THE NEWS WRAP: FBI reveals Sony hackers failed to hide their IP addresses

Those responsible for hacking Sony Pictures Entertainment late last year failed to use proxy servers that hid the origin of the attack, according to the Obama administration.

Wired reports FBI director James Comey has revealed the IP addresses used to hack Sony were used exclusively by North Korea.

“In nearly every case, [the Sony hackers] used proxy servers to disguise where they were coming from in sending these emails and posting these statements. But several times they got sloppy,” he said.

“They shut it off very quickly once they saw the mistake. But not before we saw where it was coming from.”

Mobile app usage jumped by 76% last year

Overall app usage grew by 76% in 2014 with online retail the biggest benefactor, according to Flurry Analytics.

Online retail and shopping apps were the biggest winners according to the figures, experiencing a whopping 174% jump in annual growth.

A number of Aussie startups have capitalised on this surge in popularity – including ‘Tinder for fashion’ app Stashd. Co-founder Jessica Wilson previously told StartupSmart she thinks her startup has grown rapidly because people “become super addicted to it”.

“Internationally we’ve grown well because it is different, and we’re one of the first people in the fashion app space,” she says.

Productivity and social messaging apps also experienced triple digit growth in 2014.

Avegant brings a touch of style to virtual reality headsets

A common criticism of wearable tech is that it is too cumbersome and geeky. However, an American startup is hoping to bring a touch of style to virtual reality headsets.

Glyph, Avegant’s first headset, resembles a pair of stylish and cordless headphones.

“If it’s headphones, it has to be cool,” Avegant chief technology officer Allan Evans told Re/Code.

“To be cool, it can’t look like I’m wearing a pope hat.”

Overnight

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 1.23%, rising 212.88 points to 17,584.52. The Aussie dollar is currently trading at US80.70 cents.

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