The second question about the AT&T iPad security breach, after “Should I be freaking out?” is “How the hell did it happen?” Well, AT&T was just trying to make your life easier. More »
AT&T accidentally exposed a whole bunch of iPad customers’ email addresses. Oh dear! But wait, I’m an AT&T customer! And I have an iPad! Should I be worried? And what exactly was exposed here? Here’s the rundown. Updated. More »
When Adobe said Flash gives you the full web experience, it meant it. Part and parcel of the web, as we all know, is the good old hacking community, which has been “actively exploiting” a vulnerability in Flash Player 10.0.45.2 (and earlier versions) and Adobe Acrobat and Reader 9.x to overtake people’s machines and do hacky stuff with them. This so-called flaw also causes crashes, but that’s probably not what’s worrying you right now. Adobe says the 10.1 Release Candidate for Flash Player looks to be unaffected, while versions 8.x of Acrobat and Reader are confirmed safe. To remedy the trouble, the company advises moving to the RC for Flash, and deleting authplay.dll to keep your Acrobat from performing undesirable gymnastics. Oh boy, Steve‘s gonna have a field day with this one.
Adobe’s Flash and Acrobat have ‘critical’ vulnerability, may allow remote hijacking originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Jun 2010 17:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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And the mess gets messier. A class action lawsuit filed against Google in Oregon has now been enriched with the allegation that Google willfully collected personal data with its Street View cars, rather than doing so accidentally, as it claims. It’s a bold accusation, whose primary basis is a patent application, filed by Google in November 2008, for a “computer-implemented method of estimating the location of a wireless device.” A subsidiary claim references the “obtaining [of] one or more packets of data transmitted” from one wireless device to another to help estimate accuracy of location results. That’s the supposedly damning verbiage that shows Google intentionally created WiFi-snooping software, and it’s also what’s being relied on to show that Mountain View couldn’t have been ignorant of the data collection going on. Yes, it’s quite a stretch, but that’s what lawyers are for: mental gymnastics.
Over in Europe, Google is doing its best to placate local regulators, some of whom are contemplating criminal charges against the multinational company, by agreeing to hand over all data that was collected by its vehicles. France, Germany and Spain will be first to peruse the info, though presumably there’ll be an open door to other nosy governments as well. Doesn’t that strike you as weird — having your private data protected by letting a bunch more people look at it?
Google to disclose WiFi snooping data to regulators amid allegations it was collected intentionally originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 07:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Google made some waves earlier this week by reportedly moving employees off of Windows and onto Mac OS X and Linux machines — although the company wouldn’t confirm the switch, the move was said to be precipitated by security issues after Chinese hackers attacked the search giant back in January. Now, that wasn’t the only reason mentioned in the report — Google apparently also wants employees to use home-grown products like Chrome OS, and it’s sort of weird for Google to buy tons of software licenses from a major competitor — but the implication that Windows isn’t secure enough for Google seems to have raised Microsoft’s hackles: a new post on the Windows Team Blog says the irony of the move is “hard to overlook” as Gmail and Google Docs have privacy and security issues of their own, offers a point-by-point breakdown of all the ways Windows 7 is more secure than the competition, and goes on to suggest that a recent piece of shady Mac OS X malware is “a future sign of things to come for Apple and security.” Meow. Now, we honestly think the real story is as simple as Google not wanting to write Microsoft a really big check, but we’re not going to say no to a little fight here — Eric, Steve, you have anything to say?
Microsoft responds to Google moving away from Windows, calls it ironic originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
I2T security camera generates searchable text transcript in real-time originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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According to a report in the Financial Times, Google is making a full-throated move away from Windows PCs for the company’s workforce. Apparently the big G is now giving staffers the option of a Mac or Linux rig as an alternative to a Windows computer. The FT article suggests that the move is spurred on by security concerns — some specifically related to a flurry of attacks against the company which emanated from China, a country Google has recently been at odds with over censorship. Although security could be at issue, some of the employees interviewed for the article seem to suggest the changes — which mean staffers require CIO approval for a Windows PC — might actually be geared towards bringing Chrome OS into the Googleplex full-throttle. “A lot of it is an effort to run things on Google product,” said one unnamed source, “They want to run things on Chrome.” Another employee is quoted as saying that, “Before the security, there was a directive by the company to try to run things on Google products. It was a long time coming.” Regardless of the reasoning behind the move, if Google is moving the company to Macs and Linux instead of the world’s most popular computing platform, it’s certainly notable. We’ve reached out to both Microsoft and Google for comment, and will update you if and when we have word.
Google said to be moving away from Windows internally, Mac and Linux systems on tap instead originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 22:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Equip your scooter with Marc Graells Ballvé’s anti-theft armor and you’ll give a thief two-things to steal: your scooter and its armadillo-like cover.
I kid. Called Protect 486, Ballvé’s device is indeed inspired by the armadillo’s shell. The overlapping plates offer weather-protection and also stop thieves from getting physical access to the scooter within. Ballvé says that this is better than the usual padlock or alarm as thieves already know how to get around those, although I imagine that if every scooter were so equipped then there’d soon be a way to defeat this, too.
It is rather cool-looking, if a little awkward to carry on the bike all the time, and you certainly wouldn’t lose your ride in a busy parking lot. We also have to assume that Ballvé knows what he’s talking about. He’s from Barcelona, which as we have seen before is a great place to get your bike stolen.
Protect 486 [Themarcswork (Flash) via Oh Gizmo]
if you feel like going through the process of typing in your PIN every time you unlock your iPhone is worth it thanks to the unconquerable security it implies, you might want to read this report from Bernd Marienfeldt about the chosen one’s security model. Yes, a PIN will keep casual users from picking up your phone and making a call with it, or firing off an e-mail to your co-workers saying that you’re quitting and becoming an exotic dancer, but it won’t keep someone from accessing all your data. Bernd and fellow security guru Jim Herbeck have discovered that plugging even a fully up-to-date, non-jailbroken iPhone 3GS into a computer running Ubuntu Lucid Lynx allows nearly full read access to the phone’s storage — even when it’s locked. The belief is that they’re just a buffer overflow away from full write access as well, which would surely open the door to making calls. Bernd believes the iPhone’s lack of data encryption for content is a real problem, and also cites the inability to digitally sign e-mails as reasons why the iPhone is still not ready for prime time in the enterprise.
[Thanks, Amit]
iPhone vulnerability leaves your data wide open, even when using a PIN originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 06:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from James’ best bud, who would love to own an EVO 4G… if not for that 8 megapixel camera that’s strictly against protocol. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
“I have a friend who’s taken a job in a security field and the employer doesn’t allow cameras on cellphones. He’s currently happy with an iPhone 3GS and would definitely consider an Android device but is having trouble finding a decent phone with no camera. The only caveat is that for whatever reason he doesn’t want a BlackBerry. Does anyone else make a decent smartphone sans camera? Thanks!”
This is a fairly common question, actually, and despite the fact that few phones are made any more sans a camera, many organizations refuse to allow them. We’d hate for your friend be stuck with a dumbphone, so here’s hoping our readers can drop some knowledge below. Otherwise, we suggest he / she just mail in a two-week notice — Sent from their iPhone, of course.
Ask Engadget: best smartphone without a camera? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 22:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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