Apple temporarily disables group FaceTime to fix a bug that lets you eavesdrop on your contacts

There was chaos on the internet late last night after 9to5Mac discovered a bug in Apple’s FaceTime video calling app that let you hear other person’s voice even before they answered your call. According to the report, a user running iOS 12.1 could potentially exploit the vulnerability to eavesdrop on others through a group FaceTime call. Read more about Apple temporarily disables group FaceTime to fix a bug that lets you eavesdrop on your contacts[…]

Apple Blocks Linux From Booting and makes Windows hard to boot On New Hardware With T2 Security Chip

Apple’s new-generation Macs come with a new so-called Apple T2 security chip that’s supposed to provide a secure enclave co-processor responsible for powering a series of security features, including Touch ID. At the same time, this security chip enables the secure boot feature on Apple’s computers, and by the looks of things, it’s also responsible Read more about Apple Blocks Linux From Booting and makes Windows hard to boot On New Hardware With T2 Security Chip[…]

Qualcomm Says Apple Is $7 Billion Behind in Royalty Payments

Qualcomm Inc. says its fight with Apple Inc. over how much the chipmaker can charge for essential patented technology used in iPhones and iPads is getting pricey. “They’re trying to destroy our business,” Qualcomm lawyer Evan Chesler said at a hearing Friday in federal court in San Diego. “They’re now $7 billion dollars behind in Read more about Qualcomm Says Apple Is $7 Billion Behind in Royalty Payments[…]

Apple, Samsung fined in Italy for slowing people’s phones.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Italian competition authority, the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), said both companies had violated consumer protection laws by “inducing customers to install updates on devices that are not able to adequately support them.” It fined Apple €10m ($11.4m): €5m for slowing down the iPhone 6 with Read more about Apple, Samsung fined in Italy for slowing people’s phones.[…]

Why are Xiaomi’s fitness tracker and Apple watches detecting a heartbeat from a roll of toilet paper and bananas?

Why is Xiaomi’s fitness tracker detecting a heartbeat from a roll of toilet paper? Weibo users are confused, but the answer isn’t as wild as it seems Does a roll of toilet paper have a heart? Obviously not. So why does Xiaomi’s fitness band display a heart rate when it’s wrapped around a roll of Read more about Why are Xiaomi’s fitness tracker and Apple watches detecting a heartbeat from a roll of toilet paper and bananas?[…]

Apple forgot to lock Intel Management Engine in laptops, so get patching

In its ongoing exploration of Intel’s Management Engine (ME), security biz Positive Technologies has reaffirmed the shortsightedness of security through obscurity and underscored the value of open source silicon. The Intel ME, included on most Intel chipsets since 2008, is controversial because it expands the attack surface of Intel-based hardware. If compromised, it becomes side-channel Read more about Apple forgot to lock Intel Management Engine in laptops, so get patching[…]

You know all those movies you bought from Apple? Um, well, think different: You didn’t. Didn’t you learn that from Amazon in 2009?

Remember when you decided to buy, rather than rent, that movie online? We have some bad news for you – you didn’t. Biologist Anders Gonçalves da Silva was surprised this week to find three movies he had purchased through iTunes simply disappeared one day from his library. So he contacted Apple to find out what Read more about You know all those movies you bought from Apple? Um, well, think different: You didn’t. Didn’t you learn that from Amazon in 2009?[…]

Apple Is Rushing to Fix the Telugu Bug as Assholes Use It to ‘Bomb’ People’s iPhones and Macs

While many bugs are relatively benign, often getting patched before the user knows anything is wrong, the latest plague to hit Apple devices is already wreaking havoc on internet. The issue, which has become known as the Telugu bug, gives people the ability to crash a wide range of iPhone, Mac, and iPad apps just Read more about Apple Is Rushing to Fix the Telugu Bug as Assholes Use It to ‘Bomb’ People’s iPhones and Macs[…]

Stop us if you’ve heard this one: Apple’s password protection in macOS can be thwarted

An Apple developer has uncovered another embarrassing vulnerability in macOS High Sierra, aka version 10.13, that lets someone bypass part of the operating system’s password protections.This time, a vulnerable dialog box was found in the System Preferences panel for the App Store settings. The bug, reported by developer Eric Holtam to the Open Radar bug Read more about Stop us if you’ve heard this one: Apple’s password protection in macOS can be thwarted[…]

As Apple fixes macOS root password hole, here’s what went wrong (note: get patching!)

The patch addresses a flaw in its operating system that allows anyone sitting at a Mac to gain administrator access by entering “root” as the username and leaving the password box blank in authentication prompts. This works when altering system settings, logging into the machine, and accessing it remotely via VNC, RDP, screen sharing, and Read more about As Apple fixes macOS root password hole, here’s what went wrong (note: get patching!)[…]

Uber’s iOS App was given Secret Permissions by Apple That Allowed It to Record Your Phone Screen

To improve functionality between Uber’s app and the Apple Watch, Apple allowed Uber to use a powerful tool that could record a user’s iPhone screen, even if Uber’s app was only running in the background, security researchers told Gizmodo. After the researchers discovered the tool, Uber said it is no longer in use and will Read more about Uber’s iOS App was given Secret Permissions by Apple That Allowed It to Record Your Phone Screen[…]

Apple Rolls Out New Feature That Permanently Associates Devices with Apps, Even After Deletion

Tim Cook once scolded Travis Kalanick about Uber’s practice of tracking users even after they deleted the app from their iPhones. But in its newest operating system, iOS 11, Apple is rolling out a feature that will allow the same type of tracking—but with fewer privacy implications. Apple’s new feature is called DeviceCheck and, if Read more about Apple Rolls Out New Feature That Permanently Associates Devices with Apps, Even After Deletion[…]

iPhone lawyers literally compare Apples with Pears in trademark war – and win!

Pear Technology, which produces digital mapping software and services, applied for the pear logo in 2014 and was almost immediately challenged by Apple, which claimed it was confusingly similar to its own apple-with-a-bite-out-of-it silhouette logo. The Cupertino intellectual property lawyers claimed that despite one being a picture of a pear and one being a picture Read more about iPhone lawyers literally compare Apples with Pears in trademark war – and win![…]

Siri on apple lockscreens leads to people being able to break into the device

A series of YouTube videos are pointing out a flaw that could allow users to access photos on an iPhone without entering in a passcode. This requires physical access to the device, and Siri on the lock screen needs to be enabled. Source: This Weird Trick Apparently Lets You Bypass Any iPhone’s Lock Screen It Read more about Siri on apple lockscreens leads to people being able to break into the device[…]

Apple Will Fix ‘Touch Disease’ on Your iPhone for Just $150

Apple now has a repair program in place to address the so-called “Touch Disease” problem that the iPhone repair community first raised in August. Over time, some iPhone 6 Plus users reported that the touchscreen on the phones became unresponsive, with a flickering gray bar eventually showing up at the top of the screen. Dubbed Read more about Apple Will Fix ‘Touch Disease’ on Your iPhone for Just $150[…]

Apple Watches banned from Cabinet after ministers warned devices could be vulnerable to hacking 

inisters have been barred from wearing Apple Watches during Cabinet meetings amid concerns that they could be hacked by Russian spies, The Telegraph has learned. Under David Cameron, several cabinet ministers wore the smart watches, including Michael Gove, the former Justice Secretary. However, under Theresa May ministers have been barred from wearing them amid concerns Read more about Apple Watches banned from Cabinet after ministers warned devices could be vulnerable to hacking […]

Religion in US ‘worth more than Google and Apple combined’

Religion in the United States is worth $1.2tn a year, making it equivalent to the 15th largest national economy in the world, according to a study. The faith economy has a higher value than the combined revenues of the top 10 technology companies in the US, including Apple, Amazon and Google, says the analysis from Read more about Religion in US ‘worth more than Google and Apple combined’[…]

Apple Wins Appeal Reinstating $119.6 Million Samsung Verdict, showing insanity of patent law

In this case, Apple claimed that Samsung infringed patents for the slide-to-unlock feature, autocorrect and a way to detect phone numbers so they can be tapped to make phone calls. The bulk of the award, $98.7 million, was for the detection patent that the earlier panel said wasn’t infringed. The February decision also said the Read more about Apple Wins Appeal Reinstating $119.6 Million Samsung Verdict, showing insanity of patent law[…]

Apple, Microsoft: We Have No Govt Email Scanning Program Like Yahoo’s

Yahoo, as detailed in an explosive new report, does precisely that that. According to Reuters, in 2015, the company built, at the U.S. government’s request, software that scans literally all emails for certain information provided by either the National Security Agency or the FBI. It’s not clear how often it was used, or why this Read more about Apple, Microsoft: We Have No Govt Email Scanning Program Like Yahoo’s[…]

Apple Logs Your iMessage Contacts — and May Share Them With Police

Every time you type a number into your iPhone for a text conversation, the Messages app contacts Apple servers to determine whether to route a given message over the ubiquitous SMS system, represented in the app by those déclassé green text bubbles, or over Apple’s proprietary and more secure messaging network, represented by pleasant blue Read more about Apple Logs Your iMessage Contacts — and May Share Them With Police[…]

Tight-wad Apple repair techs swapped our damaged iGear with used kit – lawsuit

According to the complaint, the aggrieved customers say that their AppleCare service plans should allow them to have their devices replaced with new units. The class seeks to represent customers who purchased Apple hardware with the AppleCare replacement plan and then received replacement devices from Apple when their old devices broke. The claim centers around Read more about Tight-wad Apple repair techs swapped our damaged iGear with used kit – lawsuit[…]

Have Your iPhone 6 Repaired, Only To Get It Bricked By Apple

In case you had a problem with the fingerprint sensor or some other small defect on your iPhone 6 and had it repaired by a non-official (read: cheaper) shop, you may be in for a nasty surprise: error 53. What happens is that during an OS update or re-install the software checks the internal hardware Read more about Have Your iPhone 6 Repaired, Only To Get It Bricked By Apple[…]

Apple services down for 8 hours, no explanation given

Apple’s U.S. web page showed all applications had resumed as of 11:55 p.m. “There are no reported issues at this time,” the company said a few minutes later on its web page. The iPhone maker said services related to iCloud and the Photos application have also resumed. The issues appear to have started just before Read more about Apple services down for 8 hours, no explanation given[…]

Apple says it doesn’t know why iTunes users are losing their music files

In an extremely small number of cases users have reported that music files saved on their computer were removed without their permission. We’re taking these reports seriously as we know how important music is to our customers and our teams are focused on identifying the cause. We have not been able to reproduce this issue, Read more about Apple says it doesn’t know why iTunes users are losing their music files[…]

Circuit Simulator Applet

This HTML 5 applet has loads of circuit elements you can use to set up a circuit and see in animated form how the current is running, measure the voltage, amperage and resistance at any point. Very nice to predesign your electronics. Source: Circuit Simulator Applet