On April 24, Apple’s latest gadget will be available for sale. Their smartwatch will put the hurt on your wallet to the tune of at least $349, and if you happen to be made of money, you can buy the solid gold version for a cool $10,000. While the Apple faithful have already set aside their regular tithe to their silvery master, many, many more have yet to see a need to invest in this bit of technology. Believe it or not, smartwatches have existed in some form for decades but essentially have languished in relative obscurity until 2013, when most major consumer electronics companies began to openly develop and market wearable technology. Even still, most Americans scorned the earliest progenitors of today’s smartwatch, primarily because of clunky design and poor integration with existing phones. But can Apple turn nerd fashion into the new hotness? If anyone can, Apple can, but they still have some hurdles to clear.
Before you buy one, ask yourself a hard question: Do you need one, or do you want one?
Make no mistake, even the $10k Apple watch is no Rolex. In terms of long-lasting value, it may not even measure up to a more humble Seiko or Timex. Whereas a decent quality “regular ole watch” will continue to function for decades or more, your smartwatch is likely to be much less useful in less than 2-3 years, and might actually be end of life in five, much like today’s smartphones. And let’s “face” it, smartwatches are huge on the average wrist, and if you have delicate bone structure, your wrist is going to look like this millennium’s Flavor Flav. For most folks, this is a fashion don’t, Apple shiny or no.
For reasons why you might “need” a smartwatch, consider how you use your smartphone. For the on the go professional, especially those that keep their smartphone in a bag or deep pocket, being able to see who’s calling or texting without having to dig for your phone could be very useful. For someone like me who frequently has both hands tied up with handfuls of computer guts (figuratively and sometimes literally), being able to quickly glance at my wrist is infinitely more convenient than stopping what I’m doing to fetch my phone. For the physically active among us, Apple’s fitness tracking capabilities have some promise, especially if it means eliminating a less versatile device from our daily carry. To top it off, the promise of Siri literally being your right hand (or left) may be sufficient to cement this deal.
If the promises of this last paragraph overshadow the drawbacks of the preceding one, you may be able to graduate your “want” to “need” with minimal guilt. Don’t kid yourself – you are doubling your technology gadget tax by investing in this latest trend. At best, you may be able to alternate upgrading your smartphone and smartwatch each year, but until they can figure out how to cram everything we’ve come to love about our smartphones into an elegant watch or snazzy (and surreptitious) sunglasses, you’ll need both to take your geek chic to the next level. And here’s the real gotcha of nerd high-fashion: last year’s models are soooo passé.
According to security and censorship watchdog Great Fire, the latest iPhone just made its debut in China, and already new owners are being hacked by what appears to be a state-sponsored “man in the middle” attack. Though there have been many other allegedly government-backed attacks on US-based companies, presumably for commercial or political gain, this appears to be aimed at gaining iCloud identities of its own citizens, and its hard to not draw a dotted line to the recent Hong Kong protests, images and news of which were widely disseminated by mobile devices like the iPhone.
What this means for you:
Unless you are a Chinese citizen that has somehow managed to find your way to this modest blog, this particular event won’t have much impact on you. The hack is actually being perpetrated by China’s “Great Firewall” and only affects a specific, Chinese-only browser called 360 Secure Browser made by a company called Qihoo. Use of this browser is apparently mandatory for all education institutions in China. Seeing as other browsers not under the control of the Chinese government like Firefox and Chrome appear to be unaffected by the hack, it’s hard not to jump to some obvious conclusions. While the more conspiratorial among you may whisper that the American government is only a few steps behind the Chinese in this egregious breach of privacy, it’s important to note that unlike China, US-provided internet is not gated by a single, government-controlled firewall like China’s Great Firewall, nor our are students and teachers mandated to run a (allegedly) state-backed browser. However, this does not mean you should be less vigilant in protecting your security and privacy, as its quite apparent that US agencies like the NSA have no problems snooping on its citizens anyways.
While the world is trying to mop up the mess that Heartbleed left behind, along comes another vulnerability that might be just as big. Dubbed “Shellshock” because it affects the Bash shell commonly found on Linux computers, and (this may surprise you) some Mac OS X servers. “Shells” are the technical term for the user interface of a computer, something you may know as a “GUI” (sometimes pronounced “gooey”, an acronym for graphical user interface). In this case, Bash is a text-based user interface that has been in use on Unix & Linux machines since 1989. What makes Shellshock so alarming is the ease of which could be exploited by hackers, the scope of hacks which could come from exploiting the weakness, and the number of machines potentially vulnerable to this bug.
What this means for you:
Unless you run a Linux or Mac OS X Server, most folks could be affected by this the same way they were exposed with Heartbleed – anyone who uses the internet has probably visited a site or used a service that is run on Linux-based webservers, and a large percentage of them probably use Bash. Security firms have already discovered attacks “in the wild” attempting to exploit un-patched servers, and due to the pervasive access a command line interface has to the computer’s operating system, any number of system compromises can be executed once the hacker has control of the Bash shell. In other words, if an internet service you use gets “Shellshocked”, any data they may be storing about you on their servers could be exposed. For now, unless you are a server administrator, there’s not much you can do, other than inquire with your critical providers whether they have taken steps to protect against the Shellshock vulnerability.
It pains me to write about this, but I think it illustrates a valuable (if obvious) lesson. Immediately following the opening weekend of iPhone 6 sales, a web page began circulating on the internet advertising a “hidden” feature of Apple’s just-released iOS8 operating system update for its mobile devices. Called “Wave” this feature of iOS8 allowed upgraded iOS devices to be charged by microwaving them for 60-70 seconds. Needless to say, this does not work. As a matter of fact, it will destroy your shiny new phone in the time it takes to say, “I shouldn’t have done that.” This type of hoax has been around for quite awhile, in various forms, but invariably someone knows someone who knows someone who destroyed their phone after being taken in by one of these pranks.
What this means for you:
At first blush, I thought to myself, “Really, anyone that dumb deserves to have their iPhone fried,” but as I thought about it, their are legions of folks of all ages, from those old enough to remember when microwave ovens first appeared (1946) to those younger than the appliances they use, that do not know (a) how the technology works, and (b) the dangerous bits that everyone assumes everyone else knows. My daughter doesn’t know that metal shouldn’t go in the microwave – we’ve never had occassion to discuss it. Most of the tech we use on a daily, even hourly basis is well beyond average human comprehension, and the benefits gained from attempting an understanding feel intangible. Instead, we take it for granted, and are schooled on occasion through painful lessons like, “Everything you read on the internet isn’t necessarily true,” and, “Microwaving an iPhone is bad, mmmkay?”
Though no comment has been forthcoming from Apple yet, the mainstream press has been awash in reports that dozens of Hollywood celebrities had their iCloud accounts hacked over the Labor Day holiday weekend and, as you might have guessed, explicit images and videos have surfaced on the internet. News of the breach first surfaced on infamous website 4Chan where an unidentified individual offered to share the explicit material in exchange for bitcoin donations. Representatives for some of the celebrities confirmed the legitimacy of the material, and threatened legal action against both the hackers as well as the various websites where the the photos and videos started appearing. As of now, authorities are still trying to identify the party or parties responsible.
What this means for you:
Despite the numerous, very public incidents of famous people taking explicit photos of themselves and reaping the consequences (good or bad), everyone – famous and not – continues to underestimate the weakness of technology security on mobile devices and cloud platforms, as well as the fact that erasing a file on your smartphone does not necessarily equate to destroying it permanently. Both iOS and Android devices are designed to upload any photos or videos you take with your device to their respective cloud storage platforms, ostensibly to back them up in case of device loss, as well as to facilitate the ability to share them via the internet. What most don’t realize is the default for both platforms is to allow this, and you have to pay attention when setting up your device at the very start to disable this functionality. If you quickly punch “OK” through this process, you can easily miss this very important setting.
As always, if you need to store important information must remain confidential, cloud storage (iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.) is a very high-risk option that should only be considered with eyes wide-open to the worst-case scenario. The terms of service/use for most of these platforms indemnify them from these types of breaches, so if even if your information was leaked through no personal fault of your own (as might be the above mentioned hack), it’s highly unlikely you will be able to hold anyone accountable aside from yourself.
Despite the fact that everyone (including me) has been telling you that encryption makes the data stored on your smartphone safer, it would seem that is not necessarily the case for iOS devices. Renowned iPhone hacker, developer and author Jonathan Zdziarski presented a large body of research and evidence that Apple has built backdoor data access into its devices for some time, and not just the kind required by law enforcement for warranted search or for troubleshooting and debugging. Also damning was the fact that these processes and services aren’t documented at all by Apple, but are apparently well-known by various law enforcement agencies and forensic data specialists. And the cherry on top? The encryption on your iPhone can easily be bypassed by these backdoor tools through USB connections, wifi and possibly even cellular connections.
What this means for you:
According to Mr. Zdziarski’s findings, iPhone encryption is essentially bypassed because iOS maintains a base state of authentication even if your phone is “locked” with a pin or password. The tools and services running quietly in the background of your device have direct access to your data, and not just the “anonymous” or “non-identifying” data that Apple collects for performance and troubleshooting purposes. Apple has yet to comment on Mr. Zdziarski’s findings, but the growing media attention on this issue will likely force a response from the Cupertino company. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do about this, as these backdoors are so deeply embedded in the operating system of iOS that removing or disabling them is impossible. You can, of course, demonstrate your displeasure by contacting your local congress-critter, providing feedback to Apple, as well as restraining yourself from buying Apple products until they address everyone’s privacy concerns. Given Apple’s strangle-hold on the smartphone market, they have very little incentive to change anything unless consumer sentiment starts to sway against them on this issue.
If you had asked me 10 years ago whether something like this would ever happen, I’d have had a good laugh and then asked you to share whatever it was you had been drinking. But here we are, 2014, and strange bedfellows Apple and IBM have announced a “landmark” partnership in pursuit of enterprise business. And just like a Disney fairytale or the famously delicious chocolate-peanut butter confection, it turns out the mis-matched pair were made for each other after all.
Let me ‘splain:
You may have noticed that Apple, despite the proliferation of iOS devices throughout the business world, has, up until now, remained staunchly consumer focused. The primary plank in its branding was to demonstrate just how “not corporate” its devices were. Conversely, can anyone remember a time when IBM was ever viewed as anything but the epitome of big business? You can bet Apple is painfully aware of how much money it’s leaving on the table by not playing in the corporate and enterprise space, and IBM is just as painfully aware of how “not sexy” its current service offerings are. If you’ve ever used enterprise software (SAP, Oracle, Peoplesoft, etc.) then you know just how awful the experience is. Now imagine Apple lending its design sensibilities to a UI that interfaces with IBM’s monstrously powerful back office software – and oh, by the way, you can use it on this shiny iPad? Move over Brangelina, here comes the new “power couple” of the decade!
A new scam to extort money out of Apple mobile device users has surfaced in Australia, with scattered reports in other countries as well. Affected devices are locked out via Apple’s own “Find my iPhone” platform with a message that demands a ransom payment of $100 USD to unlock the phone. Security analysts are unsure at this point as to how the perpetrators are gaining access to victim’s AppleID accounts, and so far Apple is refusing to comment on this issue. According to posts on Apple’s Support Forums, the only reliable way to unlock the device is to reset it back to factory settings and restore your data from a backup, if one was actually created and maintained for that device.
What this means for you:
So far, there is a tenuous link between some of the victims and the recent eBay hack that exposed user accounts and encrypted passwords, where the victims admitted to using the same password for both eBay and iCloud. However, several other victims of this new ransom scam did not use the same password as their eBay account, so eBay’s exposed data may not be the only source. Bottom line, you should use strong, unique passwords for online accounts, especially for the ones that are tied to important services like online banking, email and any account that has access to confidential data, either yours or your clients/customers.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Security researchers have discovered that certain models of iOS devices that have been “jailbroken” are now being targeted in a malware attack, dubbed “unflod”, that can collect the AppleID account login and password used on that device and transmit it to hacker-controlled servers. While jailbreaking iPhones or iPads isn’t likely to be something the majority of iOS device-users will do (primarily because it voids your warranty), a significant percentage of users (2% in early 2013, or nearly 7 million devices) regularly jailbreak their devices. Even if the actual count of phones vulnerable to this threat is somewhere less than 7 million, it’s still a big enough target for identity thieves.
What this means for you:
If your iOS device isn’t jailbroken, you don’t have to worry about the unflod malware attack. If you have an iPhone 5s, iPad Air, or iPad Mini 2G, you don’t have to worry about this particular attack either, even if the device is jailbroken, as the malware currently in use doesn’t work on 64-bit operating systems, of which the aforementioned devices use. The unflod malware appears to be caught through application of certain system tweaks that can only be applied to jailbroken, 32-bit OS devices, and only then if the tweaks are sideloaded outside of Apple’s own official app store, or Cydia, the “unofficial official” app store for jailbroken devices. In other words, if most of the words in the article don’t make sense to you, you probably won’t be affected by this malware.
HOWEVER, if you’ve ever considered jailbreaking your iOS device for whatever reason, let the above serve as a cautionary tale: be sure you know what you are doing, back up your important device data, and seriously consider whether you really need a jailbroken iPhone. While the above malware attack requires a specific set of circumstances that only affect a very small percentage of users, jailbreaking a device should only be done by someone willing to take on an increased risk of security breaches and with a full understanding of troubleshooting your own device issues.
It feels strange to be writing about Microsoft and not mentioning a security loophole or zero-day exploit, but it is the day before April Fool’s after all. Fortunately for the iPad faithful, this isn’t a prank. On March 27, Microsoft launched iPad versions of it’s most used office productivity applications: Word, Excel and PowerPoint, all of them available for free download through the App store. “What’s the catch,” I hear you say? You can use them free, forever, to view documents, but if you want to create or edit documents, you need to have a subscription to Office365.com, the minimum of which is $70/year.
What this means for you:
The lack of any official MS Office software may have been one of the remaining tenuous barriers holding the iPad back from a complete domination of corporate boardrooms. Long a favorite of executives but usually relegated to email-only roles because of this lack, Office for the iPad may allow the C-suite to completely cut the cord on any vestigial Windows laptops they have been “forced” to carry around to do anything other than reading emails. I also know a lot of road warriors who may view the new apps with a mix of joy and trepidation, as it will conceivably allow for more effective work-related use of their iPad on those cramped, coach-fare flights. The excuse of “not being able to edit that Word document during the flight because all I have is my iPad” just won’t cut it anymore.
In all seriousness, this also marks a significant change in vision for Microsoft, a company that up until the new CEO’s arrival, had been a company that always put “Windows first”, even when it may have meant losing marketshare, as it has for so long in the iPad space. It’s still too early to tell whether this change in corporate values will lead to other transformations and products for other platforms (Office for Android anyone?), but this is certainly a step in new direction for the company.