Monday, March 20, 2017

Hacking of Phones through Sound wave is Possible

Sound wave Hacking
In the contemporary world, where the science and technology have seen a massive growth, which helps the society to have some of the most important articles and services to make the life more easier. The electronic devices are nowadays the most important parts of our daily life and people are quite obsessive about this equipment and their well-beings.

These days, there are some issues; so far the technology is concerned, which need to be addressed with special care and attention to get the best feedback from the same. Nowadays, we can find that there are rampant uses of such devices or equipment, such as; laptop, smartphones, fitness machines etc., which are all having some security provisions to deter the harmful intruders. In these cases, special measures are being taken to get the best possible safety coverage and the respective manufacturers proudly claim the benefits of these measures.

Very recently, researchers have proved that this security base of some of the “secured” devices can be broken by using a remote device and through sending some commands, which is considered as a great threat for these kinds of equipment. An amazing security loophole has been located, through that someone can add some of the most horrifying steps to any Fitbit monitor. Although it can be sighted as a very small and negligible issue; but according to researchers, it is the sign that broader risks will be there, if this issue has not been addressed with extreme care and sincerity.

Some Notable Revelations

Most of us have seen a television ad, where an opera singer broke the glass with her pitched sound wave, which reminds us the splitting power of the sound. A group of researchers, involved in the security of the computer, from the University of Michigan, have demonstrated the vulnerability, which allows them to control or surreptitiously influence some of the devices through a small accelerometer; a standard element in any computer, smartphone or fitness monitor and most importantly in the automobile.

In this case, the sound wave sent from the remote device can spell out specific words and can intrude into the targeted device; not only being able to shut down it but by entering commands, which can be described as a musical virus or such kind of a thing. The researchers have tested almost 20 different kinds of chips, prepared by 5 different chip manufacturers and found that this security challenge is more vulnerable in nature for any digital appliances, available in the society.

Conclusion

There are lots of companies, who are involved in the manufacturing of trucks and cars of self-driving nature and unaware of the vulnerabilities, unknowingly allowing an attacker, which is capable of attacking the vehicles by remotely controlled means, with unnerving possibilities. At the same time, it can be noted that the problem is not so grave like "sky is falling", at this moment, rather it can be considered as an eye opener or revealing window for the cyber security concepts and applications, which challenges the complex security systems, having possibility of interactions of digital and analog components.




Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Smart Way to Use Hearing Aid with Your iPhone

iPhone
If you are looking forward to use hearing aid with your smartphone then stick to iPhone only as it offers best compatibility along with a set of features which can’t be found on other OS. Apple has done an incredible in the past to work extensively with the hearing aids manufacturers to develop next gen hearing aid and apps which can easily compatible with the iPhone. Simply checking out the page for “Use Made for iPhone hearing aid’ page right on the Apple’s website will showcase a rather lengthy list of models to choose from. Such a things isn’t possible for any other OEM or OS widely available in the market.

Apple offers more features

The best thing Apple is that it has a wide list of models which are approved by the Federal Communications Commission and meets its stringent compatibility requirements. Further Apple has also built a guide right into the iOS software related to its usage and other accessibility features. Apple site clearly mentions that the users should consult with their doctor or specialist before buying the hearing aid as well as understanding the technology and its benefits.

Hearing aids with ‘Made for iPhone’ label

A number of hearing aids had started flowing into the market with ‘Made for iPhone’ label. These labelled designs are specifically designed to work with the Apple iPhone from the model iPhone 4s and above. These hearing aids can even be used with a large number of iPad models as well as with the fifth generation of the iPod Touch and later variants. In short Apple has quietly brought a wide range of devices which comes with inbuilt support for the ‘Made for iPhone’ hearing aids.

Features of ‘Made for iPhone’ gear

Made for iPhone hearing not just offers ability to control the auditory experience in many ways but it also allows users to pipe sounds right from calls, music, videos, podcasts and other sources. On pairing iPhone with such hearing aids users get control over adjusting the volume, checking up the battery life as well as setting up audio presets for adjusting sounds in specific conditions. Apple also brings new feature called Live Listen which makes use of the iPhone microphone in order to pick up and transmit conversations and other sounds directly to the hearing device.

Using hearing aids on Android devices

Google has brought in simple features for the Android users which offer very basic accessibility features within the mobile operating system. Over the different phone and tablet makers has brought their own tools to enhance the accessibility features for the use of hearing on the Android devices. But the offering on the Android devices are not as polished and finished the Apple counterpart. However the silver lining for the ‘Made for iPhone’ device users is that a number of them can work with Android device offered by Google, Samsung and HTC. On other hand Microsoft has also brought support for the hearing aid with some of its models.

Saturday, March 11, 2017

iPhone Spying Bugs Revealed By Wikileaks Have Been Fixed, Apple Says

Julian Assange
Apple Security Susceptibility - Fixed

The technology company has stated that the store of Apple security susceptibility which the CIA could use in order to infect the iPhones of users has been fixed.Successions of `zero-day’ susceptibilities existing in the intelligence agency had been disclosed by Wikileaks recently. Most of the tools had apparently been established by the British spy agency, GCHQ which is based in Cheltenham. It had been mentioned by Apple that to the best of the company’s knowledge, the bugs which had been disclosed in the leak of 8,761 documents has been fixed in the latest version of iOS – the iPhone as well as iPad operating system.

A spokesman had commented that `Apple is deeply committed in safeguarding the privacy and security of their customers. The technology which has been designed in the present iPhone seems to represent the best data security available to the users and that they are continuously working in keeping it that way. Their products as well as software have been created to get security updates instantly in the hands of consumers with almost 80% of the users utilising the latest version of their operating system.

He had further commented that while their initial analysis portrays that several of the issues leaked had already been patched in the latest iOS and that they would continue to strive to quickly address any identified susceptibilities. They would always urge customers to download the latest iOS ensuring that they have the most modern security updates.

Mobile Development Branch

`Vault 7’ release of WikiLeaks, which is the leading publication of secret CIA documents in the history of the agency, apparently disclosed sequences of bugs which had been developed to let spies monitor targets via iPhones, Android phones, computers as well as Samsung smart TVs together with extensively used devices like Wi-Fi router is also being described by experts as bigger than the leaks of Edward Snowden on the National Security Agency.

The leak provided 14 various iOS vulnerabilities though several of them had been related to the older versions of the operating system. For a long time, iPhone had been considered as more secure than the phone running the competing Google Android software owing to them receiving security updates much more rapidly.

The announcement made by WikiLeaks demanded that the CIA has a specialised unit in its `Mobile Development Branch which is dedicated to iOS devices owing to the reputation of the iPhone in the area of social, diplomatic, political and business elites.

CIA Stored Serious Security Susceptibilities

The significant risk is that nasty groups like foreign government hackers could learn the susceptibilities wherein they could put the daily users in danger. By law the spy agency has been prohibited from gathering intelligence which specifies domestic activities of Americans and is also restricted in how it could collect USA data for counter-intelligence commitments.

Recently WikiLeaks had mentioned that the documents portrayed that the Central Intelligence Agencies stored serious security susceptibilities instead of sharing with the public as called for under a procedure recognised by President Barack Obama.

Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple had fought a public battle with the FBI in connection with the agency’s efforts of compelling the company to unlock an iPhone which belonged to a terrorist. The company had informed that manufacturing a tool of this type would create a backdoor which the criminals as well as foreign states would utilise.

Friday, March 10, 2017

Apple’s Performance in the Stock Market

Apple
2016 was a disappointing year for Apple stock owners as the iPhone 6s Plus and 6s failed to meet high expectations. However, Apple has in the past been seen to overcome poor performances and so far, it is already buying back stock with iPhone7 and 7 plus, which are doing fairly well in the market. Early February 2017, the iPhone stock hit $133.82. This move pushed AAPL away from its 2015 intraday trading high of $134.54. However, compared to the previous year, it has been seen to give a better record from the closing price of $133.

Although analysts don’t expect it to beat its all-time highs of previous years, Apple is poised to exceed the current consensus significantly and move a notch higher in 2017. In early February, the iPhone maker reported strong earnings soon after the US stocks were closed. By being the largest US company in terms of market cap, Apple tends to have a great weighting in indexes. During this period, healthcare and tech shares rose by 0.7 percent, giving Nasdaq a boost as the real-estate stocks dropped by 1.1 percent.

Apple Inc. posted 0.16 percent improvement, which beat expectations, leading analysts to raise their price targets. The boost was linked to the strong iPhone sales registered around that period. The stock surge then pushed Apple to a $700 billion market cap. The next expected iPhone model has been reported to contain new features such as 3D sensing that could, in return, contribute to better sales.

In 2016, the annual sales of Apple.inc fell drastically for the first time since 2001, and this caused the firm to cut its CEO’s pay by 15 percent. However, the losing streak was seen to end towards the close of the final quarter of the year when the company began to grow again as a result of iPhone’s demand, especially the 7 plus. For the quarter, there were recorded sales of 78.3 million, which then set a new record. It was believed that the struggle that Samsung Note 7 was experienced helped Apple get on its feet again.

If Donald Trump lowers taxes as promised, Apple is sure to get back the $200 billion held in foreign countries back to the US. This money could be used for buybacks and acquisitions. While Apple stocks have shown a significant improvement, investors in the company hope to see more growth, technology and talent, which have not been managed too well in the past.

So far, Apple can be given credit for maintaining a healthy balance sheet, generating massive cash flow and driving its bottom and top line higher annually. Although Tim Cook is a competent CEO in terms of innovation, he cannot be compared to Steve Jobs who was known to drive sales to greater heights. Despite the comparison, Cook took measures in getting a solution when Apple was headed to the bottom by raising the prices of the iPad. This gave a strong margin and improved earning performances. He said that the sales of iPhone 7 in the first quarter did better than expected internally and that the company was unable to meet demand until January. Buyers may also have been motivated by the two-camera system. In the last quarter, the prices of the iPad were seen to rise, and customers began to shy away from making purchases. In order to gain market share, analysts say that Apple has to lower prices.

Apple is a well-run company that has high potential in the stock market, but right now, it is crowded by a weak consumer environment. The problem is that if the prices of its iPad stay up, it may lose market share. On the other hand, if it lowers the prices, weaker earnings and contracting margins may be experienced, the reason you need to keep watch on CMC markets to see how it will perform in the future. It is reasonable to say that 2016 was financially rough for Apple, but 2017 has a lot of promise. Even during that harsh period, the company was reported to make billions in profit from its massive revenues.

In the new fiscal year 2017, the latest financial results and the stock market shares suggest a positive story in the days ahead. The company has said it will show year to year records of growth, saying it expects to gain great revenue in the next quarter.

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Apple Next iPhone Will Have Curved Screen

iPhone
Apple iPhone 8 rumors don’t tend to go down at all. The latest news has emerged from a reputable media house i.e. The Wall Street Journal which reported that iPhone will opt for a flexible display. It has been found that Apple has placed a huge order for flexible display for its mass production of the iPhone 8. Apple has been closely studying the flexible OLED displays for over a year and it has asked the supplier to furnish prototypes for further research and compatibility with the next iPhone.

If rumors turned out to be true then Apple iPhone will start offering direct competition to the Samsung top end Galaxy S Edge series. Samsung was first major OEM to bring curved screen on a flagship device with the launch of the Galaxy S6 Edge.

Apple testing multiple prototypes

A number of reports has are emerging from varied corners which are suggesting that Apple is investing its time in testing multiple prototypes for its iPhone 8. Apple is simply looking for the best prototype which brings the amalgamation of screen technology and material into the play for its iPhone 8.

Some proptypes makes use of the traditional LCD display while other others boast of OLED & AMOLED. Quite incidentally some of the prototypes don’t even have the classic home button which has become a staple design feature for the iPhones. Apple is performing high end testing of these displays for the glass, aluminum and ceramic chassis.

Enhanced storage for next iPhone

Another rumor has highlighted the fact Apple is considering to release just two models for the iPhone 8 with large storage capability of 64 GB and 128 GB. This means that iPhone will come at a price-tag of anywhere above $1000. It will make Apple iPhone a really high end device which only few will be able to purchase at the end of the day but it also suggests that low cost option will be dumped for once and all.

Just few months ditched the 16GB iPhone when it released the iPhone 7 with the smallest storage option set at 32 GB. It is likely that Apple will continue to follow the suit with setting 64GB at next new base line for the storage option on the iPhone lineup. Rumors related to iPhone 8 are so disparate that one suggests we will get to see three new iPhone models featuring 4.7 inch, 5.5 inch and 5.8 inch version while another suggests that there will be only two devices with 4.7 and 5.5 inch like before.

Like every year Apple next iPhone will be unveiled in the month of September where Cupertino based tech firm will finally showcase what it has been cooking all the year round. One should not forget that this year will be the 10th anniversary for the iconic device of this modern age and Apple will certainly want to bring something new on the plate for the fans and consumers alike.