Tag Archive for: Mode

Locked out of “God mode,” runners are hacking their treadmills

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NordicTrack owners aren’t giving up the fight just yet.
Enlarge / NordicTrack owners aren’t giving up the fight just yet.

Sam Whitney | Getty Images

JD Howard just wanted to watch cloud security tutorials. Howard, a construction industry worker on sabbatical, spent $4,000 on a NordicTrack X32i treadmill, lured in by its 32-inch HD screen and the opportunity to exercise body and mind. His plan was to spend his time away from work exercising while watching technical videos from learning platforms such as Pluralsight and Udemy. But his treadmill had other ideas.

Despite having a huge display strapped to it, NordicTrack’s hardware pushes people to subscribe to exercise software operated by iFit, its parent company, and doesn’t let you watch videos from other apps or external sources. iFit’s content includes exercise classes and running routes, which automatically change the incline of the treadmill depending on the terrain on the screen. But Howard, and many other NordicTrack owners, weren’t drawn to the hardware by iFit’s videos. They were drawn in by how easy the fitness machines were to hack.

To get into his X32i, all Howard needed to do was tap the touchscreen 10 times, wait seven seconds, then tap 10 more times. Doing so unlocked the machine—letting Howard into the underlying Android operating system. This privilege mode, a sort of God mode, gave Howard complete control over the treadmill: he could sideload apps and, using a built-in browser, access anything and everything online. “It wasn’t complicated,” Howard says. After accessing privilege mode he installed a third-party browser that allowed him to save passwords and fire up his beloved cloud security videos.

While NordicTrack doesn’t advertise privilege mode as a customer feature, its existence isn’t exactly a secret. Multiple unofficial guides tell people how to get into their machines, and even iFit’s support pages explain how to access it. The whole reason Howard bought the X32i, he says, was because he could access God mode. But the good times didn’t last long.

Since October, NordicTrack has been automatically updating all of its…

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Locked Out of ‘God Mode,’ Runners Are Hacking Their Treadmills

/in


JD Howard just wanted to watch cloud security tutorials. Howard, a construction industry worker on sabbatical, spent $4,000 on a NordicTrack X32i treadmill, lured in by its 32-inch HD screen and the opportunity to exercise body and mind. His plan was to spend his time away from work exercising while watching technical videos from learning platforms such as Pluralsight and Udemy. But his treadmill had other ideas.

Despite having a huge display strapped to it, NordicTrack’s hardware pushes people to subscribe to exercise software operated by iFit, its parent company, and doesn’t let you watch videos from other apps or external sources. iFit’s content includes exercise classes and running routes, which automatically change the incline of the treadmill depending on the terrain on the screen. But Howard, and many other NordicTrack owners, weren’t drawn to the hardware by iFit’s videos. They were drawn in by how easy the fitness machines were to hack.

To get into his X32i, all Howard needed to do was tap the touchscreen 10 times, wait seven seconds, then tap 10 more times. Doing so unlocked the machine—letting Howard into the underlying Android operating system. This privilege mode, a sort of God mode, gave Howard complete control over the treadmill: He could sideload apps and, using a built-in browser, access anything and everything online. “It wasn’t complicated,” Howard says. After accessing privilege mode he installed a third-party browser that allowed him to save passwords and fire up his beloved cloud security videos.

While NordicTrack doesn’t advertise privilege mode as a customer feature, its existence isn’t exactly a secret. Multiple unofficial guides tell people how to get into their machines, and even iFit’s support pages explain how to access it. The whole reason Howard bought the X32i, he says, was because he could access God mode. But the good times didn’t last long.

Since October, NordicTrack has been automatically updating all of its exercise equipment—its bikes, ellipticals, and rowing machines all have big screens attached—to block access to privilege mode. The move has infuriated customers who are now fighting back and finding workarounds that…

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Chrome Android Incognito Mode Adds Extra Layer of Security | PIN, Face Unlock, or Fingerprint Access

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Urian B., Tech Times

Chrome Android Incognito Mode Adds Extra Layer of Security | PIN, Face Unlock, or Fingerprint Access
(Photo : Image from Pexels) Chrome Android Incognito Mode Adds Extra Layer of Security | PIN, Face Unlock, or Fingerprint Access

Chrome Android incognito mode is adding an extra layer of security with PIN, face unlock, or even fingerprint access. The new feature highlights ways that can improve users’ security through their phone when accessing incognito mode.

Google Incognito Mode

According to the story by SlashGear, private browsing, otherwise known as incognito mode, is one of the very basic forms of privacy protection mechanisms existing in web browsers today. Although it can sometimes be mistaken for complete privacy protection, incognito mode actually only makes sure that the user won’t leave any traces of their activity on the browser itself.

The protection, however, can be considered quite pointless if there is already someone else that holds the users’ phone and the browser is left open. This is why Google has now been working on another re authentication mechanism for its incognito mode scheduled to come to Android pretty soon.

PIN or Biometric Authentication

Physical access to a particular device will almost always make security features quite moot. This is especially true when the users’ phone is already unlocked. Incognito mode can also be rendered useless when the tabs are already opened within the browsers’ background. Google allows complete search history deletion despite not even using incognito mode.

All that it would take is for an unauthorized user to simply switch everything back to it in order to see what the original user has been secretly browsing. Another lock for the incognito mode would add an extra layer of security. This is presumably if users already have enabled their PIN or biometric authentication on their device.

Chrome Android Canary Version

Chrome Story reports that a brand new flag in Chrome for Android’s very own development Canary version will add exactly that. Once the flag has reportedly been enabled and Chrome has finally been restarted, a brand…

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How Secure Is Incognito Mode?

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Incognito mode is the go-to browsing method for many users who want to limit their web activity from being monitored. But is it really that secure? While incognito mode can keep your search history spotless, there are certain restrictions to keep in mind. Depending on the level of protection you want, you might need to turn to other resources.

How Secure Is Incognito Mode?

Furthermore, there are many misconceptions about incognito mode and what it can and cannot do. In this article, we’ll explore the limits of private browsing and look into some possible alternatives to the feature. Keep reading to learn more about data protection and web tracking.

Is Incognito Mode Really All I Need?

Going incognito is a great way to protect your privacy if you share a computer with other users. After all, there’s no reason why your coworkers should have an insight into your local search history.

Here are some of the main benefits that come with private browsing:

  • No more cookies. Most websites use cookies for data collecting, and while it’s usually harmless, it can be invasive. In addition, not everyone is comfortable with having their data used for ad targeting or any kind of tracking. If you want to browse without collecting cookies, then incognito mode is the way to go.
  • No visible browsing history. Of course, the main reason why most people browse in incognito mode is to hide their search history. When you enable the feature, the browser will stop tracking your activity. The feature is super convenient if you want to use your work computer for private purposes, like online shopping or streaming music (if that’s permitted).
  • Multiple accounts are allowed. Without incognito mode, you’ll constantly have to switch between different accounts if there’s more than one user. However, once you go private, the browser won’t save the login info, so there’ll be no need for that.

However, outside of these areas, there’s not much incognito mode can do. For example, private browsing can’t do the following:

  • Hide your IP address. This is the misconception we mentioned earlier. Some people think that going private will keep their server location from being traced, but that’s not the case. While your device won’t be able to…

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