Author: batteryforpc

Google is adding an automated text-to-speech feature to the Phone app on Pixel devices, enabling a one-tap system to relay location information to medical, fire, or police responders without the need for speech.

The system is simple: when on an emergency call, the Phone app will now offer three additional buttons, labeled “Medical,” “Fire,” or “Police.” Tapping the button will activate a text-to-speech feature that will read out a message informing the operator that the caller is using an automated service, describing the kind of help the caller needs and the caller’s current location. Google says that the new feature is designed for situations in which someone needs emergency services but cannot verbally communicate with an emergency call operator due to injuries, a dangerous situation, or a speech disability.

It’s an expansion of a feature Google added to its default Phone app for Pixel devices back in 2017, which would automatically display a location card on the dialing screen when calling an emergency number like 911 to make it easier to relay that information to responders directly from the phone app. The new text-to-speech system makes that even simpler by cutting out the need for the person in an emergency situation to be able to read out that information at all.

The new feature is set to roll out to Pixel phones in the US in the coming months, with “select Android devices” set to get it, too.

Intel today introduced its first 10th-generation Core processors, codenamed Ice Lake. Built on a 10-nanometer process, the chips are designed for thin-and-light notebooks, meaning they could potentially make their way to future entry-level 13-inch MacBook Proand MacBook Air models.

Intel says the Ice Lake chips have increased board integration, allowing manufacturers like Apple to release notebooks with sleeker designs. The chips also feature Intel’s all-new Gen11 graphics architecture for up to double the graphics performance, and integrated Thunderbolt 3 and Wi-Fi 6, aka 802.11ax.

The lineup of 11 new processors includes six U-series chips and five Y-series chips:

Intel is also introducing a new processor number naming structure starting with this first set of 10th-generation Core processors, doing away with Y and U series identifiers and instead emphasizing graphics. The new structure is a bit confusing, but The Verge has a nice breakdown for deciphering them.

Intel expects the first notebooks with Ice Lake chips to be available in time for the holiday shopping season.

Most of you are running iOS 12. And that’s a good thing, because you’re getting a speedier experience with as many patched bugs and vulnerabilities as possible. It’s especially important, too, given that Google researchers recently disclosed six serious iOS vulnerabilities that Apple fixed up in the iOS 12.4 release earlier this month.

The problem? It’s twofold. First, there are still plenty of people who aren’t using iOS 12 for whatever reason—and likely not even iOS 12.4. Though Apple’s own statistics don’t break down specific iOS versions, the company shows that roughly 13 percent of all the iPhones and iPads purchased within the last five years are not running iOS 12. Given how many devices Apple sells (well over a billion iPhones alonebetween 2016 and 2018), 13 percent is a lot more devices than that number might imply at first glance.

Second, one of these “interactionless” bugs, as identified by the Google researchers, was not even fully fixed in iOS 12.4. They’re described as such, as all they require an attacker to do is send you a message—and that can be a text message, multimedia message, iMessage, email, or a Visual Voicemail, as Google security engineer Natalie Silvanovich notes.

Look at the message, and it’ll execute whatever unpleasant code the attacker has concocted—in four of the six published vulnerabilities. In the other two, it simply reads files off of your iPhone or iPad. Here’s hoping you don’t have anything incriminating or super-secret on your device.

Stop using older versions of iOS

Thankfully, you’re protected from five of these six vulnerabilities by updating to iOS 12.4. But you shouldn’t have to wait for us to convince you to check for iOS updates. Make a recurring calendar event every three months that says “UPDATE MY IPHONE” in large, annoying text. Or do what I do and pull up Settings > General > Software Update constantly, because you love living on the bleeding edge.

Heck, starting in iOS 12, you can even enable Automatic Updates—though, as Apple notes, you still might have to manually update your device from time to time. (Even though I have this setting enabled, I still check my iPhone for updates probably more than I should.)

If you’re holding out because you love the look and feel of your older version of iOS, you have to weigh that against the possibility that an attacker might come after your unpatched device. Are the odds low? Sure. Would I want to risk it and have a slower iPhone? No.

Many people keep their most important files on a mobile device without ever thinking about backing them up to a computer. That makes their phones a prime target for ransomware, and there’s a new attack spreading to Android phones right now. The new Android Filecoder.C malware uses weird “sex simulator” landing pages to trick people into downloading it, but you’ll pay for that click with more than your self-respect.

The Filecoder.C malware first appeared on Reddit and XDA Forums as spammy messages directing people to the aforementioned sex simulator. Yes, people clicked on the links, and at least some of them downloaded the app. Eset says the infection has spread mainly via text messages, but thankfully, the scale is still small.

Android has more robust system controls than Windows, which prevents apps from installing in the background when you visit a malicious website. Thus, the only way to become infected with Filecoder.C is to download the APK, bypass the download warning, launch the installer, turn on the system’s “unknown sources” feature, and tap through one more warning about app permissions.

After installation, Filecoder.C searches a device for documents, photos, videos, and various other files. It encrypts them and generates a private-public key pair. The private key gets uploaded to a command and control server, and the public one stays on the device. Unlike some other Android ransomware, Filecoder.C doesn’t lock down the entire device, and it doesn’t touch APK files. That suggests it was adapted from desktop malware like WannaCry.

As usual with ransomware, the program presents a payment screen that explains data has been encrypted. The only way to unlock the files is to pay some Bitcoin — in this case, the amount is randomly generated and falls between $94 and $188 at current prices. The malware promises to send the private key to the device for decryption after the victim pays.

While all this happens, Filecoder.C also sends SMS messages to all the victim’s contacts with some variation on the sex simulator message. It has 42 languages hardcoded and chooses the one that matches the device language setting.

Consider this just one more reason why you shouldn’t download suspicious apps on the internet. Security firm Eset says that is the first line of defense for users. Keeping backups of your files is a good idea as well. The malware makers don’t have leverage over you if you stand to lose nothing.

Google is levelling up its security for businesses. The company unveiled a host of new protections for its G Suite, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Cloud Identity customers at the Next Tokyo summit. G Suite Enterprise admins can choose to enroll high-risk employees in an advanced protection program, automatically receive anomalous activity alerts and enable one-click access to additional apps.

A version of the Advanced Protection Program it launched two years ago is now available to G Suite business clients who are high-risk for a targeted online attack, such as IT administrators, CEOs and those who work in security-sensitive roles in finance and government. To protect against phishing or account takeovers, the program would enforce the use of compatible two-factor authentication hardware keys like Google’s own Titan. Admins are even able to automatically block access to third-party apps that the company doesn’t trust.

Google has also made improvements to its G Suite security and alert center for admins, which it launched in beta back in April. The new alert center is now equipped with machine learning models that detect security risks such as unusual external file sharing or download behavior. Admins can now receive alerts of such “anomalous activity” in the G Suite alert center. It will also roll out support for password vaulted apps through Cloud Identity over the next few days.

Titan Security Keys, which only have been available in the US since last fall, are available starting today in Japan, Canada, France and the UK. The wireless Bluetooth-enabled key in the package has drawn criticism from the security community over safety concerns. Google recalled some of its Titan Security Keys earlier this year due to a minor security flaw.

Security concerns are a major reason why Google’s productivity platform isn’t quite taking off with bigger businesses, who tend to stick with Microsoft Office for that very reason. Earlier this year, the company launched several new security tools for G Suite clients, including a beta launch of advanced protection. By making this latest set of tools widely available, Google hopes to prove it takes the security of such high-profile clients seriously.