The new top-of-the-range iPhone does away with the home button and its built-in fingerprint reader in favor of a new biometric — called Face ID — which uses a 3D scan of the user’s face for authenticating and unlocking their device. It also replaces Touch ID for Apple Pay too.
Apple suggests this is an advancement over a fingerprint reader because it’s an easier and more natural action for the user to perform — you just look at the phone and it unlocks; no need to worry if you have wet fingers and so on. However offering to gate the smorgasbord of personal content that lives on a smartphone behind a face biometric inevitably raises lots of security questions.
Read moreSecurity researchers have discovered an old version of Mac malware that has reappeared in the wild and managed to hijack Mac machines to generate profit for attackers.
The attack, dubbed Mughthesec, appears to be a modified strain of a known adware attack known as OperatorMac. However the new version presents an evolved threat for Mac users, as the adware has found a way to appear as a legitimate application and bypass Apple’s built in security systems. Mughthesec masquerades as an Adobe Flash installer and installs itself on a victim’s device if they agree to install the illegitimate Flash update.
Read moreApple Inc. is working on a feature that will let you unlock your iPhone using your face instead of a fingerprint. For its redesigned iPhone, set to go on sale later this year, Apple is testing an improved security system that allows users to log in, authenticate payments, and launch secure apps by scanning their face, according to people familiar with the product.
This is powered by a new 3-D sensor, added the people, who asked not to be identified discussing technology that’s still in development. The company is also testing eye scanning to augment the system, one of the people said. The sensor’s speed and accuracy are focal points of the feature.
Read moreExperts recently obtained an hour-long audio recording from an internal briefing at Apple titled “Stopping Leakers - Keeping Confidential at Apple.”
The presentation was led by three members of Apple’s Global Security division: director of global security David Rice, director of worldwide investigations Lee Freedman, and Jenny Hubbert, from the Global Security communications and training team. The audio describes the lengths Apple goes to in order to keep information about new products out of the hands of leakers. The Global Security team tasked with this includes previous members from the NSA, the US military, the FBI, and the US Secret Service.
Read moreAfter years toiling away in secret on a car project, Tim Cook has for the first time elaborated on the company’s plans in the automotive market. “We’re focusing on autonomous systems,” Cook said in a June 5 interview.
“It’s a core technology that we view as very important.” He likened the effort to “the mother of all AI projects,” saying it’s “probably one of the most difficult AI projects to work on.” The prospect of self-driving cars has seen a slew of technology companies push into the auto industry, according to McKinsey & Co. Alphabet’s Waymo unit has signed partnerships with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and Lyft to develop the technology.
Read moreScience is worthless if it isn’t motivated by basic human values and the desire to help people, Apple CEO Tim Cook told graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Friday, urging them to use their powers for good.
In a commencement address, Cook — who as Apple’s chief executive since 2011 has overseen the rollout of the iPhone 7 and the Apple Watch — said the company is constantly looking for ways to combine tech with a sense of humanity and compassion. “Whatever you do in your life, and whatever we do at Apple, we must infuse it with the humanity that we are born with,” said Cook.
Read moreSometimes, it's not external hackers that pose a threat to your privacy -- it's people in the supply chain hoping to make some cash on the side. Police in China's Zhejiang province have arrested 22 (apparently third-party) Apple distributors for allegedly selling iPhone user data.
Officials say the workers searched an internal Apple database for sensitive info, such as Apple IDs and phone numbers, and peddled it on the black market for between $1.50 to $26. All told, the distributors reportedly raked in about $7.36 million, before authorities stepped in. It's not clear how many people are affected by the bootleg sales, or how many of the victims live outside of China.
Read moreApple is one of the largest tech companies in the United States that have been involved in user spying scandals, with many accusing the firm of working with the government on snooping on customers and providing law enforcement with access to their data.
Cupertino, on the other hand, has actually claimed to be doing otherwise, fighting against the government on several occasions, including in early 2016 when it refused to hack a locked iPhone that was allegedly used by one of the San Bernardino terrorists. This time, Apple's name is involved in new snooping claims in regard to the terrorist attacks that took place in the United Kingdom in the last few weeks.
Read moreItaly's antitrust watchdog said it was imposing a 3 million-euro fine on messaging service WhatsApp for allegedly obliging users to agree to sharing their personal data with its parent company Facebook.
All 28 European Union data protection authorities asked WhatsApp last year to stop sharing users' data with Facebook due to doubts over the validity of users' consent. The Italian agency said the application led users to believe they would not have been able to continue using the service unless they agreed to terms including sharing personal data. A spokesperson for WhatsApp said: "We're reviewing the decision and we look forward to responding to officials."
Read moreAlmost two weeks after Apple Inc. secured permission to test its autonomous-car technology in California, the first images of the vehicle have been captured on Silicon Valley roads. The white Lexus RX450h SUV emerged from an Apple facility this week and was kitted out with an array of sensors, according to a person who saw the vehicle and provided photos.
The sensors included Velodyne Lidar Inc.'s top-of-the-range 64-channel lidar, at least two radar and a series of cameras. The sensors appear to be products bought off the shelf from suppliers, rather than custom-made, according to an industry expert who saw the photos.
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