Over 225,000 Apple Accounts Compromised Via iOS Malware

An anonymous reader writes: Researchers from Palo Alto Networks and WeipTech have unearthed a scheme that resulted in the largest known Apple account theft caused by malware. All in all, some 225, 000 valid Apple accounts have been compromised. The theft is executed via variants of the KeyRaider iOS malware, which targets jailbroken iOS devices. Most of the victims are Chinese — the malware is distributed through third-party Cydia repositories in China — but users in other countries have also been affected (European countries, the U.S., Australia, South Korea, and so on). “The malware hooks system processes through MobileSubstrate, and steals Apple account usernames, passwords and device GUID by intercepting iTunes traffic on the device, ” Palo Alto researcher Claud Xiao explained. “KeyRaider steals Apple push notification service certificates and private keys, steals and shares App Store purchasing information, and disables local and remote unlocking functionalities on iPhones and iPads.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Over 225,000 Apple Accounts Compromised Via iOS Malware

Apple’s iPhone 6S and 6S Plus event takes off on September 9th

It’s that time of year again. Apple’s next iPhone event will take place on September 9th at 10AM PT, live at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. This is expected to be the unveiling of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, which are reported to have animated wallpapers , 4K video capabilities, upgraded 12-megapixel cameras and front-facing flash, among other new features. We may even see something about force-touch iPhones . The event invite is light on details, as usual, but features the tease, “Hey Siri, give us a hint.” Well, Siri? We’re waiting. Filed under: Cellphones , Handhelds , Peripherals , Apple Comments Tags: apple, iphone6s, iPhone6SPlus

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Apple’s iPhone 6S and 6S Plus event takes off on September 9th

iPad Pro Rumor Roundup: Everything We Think We Know

Steve Jobs famously shunned the idea of an iPad Mini. ( He was kind of right .) But what about an iPad Mega? What about a bigger, better iPad for people who want more out of a tablet? Obviously, iPad Mega is a terrible name, but it’s not a terrible idea. Whether you call it the iPad Pro or the iPad Air Plus, this thing could be real. Read more…

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iPad Pro Rumor Roundup: Everything We Think We Know

We’re Only Beginning To Understand Why Humans Have a Skewed Sex Ratio

The ratio of newborn boys to girls slightly and consistently leans toward males: around 106 boys are born for every 100 girls. If that seems odd to you, it should : the way sperm form suggests that the ratio of X-sperm to Y-sperm should be exactly 50:50–and scientists are only now beginning to understand why the skew occurs. Read more…

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We’re Only Beginning To Understand Why Humans Have a Skewed Sex Ratio

iPhone 6s Rumor Roundup: Everything We Think We Know

How do you make the best iPhone ever even better? That’s the perennial question, one that’s inevitably easier to answer as Apple releases innovative new products. This year, the fan boy universe finds a plethora of clues in the company’s wearable computer. The iPhone 6s, these clues suggest, will be a giant Apple Watch. Read more…

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iPhone 6s Rumor Roundup: Everything We Think We Know

HTC Is Now Essentially Worthless (And Insecure)

 Internet hyperbole (and financial analysis) have rendered HTC, a once high-flying mobile brand, essentially valueless. In short, the company is trading below cash on hand which means if you bought all HTC stock the company would have to pay, you, the buyer to take it over. This means the company’s factories, stock, and brand are worth nothing, at least on Wall Street. Furthermore, the… Read More

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HTC Is Now Essentially Worthless (And Insecure)

Why Does Asking Siri to Charge Your Phone Call the Cops?

Utter the words—and we don’t suggest you do—“charge my phone 100 percent” to Siri, and your iPhone will try and call the emergency services, after a five-second grace period in which you can cancel it. But why? Read more…

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Why Does Asking Siri to Charge Your Phone Call the Cops?

New Default: Mozilla Temporarily Disables Flash In Firefox

Trailrunner7 writes with news that “Mozilla has taken the unusual step of disabling by default all versions of Flash in Firefox.” Two flaws that came to light from the recent document dump from Hacking Team could be used by an attacker to gain remote code execution. From Threatpost’s article: One of the flaws is in Action Script 3 while the other is in the BitMapData component of Flash. Exploits for these vulnerabilities were found in the data taken from HackingTeam in the attack disclosed last week. An exploit for one of the Flash vulnerabilities, the one in ActionScript 3, has been integrated into the Angler exploit kit already and there’s a module for it in the Metasploit Framework, as well. Reader Mickeycaskill adds a link to TechWeek Europe’s article, which says these are the 37th and 38th flaws found in Flash so far this month, and that the development “is a blow for Flash after Alex Stamos, Facebook’s new chief security officer, urged Adobe to set an ‘end of life’ date for the much-maligned software.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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New Default: Mozilla Temporarily Disables Flash In Firefox

iPhone encryption has locked out Manhattan cops just 74 times

You’ll frequently hear law enforcement complain that it can’t break the full-drive encryption in newer smartphone operating systems, but how often does the police run into that problem, really? Thanks to a US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, you now have a better idea. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has revealed that, out of the 92 cases where an iPhone with iOS 8 has been involved so far, the cops have been locked out 74 times. District Attorney Cyrus Vance portrays this as proof that officers need backdoors or other forms of guaranteed access, noting that there’s at least one case (in Illinois) where evidence from a victim’s iPhone led to a conviction. Police shouldn’t simply be told that there’s “nothing [they] can do, ” he says. Context is everything, however, and this isn’t quite as dire a situation as Vance made it out to be. The Manhattan DA typically handles 100, 000 cases a year — 0.0007 percent is a drop in the bucket. Moreover, there’s no records showing whether or not the encryption actually stopped the investigation cold. It’s possible that the security merely forced officers to rely on other forms of evidence. While there’s still a concern that clever criminals will take advantage of encryption, there’s also no data showing that there would be enough arrests to justify the reduced privacy. [Image credit: Shutterstock] Filed under: Cellphones , Mobile , Apple Comments Source: Wired

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iPhone encryption has locked out Manhattan cops just 74 times