Apple Launches Bug Bounty Program, Offers Up to $200,000 for Software Vulnerabilities Discovered
At today’s Black Hat Conference, an annual event designed for the global InfoSec community, Apple’s head of security engineering Ivan Krstic announced the launch of a bug bounty program that will see Apple paying money to individuals who discover major bugs and security flaws in the company’s software.
Many major technology companies like Google and Microsoft offer bug bounty programs to encourage people to discover and report major vulnerabilities, but until now, Apple has declined to provide a similar program.
At #BlackHat2016, Apple just announced a new Security Bounty program and has promised to prioritize pushing updates. pic.twitter.com/1jXW1tNMrb
— Jay Freeman (saurik) (@saurik) August 4, 2016
According to TechCrunch, Apple’s new bug bounty program is part of Apple’s effort to open up to hackers, researchers, and cryptographers who want to help improve the company’s security.
Apple will be offering bounties of up to $200,000 to researchers depending on the vulnerability that’s discovered. Secure boot firmware components will earn $200,000 at the high end, while smaller vulnerabilities, like access from a sandboxed process to user data outside of the sandbox, will earn $25,000.
Although each category of vulnerability maxes out at the given rate, Apple will determine the exact reward amount based on several factors: the clarity of the vulnerability report; the novelty of the problem and the likelihood of user exposure; and the degree of user interaction necessary to exploit the vulnerability.
Apple plans to launch its program in September. To be eligible for a reward as part of the program, researchers will need to provide proof-of-concept on the latest versions of iOS and the company’s newest hardware. Apple will also encourage researchers to donate their earnings to charity and will match all bug bounty donations.
The program will be invite only for the time being, limited to a few dozen researchers. Apple plans to make it more open as it grows, and if a non-member discovers a significant bug, they’ll be invited to the program.
Discuss this article in our forums
Launch of Revamped Apple Store iOS App Appears Imminent
It appears that Apple’s revamped Apple Store app for iOS is set to go live at any moment, as signs of the new app have begun appearing on Apple’s sites and in the App Store.
As noted on Twitter, a new featured banner promoting the app with a color-reversed icon has gone live on the Turkish App Store, while we also spotted it in the United Arab Emirates App Store. The banner text promotes “the new Apple Store app” with “shopping designed around you.”
Earlier today, Apple also added a new “Easily track your order” section to its Shipping and Pickup page, showing off a partial order tracking screen.
The new app should be going live shortly, but Apple has not made any official announcement about its launch plans.
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple TV’s new iPhone remote control app talks to Siri
As promised, you no longer need to use the new Apple TV’s standard remote control to take advantage of all the media hub’s features. Apple has released a brand new Apple TV Remote app that drags its iOS interface into the modern era. You can not only use the same touch-based control as on the hardware remote, but talk to Siri — handy if you lost the physical controller between the couch cushions. It also supports motion controls for games, and there’s even a Game Mode that strips things down.
The new Remote app works with every Apple TV from the second-generation model onward, and you should only miss Siri and other hardware-specific features on those previous devices. It’s just as well, too. While the old app is still hanging around (at least for now), this is an entirely separate download. Apple appears to be making a clean break with this release, and you’ll only really want the original Remote if you use it to control iTunes on your computer.
Via: Bloomberg
Source: App Store
Apple Engineer to Discuss iOS Security at 2016 Black Hat Event
Apple engineer Ivan Krstic is scheduled to host a discussion at this year’s Black Hat Conference, offering a “Behind the Scenes” look at iOS security. Black Hat is an annual event designed for the global InfoSec community, giving security professionals a place to meet up and gain training on new techniques.
According to an overview of Krstic’s talk, three iOS security mechanisms will be discussed in “unprecedented technical detail,” including the first public discussion of Auto Unlock, a feature new to iOS 10.
HomeKit, Auto Unlock and iCloud Keychain are three Apple technologies that handle exceptionally sensitive user data – controlling devices (including locks) in the user’s home, the ability to unlock a user’s Mac from an Apple Watch, and the user’s passwords and credit card information, respectively. We will discuss the cryptographic design and implementation of our novel secure synchronization fabric which moves confidential data between devices without exposing it to Apple, while affording the user the ability to recover data in case of device loss.
Krstic will also cover the Secure Enclave Processor present in iOS devices that include the iPhone 5s and later, creating a discussion around how it enabled a new approach to Data Protection key derivation and brute force rate limiting within a small TCB, and he’ll cover browser-based vulnerabilities and new protective features in iOS 10 Safari.
The 2016 Black Hat Conference will take place from July 30 to August 4 at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets are priced at $2,595.
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple has finally sold its billionth iPhone
Apple has managed to pull in some extremely impressive numbers when it comes to its flagship mobile phone. While iPhone sales overall had begun to decline over the last quarter, that didn’t stop the company from selling its one billionth iPhone last week.
Apple’s CEO announced the milestone today during a special employee meeting in Cupertino this morning. Tim Cook, Apple CEO, thanked employees for “helping change the world every day,” noting that Apple has “always set out to make the best products that make a difference.”
The billionth iPhone was sold about two years after Apple sold its 500 millionth iPhone. That’s a lot of units, and with the impending launch of additional phones to its line, it’s likely to sell a whole lot more in the future.
Via: TechCrunch
Firefox for iOS just received a slew of new updates
Firefox has rolled out some brand new features for its iOS browser, including the ability to add website-specific search engines and tab recovery.
First off, the browser is now speedier than before, with a 40% reduction in CPU usage and 30% reduction in memory usage noted in the latest version of Firefox for iOS. You might appreciate that extra speed when it comes to the next feature, which sounds pretty darn useful: the ability to search any website within the address bar.
For instance, you could add in eBay or Wikipedia and search straight from the browser’s address bar without ever leaving the page you’re currently on. You can head to a website with its own search box, tap on the magnifying glass, and add it to your (growing) list of search engines.
There’s also a new menu with easier navigation, as well as the ability to recover tabs you closed on accident. If you’re someone who likes to stick with your favorites, you’ll also be able to set your favorite page as your homepage and return there by pressing the “home” button.
You can download Firefox for iOS and try out these features right now if you’re so inclined.
Electro-Harmonix brings ’80s synth sounds to your iPad
The likes of Korg and Moog have their own synthesizer apps for iOS devices, and now there’s a new option for loading up a virtual instrument on those mobile devices. Electro-Harmonix has released a version of its Mini-Synthesizer EH-1600 for iPad and iPhone that delivers a digital re-creation of the ’80s analog gear. The original had pretty basic controls, but it was responsible for some fairly iconic synthesizer sounds like you’ve heard from Rush, Van Halen and more.
The app comes with 22 presets and offers users the ability to store any custom settings as well. While the original Mini-Synthesizer was a monophonic instrument, this digital version is a polyphonic synth, meaning that you can play four notes at the same time rather than just one. There’s a switch to toggle between modes though, so you can still get the classic tones alongside the new functionality. The company also expanded the keyboard to a full 88 keys, too. In total, there are 12 sliders and 9 switches for tweaking pitch, filters, delay, reverb and more inside the app that has a look that closely resembles the physical instrument. And yes, you can use the mobile software with connected MIDI devices.
If you’re looking to give it a shot, the app will set you back $2.99 for the iPhone version and $4.99 if you’re looking to use in on an iPad. Don’t worry Android users, the synth will arrive for Google’s OS in late September. For now, you can hear what the app is capable of in the video below.
Via: Fact Magazine
Source: App Store
Apple’s iPhone sales are still down, but Wall Street is happy anyway
After seeing Apple struggle through 2016, Wall Street set its sights pretty low for the company’s Q3 earnings report. Those financial results just dropped, and while they’re still not amazing for the folks in Cupertino, Apple did well enough to allay some nagging fears and get its flagging stock price up a bit in after-hours trading.
First, the biggest surprise: Apple shipped 40.4 million iPhones this past quarter, down from 51.2 million over the three months prior and from the 47.5 million shipped this time last year. Some outlets expected this to be the single worst quarter of iPhone sales growth since the iPhone first hit the scene in 2007, but that wasn’t meant to be — though another consecutive down quarter certainly isn’t fun to deal with. We’ve got the iPhone SE to thank for that, at least partially. This was the first full quarter of SE sales on the books, and Apple CEO Tim Cook said the device was popular in both “developing and emerging markets.” I’m not surprised: it’s a damned good little phone.
Since iPhones make up a big slice of Apple’s overall financial pie, it’s perhaps not surprising to see the company bring in more money than expected, too. Apple raked in a total of $42.4 billion in Q3, down from $49.6 billion this time last year. That’s a yearly dip of 15 percent. Again, not a terribly great turn, but it was still enough to appease investors, bolster stock prices and bring some value back to Cupertino. At time of publication, Apple’s share price is up nearly 7 percent.
While revenue and iPhone sales were down for a second straight quarter, there were other bright spots to be found in Apple’s documents. The company sold just shy of 10 million iPads — better than some had hoped — which help offset disappointing Mac sales. App Store revenue hit an all-time high, too, and Apple’s Services business as a whole surged 20 percent over last year. Those successes aside, it’s pretty clear Apple isn’t the juggernaut of growth it once was. You can’t keep up that kind of momentum forever.
Things would’ve looked a little better if Apple still had one of it major strongholds to lean on. For a long time there, Apple could consistently count on strong iPhone performance in China to help boost the bottom line. Faith in that seemingly sure thing was shaken last April, though, as sales in the greater China region (that’s China, Taiwan and Hong Kong) dipped nearly 26 percent. That accounted for more than half of the company’s overall revenue dip last quarter, and things aren’t much better this time around — we’re looking at a revenue drop of 33 percent since last year. Apple’s going to have to look elsewhere (like India) for another major growth engine. Cook said he sees “huge potential in that vibrant country,” but we’ll see how devices like the iPhone SE fare against low-cost competitors that currently dominate the market.
Professional pundits and armchair analysts say Apple’s best days are in the past, and if this were a normal year, that would sound a little premature. After all, the launch of the iPhone 6 in 2014 carried the company to new financial heights. Right now, though, leaks and rumors suggest the new iPhones that’ll be unveiled in September won’t be dramatically redesigned — we’re sure to get the usual performance bumps, a better camera and we might lose that decades-old headphone jack, but overall the hype train has been much quieter than usual. Throw in persistent reports that Apple is switching to a three-year product cycle, and you’ve got to wonder if the company’s financial course will ever swing back into insanely great territory.
Zagat’s new iPhone app is like the best of Yelp and Foursquare
After buying the restaurant review company Zagat back in 2011, Google helped to modernize it with a new website, mobile apps and integration within Google Maps. Today, Zagat is getting its biggest upgrade yet on the iPhone, and it’s good enough to make it your primary solution for discovering new places to eat. The app is now smart enough to recommend restaurants based on your location, as well as the time of day. That location awareness is a big part of what makes Foursquare’s recommendations useful, and it’s nice to see it finally show up in Zagat (albeit surprisingly late).
The Zagat iPhone app has also been redesigned with a cleaner, magazine-like look. When I launched it at the Engadget office, it immediately popped up with lunch recommendations, coffee spots and places to get “quick bites” nearby. It also features a neighborhood map in NYC, which is useful if you’re not familiar with the layout of the city. There’s also much a better search experience than before.
What’s most striking about the redesigned app is that it’s simply a nice experience. It combines Zagat’s editorial reviews (which are based on opinions from regular diners) and local coverage with the location features we’ve grown to expect from Foursquare and Yelp. If you’re tired of browsing through uninformed user reviews and you want more than an algorithm pointing you to food spots, it’s worth giving the Zagat app a shot.
Source: Zagat, iTunes
Google Maps Gets Cleaner Look and Orange ‘Areas of Interest’ Hotspots
Google Maps developers yesterday introduced some visual changes and subtle navigation aids for both desktop and iOS that aim to make it easier for users to explore the world around them.
The most immediately obvious visual changes include the removal of road outlines to make traffic and transit routes easier to delineate, as well as clearer typography for street names, points of interest, transit stations, and so on, making them more distinguishable.
Another, less obvious but significant change is the way Google Maps represents high density areas of interest – restaurants, bars, shops, and so on – which now appear as orange shaded hotspots on the map. As the video above demonstrates, zooming into an orange area brings more details into focus, allowing users to tap them for more information.
The new Maps also gains a more subtle and balanced color scheme to help users differentiate between man-made and natural topographic features, as well as identify places like hospitals, schools and highways more easily.
Google Maps is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]
Discuss this article in our forums
AIVAnet 