Intel Remote Keyboard app nixed after discovery of critical remote control vulnerability
Intel has issued a security advisory about its remote keyboard app after discovering a bug that made it possible for a remote user to mimic keyboard and mouse input with elevated privileges.
Intel Remote Keyboard was available for both iOS and Android, but the critical vulnerability -- and two other bugs with a High rating -- means that it has now been pulled from Google Play and the App Store. Intel is also recommending that anyone using the app uninstalls it as soon as possible.
Case-Mate launches 'Power Pad' Qi fast wireless charger for iPhone and Android
Wireless charging is nothing new -- I first used it many years ago with a lowly Nokia Lumia running Windows Phone. For years, many Android phones have had this feature too. Apple's iPhone was very late to the Qi charging party, only launching in 2017, but I suppose late is better than never, right?
Today, Case-Mate launches a new wireless charger that is compatible with all Qi smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the latest iPhone devices -- 8, 8 Plus, and X. In fact, it supports fast wireless charging, so you can juice up your device more quickly (not as fast as using a wire, though). Best of all, it has a very unique design, where the charging pad itself can be inserted into a base. This allows the device to charge while laying flat or propped up in either portrait or landscape modes. In other words, you can decide how the phone is positioned, and you can change it whenever you want -- a very clever design.
Apple says the redesigned Mac Pro is coming in 2019
If you've been hoping for a new Mac Pro in the near future, you're going to be disappointed. Apple has said that a new model is not due to go on sale until 2019.
There is good news, however. The Mac Pro is undergoing a complete redesign, but it will remain a modular, customizable machine. The release date of 2019 also means that you'll have more time to save up -- and you'll probably need it.
Hacker exploits Verge bug to generate cryptocurrency coins worth $780,000 in 3 hours
Verge may not be the biggest cryptocurrency out there, but it does have quite a following and has generated enough interest to attract hackers. The cryptocurrency came under attack for three hours yesterday, enabling a hacker to net 15.6 million Verge coins worth around $780,000.
There was initially speculation that Verge had fallen victim to a ">51% attack" -- in which an attacker is able to forge transactions by taking control of more than half of the network -- but this has been denied by developers. A hard fork is being prepared to patch the bug that allowed the attack to take place.
Variant of Mirai botnet used to target financial sector in January
Researchers at Recorded Future believe that a Mirai botnet variant, possibly linked to the IoTroop or Reaper botnet, was utilized in attacks on at least one company, and probably more, in the financial sector in late January of this year.
The botnet targeted one company using at least 13,000 devices, each with a unique IP address, and generated traffic volumes up to 30Gb/s.
Cloud use and compliance drive enterprise encryption strategy
The need to protect sensitive data against cyber criminals, address complex compliance requirements, and guard against human error is driving enterprises to adopt encryption.
A new study by cyber security company Thales eSecurity, based on research by the Ponemon Institute, shows that 43 percent of respondents report that their organization has an encryption strategy applied consistently across their enterprise.
Retail sector leads in data breaches as criminals target corporate networks
The retail sector suffered the most breaches in 2017, accounting for 16.7 percent followed by the finance and insurance industry at 13.1 percent and hospitality at 11.9 percent.
Geographically, North America is in the lead with 43 percent of breaches, followed by the Asia Pacific region at 30 percent, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at 23 percent and Latin America at four percent.
Western Digital unveils affordable and fast Black 3D NVMe SSD with up to 1TB capacity
While prices for NVMe solid state drives are dropping, it is important to remember that all such drives are not created equally. We recently shared a new Kingston NVMe drive with you -- the A1000 -- and while I am sure it's a fine product, it only uses PCIe Gen 3.0 x2, making it slower than drives utilizing x4. Consumers will have to decide if the speed trade-off is worth any potential savings.
Today, Western Digital launches the Black 3D NVMe SSD, and it looks amazing. While it is affordable, like the aforementioned Kingston drive, it uses PCIe Gen 3.0 x4, giving it insane performance. In other words, with this drive, you don't have to sacrifice speed for savings.
Intel: some processors will never receive Meltdown and Spectre patches
With little fanfare, Intel has revealed that some processors will simply never receive microcode updates that will patch against the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities.
In a document entitled Microcode Revision Guidelines, the chip-maker says that a wide range of processor families -- equating to over 200 CPUs -- will not receive any more updates. While the majority of the affected chips were on sale between 2007 and 2011, it's safe to assume that a large proportion of them are still in use, meaning that a lot of systems will remain unprotected.
Privacy: Facebook will roll out GDPR controls to the whole world, not just Europe
Mark Zuckerberg has laid out Facebook's plans for the future in a conference call with reporters. In it, he said that the social network now planned to bring GDPR-style privacy controls to all of its users, not just those in Europe for whom there will soon be a legal obligation to do so. The new legislation grants people more rights to access the data companies store about them, and demand it be deleted.
The Facebook chief had previously said that non-European users would only be getting access to new options that were "in [the] spirit" of GDPR, but the backlash the social network has faced recently with privacy controversies seems to have forced Zuckerberg's hand.
JBL launches 'Reflect Mini 2' and 'Reflect Contour 2' Bluetooth sport headphones
When Apple removed the 3.5mm audio jack from the iPhone, some people freaked out. Look, I understand that change can be scary, but an analog port has no place on modern smartphones. For those that struggled to cope, Apple even included a free dongle, allowing these Luddites to take their time transitioning to the new standard -- Bluetooth. Of course, despite the negative feedback Apple received, many Android manufacturers followed suit and removed the headphone jack too. The same thing is happening with the iPhone X's notch, but I digress.
Regardless of whether your smartphone does or doesn't have a headphone port, you should still invest in some quality Bluetooth earbuds. Not only are they more convenient and fashionable, but they can be better for active folks too, as there is no annoying cord going into your phone which can get tangled. Today, JBL unveils a pair of new wireless earbuds that focus on an active lifestyle. The "Reflect Mini 2" and "Reflect Contour 2," as they are called, are very similar, but the latter has a handy ear-hook to prevent slippage. Best of all, they are both priced under $100, making them very affordable.
OnePlus 6 will let you hide the notch (eventually) as not everyone can stand the look of it
There is nothing you can do about the notch. Regardless of how you feel about it, it's here to stay. However, that does not mean that you have to look at it. OnePlus has confirmed that its upcoming flagship will give users the option to hide it.
OnePlus seems to have had a change of heart with regards to the display notch, after co-founder Carl Pei told would-be users to "learn to love [it]" just a few days ago. The company plans to introduce an option that would "black out the background" in the notification and status bars in a future update for the OnePlus 6.
Facebook users in Europe will soon have better privacy protection than those in the US
In a few weeks, privacy is set to improve for Facebook users -- at least this is the case for people in Europe. May 25 sees the implementation of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and it means that European users will have the right to not only request details of the information stored about them, but also the right to demand its deletion.
While this will be a legal obligation within Europe, it would have been the perfect opportunity for Facebook to extend the same rights to its users around the world. But it's not going to. Mark Zuckerberg has confirmed that GDPR-style privacy protection is not going to be extended to the US and other parts of the world.
21 percent of open source serverless applications have critical vulnerabilities
Serverless computing is increasingly popular because it eliminates infrastructure concerns. However, a new report raises worries about its security.
According to an audit by serverless security company PureSec, more than one in five serverless applications has critical security vulnerabilities.
1Password 7 Beta for Mac and Windows reveals major facelift, lots of new and improved features
AgileBits has released beta versions of its upcoming 1Password 7.0 Beta for Mac and 1Password 7.0 Beta for Windows clients. 1Password offers secure form-filling and password management tools and is also available on iOS and Android.
The beta showcases several major new features, with Windows gaining a handy new sidebar view to ape the Mac version, which sees its own sidebar improved along with a host of other new additions and feature improvements.
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. About Us - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Sitemap.