Apple Working on Security Measures to Make iOS Devices ‘It Can’t Hack’

Amid a monumental dispute with the United States government over an order to hack into the iPhone 5c of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook, The New York Times says Apple has already begun work on implementing stronger security measures “even it can’t hack” to protect iOS devices.

The FBI has asked Apple to help it brute force the passcode on Farook’s iPhone by creating a version of iOS that would both disable passcode security features and allow passcodes to be entered electronically. The new security measures Apple is working on would prevent the government from using similar passcode bypassing techniques to access iOS devices in the future.

Apple has announced its intentions to challenge the order that would force it to help the FBI, calling the software the FBI wants “too dangerous to create.” The company has also said that such software could be used to “unlock any iPhone” available today, including its most recent devices. If Apple loses the fight against the FBI and is forced to create the software in question, stronger security would ensure it could not go on to be used again.

Apple and other technology companies believe that the order to hack into the iPhone sets a dangerous precedent that could lead to a weakening of overall device encryption, something the government has denied while also pursing other court orders that would require Apple to help law enforcement extract data from 12 other encrypted iPhones.

Earlier this week, Apple called on the U.S. government to drop the case and form a commission or panel of experts on intelligence, technology, and civil liberties to discuss the implications of what the FBI is asking on national security, privacy, and personal freedoms.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: Apple-FBI
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Apple CEO Tim Cook: FBI’s Backdoor Would Be ‘Software Equivalent of Cancer’

Apple CEO Tim Cook today spoke with ABC News anchor David Muir, explaining Apple’s decision to object to the court order that would require it to help the FBI break into the iPhone owned by Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the December attack in San Bernardino, California.

In the interview, Cook reiterated much of what he wrote in the open letter where he announced Apple’s plans to stand against the government and oppose the order to create a backdoor into iOS devices.

According to Cook, the software the FBI wants to use to brute force the passcode on Farook’s iPhone would be “the equivalent of cancer” that has the potential to put hundreds of millions of Apple’s customers at risk.

The only way to get information — at least currently, the only way we know — would be to write a piece of software that we view as sort of the software equivalent of cancer. We think it’s bad news to write. We would never write it. We have never written it. And that is what is at stake here.

He went on to say that the fulfilling the FBI’s request could set a precedent that eventually leads to weaker smartphone encryption. “If a court can ask us to write this piece of software, think about what else they could ask us to write,” said Cook. “I don’t know where this stops. But I do know this is not what should be happening in this country.”

Cook says Apple has cooperated fully with the FBI, giving all of the information that it could provide. He said opposing the government “doesn’t feel right” and that it’s a “very uncomfortable position.” He also expressed deep sympathy for the families impacted by the attack and said he wished the FBI had contacted Apple before changing the Apple ID password on the phone, making it impossible to get an additional iCloud backup. According to Cook, Apple first heard about the FBI’s initial filing from the press.

“We gave everything we had. We don’t know that there’s any information on the phone. We don’t know whether there is or there isn’t. And the FBI doesn’t know. What we do know is we passed all of the information that we have on the phone and to get additional information on it or at least what the FBI would like us to do now would expose hundreds of millions of people to issues.””

Cook explained that Apple is not just protecting the data on one phone, it’s protecting the data on the devices of all of its customers. He says if Apple knew a way to get the information on the phone that would not expose millions of customers to issues, the company would do it. “This is about the future,” he said. “As people understand what is at stake here, an increasing number support us.”

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: Tim Cook, Apple-FBI
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Apple Supplier Foxconn to Acquire Sharp for $6.2 Billion [Updated]

In late January it was reported that Apple supplier Foxconn made a $5.3 billion bid to purchase Japanese electronics maker Sharp. Today, Sharp has decided to accept an updated $6.2 billion takeover offer from Foxconn, reports Nikkei Asian Review.

Sharp intends to restructure its operations under the umbrella of Foxconn, although arrangements of the purchase have not yet been revealed. Sharp was facing either a buyout offer from Foxconn or support from the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, a state-backed fund that offered a roughly $2.7 billion injection and a $1.8 billion credit line.

Currently, Sharp supplies Apple with LCD displays for iPhones in addition to being a leading television maker and selling audio equipment, home appliances and more. The company has fallen on hard times recently, incurring a net loss of nearly $1.9 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2015. It also must repay $4.3 billion it had borrowed by March; Foxconn reportedly was willing to take on the debt.

It’s unclear what Foxconn’s plans for Sharp are, but the company could sell Foxconn-made electronics under the Sharp brand. The acquisition’s impact on Apple may only be near-term, as Apple is rumored to be turning to Japan Display, LG and Samsung for OLED displays in iPhones as early as 2018.

Update: Shortly after the its acquisition of Sharp was announced, Foxconn put the deal on hold after “discovering previously undisclosed liabilities.” Foxconn said it would not sign off on the deal until terms had been clarified. At issue is hundreds of billions of yen in liabilities which Sharp will need to resolve before the deal is finalized.

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‘Assassin’s Creed Identity’ Released on iOS Worldwide

Ubisoft yesterday released Assassin’s Creed Identity for iPhone and iPad worldwide, following news of its highly anticipated official launch earlier this month.

The popular action role-playing game lets you create, customize, and play as Assassins during the Italian Renaissance, with story missions and quests set in the Coliseum, Florence, and other key locations of the era. The game features three classes of assassin, open sandbox levels, and various customization options.

And in a first for the franchise on iOS, Identity also allows full freedom of movement, which means players can run, jump and climb their way around the game world as they take on quests and explore various locations.

While the Assassin’s Creed brand has been on mobile in several iterations before, Identity is the first “true” Assassin’s Creed mobile game to mimic the play style of the popular console and PC games.

However, it has had something of a stuttered release until now, initially appearing in the New Zealand and Australian App Stores in September 2014 before disappearing last month. MacRumors’ sister site TouchArcade explains:

The saga began when Identity soft-launched in select countries way back in September of 2014. The game was built around quick missions that felt conducive to mobile play but it was the first Assassin’s Creed game on iOS to be built around the more traiditional open-world mechanics of the long-running console and PC game series. It was also a very free to play game with all the trappings that comes with, which just didn’t jive well with the type of game that it was.

Assassin’s Creed Identity remained in soft-launch all the way up until late last month, when it disappeared from the App Store without warning. Just a few days later it was announced that Assassin’s Creed Identity had been reconfigured as a paid title and would at long last be officially launching on February 25th.

Optimized for iPhone 5, iPad 3 and newer devices running iOS 7.0 or later, Assassin’s Creed: Identity is available on the App Store for $4.99.

You can learn more about Assassin’s Creed and other iOS games at TouchArcade.

Tags: App Store, TouchArcade
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Popular iOS Email App ‘Spark’ Expands to the iPad

Readdle’s iPhone email app Spark has proven to be quite popular since it launched in May of 2015, and as of today, it’s expanding to the iPad. Spark is now available on all of Apple’s tablets, from the 7.9-inch iPad mini 4 to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Spark is unique because it includes a “Smart Inbox” that’s able to filter emails to show you the most unread important messages first. It’s able to tell if an email is personal, a notification, or a newsletter, processing it accordingly. It’s designed to let users check to see if an email is important at a glance.

Like many iOS mail apps, Spark uses swipes to quickly delete and archive incoming emails. It includes a pinning feature (stars in Gmail) to denote tasks that need to be completed immediately, and there’s a snooze feature for putting off emails until another day. Built-in quick replies let users reply to messages with pre-selected messages, a feature that’s useful on the Apple Watch, and there’s a smart search for finding messages based on name and time frame.

Spark’s update optimizes the app for all screen sizes, from iPhone to iPad, and it includes a revamped design. Other new features include additional languages (English, German, Chinese Russian, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, and Portuguese are available) and support for watchOS 2.

Readdle is also working on a Spark app for the Mac, but the company says “it will take some time” to create “the best email client for Mac out there.”

Spark can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

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Apple Grants Internship to a Developer of Encrypted Chat App ‘Signal’

Apple recently hired Frederic Jacobs, one of the developers of the secure messaging app “Signal,” which is notably known as the encrypted messaging service that Edward Snowden uses “every day.” Jacobs will be working on the CoreOS team as an intern this coming summer, where he’ll help the company beef up the safety measures and encryption of iOS devices across the board (via Business Insider).

Image via Daily Mail

I’m delighted to announce that I accepted an offer to be working with the CoreOS security team at Apple this summer.

— Frederic Jacobs (@FredericJacobs) February 25, 2016

Jacobs’ hire comes amidst a heated battle between Apple and the FBI over the latter’s attempts to gain access to the iPhone owned by Syed Farook, a shooter in the attacks that took place in San Bernardino, California in December. Apple CEO Tim Cook sees the cooperation with the FBI’s request as a potential slippery slope that could lead to a looser grasp on the privacy and security of Apple product users worldwide.

In recent interviews, Jacobs voiced his opinion on where Apple could go with its security far before the friction with the FBI began.

In an interview last year, Jacobs said that one of his goals when coding Signal was that he “wanted to bring these strong cryptography techniques to iPhone users.”

“Apple’s service is not perfect,” Jacobs told Technologist. “For example, its proprietary technology makes it impossible for the community to detect vulnerabilities and fix flaws. Signal is open, free, collaborative, and easy to use.”

Last night in a thirty-minute interview with ABC, Cook focused on a fearful precedent that the FBI’s request could make in terms of the risk of weaker smartphone encryption. He admitted that the company is in a “very uncomfortable position,” and is sympathetic with the families of the San Bernardino victims, but believes Apple is ready to take the issue all the way to the Supreme Court if it lasts that long.

Read More: Apple Working on Security Measures to Make iOS Devices ‘It Can’t Hack’

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: Apple-FBI
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Apple Releases Software Update for Third-Generation Apple TV

Apple today released a new 7.2.1 software update for the third-generation Apple TV. It is not clear what is new in the update, as Apple has not provided release notes, but it includes several security improvements.

The update is available for all versions of the third-generation Apple TV. It can be installed through the software update mechanism in Settings, or delivered automatically for customers who have automatic updates turned on.

The third-generation Apple TV has been available since 2012 and continues to be sold alongside the fourth-generation Apple TV. The older device does not run tvOS and does not include features like Siri support and access to the App Store, but it offers content through dozens of channels like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and more.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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Apple and FBI to Testify at Congressional Hearing on Encryption Next Week

Apple’s legal chief Bruce Sewell and FBI Director James Comey will both testify at a U.S. congressional hearing on encryption issues planned for March 1, the House Judiciary Committee announced today.

Comey will participate in the first panel, while Sewell will testify in the second panel alongside Worcester Polytechnic Institute professor Susan Landau and New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance. Vance last week said his office was in possession of 175 iPhones that can’t be accessed due to encryption. “This has become the Wild West in technology,” he said. “Apple and Google are their own sheriffs and there are no rules.”

The congressional hearing, titled “The Encryption Tightrope: Balancing Americans’ Security and Privacy” will examine encryption technology and its impact on American citizens and lawmakers with the goal of finding a solution that lets law enforcement do their jobs without affecting the privacy protections of U.S. citizens.

“The widespread use of strong encryption has implications both for Americans’ privacy and security. As technology companies have made great strides to enhance the security of Americans’ personal and private information, law enforcement agencies face new challenges when attempting to access encrypted information. Americans have a right to strong privacy protections and Congress should fully examine the issue to be sure those are in place while finding ways to help law enforcement fight crime and keep us safe.

Head Apple lawyer Bruce Sewell is leading Apple’s legal team in its fight against the FBI. Apple plans to oppose an order that would require it to help the FBI brute force the passcode on San Bernardino shooter Farook Syed’s iPhone. The FBI is demanding Apple create a software that would both disable passcode security features and allow passcodes to be entered electronically.

In an interview yesterday, Tim Cook said that the FBI was asking Apple to build the “software equivalent of cancer,” something the company won’t do. While Apple has announced its intentions to fight the order, its official appeal is due tomorrow.

Update: In related news, Microsoft today announced its full support of Apple’s decision to stand against the FBI. Next week, Microsoft plans to file an amicus brief to back the company. Verizon has also come out in support of Apple. “We support the availability of strong encryption with no backdoors,” Verizon CEO and chairman Lowell McAdam said in a statement.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: Apple-FBI
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iOS 10 and OS X 10.12 to Feature Improvements to Photos App

Apple is working on enhancing the Photos app in both iOS 10 and OS X 10.12, reports Japanese site Mac Otakara. The apps will reportedly be updated with new features to put them on par with the now-discontinued iPhoto 9.6.1 for Mac and iPhoto 2.0.1 for iOS.

It is not clear exactly what features will be added to the apps, but Mac Otakara says iPhoto 2.0.1 included tools for editing EXIF information and touch-based brushes for adjusting brightness and other parameters on only specific parts of a photo. Similar editing tools could be added to the iOS version of Photos.

On OS X, the Photos app will see improvements, but Mac Otakara says Aperture-level functions will not be added to the app.

We don’t have much information about OS X 10.12 and iOS 10 as of yet, but a recent rumor has suggested Siri integration will be a headline feature in OS X 10.12. Siri on the Mac has been a long-desired feature and the personal assistant will likely be able to do things like adjust system settings, answer quick queries, and open apps.

OS X 10.12 and iOS 10 will likely be coming in the fall months, but we can expect to see a preview of the software at WWDC 2016, which is typically held in June.

Tags: macotakara.jp, Photos, OS X 10.12, iOS 10
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Apple’s ‘iPad Air 3’ to Be Branded as an iPad Pro With Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil Support

Apple’s next-generation 9.7-inch iPad has been presumed to be dubbed “iPad Air 3,” in line with the last several generations of the device, but according to a new report from 9to5Mac, Apple will instead be branding the new device as part of the iPad Pro family when it is introduced at the company’s rumored March 15 media event.

The smaller iPad Pro will have nearly identical features and specifications as the bigger model, bringing along the A9X processor and RAM upgrades from the 12.9-inch model. It will also include the 12.9-inch model’s updated display technology to support the Apple Pencil.

Other features being carried over from the larger iPad Pro include the Smart Connector and the Smart Keyboard, with the latter being made available in a smaller size to fit Apple’s mid-sized tablet form factor.

Apple is also reportedly winding down production on iPad mini 2 and original iPad Air models, allowing the company to simplify its tablet lineup to include the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, and 7.9-inch iPad mini 4 as its main devices, with the iPad Air 2 likely remaining available as an entry-level model at the middle size.

Related Roundup: iPad Air 3
Buyer’s Guide: iPad Air (Don’t Buy)
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