Episode 601 – Aussie Tech Heads Shownotes

posted in: Show Notes

 

 

Trend Micro tools removed from Mac App Store over “data exfiltration” claims

Trend Micro-owned applications including Dr. Cleaner and Dr. Antivirus, have disappeared from the Mac App Store after experts, including Malwarebytes Labs’ head of Mac Thomas Reed, suggested that user data was being ‘exfiltrated’ from these products.

 

Examining the apps’ code, Reed and others also claimed Trend Micro’s repertoire of apps was sending data to a server in Chinabased on the fact a domain was registered in the country – a charge Trend Micro flatly denies.

 

Finally, the company identified what it claimed to be a “core issue which is humbly the result of common code libraries”, learning the data collection functionality was designed the same across all of its apps regardless of whether this was necessary for the app to work.

 

Apple, having revamped its rules earlier this year to prioritise user privacy, reportedly began removing Trend Micro’s apps once alerted to the complaints two days ago, with all apps now off the store as of today.

 

Apple to provide police with online tool to request data

Apple plans to create an online tool for police to formally request data about its users and to assemble a team to train police about what data can and cannot be obtained according to a company letter seen by Reuters.

 

Apple can and does provide some user data, such as data stored in its iCloud online service, to law enforcement officials if they make a valid legal request.

 

Apple said in the letter that it had trained nearly 1000 law enforcement officers in how to obtain data from the company. The training previously happened in person at Apple’s headquarters, but the company said it would create an online training course and a team of trainers to help extend its reach to smaller departments.

It said the training and portal would be available globally.

 

Everything Apple Announced Today

Apple announced two new iPhones with an “s” after the name: The iPhone Xs and the iPhone Xs Max. The third device is called the iPhone XR, which represents a new naming scheme

 

Apple failed to announce a lot of things that a lot of people expected, including a new iPad Pro with Face ID, a cheap MacBook, and a release date for its long-awaited AirPower charging pad

 

Apple iPhone Xs Max

 

This new iPhone represents a familiar trick. It’s just the iPhone Xs but bigger. The size is notable for a couple of reasons, though. First, Apple released the iPhone X in only one size: 5.8-inches. Second, the iPhone Xs Max’s 6.5-inch display is the biggest Apple has ever released for an iPhone.

 

Based on Apple’s presentation, however, the only thing that the iPhone Xs Max offers besides the bigger screen is a bigger battery. The iPhone Xs Max comes in all the same colours and storage options as the iPhone Xs. The device starts at $1799 and ships alongside the iPhone Xs

 

Apple iPhone XR

The iPhone XR comes with a 6.1-inch LCD display that comes in the familiar notched design, wrapped up in an aluminium frame and the new more durable glass. It’s notched because this iPhone has Face ID and no home button, just like its pricier siblings. Apple calls the new LCD a “Liquid Retina” display that’s supposed to look better than its predecessors.

 

Apple Watch Series 4

The Apple Watch Series 4 comes with a thinner case, a larger screen, and a new heart rate sensor that can also do electrocardiograms (ECGs). Also, it knows if you fall down.

The fourth generation Apple Watch is presented as the sleekest health device on the market. There’s an improved accelerometer that not only knows if you’ve fallen down but also how you did it (for example, trip, slip, straight up lost it).

The updated heart rate sensor, which is encased in a ceramic shell with sapphire crystal, will also tell you more about how your heart beats and will even make it easy to print out those records and take them to your doctor. The device has been certified in the US by the FDA.

The Apple Watch Series 4 starts at $599 for the GPS-only model and $749 for the GPS-plus-mobile model. (That bumps the price of the Series 3 back to $399 and up.)

 

When You Can Get All The Stuff Apple Just Announced

 

iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max

Apple’s new flagships will both be available for preorder starting on Friday, September 14. They’ll start shipping on September 21. More on those here.

iPhone XR

Preorders for Apple’s more reasonably priced new smartphone will start on October 19. Apple says the device will hit stores a week later, on October 26. More here.

Apple Watch Series 4

Both sizes and all configurations of the new Apple Watch will go on sale on September 14. Apple says they’ll start landing in stores on September 21. For more details on global availability, go here and scroll down to the footnotes. Also, check out our overview.

iOS 12

The official release of iOS 12 will happen on September 17. Of course, the public beta has been available all summer.

macOS Mojave

Apple’s next big update to the operating system that powers its Macs will come later. It says macOS Mojave is due for an official release on September 24. Like iOS 12, a Mojave public beta has also been available for some time.

watchOS 5

The next big software update for the Apple Watch is coming September 17. Unlike iOS and macOS, Apple didn’t release watchOS 5 early as a public beta. It was only available to registered developers this summer.

HomePod Software Update

Apple’s Siri speaker is getting a software update due September 17. With it, Apple is trotting out new features like making calls, setting multiple timers, find my iPhones, and Siri shortcuts.

 

Driverless taxi arrives in Australia for closed-track tests

The first of Perth’s driverless taxis has arrived from French manufacturer Navya for closed-track trials run by the Western Australian Royal Automobile Club (RAC).

Perth is just one of three cities globally to test the Autonom Intellicar,

 

will allow users to book rides from their phones.

 

the Autonom is shaped like a traditional car.

 

The Intellicar features remote supervision capabilities, manual overrides and emergency stop buttons.

 

Foxtel GO is back, ‘better than ever before’ in HD, live and on-demand

Foxtel GO has received an upgrade, letting you watch on tablets, smartphones, select PC & Mac browsers, while Chromecast and AirPlay let Multiroom subscribers take the big screen experience with you, anytime, any place.

 

Customers can register Foxtel GO on multiple devices and watch it on two screens at the same time, meaning much more access for every corner of the household.

“It is available for download on the App Store, for iPads and iPhones; Google Play for Android smartphones and tablets and can be watched on PC via the Google Chrome browser or on Mac using the Safari browser at the ‘watch’ part of Foxtel’s website.”

With Foxtel GO, we’re told that “new customers can be up and running as soon as they sign up, without the need to wait for their main service to be installed”.

“Foxtel GO also arrives with new features designed to personalise the viewing experience, including personal WatchLists, Closed Captioning and universal Continue Watching across Foxtel GO supported devices.

“The addition of HD and support for Chromecast and AirPlay on Foxtel GO are part of Foxtel’s ongoing wave of innovation for Australian TV that adds even more value to a Foxtel subscription.”

 

Joes Podcast for 13/09/2018

Testers for Microsoft are testing a ‘warning label’ for Windows 10 users to not to install the Chrome or Firefox browsers.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/12/17850146/microsoft-windows-10-chrome-firefox-warning

 

  • Microsoft is testing a warning for Windows 10 users which has a warning to not install Chrome or Firefox Browsers.
  • According to a Verge Story,  Microsoft is in the final stages of testing its Windows 10 October 2018 Update, the people testing this update have spotted a new change that appears when you try to install any non microsoft third party web browsers.
  • “You already have Microsoft Edge – the safer, faster browser for Windows 10” says a prompt that appears when you try and run the Chrome or Firefox installers on the latest Windows 10 October 2018 Update.

 

  • The Verge went on to say that it understands that Microsoft is simply just testing this prompt for now, and that it won’t appear in the final October update but it may still appear in a future Windows 10 update, but that will depend on feedback to this controversial change.
  • It’s not clear why Microsoft thinks it’s a good idea to include these irritating prompts, as all they’re likely to do is anger Windows 10 users rather than convince them to switch to Edge.

 

Point of discussion

Honestly, I don’t find it cool either that every time I go to Google.com with a non-chrome browser it says
Would you like to Switch to Chrome

Is there a way to switch that off ?

 

——————————————–

New Cortana flaws could let hackers access locked systems

https://www.pcauthority.com.au/news/new-cortana-flaws-could-let-hackers-access-locked-systems-500329

 

  • Security researchers have identified new flaws in the Windows 10 voice assistant Cortana that could allow hackers to access locked systems.
  • Researchers of the McAfee Labs Advanced Threat Research team, have said that locked Windows 10 devices with Cortana enabled could enable an attacker with physical access to carry out two kinds of unauthorised browsing on unpatched systems.
  • The flaws could let an attacker force Microsoft Edge to navigate to an attacker-controlled URL. And a second flaw lets an attacker use a limited version of Internet Explorer 11 by using the saved credentials of the victim.
  • “In one scenario, a Cortana privilege escalation within the system allows a forced navigation on a lock screen. The vulnerability does not allow an attacker to unlock the device, but it does allow someone with physical access to force Edge to navigate to a page of the attacker’s choosing while the device is still locked.
  • This is not a case of BadUSB, man in the middle, or rogue Wi-Fi type of hacks, it’s just a simple voice commands and interacting with the device’s touchscreen or mouse,” said researchers.
  • Researchers said that another flaw could enable hackers to misuse Cortana’s skills to bring up an Internet Explorer web page with access to social media websites. They said that a stripped-down version of IE can share the autocomplete and credentials saved in the current Explorer session.
  • So in theory, hackers could log into social media sites as a legitimate user and post comments as that user as well as impersonate that user with cached credentials.
  • “One potential attack scenario arises if a corporation offers a mechanism to reset Windows credentials via a web server but does not require users to reenter the old password. One could simply navigate to the reset link, input a new password, exit the limited navigator, and unlock the device with the newly set password, all from a locked computer.
  • So make sure you all do your Windows Updates and if your not using Cortana, disable it or turn Cortana off.

————————————————–

 

Qualcomm finally has a new chip for the next generation of Android smartwatches

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/9/10/17820350/snapdragon-wear-3100-wear-os-smartwatch-chip-qualcomm-android

 

  • It’s been two and a half years since Qualcomm last released a major new smartwatch chip.
  • Qualcomm is releasing a new processor for watches, called the Snapdragon Wear 3100, that’s meant to extend battery life, enhance always-on displays, and offer more versatility when it comes to sports devices and fitness sensors.
  • The new chip’s key feature is the addition of a secondary low-power processor, which is supposed to handle most of the work when a smartwatch isn’t in use. This co-processor will power a watch’s sensors and ambient display, while doing so using up to 20 times less energy than the main processor normally would.
  • 95 percent of the time when you’re not actually interacting with [your watch]. Both the Wear 3100 and the Wear 2100, its predecessor, share the same main processor — so there’s no reason to expect major speed gains.
  • The co-processor is the main improvement, and that means almost all of the enhancements enabled by Qualcomm’s new chip come from what the co-processor can do. A lot of those improvements are related to battery. Qualcomm estimates more than a day of battery life for a typical Wear OS smartwatch.

 

  • The new chip is designed to do a better job with GPS, helping them run nonstop with around 15 hours of usage — though Qualcomm is assuming these watches will have larger batteries in the first place, meaning thicker devices.

 

  • Smartwatches with a Wear 3100 processor will gain another handy trick: if their battery gets low, the major functions of the smartwatch can shut off, allowing the battery to last potentially for days longer while powering a simple watch face. Qualcomm says that from 20 percent battery, you’d get a week of additional use in this mode. The downside, though, is that Wear OS shuts down, so you don’t get features like notifications. But it’ll at least continue to tell the time.
  • The first watches with a Wear 3100 chip will ship before the end of the year. Among the first out the door will be models from companies like Fossil, Louis Vuitton, and Montblanc

 

————————————————-

 

Apple discontinues iPhone X and the last iPhones with headphone jacks

https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/12/17824594/apple-iphone-x-6s-se-discontinued-2018-event

 

  • Less than one year since it was released, Apple has discontinued the iPhone X, SE, and 6s have all been removed from the US market, it doesn’t rule out the sale of these older devices in developing markets.
  • There’s no longer a good reason to buy the more expensive iPhone X, except maybe the exclusivity of owning a phone that was brought out with the 10th anniversary of the original iPhone.
  • It was the first phone to introduce the now-ubiquitous notch that’s influenced the entire mobile industry wi

 

  • th a wave of copycat designs, and the first iPhone with Face ID. It introduced intuitive gesture controls and with the phone came wireless charging, plus AirPods.

It definitely wasn’t a perfect phone; the lack of a headphone jack still bothers some people.