Exploit gets around Windows' app security safeguards

Reuters/Mike Segar

For years, business-focused versions of Windows have had an AppLockerfeature that lets you blacklist or whitelist apps. It's undoubtedly helpful for companies eager to keep malware (or just risky software) off their network. However, researcher Casey Smith has discovered a vulnerability in Windows that gets around this barrier. If you tell Regsvr32 to point to a remotely hosted file (such as a script), you can make a system run whichever app you want -- just what hackers and virus writers are looking for. It's stealthy, too, as it doesn't require administrator access or give itself away through registry changes.

There isn't a known patch for the flaw yet, but we've asked Microsoft for comment and will let you know if it has something to say. In the meantime, there is a stopgap. Eric Rand suggests telling Windows Firewall to block Regsvr32, which prevents it from accessing online files. While that's not very convenient if you have a whole office's worth of PCs to protect, it beats the alternative.

AdBlock replacing ads with anti-censorship messages

Ai Weiwei, Edward Snowden and Pussy Riot to remind you of threats against privacy.

We've seen Malaysia ban access to Medium and Russia do the same for Wikipedia, so if you thought Amnesty International would sit on the sidelines for World Day Against Cyber Censorship this year, you're sorely mistaken. On March 12th, the human rights organization is teaming with AdBlock to replace online ads with messages from artist Ai Weiwei, Edward Snowden and Russian punk rockers Pussy Riot -- themselves all victims of overzealous government censorship.

They'll look like the image embedded below, via Mashable. AdBlock CEO Gabriel Cubbage says that the idea is to get its users involved in thinking about online privacy and that come Sunday the spots where AI's banners were will be empty once again. Cubbage urges AdBlock's users to "take a moment to consider that in an increasingly information-driven world, when your right to digital privacy is threatened, so is your right to free expression."

Beyond the aforementioned high-profile censorship targets, AI says that AdBlock will also populate ad spaces with messages from North Korean cyber censorship casualties. It isn't the first time the organization has taken a stance against those who'd rather online privacy not exist, but perhaps it's the most prescient. The outfit says that just last year alone it documented arrests in 16 countries over what people said or did online.

And really, the timing couldn't be better considering the feds' ongoing warwith Apple over unlocking San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook's iPhone 5c, and our government's PR campaign to devalue encryption at seemingly all costs.

APPLE ANNOUNCES NEW IMACS, INCLUDING THE AWAITED 21.5-INCH 4K MODEL

Apple wowed us with their event back in September and kept the suspense alive as they remained tight lipped about the iMacs that were not released at the time. Well, the wait is over and they are here!
Apple launched its new Retina 4K display for the 21.5-inch iMac and a 5K display for the 27-inch iMac in California, today.

The much anticipated display makes photos and videos even more crystal clear than they were in the pervious iMacs. The exterior of the iMacs sport Thunderbolt 2 ports and more storage options that makes the desktop look promising.

In addition to this, Apple also announced a number of wireless accessories like the Magic keyboard 2, Magic Mouse 2 and (obviously) Magic Trackpad 2. These devices, we guess, are magical due to the fact that they have rechargeable batteries and require no aid of disposable batteries, whatsoever.

We saw the introduction of Force Touch technology to the iPhone 6s and Apple has taken that a step forward by introducing the technology to the Magic Trackpad of the desktop.

Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president, Worldwide marketing said:

“From The First IMac To Today, The Spirit Of IMac Has Never Wavered — Deliver The Ultimate Desktop Experience With The Latest Technologies, Gorgeous Displays And Cutting-Edge Designs,”

Specs wise, it has a 4096 x 2304 resolution and 9.4 million pixels, which is reportedly 4.5 times more than the standard 21.5-inch iMac display. The 27-inch iMac features a Retina 5K display with a resolution of 14.7 million pixels. 5K and 4K displays feature a wider P3-based colour gamut that provides a 25 percent larger colour space.

The 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display now comes with sixth-generation Intel Core processors. The new 21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display, on the other hand, features a fifth-generation Intel Core processor and is enhanced by Intel Iris Pro Graphics. The Thunderbolt 2 ports come with 20Gbps data transfer speeds for external drives and high-performance peripherals. The RAM has also been improved across the board from 8GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 to 8GB of 1867GHz LPDDR3, upgradeable to 16GB.

Pricing & Availability

Finally talking about the price, the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display is available at select Apple Authorised Resellers. The 27-inch iMac comes in three models priced at INR 148,900, INR 164,900 and INR 188,900. Additional technical specifications are available online at www.apple.com/in/imac/.

The 21.5-inch iMac is available at select Apple Authorised Resellers. The desktop is also available in three models priced at INR 91,900 and INR 107,900 and with a Retina 4K display starting at INR 123,900. Additional technical specifications are available online at www.apple.com/in/imac/.

Lastly, the Keyboard is available at INR 8,300, while the Mouse 2 will be be priced at INR 6,600 and the Trackpad 2 for INR 11,200.
Admittedly, these prices are sky rocketing and seem really unaffordable but Apple promises a better experience, as is the case with all its products. So it’s up to you to empty your pockets, or not.

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NEW ONEPLUS X TEASER REVEALS SPECS AND LAUNCH DATE

What's This?

A listing on Amazon, which has since been taken down, showed us a device called the ‘OnePlus Mini’. According to the listing, this handset will come with a 5 inch display, along with a 1080 pixel resolution and will be powered by a MediaTek MT6795 processor. It will also house 32GB internal storage with  2GB of RAM. Here is what OnePlus India’s general manager, Vikas Agarwal has to say:

“We’re Introducing A New Device By The End Of This Year. Diwali Would Be The Ideal Time..”

The OnePlus Mini is also said to feature the Force Touch technology, similar to the 3D Touch display available on the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. Apart from this leak, OnePlus has posted a new teaser on its India Facebook page showing off the OnePlus X that will be unveiled on the 29th of October, 2015.

Hence, taking a cue from the leak and the teaser, we can safely assume that OnePlus might announce two different smartphones by the end of this year. However, there have been no official reports about the OnePlus Mini, so we’ll just have to sit tight and find out what the Chinese smartphone maker has in store for us until the 29th of October.

DISNEY IS HELPING MAKE ‘IRON MAN’ AND ‘STAR WARS’ BIONIC HANDS FOR KIDS

Some stories can melt your heart in an instant. Disney has always been something for children and the child in you. So, it pleases one to hear that the mass media and entertainment giant will be helping a UK-based start up in making prosthetic hands for children more appealing. And how will Disney help with that? By doing it the Disney way, of course.

Open Bionics is the name of the UK-based start up that focuses on low-cost 3D-printed prosthetics. The company is also a part of Disney’s Techstars Accelerator program. Disney is giving Open Bionics royalty-free licenses to create prosthetics modeled off of Iron Man, Elsa from Frozen, and a glowing, buzzing ‘lightsaber hand’ familiar to millions of Star Wars fans.

But the fun doesn’t just end with the design. It also does things, too. Take the lightsaber hand, for example. You can turn on a set of LED lights that illuminate the prosthetic which also give off the lightsaber-like buzzing sounds. A button also lets you change the saber’s colour because fans know that characters like Luke Skywalker, Yoda and Darth Vader favour different couloured lightsabers.

Similarly, the Iron Man gauntlet will let the child shoot off “rockets”. Well, not really, but with the LED lights and sounds and a vibrating motor it does give off that feeling. But the prosthetics aren’t just expensive toys. They’re made to help the child and provide physical therapy while having fun. The motor gives a haptic feedback to the child when he non-threateningly fires from the Iron Man gauntlet and also serves to indicate the strength of the grip being exerted by the child. Apart from serving a fun light show, the LED lights also lets parents and doctors understand what signals are being sent to the device.

Open Bionics CEO Joel Gibbard told Independent that, “the power of these prosthetics is that the public perception is completely different. All of a sudden they’re not being asked how they lost their hand, they’re being asked where they got their cool robot hand, how does it feel, and how does it work?”

Earlier this year, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) himself paid a visit to a seven-year old boy and gave the kid a custom-made Iron Man prosthetic gauntlet. Watch the video below that is sure to bring a smile to your face today.

Open Bionics is hoping to make a big difference with these prosthetic hands and is aiming to have them available by the end of next year at a reasonable price of around $500.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership could spell the end of filesharing sites

According to documents leaked by Wikileaks -- specifically, the TPP's finalized chapter on Intellectual Property -- the days of filesharing sites could quickly be coming to a close.Per the agreement, which would be enforced across all 12 member states, ISPs would be required to "remove or disable access" as soon as they "become aware" of a court decision that deems a piece of content infringes upon an existing copyright. This is a more extreme version of America's DMCA takedown notices and would effectively tie domestic ISP actions to another nation's legal decisions. So if, say, a court in Malaysia says a piece of content infringes on a Malaysian copyright, ISPs in America (really ISPs in all 12 member nations) would be required to remove it -- regardless of whether or not it infringes upon any local copyrights.

This is especially worrisome for Canada, which has a rather relaxed "stepped" approach to content takedowns where every involved party must be notified before any action is taken. "The broadly worded provision could force Canadian ISPs to block content on websites after being notified of a foreign court order—without first having to assess whether the site is even legal under Canadian law," internet law analyst Michael Geistwrote in a recent blog post. This would constitute a significant change to Canadian copyright law and one made without input from Canadian voters.

But don't freak out just yet. This is just the currently agreed-upon wording. The entire deal still has to be ratified by the member nations, which could see further debate and clarification on this issue. It will be a couple more months until the rest of the agreement will even be publically released -- and President Obama has promised the American people ample opportunity to review the documents once they do come out -- so just keep your pants unbunched until then.

HERE’S WHAT’S NEW ON THE APPLE IPHONE 6S AND 6S PLUS

New IPhones Don't Have A New Design But Lots Of New Features.

Apple like clockwork at an event today launched their revisions to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Named appropriately, and in Apple’s yearly naming system, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Apple claims that they have changed everything inside the iPhones. But what all has really changed?

Build And Design

The new iPhones will come in an all new rose gold colour to match with the new Apple Watch colour. Design wise they look the same, with the same identical button layout. The new iPhones, however, are thicker; with the new iPhone 6s now at 7.1 mm up from the 6.9mm of last year and the iPhone 6s Plus up to 7.3mm from 7.1mm on the iPhone 6 Plus.

Weight wise the iPhones are heftier with iPhone 6s up to 143 grams vs last years 129 grams on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s Plus now at 192 grams vs 172 grams on the iPhone 6 Plus.

A lot has also changed in the construction of these iDevices. New Apple made series 7000 Aluminium along with extra reinforcement ensures that “bendgate” doesn’t happen this year.

There is also an all new glass layer that Apple claims is tougher than any glass on the market, pointing at Gorilla Glass 4.

Hardware

The new iPhones come with a 64 Bit A9 chip with a new M9 co-processor that improves performance and graphic capabilities vs iPhone 6 and 6 Plus that came with A8 chip with M8 Co-processor. The M9 co-processor is now always ‘on’, detecting your movement, vs the M8 which was activated on movement.

The displays remain the same with the same size and same resolution, however the addition of 3D touch will improve user experience considerably.

Camera

New camera’s will include a 12 MP main camera on both iPhones. Again, like last year only the iPhone 6s Plus gets optical image stabalization. Both iPhones with the newer camera now have the capability of shooting 4k Video and a new “Live Photos” feature that allows you to capture photo moments.

Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps and 720p at 240 fps, and video stabalization only works up till 1080p video.

The front camera on the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus also gets a much needed bump to 5 MP from a paltry 1.2 MP last year, along with an interesting new selfie flash feature which will make the display turn into a true tone flash with 3 times the brightness.

The new iPhones will also support more LTE bands vs last year. Unlocked iPhones will support 23 LTE bands including TD and FD-LTE. The new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will include VoLTE (Voice over LTE) for better communication capabilities in areas supporting the VoLTE functions.

Software

Apart from running iOS 9, thanks to the addition of the new hardware the software will work slightly differently. The new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus feature a new 3D Touch display powered by a Taptic engine. A physical piece of hardware which monitors the input and pressure of a users finger and allows the operating system to respond accordingly.

This will save up time allowing you to decide what part of the app you need to access prior to launching the app. Just like a secondary click it allows for more interaction in gaming and in productivity apps as demonstrated by Apple at their event.

The new photos app will allow for live photos that are captured by the iPhone, vs static photos seen up until now. The images will capture a few seconds of cache video allowing you to replay the moment as it occurred. HTC introduced a similar feature on the original HTC One M7 a few years back , however it required you to be in a specific mode with specific features turned on prior to capture. Apple includes this as standard for each photograph, without compromising on speed of capturing a picture.

Thanks to the new hardware you can now call up Siri using “Hey Siri” even when the iPhone is not connected to the charger.

The new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus cost the same as last year on contract in the US. However their unlocked phone pricing is the same as well.

Specifications	iPhone 6s	iPhone 6s Plus
Display	Retina HD display with 3D Touch, 4.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit widescreen	Retina HD display with 3D Touch, 5.5-inch LED-backlit widescreen
Resolution	1334 X 750-pixel resolution at 326 ppi	1920-by-1080-pixel resolution at 401 ppi
Processor	Embedded M9 motion coprocessor	Embedded M9 motion coprocessor
Chipset	A9 chip with 64-bit architecture	A9 chip with 64-bit architecture
OS	iOS 9	iOS 9
Internal Storage	16GB/64GB/128GB	16GB/64GB/128GB
Exapandibility	N/A	N/A
Rear camera	12-megapixel iSight camera with 1.22µ pixels, ƒ/2.2 aperture	12-megapixel iSight camera with 1.22µ pixels, ƒ/2.2 aperture, Optical image stabilization
Rear Camera Video	4K video recording (3840 by 2160) at 30 fps	Optical image stabilization for video,  4K video recording (3840 by 2160) at 30 fps
Front Camera	5-megapixel photos, ƒ/2.2 aperture, Retina Flash	5-megapixel photos, ƒ/2.2 aperture, Retina Flash
Front Camera Video	720p HD video recording	720p HD video recording
Body Dimensions	143 grams	192 grams
Special Features	Fingerprint sensor, 3D force touch, live photo	Fingerprint sensor, 3D force touch, live photo
Connectivity	23 LTE and faster Wi-Fi	23 LTE and faster Wi-Fi
Variants	Silver, Gold, Space Gray, Rose Gold	Silver, Gold, Space Gray, Rose Gold
Price	$199, $299 and $399 respectively for 16GB/64GB/128GB on contract.$649, $749, $849 for 16GB/64GB/128GB respectively unlocked	$299, $399 and $499 respectively for 16GB/64GB/128GB on contract. $749, $849, $949 for 16GB/64GB/128GB respectively unlocked