Apple Offers $1 Million for iOS Zero Clicks Kernel Hack
August 8th, 2019Via: Forbes:
Apple has massively increased the amount it’s offering hackers for finding vulnerabilities in iPhones and Macs, up to $1 million. It’s by far the highest bug bounty on offer from any major tech company.
That’s up from $200,000, and in the fall the program will be open to all researchers. Previously only those on the company’s invite-only bug bounty program were eligible to receive rewards.
As Forbes reported on Monday, Apple is also launching a Mac bug bounty, which was confirmed Thursday, but it’s also extending it to watchOS and its Apple TV operating system. The announcements came in Las Vegas at the Black Hat conference, where Apple’s head of security engineering Ivan Krsti? gave a talk on iOS and macOS security.
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The full $1 million will go to researchers who can find a hack of the kernel—the core of iOS—with zero clicks required by the iPhone owner. Another $500,000 will be given to those who can find a “network attack requiring no user interaction.” There’s also a 50% bonus for hackers who can find weaknesses in software before it’s released.
Apple is increasing those rewards in the face of an increasingly profitable private market where hackers sell the same information to governments for vast sums.
Amazon Delivery Robots Are Officially on the Streets of California
August 8th, 2019Via: zdnet:
Amazon has officially rolled out its last-mile delivery robots in a Southern California testbed. Called Scout, the delivery robot is designed to autonomously ferry parcels from urban distribution points to Amazon Prime customers, removing the need for vans and cars in last-mile delivery.
Amazon has previously tested its delivery robots in Washington State, but this marks the first California deployment. The robots, deployed in the Irvine area, will drive during daytime hours. Though designed to operate autonomously, the test robots will be accompanied by humans to ensure nothing goes wrong. So-called “Scout Ambassadors” will also be gauging public reaction to the robots, which is a big X-factor in plans to deploy autonomous mobile robots on city streets.
Severodvinsk, Russia: “Drink Iodine, 44 Drops Per Glass of Water”
August 8th, 2019Update: Is Putin Covering Up a Nuclear Disaster?
Via: Daily Mail:
Suspicions are growing today that Russia has suffered another nuclear accident after ambulances covered in protective film were seen transporting six people with serious radiation poisoning in a mystery explosion at a military base.
Alarming footage also shows men in protective clothing loading casualties into the vehicles in the wake of a blast at the Nyonoksa weapons testing site in the sub-Arctic Arkhangelsk region yesterday.
Earlier the clothes of the victims and the medics who first treated them were destroyed, it was reported, before causalities were transferred for treatment at the Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Centre in Moscow.
Moscow has thrown a veil of secrecy over the explosion, which killed two and left six injured on Thursday.
Radiation levels are said to have temporarily soared 20 times above the normal level in Severodvinsk, a city 18 miles away, sparking ‘panic’ and ‘hysteria’ and a rush to buy iodine from pharmacies.
Today, reports surfaced in Russia claiming the spike in radiation may have been caused when one of Vladimir Putin’s top secret Zircon hypersonic missiles exploded during tests.
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Ahh. Iodine for the rocket engine explosion, eh?
*wink*
Via: BBC:
A rocket engine explosion on a naval test range in northern Russia has killed two people and injured six, the defence ministry told Russian media.
The victims of the explosion in Arkhangelsk region were civilian specialists while military and civilian personnel are among the injured.
The ministry said radiation levels were normal but the city of Severodvinsk registered a “brief spike” in levels.
An area of the White Sea nearby has reportedly been closed for a month.
But the deputy head of Archangelsk port, Sergei Kozub, told the BBC the closure was planned before the accident.
Radiation levels peaked between 11:50 and 12:30 (08:50-09:30 GMT) before falling and normalising by 14:00, the city administration in Severodvinsk said on its website, without reporting how significant the spike had been.
It is unclear what could have caused radiation levels to rise.
Local people were reportedly urged to take precautions against radiation. No increase in ambulance call-outs was recorded, the administration added.
A woman in Severodvinsk named only Alina told Russian news site lenta.ru: “I work in the hospital where they’re bringing the injured.
“They advise everyone to close their windows and drink iodine, 44 drops per glass of water.”
Amazon Is Developing High-Tech Surveillance Tools for an Eager Customer: America’s Police
August 8th, 2019Via: NBC:
Amazon, known mainly for its online consumer marketplace, is becoming a potent resource for federal, state and local authorities, peddling an array of tools that harness the power of cloud-based computing, artificial intelligence and video analysis.
Some of the products seem mundane, offering agencies a relatively cheap method of storing, sharing and crunching data through networks of remote web servers known as the cloud. Others are contentious, making it easier for police to identify and monitor people. Together, they show how one company has broadened its influence by supplying law enforcement with technology that has modernized crime-fighting but is evolving too fast for government oversight to keep up.
JFK Files Reveal U.S. Planned to Buy Soviet Planes to Carry Out False Flag Attacks
August 7th, 2019Via: SputnikNews:
“There is a possibility that such aircraft could be used in a deception operation designed to confuse enemy planes in the air, to launch a surprise attack against enemy installations or in a provocation operation in which Soviet aircraft would appear to attack US or friendly installations in order to provide an excuse for US intervention,” the document reads.
Air Force Set To Deploy Drone Killing Laser Weapon On Military Dune Buggies
August 7th, 2019Via: ZeroHedge:
Raytheon published a company press release last week that detailed how it “will deploy two prototype high energy laser weapon systems” to the Air Force for a 12-month in-field operation against enemy drones.
The $23 million contract for two of Raytheon’s High Energy Laser Weapons Systems (HELWS) will be used by the Air Force in an unknown warzone overseas, most likely Syria for about one year.
Gold: $1500
August 7th, 2019Via: MarketWatch:
Gold prices on Wednesday jumped above an important psychological level at $1,500 amid a round of easy-money policies that helped to stoke fresh appetite for the perceived safety of precious metals.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury note’s TMUBMUSD10Y, -4.93% fall to new lows not seen since 2016 below 1.7%, also helped to drive demand for bullion.
December gold GCZ19, +2.43% on Comex added $21.70, or 1.5%, at $1,506 an ounce in recent trade, marking the highest level for the precious metal since 2013 based on most-active contracts, according to Dow Jones market data.
Off Topic: 3.5mm Audio Port Almost Gone from High End Phones, Consider Samsung Note 9
August 7th, 2019Off Topic – First World Problems
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Update: Samsung, You’ve Let Yourself Down, You’ve Let Us Down
Via: Android Authority:
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Update: Samsung Is Hiding Its Ads That Made Fun of Apple’s Removal of Headphone Jack
Via: Android Authority:
Yesterday, Samsung made the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus official. The release of the two new flagships is bittersweet for many Note fans, though, because neither device comes with a headphone jack. It appears Samsung wants to gloss over this fact by not only declining to mention it at all during yesterday’s launch event but by also attempting to hide its past advertisements.
The company’s decision to remove the much-beloved smartphone port isn’t too surprising considering multiple other OEMs — including Huawei, OnePlus, Google, and obviously Apple — have already done so. However, Samsung was the longest holdout and also the most vocal critic of those other OEMs and their choice to ditch the port, especially when it comes to Apple.
Over the past few years, there have been multiple high-profile Samsung ads that heavily criticized Apple’s iPhone design limitations, specifically towards the removal of the headphone jack and the notched display on the iPhone X and XS. These ads are no longer on Samsung’s official United States YouTube channel and appear to be erased from other official sources as well.
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A retailer in NZ (Noel Leeming) recently had a two day, deep discount sale on Samsung Note 9 smartphones. I bought one, along with a lot of other people, and we completely cleared them out of stock.
I’ve only ever owned two smartphones before the Samsung Note 9; a Samsung Note 4 and a Samsung Note 2. While the Note 4 is getting very long in the tooth, it’s pretty much ok for what I need it to do, and that’s even after Samsung crippled the Note 4 with an over the air update a couple of years ago.
Why buy a Note 9 if the Note 4 is adequate?
As the years passed, I’ve watched the headphone jack disappear from more and more phones. Despite manufacturers trying to convince people that this is, “Progress,” I like the headphone jack, I want the headphone jack. Most importantly, I won’t buy a phone without the headphone jack.
As a Samsung user, I didn’t care too much about the silly trend of manufacturers removing the headphone jack from phones, because Samsung seemed committed to including it on even their flagship phones. I planned to keep using my ancient Note 4 until it physically broke or apps started crashing because the Android version was so old. I’d then go out and buy whatever the latest Samsung Note happened to be (during the clearance sales before the next one was announced, of course) and continue on as before…
Now, like every (Northern Hemisphere) summer, it’s Samsung Note announcement season. The Note 10 will be announced later today in New York.
With Samsung — the last major holdout — seemingly on board with the effort to kill the 3.5mm headphone jack, the war on the headphone jack is effectively over, and the dongles have won.
The Note 10 will also have an annoying hole punch/camera cutout on the display, similar to the S10 phones.
I refuse to use a dongle in order to listen to my outstanding Beyerdynamic DT770 or Tin Audio T2 headphones. I also refuse to use wireless headphones. Samsung has avoided Apple’s shit for brains dongle insanity for years, but that changes today.
Well, Samsung, you did it. You got my money one last time because I want a great camera AND a 3.5mm port. As far as I can tell, if those are the criteria, the Samsung S10 variants and the Note 9 are pretty much it. However, the S10 devices all have that asinine hole punch front camera design.
Anyway, in case you care about such things, the Note 9 is probably your last chance to get a high performance phone with a 3.5mm audio port (and without a hole punch display):
Samsung Galaxy Note9 N960U 128GB Unlocked 4G LTE
As people have figured out that newer doesn’t mean better with the Note 10, prices on remaining Note 9 phones have been increasing. The Amazon price (link above) fluctuates wildly.
For reference, I spent NZ$849 (US$546) on my Note 9, factory unlocked, brand new, sealed retail box. That was, by far, the cheapest the phone ever sold for new in NZ, and probably the cheapest it will ever sell for here. If you can get one for under US$550 new, that would be a good deal.
Finally, I’d suggest using a protective cover with this phone. I chose the Samsung Galaxy Note9 Rugged Protective Cover with Kickstand, EF-RN960CBEGUS. It’s perfect. Highly recommended.
Florida Governor Orders State Criminal Probe Into Jeffrey Epstein Case
August 6th, 2019Via: Miami Herald:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered a state criminal probe into the actions of the Palm Beach sheriff and the former Palm Beach state attorney for their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein underage sex trafficking case.
DeSantis’ move comes as Sheriff Ric Bradshaw has come under increasing scrutiny for his decision in 2008 to give Epstein, a politically connected multimillionaire, unusually lenient work release privileges even though Epstein was a convicted sex offender who had been accused of molesting dozens of underage girls.
State Sen. Lauren Book, a Democrat from Plantation, collected more than 4,000 signatures on a petition demanding that the Republican governor ask the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to undertake the investigation. Ultimately it was Bradshaw who requested the inquiry, although only after several days of mounting pressure.
Swiss Post Suspends Drone Delivery Service After Second Crash
August 5th, 2019Via: IEEE:
For about a year, Swiss Post and Matternet have been collaborating on a drone delivery service in three different cities in Switzerland, with drones ferrying lab samples between hospitals far faster and more efficiently than is possible with conventional ground transportation. The service had made about 3,000 successful flights as of last January, but a January 25th crash into Lake Zurich put things on hold until April.
A second crash in May caused Swiss Post to suspend the service indefinitely, and a recently released interim report published by the Swiss Safety Investigation Board provides some detail on what happened—and a reminder that for all the delivery drone hype, there are some basic problems that are still not totally solved.
