Android’s latest update doesn’t patch major security flaw
The November Android security update is live and it fixes 15 critical vulnerabilities, but it doesn’t patch a major Linux kernel exploit that can give hackers quick and complete access to devices running on Google’s OS. Researcher Phil Oester discovered the flaw (CVE-2016-5195) in October, though he believes it’s existed since 2007. The exploit is known as “Dirty COW” because of its basis in copy-on-write systems (and maybe because that name is adorable).
With this month’s security update, Google did roll out a “supplemental” firmware fix for Dirty COW across Nexus and Pixel devices. Plus, Samsung released a patch for its devices this month, according to Threatpost. An official Android patch for the Dirty COW issue is expected to land in December.
Oester, the researcher who discovered the flaw, told V3 that it’s “trivial to execute, never fails and has probably been around for years.” Dirty COW is sophisticated, and Oester said he was only able to catch it because he had been “capturing all inbound HTTP traffic and was able to extract the exploit and test it out in a sandbox.”
“I would recommend this extra security measure to all admins,” Oester said.
Via: Threatpost, Ars Technica
Source: Android Security Bulletin
Facebook’s new mobile AI can process video in real time
Facebook has started rolling out its “Caffe2Go” AI platform that does advanced style transfer video effects in real time using only your iOS or Android smartphone’s horsepower. While the painterly effects are cool (see the video, below), the tech behind it is much more interesting. Deep learning normally requires content “be sent off to data centers for processing on big-compute servers,” Facebook wrote, but with Caffe2Go, the processing can be done “in the palm of your hand.”
The new platform is part of a larger AI effort that includes the machine-vision Lumos app used to suss out images that violate its community standards. It has also open-sourced similar tech on Github to non-Facebook developers. It’s not the only company doing AI projects, of course. Google released its Tensorflow framework to the open source community and Microsoft recently made its Cognitive Toolkit available to developers.
Facebook first flaunted Caffe2Go last month, then brought some of the effects to a new camera in a limited European release. Much like the Prisma app, it transfers styles from Van Gogh or Monet onto any still or moving image. Processing live video normally requires at least a well-equipped PC, but Facebook says “we were able to provide AI [processing] on some mobile phones at less than 1/20th of a second,” six times faster than an eye blink.
Company engineers had to design software that worked with your smartphone’s limitations on memory and computing power. At the same time, they wanted the app to scale up for use on servers or workstation class machines. To that end, the team created a lightweight UNIX-based system 100 times smaller than similar deep-learning programs that works on CPU, GPU, Android and iOS. They then created add-in modules, including a CPU feature called NEON that improves mobile processing speeds.
Facebook is giving developers access to Caffe2Go via its stack, and plans to open-source parts of it “over the coming months.” While the video style transfer is a good test of the technology, it’s capable of doing other AI processing tasks related to image, speech and more. It won’t result in WestWorld any time soon, but it should open up the possibilities of what you can do on your smartphone in the near future.
Source: Facebook
Prisma can turn Facebook Live broadcasts into artistic affairs
Prisma’s latest update gives you the power to air artistic videos on Facebook Live. When you switch from Photos to Videos, you’ll now see a “Live Stream” button that broadcasts whatever it is you’re capturing on cam. You’ll be able to apply any of the eight available art filters onto your broadcasts, which means you can transform any ordinary event into a moving painting on the fly. Unfortunately, this feature has a pretty limited reach: you’ll only get Facebook Live integration if you have an iPhone 7 or a 6s. Prisma says it’s because videos are processed locally on the device — the update also improves overall video quality — and requires the phones’ power.
In its announcement, the company said it knows both Facebook and Google are working on their own Prisma-like offerings. The social network launched artistic filters along with Snapchat-like features for Live a few days ago, while Google revealed that it’s working on its own style-transfer technology at the same time. Prisma CEO Aleksey Moiseenkov says it’s “really cool that Google and Facebook are trying to copy” the company’s app, but he thinks “that’s the evidence that style transfer and all this on-device deep learning stuff matters a lot for every big company in the world.”
Besides announcing the new feature, the company also assures Android fans that it still plans to bring offline processing to the platform, even though it’s taking some time to do so. Prisma promises to launch GIF support, to add social sharing options and to improve photo quality and offline processing time, as well.
Source: Prisma
Verizon’s new prepaid plans give customers even more options
More prepaid offerings are coming to Verizon soon. Today, the carrier revealed that two new plans will be available starting next week, on November 13th. The cheapest option includes 5GB of rollover data, unlimited talk and text in the US, mobile hotspot and international texting for $50 per month. If that’s not enough for you, $70 gets you everything mentioned above plus unlimited calling to Mexico and Canada, as well as double the data (10GB).
Of course, these are a complement to the prepaid plan Verizon announced in May, which comes with 6GB of data for $60 monthly for customers enrolled in auto-pay. Now you just need to figure out which one meets your needs.
LeEco has grown so fast it’s running out of cash
Chinese technology company LeEco is still a relatively new name in the west, but in China, the company is one of the most dominant players in smartphones, TVs, movies and e-commerce. With help from Faraday Future, the electronics giant has moved into the automotive industry, but its fast expansion has come at a cost. In a company-wide letter, LeEco co-founder Jia Yueting admitted that the company is running out of cash.
In a letter obtained by Bloomberg, Jia said: “We blindly sped ahead, and our cash demand ballooned. We got over-extended in our global strategy. At the same time, our capital and resources were in fact limited.” Reuters also received a copy of the same letter, which read: “We are starting to see signs of big company disease, such as low individual performance and organizational redundancies.”
Jia, who has an estimated net worth of around $6 billion, has attempted to lead by example by slashing his yearly salary to one yuan (15 cents), but his announcement isn’t too surprising. In July, the company confirmed the $2 billion acquisition of US TV maker Vizio and pledged to spend a further $1.8 billion building a EV factory capable of outputting 400,000 electric cars per year. Add to that plans to dominate the US market with cheap phones, TVs, bikes and cars, and you can see why LeEco may have overextended itself.
In attempt to cushion the blow, LeEco will immediately put cost-cutting measures into place and pass on extra costs to consumers by reducing the subsidies it places on its products. The plan also includes refocusing on its existing businesses — basically phones, TVs and car production (which it’s already spent $10 billion on) — so it can recoup the cash it needs to properly explore new markets.
Via: Bloomberg, Reuters
ICYMI: Mobility scooters that autonomously get around
Today on In Case You Missed It: MIT’s Computer Science and AI Lab have cooked up another autonomously driving vehicle, but this one is a disability scooter. In this newly posted video, you can watch as the scooter navigates around human obstacles when taking a person on the way to their destination. In other AI news, Google and Blizzard Entertainment are teaming up to use Deepmind to train the system to autonomously play Starcraft II.
If you, too, have a fondness for Big Mouth Billy Bass, the singing fish trophy, you need to see how one was hacked to be the voice of Alexa. It’s pretty terrifying. And if you haven’t yet played the New York Times’ Voter Suppression Trail, you’re missing out on both nostalgia and maybe sadness. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Samsung buys full-page apologies in US newspapers over Note 7 recall
Samsung took out full-page apology ads in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and The Washington Post in an effort to reduce the damage done after its botched recall of the Galaxy Note 7. “An important tenet of our mission is to offer best-in-class safety and quality. Recently, we fell short on this promise. For this we are truly sorry.” It’s not just its phones, however. The company has also had to issues a a recall for nearly three million washing machines, due to poorly fitted lids that could loosen and fly off during use — it mentions this within the apology ad too. Samsung has already reported a 30 percent drop in profits last quarter due to the Note 7 recall. “Safety remains our top priority.”
Full-page ad from Samsung: “We are truly sorry” about the Galaxy Note7. pic.twitter.com/ADAM0A0TOP
— scott budman (@scottbudman) November 7, 2016
The apology continues: “We will re-examine every aspect of the device, including all hardware, software, manufacturing and the overall battery structure. We will move as quickly as possible, but will take the time needed to get the right answers.” Hopefully in time for its AI-powered smartphone next year.
Source: France24
‘Pokémon Go’ might soon add Ditto and generation 2 monsters
If catch and daily bonuses aren’t enough to lure you back into playing Pokémon Go, maybe new monsters are. The SilphRoad has dissected newly added codes in the game’s files and found references to shapeshifting Ditto and 100 Generation 2 monsters, from #152 Chikorita to #251 Celebi. Ditto has been in the game’s codes for a while, but the team discovered a new “Transform” move meant for the critter with its own animation sequence. As you might know, Ditto is known for turning into the Pokémon it’s battling in addition to its ability to breed with any monster.
Some codes found in previous APKs made it to the game quite quickly — the buddy system, for instance, was found a week before it came out. However, Ditto has been lurking in the codes for quite a while now, but it still hasn’t made its debut despite being a Gen 1 monster. So if you’re wondering when the new monsters will start popping up, we’re afraid you’ll just have to wait for Niantic to announce an update.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: SilphRoad
Samsung Galaxy owners can print from their phone with ease
If you own a Galaxy smartphone or tablet, Samsung is about to make it easier for you to print pictures, documents and other files from it. Today, the company announced that its Print Service app for Android now supports the Mopria Print Library, letting you pair your mobile device to over 88 million printers without any extra drivers, apps or similar software. This means you don’t have to worry about what brand your host printer is, saving you the headache of having to search for specific tools from different manufacturers.
Naturally, Print Service will give you the option to select print features like color mode, number of copies, orientation paper size, page range and more. Samsung says the update is rolling out now and works with Galaxy S4, S5, S6 and S7. Meanwhile, those of you with another Android device (running version 4.4 or later) can download the Print Service plugin directly from Google Play.
Source: Samsung
T-Mobile’s SyncUP Drive adds 4G LTE to your aging vehicle
For the road warriors and frequent drivers who want a connected vehicle without shelling out for a new car with built-in WiFi, T-Mobile’s just announced SyncUP Drive should fill the coverage gap between your cell phone and your home internet. The new device brings the big pink carrier up to speed with competition at AT&T and Verizon (both of which already have similar devices) and adds smart vehicle diagnostic features as well as a phone-free connection to T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network.
With the ability to connect up to five different devices to its WiFi network, the SyncUP Drive should help families keep a full carload entertained and saves carpool drivers the trouble of fiddling with phone tethering while they’re on the road. Plus, as the little ones graduate to driving age, the on-board diagnostics will be able to track their driving behavior, monitor the vehicle’s location via GPS and provide instant notifications through a new companion app if there’s any sign of car trouble.
Like other aftermarket hotspots and vehicle tracking devices, the SyncUP plugs into your vehicle’s on-board diagnostics (OBD) port, so it should be compatible with any internal combustion engine vehicle built after 1996. (T-Mobile says the device isn’t compatible with electric, hybrid or diesel engines yet, but you can check compatibility here.) The device goes on sale November 18th, 2016 for a full retail price of $149.99, or free after bill credits when you tie it to a 24-month plan with 2GB or more of data.
Source: T-Mobile
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