Apple urged to fight spyware

Apple claims superior security and protection of personal data on its devices, compared to its smartphone competitors, but there are now calls for it to work more closely with other companies to defeat a common threat.

Amnesty International, which has analyzed dozens of smartphones targeted by NSO’s Pegasus spyware, said Apple’s marketing claims of increased security and privacy were “torn” by the discovery of vulnerabilities, even in versions most recent of its iPhones and iOS software, reports Tim Bradshaw. . He had discovered that multiple attempts to steal data and eavesdrop on iPhones were made through Apple’s iMessage using so-called click-less attacks, which do not require the user to open a link.

Aaron Cockerill, chief strategy officer at mobile security provider Lookout, says Apple is doing a poor job of working collaboratively to resolve issues. He described iOS as a “black box” compared to Google’s Android, where he said it was “much easier to identify malicious behavior.” “The big difference between Apple and Google is transparency,” he said.

Apple insists it is collaborating with external security researchers, but chooses not to publicize the activities. FT’s view is that there are more possibilities for collaboration, not only between technology groups but also with governments, to identify vulnerabilities, share results and ensure user protection.

Meanwhile, Northern Trains, the rail operator run by the UK government, has shut down its ticket machines following a suspected ransomware attack, marking the latest in a series of highly disruptive hacks by cybercriminals.

China responded today to accusations by the United States that Beijing was at the center of a wave of global cyber attacks, including one on Microsoft’s Exchange mail server software that has affected tens of thousands of people. organizations. Its diplomats across the EU, UK, Canada, Norway and New Zealand issued statements Tuesday calling the allegations “baseless” and “malicious defamation.”

The Internet of (five) things

1. Huawei gets a “must improve” report card
Huawei has made “no overall improvement” in the quality of its software engineering and cybersecurity, despite three years of working to resolve systemic issues, according to the annual report of the UK’s Huawei Cyber ​​Security Evaluation Center. Progress has been made, but new problems have been discovered, he said. The use of new Huawei 5G network equipment has been banned in the UK, but the company remains a significant player in the broadband market.

2. The US Treasury will act on stable coins
Cryptocurrency markets have come under further pressure after senior U.S. officials including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said they plan to release recommendations on stablecoins, important assets in the digital economy , In the coming months. Yellen “underscored the need to act quickly to ensure an appropriate US regulatory framework is in place” during a president’s task force on financial markets, according to published meeting details.

3. The richest man in the world is now the man in space
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reached the outer reaches of space on Tuesday. The richest man in the world and three others were propelled to a height of 107 km, in a 60-foot rocket built by his space company Blue Origin. They experienced about three minutes of weightlessness before their capsule drifted into the West Texas desert for a soft landing.

4. You can’t always get what you quantify
From selecting the best stocks to listening to calls for results, artificial intelligence-based systems are transforming finance. But how big are the rewards? In the last episode of our Technical tonic podcast, Robin Wigglesworth explains how AI was used to invest and what robots could learn from watching children play

5. Vintage values ​​for video games
In a weird world, retro games are in a kind of bubble, writes Leo Lewis on the news that someone paid $ 1.56 million for a sealed version of Nintendo’s Super Mario 64 cartridge – a game which they will never play and which is rare only for its purity state.

Technical tools – CookingPal’s Multo

“The kitchen gadget that does it all” is a familiar culinary claim, and devices like the Ninja Foodi have proven to be popular in recent years. Launch of CookingPal the Multo Monday, claiming that it “does the job of over 10 kitchen appliances to prepare delicious meals with minimal effort.” There are step by step recipes displayed on a companion tablet, which is used to control it, but Wired’s review suggests that the Multo may be trying to do too much. Valuing it at 2 out of 10, his food critic found it riddled with questionable recipes and certainly not worth $ 1,000.