Do you have a Mi-Cam in your home? Even if you don't have kids, you may have one. They're a highly popular, inexpensive means of keeping tabs on the comings and goings inside your home when you're not around. As with so many such devices these days, users have the option of installing either an Android or iOS app on their phones so they can peek in remotely, any time they like, and therein lies the problem. It's no secret that the IoT is filled with "smart" devices that don't live up to … Read more
New Apple Update Available for Character Bug Solution
Recently, another "exotic character" bug was found in iOS. If someone sends this particular character (a special character that's part of the Indian language pack) to your phone via any messaging app, it will not only crash your phone, but cause a variety of messaging apps to stop functioning. When the bug was initially reported, Apple treated it as a somewhat low priority item and announced their plan to fix it with the release of iOS 11.3 later this spring. The company's loyal user base, … Read more
New Bug Discovered in iOS That Can Disable iPhone Apps
Last year, Apple had to fix a "special character" bug in their Message app that was more of an annoyance than anything. This year, a new special character bug has been found, but this one is much more serious and could allow an attacker to crash your phone and block access to a variety of messaging apps. The bug is specific to iOS 11, so if you've got an older version, you don't have anything to worry about. The company has already announced that it will be fixed in the upcoming release of … Read more
Vulnerability Found In Popular Grammar Checker
On February 2, Tavis Ormandy, a researcher on Google's Project Zero team discovered a critical flaw in the popular online grammar checking app, "Grammarly." Tens of millions of users make regular use of the app to improve the quality of their writing. The bug allowed a hacker to steal a Grammarly user's authentication token and use that token to log on and access every document they've run through the Grammarly system. This along with that user's history, logs and other data. They were able to … Read more
Some Smartwatches May Be Able To Diagnose Diabetes
That smartwatch you're wearing might save your life. Literally. A new study conducted by the University of California San Francisco, and a healthcare startup called Cardiogram revealed that smartwatches and other wearables were able to detect diabetes in previously diagnosed patients an impressive 85 percent of the time. The study monitored health statistics of more than 14,000 smartwatch wearers (both Android and Apple) over the course of several months. All health data that was … Read more
Apple And Google No Longer World’s Top Brands
The latest Brand Finance Global 500 report out and contains some surprises this year. In the battle of the Brands, two companies have long topped the list: Apple and Google. This year, there's a new Sheriff in town. Amazon blew past the top two claiming the top spot for itself. It is now the most valuable brand in the world with an impressive $150.8 billion dollar value. David Haigh, the CEO of Brand Finance had this to say about the upset in the rankings: "Jeff Bezos once said that … Read more
Mac Computers Battling New Malware For Hijacking DNS
It's official, the first macOS malware of 2018 is here. Discovered by an independent security researcher and dubbed "OSX/MaMi," the code is functionally similar to DNSChanger malware. The researcher posted his findings on the Malwarebytes forum and none other than Patrick Wardle (an ex-NSA hacker) analyzed it, having this to say: "OSX/MaMi isn't particularly advanced - but does alter infected systems in rather nasty and persistent ways. By installing a new root certificate and hijacking … Read more
Google Will Get Tougher On Websites Not Using HTTPS
Google is poised to make an important change to its Chrome browser beginning in July 2018. Here's the summary from Emily Schechter, the Google Chrome Security Product Manager: "For the past several years, we've moved toward a more secure web by strongly advocating that sites adopt HTTPS encryption, and within the last year, we've also helped users understand that HTTP sites are not secure by gradually marking a larger subset of HTTP pages as 'not secure.' Beginning in July 2018 with the … Read more
Better Parental Controls Underway For Apple Devices
Recently, a group of investors wrote an open letter to Apple, urging the company to do more in regards to offering better and more robust parental controls on the devices the company makes. Although the group of investors control some $2 billion in Apple stock, this is a drop in the proverbial bucket, given the company's $900 billion market cap. Nonetheless, the letter seems to have gotten Apple's attention. In a statement published in the Wall Street Journal, the company said: "We think … Read more
Vertical Video Support On YouTube For iOS Finally Here
The owners of Android devices have been able to properly view vertical videos for more than two years, but for Apple users, it was a different story. Instead of getting the traditional full-screen experience when viewing vertical videos, Apple users were saddled with annoying vertical bars that would appear on either side of the video itself. It's a small thing, but undeniably annoying. Now, at long last, the problem has been solved and now Apple users can enjoy the same vertical, … Read more
