more security in Recovery mode (cmd + R therefore ⌘ + R).

Choose your primary drive and click the SOA icon. Wait for the maintenance operation. It is no longer necessary to repair permissions under OS X El Capitan unless you specifically know what you are doing, but it is still possible with the Terminal. More advanced users can also benefit from the well-optimized Onyx for OS X El Capitan scripts for which we detail the instructions for use.

Speed Boosting a Mac: Off And Rebooting

The first practical advice that many users fail to do is to turn off and restart their Mac from time to time. You may not know that, but there are several ways to shut down your Mac. Instant sleep/restart is certainly very convenient, but from time to time, it is necessary to reboot its OS X.

Notably to empty the caches and purge the memory and to find performances between each session. If you still leave your Mac on standby, then in this case, at least try to purge the RAM from time to time with the Terminal or a free app provided for that purpose.

Close Applications … Not Just Windows

It seems obvious to regulars on Mac but not for new users from the Windows world. In Windows 10, 8, 7 or others, just close the window of a program to close it and release the memory it occupies. In Mac OS X, closing the window via the red dot does not stop the application!

This just closes the window … When you do not use an app, you have to free up the resources. To do this, go to the menu of the app in question and then quit (cmd + Q so ⌘ + Q).

Prevent Unwanted Apps To Start Up

Too many applications launch with or without your agreement when Mac OS X starts up. You need some of them most likely but not all of them!

Manually Delete Apps On Start

Most apps on Mac have a Preferences menu or equivalent where you can disable startup at the login. If necessary, go to System Preferences, Users and Groups, choose the appropriate user and click the Opening tab (after unlocking the lock with your administrator password). Tick ​​the app and delete with the “-” button anything you do not want to see.

Some programs do not appear in the settings? In this case, you must locate and delete them manually. Click the Alt key (⌥ Option) on the keyboard and in the Apple menu choose System Information. Then go to Software and Startup. Identify the apps that launch without your agreement and then using the Finder go to the start directory and then delete the item.

Automatically Delete Apps, Services, Start-up Processes

If you want to quickly and automatically remove apps but also services that start at startup and slow you down, there is an alternative solution very easy.

Find more Mac Cleaning tips here nettoyage de macintosh

Business Consultant – A Job in High Demand

A business consultant does exactly what their title suggests they do, consult businesses on the ways those companies can improve their performance. People that run businesses do not always understand the things they do right or the things they do wrong. A business consultant can show them the best options for their respective companies.

Whether using facility management software or not, business consultants examine how businesses operate and then suggest ways do things better and smarter than what they currently do. A business consultant working in the facility management space in many ways can offer businesses better informed advice than one who is not.

Why experts are needed

Businesses tend to hire business consultants when they believe that their performance as a company could be improved upon. Firms that do not have facility management packages usually lack the management information that those with such software have. Business consultants tend to extol the virtues of company managers having the relevant information to hand when they to make decisions.

Experts show managers the best ways to make decisions, after showing them the best methods to obtain information in the first place.

Sometimes company management teams bring in a business consultant if their performance and, therefore, their profits have dropped drastically. The best thing would be to obtain advice before things got to that stage. Managers can often be confused when their previously successful business strategies stop working, and they have to come up with new ideas quick.

Evaluating all business aspects

Business consultants often look at all aspects of companies to find out why things are not going as well as they should be. Such evaluations will often investigate if the company uses the software at all, or facility management methods as well.

Once business consultants have evaluated a company their findings are reported back to management teams to take action if recommended to do so. Business consultants examine what companies are doing right, and more importantly what they are doing wrong. For instance, the software companies use does not have enough memory, they are using an old desktop program, or they are not using facility management software at all.

Should the existing software not be good enough for the company then it is a relatively easy fix, the business consultant recommends the best system. If facility management packages had not been used at all, then the consultant can recommend several different software packages to use.