Sunday, February 15, 2015

Google Gives Apple, Microsoft 90 Days To Fix Security Flaws


Aside from being the master of diversification, Google apparently either cares a lot about global security across the board, or is merely looking for ways to get back at its competitors.
Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corporation , the consortium had been a pain in Google’s neck for a while, blocking key smartphone patents for the company. While those issues have quieted down, Google found another avenue to go by. Having formed the Project Zero in July, the newly formed team seems to target “zero day” security flaws in software that hackers can take advantage of before developers learn of them.

A Bloomberg report now reveals that Google Inc. has given Apple and Microsoft 90 days to fix the latest flaws that Google has discovered in their code. While some may argue that it is a scare tactic, it has to be noted that Google’s Project Zero has so far singled out 39 loopholes in Apple products, 37 in Adobe Systems Incorporated software, and 20 issues in Microsoft products. Similarly, it released the information to the public at large about the flaws before the companies could find a fix in time. Apple is a 16-time victim, Microsoft suffered on three occasions, and Adobe was subjected to this issue once.

Jake Kouns, chief information officer at Risk Based Security Systems Inc., revealed the above information to Bloomberg(report containing this stuff) in an interview. Mr. Kouns believes that if the companies cannot work together, it will have a negative impact on the industry as a whole. Tom Gorup, manager at Rock Securities Inc., told Bloomberg that he believes otherwise, voicing his view that the strict policy is good for the industry. Because these companies have considerably greater resources than your average computer hacker, better results can be achieved when these companies take a pot shot at rivals’ security measures.

John Dickson of Denim Group Ltd., a software security company, summed it up best when he stated: “I’m not sure who made Google the official referee of the marketplace for vulnerability notification.” He assumes that the “nobility” of this cause is compromised when the company testing for vulnerabilities actually reveals their findings to the public at large instead of to the companies that harbor such security loopholes.

references:

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Jolla’s iPad Alternative Returns To Indiegogo With 64GB Version

The iPad alternative, which runs Jolla’s open source Sailfish OS, is now being offered in a 64GB version, along with a few other updated specs. These include a bigger battery (4450mAh, up from 4300mAh) and limited support for microSD cards up to 128GB.

The latter means that you’ll be able to use microSD cards for back-ups and extra storage, but, due to Microsoft’s licensing limitations and to keep with Jolla’s ‘open’ ethos, cards that are over 32GB and formatted for use in the Jolla Tablet will not be readable by Windows computers or other devices, such as cameras, phones or tablets, that sport microSDXC support.

“We feel that this suits best with our community’s wishes and Jolla’s values,” says the company.

A couple of other changes see the tablet’s display now being fully laminated, and the addition of gyroscope and compass sensors. However, the proximity sensor that was previously touted will not be included.

Otherwise, on the hardware front, the Jolla Tablet is aiming to square up to the iPad Mini 2, with a 7.9-inch screen, sporting a resolution of 2048 x 1563. Inside, it’s powered by a 1.8GHz quad-core processor, has 2GB of RAM and includes a 5MP rear camera.

Meanwhile, this time around, you have until the end of February to back the iPad alternative built by the same team of (largely) ex-Nokians who are also behind the Jolla phone.

Talking of which, the company is offering a special phone+tablet bundle(combo) as one of the available perks on its Indiegogo campaign, should you want to go all in on Sailfish OS. That’s the operating system that rose from the ashes of Nokia’s Meego OS, the company’s intended successor to Symbian before it jumped off a burning platform and into Microsoft’s arms.

Of note to previous backers of the Jolla Tablet, for a new perk of $25 you can upgrade to the new 64GB version.

Here is a full list of Jolla Tablet ‘perks’ on Indiegogo:

    Jolla Tablet 32GB: $219
    Jolla Tablet 64GB: $249
    64GB upgrade for early birds: $25
    Shipping: $20
    The Combo: Tablet 32GB & Phone: $419
    The Combo: Tablet 64GB & Phone: $449
references:
http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/29/jolla-tablet-64gb/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity_1730_-913292007294782856