UpGuard’s new security tool automatically spots firms’ data leaks

Cybersecurity firm UpGuard discovered a lot of unintentionally exposed data last year. Among its findings were classified US Army and NSA data, 14 million Verizon customer records, personal information of nearly 200 million US citizens, Pentagon intelligence info, personal information of 1.8 million Chicago residents and intelligence data connected to intelligence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. The company has repeatedly found sensitive data left exposed on unprotected servers and in all, it has discovered a massive sum of over 335 million records. But finding breaches can be a rather time-consuming process, which is why so many go undiscovered by the companies meant to be protecting the exposed data. However, UpGuard announced today that it’s launching a service that automates the techniques the company’s team has been using to hunt down data breaches, allowing its customers to spot exposed data in real time and secure them more rapidly.

“Our team is uncovering data breaches every day because of one simple fact: Organizations don’t know what data they have, who has it and where it exists,” Mike Baukes, co-founder and co-CEO of UpGuard, said in a statement. “BreachSight will allow customers to regain control of their private data by providing total visibility over their digital footprint.” BreachSight will automatically perform searches based on relevant keywords provided by those using the service and it will scan the places that UpGuard regularly finds exposed data — such as Amazon S3 servers. It will then inform companies when data they control is found exposed online as well as data managed by their partners, suppliers and other connected vendors.

BreachSight is meant to work in a complementary way to UpGuard’s CyperRisk service, which provides companies continuous risk assessments of both their own security practices and those of connected vendors.

Image: UpGuard

Waze brings its ride-sharing app to Washington state

Waze’s Carpool app, which connects those who need a ride with those willing to give them and charges riders a small fee to cover the drivers’ costs, has so far only been available in California, Texas and Israel. But today, the company announced that Carpool has arrived in Washington state. The expansion comes after a recent update to the app that allowed users to select who they’ll be riding with rather than being matched blindly. Riders and drivers can now make their decisions based on star ratings, profile information and connections to friends or their place of work. Waze also introduced the ability to filter by gender or limit riders to coworkers only.

While today’s expansion covers just one state, it’s much more significant than just expanding a few cities at a time. And the wider availability along with the recent changes made to the platform show that Waze is getting pretty serious about bringing Carpool to more people.

Apple Has Two-Year Lead Over Smartphone Rivals in 3D Sensing Race

Apple has gained a two-year lead over its rivals in the smartphone industry in the area of 3D sensing technology, according to a new report on Tuesday.

Following talks with three major parts suppliers, Reuters estimates that Android phone makers will have to wait until 2019 to duplicate the 3D sensing feature behind Apple’s Face ID security, which debuted last year in the iPhone X.

According to parts manufacturers Viavi Solutions Inc, Finisar Corp and Ams AG, bottlenecks on key parts will mean mass adoption of 3D sensing will not happen until next year, disappointing earlier expectations.

That means that China’s Huawei, Xiaomi and others could be a total of almost two years behind Apple, which launched Face ID with its iPhone X anniversary phone last September.

Android producers are reportedly struggling to source vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, or VCSELs, a key component of Apple’s TrueDepth camera that the company moved to secure supplies of last year. In December, Apple said it planned to invest $390 million in Finisar Corp, which supplies the components for VCSELs.

Apple said the investment would enable Finisar to exponentially increase its R&D spending and high-volume production of VCSELs, which power some of the iPhone’s X flagship features, such as Face ID, Animoji and Portrait mode selfies, as well as the proximity-sensing capabilities of AirPods.

According to Reuters’ sources, Apple was initially sourcing VCSELs chiefly from California-based Lumentum, and it was bottlenecks in production there last year that also spurred the $390 million deal with Finisar.

Meanwhile, Lumentum, which declined to comment on the report, is ramping up additional manufacturing capacity for VCSELs and edge-emitting lasers for the first half of fiscal 2019, according to the company’s earnings call.

Another producer, Austria-based Ams, also expects to have VCSEL chips widely available next year and says it has won a large deal with one phone maker.

Viavi, the only major supplier of optical filters needed for the 3D sensing modules, believes only one Android handset maker will deliver 3D sensing by the end of the calendar year, but volumes are likely to be very low. The company expects at least two more Android-based phones to follow that trend in 2019.

According to a report in October by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, inquiries by Android smartphone vendors into 3D-sensing technologies tripled after Apple unveiled its TrueDepth camera and Face ID technology, which will likely replace traditional Touch ID fingerprint recognition in future iOS devices.

Apple is reportedly working on a new high-end 2018 iPad that will adopt many of the design elements from the revamped iPhone X, including built-in support for Face ID. The new tablet device, which is likely to be a “Pro” model, will reportedly do away with the Home button.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTag: TrueDepthBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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Apple Expands Mobile Phone Billing in Europe: EE in UK, Orange in France and Spain, and Telekom in Germany

Apple has expanded mobile phone billing to additional European countries and carriers, according to an updated support document on its website.

As of this week, the feature is now supported by EE in the United Kingdom, Orange in France and Spain, and Telekom or T-Mobile, which are owned by the same company, in Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, and Slovakia.

The payment method enables customers to pay for iTunes Store content, App Store apps, iBooks, and Apple Music subscriptions without needing a debit or credit card, or even a bank account. Instead, purchases are added to a customer’s mobile phone bill and paid off at the end of the month.

The payment method was already offered by select carriers in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Apple’s support document explains how to set up mobile phone billing in the iTunes Store on both iPhone and iPad or Mac and PC.

Tag: carrier billing
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Apple is Tightening the Rules on ‘What’s New’ Changelogs in App Store

Apple this week informed members of its Developer Program that it will be enforcing stricter rules for “What’s New in This Version,” the section on the App Store in which developers can list changes they made to their apps.

Starting in April, developers will only be able to edit the “What’s New” text when submitting a new version of their app. In other words, any changes to the text will now be subject to Apple’s standard App Store review process.

The requirement will extend to editing an app’s support URL or marketing URL, according to Apple’s announcement posted in iTunes Connect.

While this is a minor change, Apple evidently felt the need to have a little more control over information passing through the App Store without its approval. It’s possible that a few developers were taking advantage of the flexibility for bad reasons, such as pointing support or marketing URLs to malicious websites.

Tags: App Store, iTunes Connect
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Deals: $50 iTunes Cards for $42.50, Latest iTunes Movies Sale, and RAVPower Qi Mats

PayPal’s Digital Gifts eBay storefront today has $50 App Store and iTunes gift cards for $42.50, a savings of 15 percent. As usual with PayPal’s card sales on eBay, you’ll need a PayPal account to complete the transaction, and the iTunes credit will only be valid on purchases made in the United States. Although the $100 card isn’t directly on sale, you can add two $50 cards to your cart today to get $100 worth of iTunes credit for $85 — which has been the typical sale amount over the past few weeks.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Once you place the order, PayPal will send a code to your email inbox within a few hours, although it can take up to 24 hours. Visit PayPal on eBay for more information and to pick up one of the iTunes cards before the limited-time offer expires.

Since it’s Tuesday, Apple has added a few new films onto the iTunes Movies store, as well as marked down some to notable low discounts. Below we’ve listed sales hitting iTunes Movies for 4K HDR films and Disney films.

4K HDR movies on sale

• Logan Lucky – $9.99, down from $14.99 (Movie of the Week, $0.99 rental)

• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – $9.99, down from $14.99

• The Nice Guys – $9.99, down from $14.99

• The Fifth Element – $9.99, down from $19.99

• Pacific Rim – $9.99, down from $19.99

Disney movies on sale

• Thor: Ragnarok – $14.99, down from $19.99
• Coco – $14.99, down from $19.99
• Lady and the Tramp – $14.99, down from $19.99
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – $14.99, down from $19.99
• Cars 3 – $14.99, down from $19.99

In other deals this week, RAVPower is offering MacRumors readers a discount of 20 percent off a pair of its Qi-compatible wireless chargers at Amazon. In addition, our readers can get 15 percent off one of RAVPower’s portable power banks, which includes a built-in wireless charging pad. Check out all the products on sale below, along with the promo codes you’ll need to take advantage of the discounts.

We reviewed all three of RAVPower’s new accessories last week, so be sure to check out that review for more information.

• HyperAir stand for $39.99, down from $49.99 with promo code MACRPC69

• HyperAir pad for $31.99, down from $39.99 with promo code MACRPC66

• HyperAir portable power bank for $57.79, down from $67.99 with promo code 9QHSE6R9

For more information on the latest sales, including our ongoing Spring Break discount with Twelve South, head over to the full Deals Roundup.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals
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HTC’s Desire 12 phones are pretty, but unremarkable

A few weeks after the world’s biggest mobile phone show, HTC has popped up to tell us about its latest brace of mid-range smartphones. The HTC Desire 12 and 12+ are two 5.5-inch and 6-inch devices that are aimed squarely at the folks who aren’t too fussed about getting the latest and greatest. Both units ship with an 18:9 ratio 1,440 x 720 IPS LCD display and an otherwise pedestrian spec list. If there’s one reason you might want to get these devices, it’s that it’ll ship in a shiny gold body that looks pretty damn money.

Speaking of, the Desire 12 models are clad in an acrylic glass that pays homage to the U11’s unique look, albeit with a more durable body. And inside the smaller phone’s case, you’ll find a MediaTek MT6739 paired with either 2GB or 3GB RAM and 16GB or 32GB storage, plus a microSD-card slot. The larger of the siblings is packing the new Snapdragon 450 teamed up with 3GB RAM with 32GB storage as well as the same up-to-2TB microSD-card slot.

With a stunning 18:9 and 6″ screen, the HTC Desire 12+ gives you a bigger and better viewing experience to enjoy the things you love. pic.twitter.com/T73l9bQcNV

— HTC (@htc) March 20, 2018

On the imaging front, the 12 is packing a 13-megapixel camera, while the 12+ gets a secondary 2MP lens for bokeh-based fun. The smaller device has a 5-megapixel selfie camera, a slight downgrade on the 12+’s 8-megapixel sensor, although both promise face detection.

Battery-wise, the smaller phone is packing a 2,730mAh cell, with the larger unit getting a slight bump to a 2,956mAh power pack. Rounding out the spec list is the usual collection of radios, including Cat 4 LTE, a 3.5mm headphone jack, micro-USB port and GPS / Glonass modules. And, on the 12+, you’ll find a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor that isn’t available on the smaller smartphone.

HTC Desire 12+ & Desire 12’s elegant design is a tribute to our liquid surface heritage but with a new streamlined look. pic.twitter.com/tixe3y3082

— HTC (@htc) March 20, 2018

Unfortunately, HTC’s slightly questionable marketing strategy has been to announce these phones globally, but not to talk about how you can actually buy one. The company told Engadget that pricing and availability will be down to each region, and won’t give us concrete details on the color options. A representative did concede, however, that a gold option is one of the choices on the table — the only option we want.

How to Make Web Pages in Safari for Mac Easier to Read

In Apple’s Safari web browser, there are several ways to make viewing web pages easier on the eyes. All of them involve adjusting the font size or the zoom level that Safari applies when it loads web page content, which can be helpful if you’re using a small screen or a large display set at a high resolution.

To increase or decrease the zoom level of both text and images when viewing web pages in Safari, press Command and the + (plus) or – (minus) keys. You can also click on View in Safari’s menu bar and select Zoom In or Zoom Out.

Alternatively, you can add zoom buttons to Safari’s interface: Right-click (or Ctrl-click) on a space in the Safari toolbar and click Customize Toolbar…. Then drag the Zoom buttons in the dropdown to the space you just clicked on the toolbar. Click Done to finish.

If you want to keep images at the same size and only adjust web page font size on the fly, press Option-Command and the + or – keys. You can also hold down the Option key and click on View in the Safari menu bar, which changes the Zoom options to Make Text Bigger and Make Text Smaller.

Safari will remember your zoom and font size settings until you clear your History. To do so, click Safari in the menu bar, select Clear History…, then click the Clear History button.

Set the Zoom Level for a Specific Website

Once the zoom level is set up for a particular site, Safari applies it automatically whenever you visit it. Here’s how it’s done.Navigate to the site that you want to adjust the zoom level for.
Right-click on the URL or website name that appears in the address bar, and select Settings for This Website. Alternatively, click Safari in the menu bar and you’ll see the same option just below Preferences.
Click the Zoom Level percentage and select a new level from the dropdown menu. (Anything greater than 100 zooms in; anything less than 100 zooms out.)

Set the Zoom Level for All Web Pages

In Safari’s menu bar, select Safari -> Preferences….
Click the Websites tab.
Click Page Zoom in the General column.
Clear any Configured Websites in the list by highlighting them all with your mouse button and then selecting Remove.
Click the When visiting other websites pop-up menu and choose a percentage to suit.

Set Your Own Zoom Level With a Style Sheet

If none of Safari’s zoom level increments sit right with your eyes, here’s a way to set your own percentage.
Open the TextEdit application.
Click New Document.
In TextEdit’s menu bar, select Format -> Make Plain Text.
Copy and paste the following CSS code into the file, changing the zoom number to your preferred percentage level:
body
zoom: 140%;


In TextEdit’s menu bar, select File -> Save….
Name the file safari zoom.css or whatever you like, just make sure it retains a .css suffix.
Choose a location for the file and click Save.
Back in Safari, select Safari -> Preferences… in the menu bar.
Select the Advanced tab.
Click the Style sheet dropdown menu and select Other….
Navigate to the location of your saved CSS file, select it, and click Choose.From now on, Safari will default to the zoom level specified in your style sheet file, which you can edit at any time.

Force Websites to Use Bigger Font Sizes

Finally, there’s an option in Safari that lets you force websites to display text using a minimum font size, without affecting the zoom level.
In Safari’s menu bar, select Safari -> Preferences….
Select the Advanced tab.
In the Accessibility section, check the box next to Never use font sizes smaller than: and select a font size in the dropdown.

Related Roundup: macOS High SierraTag: Safari
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Color’s new DNA test kit can identify inherited heart conditions

Genetic testing company Color is mostly known for its DNA tests for cancer, but its most recent test kit is all about the heart. Color’s new kit can detect predispositions to various inherited heart conditions, such as abnormal heart rhythms and any disease affecting the heart muscle and arteries. It does that by analyzing and looking for mutations in 30 genes that determine the heart’s structure, function and rhythm. Color admits that hereditary heart conditions aren’t that common, but the odds are still one in 200 people.

The 30 genes the kit tests for are the ones the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics identified as “medically actionable.” That means if people find out early that they’re predisposed to develop certain hereditary heart ailments — something they might not event expect if they’re fit and healthy — they can take precautionary measures before they’re suddenly hit by stroke or suffer from a heart attack.

Their doctors can test for hearth rhythm abnormalities, for instance, or cholesterol levels or plaque build-up. In addition, if someone finds out they have genetic mutations, then they could also have their kids or siblings undergo medical testing for good measure. Color’s hereditary heart testing kit is now available for purchase and will set you back $249, just like the company’s hereditary cancer test.

Source: Color

‘Onrush’ is a racing game with no finish lines

Normally, a race requires a finish line. In a game like Forza Motorsport or Need for Speed, you’re tasked with hurtling between two points or completing a certain number of laps before your opponents. Not so with Onrush, the next title by racing specialist Codemasters. Instead, you’re fighting for points in a range of bombastic modes centered around a chaotic swarm of drivers. Outrageous crashes occur every second alongside ridiculous speed boosts and a death-defying medley of jumps, flips and barrel rolls. It’s like the peloton in cycling’s brutal Tour de France mixed with Mad Max and a monster truck rally.

The team behind Onrush used to be called Evolution Studios. Under Sony’s stewardship, the British developer made six World Rally Championship games for the PlayStation 2 and four MotorStorm titles for the PlayStation 3 and, in the case of Motorstorm: RC, PlayStation Vita. In 2014, it tried to kickstart the PlayStation 4 with Driveclub, a realistic racer centered around six-person teams, or “clubs.” While the game was praised for its dynamic weather and meticulously recreated cars, a rocky launch — plagued by server problems and a delayed PlayStation Plus version — meant it never gained much momentum. In March 2016, Sony decided to close the studio.

A month later, however, the team was picked up by Codemasters. Yearning for a fresh start, game director Paul Rustchynsky looked at classic arcade racers such as Burnout, which rewarded players for narrow misses and driving on the wrong side of the road. “We’re huge fans of Burnout 3 in particular,” Rustchynsky said. The game’s mechanics raised the tension and reduced the time in between each nail-biting moment. You didn’t have to wait three turns for a chance to overtake the person in front; you could just veer left, squeeze between some taxis and hit the boost button.

Paul Rustchynsky, Onrush game director (left) and Jamie Brayshaw, assistant game director (right).

The studio wanted to do something new, though. So it looked at co-operative shooters such as Overwatch and Team Fortress 2, which offer different character classes with unique strengths and weaknesses. “We knew we wanted team-based racing,” Rustchynsky said, “that’s something we wanted to bring into the action straight away.” That sort of teamplay, however, was more complicated and ambitious than the simple head-to-head racing of Driveclub. It would require complementary abilities and careful balancing like a roster of Street Fighter characters. Still, the team took to the challenge and began prototyping a six-versus-six arcade racer.

The idea of a swarm or “stampede” that you constantly spawn into came later. One employee was talking about “drop-in, drop-out co-op” as a way of pairing friends up in between races. But then the rest of the team suddenly realized: What if you could literally drop into a game while the action was still underway? The feature is common in first-person shooters such as Battlefield and Call of Duty, but rare in conventional racers. That’s because it wouldn’t be fair to join a Nascar championship on the final turn, after players had spent hours jostling for position.

It required a major rethink. the team’s solution was a gameplay net, nicknamed the stampede, that contains 12 human and 12 computer-controlled drivers. If you crash or fall too far behind, you’re instantly thrown back into the fray with everyone else. It meant changing the nature of the game, however. Instead of a chequered flag, Onrush has a bevy of unusual gameplay modes. One of these, Overdrive, tasks two teams with collecting a set amount of boost. While it’s tempting to race near the front of the pack, the smarter bet is to hang back and look for weaker vehicles that are easier to take down.

“That’s what brings it to life. That multiplayer principle of just launching people right back into the action.”

Countdown, a time attack mode inspired by Out Run and other arcade racers, requires a similar mindset. Each team has a timer that can only be replenished by passing through neon gates. Your first instinct is to hammer the boost button but it’s better to focus on takedowns and blocking other players. And if you crash into a tree or get taken out by another driver, it doesn’t matter because the respawns are so darn fast. “That’s what brings it to life,” Jamie Brayshaw, assistant game director explained. “That multiplayer principle of just launching people right back into the action when they get taken down. That unlocks ways to embrace the crash, to celebrate the crash and the takedown.”

Activating ‘Rush’ boost.

Onrush has a heavy emphasis on team play too. There are eight vehicles to choose from with unique abilities that can affect the flow of a match. Outlaw, for instance, is a boost-stealing motorcycle that’s vulnerable to larger vehicles. Interceptor has an extended “Rush” — a second-level boost that builds over the course of each game — while the bulky Titan can shield other racers. Understanding the classes and how they should be used in different modes will be pivotal online. While it’s possible to compete solo, high-ranking matches will be won by teams with smart compositions.

Onrush will have a “Superstar” campaign for players who want to learn the different classes or avoid the hyper-competitive nature of the internet. At a preview event in London, I was able to try out the first 10 or so events. These had a mixture of Overdrive and Countdown objectives, coupled with optional challenges that included barrel roll and takedown quotas. At first I was utterly flummoxed as trucks smashed into my car and nimbly dodged my takedown attempts. But slowly I learned the course and the best spots to attack enemy drivers. Successful shunts gave me a full tank of boost and the speed required to be more offensive and influential in each match.

Much of the game’s strategy revolves around the fodder system. If you fall toward the back of the stampede, the AI drivers will spawn in easy to reach locations. They can’t earn boost or takedowns, making them easy targets for motorcycles and other lightweight vehicles. “The fodder were initially going to be competitor-like, so they could drive and take you out and get involved in the action,” Rustchynsky said. “But we found that this didn’t make the game any more fun. Instead, it was more enjoyable to serve up those regular takedown moments for players of different skill levels.”

Every track is unique and will be playable in the day, night, sunshine and rain.

The studio hopes Onrush can blossom into a long-running service like Rocket League and Overwatch. For now, though, the 60-odd team is focused on the base game that will ship on June 5th for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. There will be no monetization “on day one,” though the game does have a crate system for unlocking driver and vehicle cosmetics. “All the abilities and vehicles are going to be controlled by us,” Rustchynsky insisted. “We want it to be like a lineup of heroes in Overwatch. We want to be able to balance them so that they’re perfectly optimized and everyone has an equal opportunity of having fun and success in every single class.”

I enjoyed the game but question its staying power. After an hour my interest started to wane despite the steady flow of crashes and takedowns. Maybe I was growing desensitized to the action or yearned for the challenge of human-controlled drivers. Regardless, it left me feeling intrigued but skeptical about the project. Rustchynsky stressed, however, that the game is “still in a beta phase” and will be continuously tweaked. That includes everything from takedown strength to vehicle handling. “We want to make sure that every time you take someone down, it feels natural, it feels right,” he said. Those minor adjustments could, after all, be the difference between a breakout hit like PUBG and another Driveclub.