- apple-list - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

INTEREST: Linux bug breaches sandbox; tens of millions of PCs, servers, and Android phones may be affected
by Wayne Billing 19 Jan '16

19 Jan '16

…from: http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/01/linux-bug-imperils-tens-of-millions… Linux bug imperils tens of millions of PCs, servers, and Android phones Vulnerability allows restricted users and apps to gain unfettered root access. by Dan Goodin<http://arstechnica.com/author/dan-goodin/> - Jan 19, 2016 1:16pm CST For almost three years, millions of servers and smaller devices running Linux have been vulnerable to attacks that allow an unprivileged app or user to gain nearly unfettered root access. Major Linux distributors are expected to fix the privilege escalation bug this week, but the difficulty of releasing updates for Android handsets and embedded devices means many people may remain susceptible for months or years. The flaw, which was introduced into the Linux kernel in version 3.8 released in early 2013, resides in the OS keyring. The facility allows apps to store encryption keys, authentication tokens, and other sensitive security data inside the kernel while remaining in a form that can't be accessed by other apps. According to a blog post published Tuesday<http://perception-point.io/2016/01/14/analysis-and-exploitation-of-a-linux-…>, researchers from security firm Perception Point discovered and privately reported the bug to Linux kernel maintainers. To demonstrate the risk the bug posed, the researchers also developed a proof-of-concept exploit that replaces a keyring object stored in memory with code that's executed by the kernel. The vulnerability is notable because it's exploitable in a wide array of settings. On servers, people with local access can exploit it to achieve complete root access. On smartphones running Android versions KitKat and later, it can allow a malicious app to break out of the normal security sandbox to gain control of underlying OS functions. It can also be exploited on devices and appliances running embedded versions of Linux. While security mitigations such as supervisor mode access prevention<https://lwn.net/Articles/517475/> and supervisor mode execution protection<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_register> are available for many servers, and security enhanced Linux<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security-Enhanced_Linux> built into Android can make exploits harder, there are still ways to bypass those protections. "As of the date of disclosure, this vulnerability has implications for approximately tens of millions of Linux PCs and servers, and 66 percent of all Android devices (phones/tablets)," Perception Point researchers wrote. "While neither us nor the Kernel security team have observed any exploit targeting this vulnerability in the wild, we recommend that security teams examine potentially affected devices and implement patches as soon as possible." While malware distributors have focused most of their resources over the years on infecting computers running Microsoft Windows, they have put increased focus on attacking competing OSes. In 2014, for instance, researchers uncovered a powerful Linux trojan that may have remained undetected for years<http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/12/powerful-highly-stealthy-linux-troj…> as it siphoned sensitive data from government agencies and pharmaceutical companies. A vulnerability like the one reported by Perception Point can be the means for surreptitiously installing such malware. The bug is indexed as CVE-2016-0728. Major Linux distributions are expected to make fixes available as early as Tuesday.

1 0

INTEREST: Microsoft failed to warn victims of email hack
by Wayne Billing 02 Jan '16

02 Jan '16

…from: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-microsoft-china-insight-idUSKBN0UE01Z2016… Microsoft failed to warn victims of Chinese email hack: former employees SAN FRANCISCO | BY JOSEPH MENN<http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=josephmenn&> [An electronic Microsoft logo is seen at the Microsoft store in New York City, July 28, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Segar] Microsoft Corp experts concluded several years ago that Chinese authorities had hacked into more than a thousand Hotmail email accounts, targeting international leaders of China’s Tibetan and Uighur minorities in particular – but it decided not to tell the victims, allowing the hackers to continue their campaign, according to former employees of the company. On Wednesday, after a series of requests for comment from Reuters, Microsoft said it would change its policy and in future tell its email customers when it suspects there has been a government hacking attempt. Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw said the company was never certain of the origin of the Hotmail attacks. The company also confirmed for the first time that it had not called, emailed or otherwise told the Hotmail users that their electronic correspondence had been collected. The company declined to say what role the exposure of the Hotmail campaign played in its decision to make the policy shift. The first public signal of the attacks came in May 2011, though no direct link was immediately made with the Chinese authorities. That's when security firm Trend Micro Inc announced it had found an email sent to someone in Taiwan that contained a miniature computer program. The program took advantage of a previously undetected flaw in Microsoft's own web pages to direct Hotmail and other free Microsoft email services to secretly forward copies of all of a recipient's incoming mail to an account controlled by the attacker. Trend Micro found more than a thousand victims, and Microsoft patched the vulnerability before the security company announced its findings publicly. Microsoft also launched its own investigation that year, finding that some interception had begun in July 2009 and had compromised the emails of top Uighur and Tibetan leaders in multiple countries, as well as Japanese and African diplomats, human rights lawyers and others in sensitive positions inside China, two former Microsoft employees said. They spoke separately and on the condition that they not be identified. Some of the attacks had come from a Chinese network known as AS4808, which has been associated with major spying campaigns, including a 2011 attack on EMC Corp's security division RSA that U.S. intelligence officials publicly attributed to China. To see the report click here<http://www.secureworks.com/cyber-threat-intelligence/threats/sindigoo/> Microsoft officials did not dispute that most of the attacks came from China, but said some came from elsewhere. They did not give further detail. "We weighed several factors in responding to this incident, including the fact that neither Microsoft nor the U.S. government were able to identify the source of the attacks, which did not come from any single country," the company said. "We also considered the potential impact on any subsequent investigation and ongoing measures we were taking to prevent potential future attacks." In announcing the new policy, Microsoft said: "As the threat landscape has evolved our approach has too, and we'll now go beyond notification and guidance to specify if we reasonably believe the attacker is `state-sponsored.'" The Chinese government "is a resolute defender of cyber security and strongly opposes any forms of cyber attacks", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, adding that it punishes any offenders in accordance with the law. "I must say that if the relevant party has some real and conclusive evidence, then it can carry out mutually beneficial cooperation with China in a constructive way in accordance with the existing channels," Lu said at a daily news briefing. "But if there's the frequent spreading of unfounded rumors, it will, in fact, be of no benefit to solving the problem, enhancing mutual trust and promoting cyber security." The Cyberspace Administration of China did not respond to a request for comment. INTERNAL DEBATE After a vigorous internal debate in 2011 that reached Microsoft's top security official, Scott Charney, and its then-general counsel and now president, Brad Smith, the company decided not to alert the users clearly that anything was amiss, the former employees said. Instead, it simply forced users to pick new passwords without disclosing the reason. The employees said it was likely the hackers by then had footholds in some of the victims' machines and therefore saw those new passwords being entered. One of the reasons Microsoft executives gave internally in 2011 for not issuing explicit warnings was their fear of angering the Chinese government, two people familiar with the discussions said. Microsoft's statement did not address the specific positions advocated by Smith and Charney. A person familiar with the executives' thinking said that fear of Chinese reprisals did play a role given the company's concerns about the potential impact on customers. Microsoft said the company had believed the password resets would be the fastest way to restore security to the accounts. "Our primary concern was ensuring that our customers quickly took practical steps to secure their accounts, including by forcing a password reset," the statement said. It is unclear what happened to the email users and their correspondents as a result of Microsoft's failure to alert them to the suspected government hacking. But some of those affected said they were now deeply worried about the risks, especially for those inside China. "The Internet service providers and the email providers have an ethical and a moral responsibility to let the users know that they are being hacked," said Seyit Tumturk, vice president of the World Uyghur Congress, whose account was among those compromised. "We are talking in people's lives here." HUNDREDS OF LIVES Unrest in Xinjiang, the Chinese region bordering Kazakhstan that is home to many Uighurs, has cost hundreds of lives in recent years. Beijing blames Islamist militants, while human rights groups say harsh controls on the religion and culture of the Uighurs have led to the violence. Until Wednesday, Microsoft had rejected the idea of explicit warnings about state-sponsored hacking, such as those Google Inc began in 2012, the former employees said. In the 2011 case, the company also opted not to send a more generic warning about hacking. Yahoo Inc and Facebook Inc have been issuing such warnings for several years, former employees of those companies told Reuters, including when the principal suspect was a government. Both companies, along with Twitter Inc, announced in recent months that they would follow Google's lead and explicitly notify users about suspected state-sponsored hacking. Google said on average it now issues tens of thousands of warnings about targeting every few months, and that recipients often move to improve their security with two-factor authentication and other steps. Reuters interviewed five of the Hotmail hacking victims that were identified as part of Microsoft's investigation: two Uighur leaders, a senior Tibetan figure and two people in the media dealing with matters of interest to Chinese officials. Most recalled the password resets, but none took the procedure as an indication that anyone had read his or her email, let alone that it may have been accessed by the Chinese government. "I thought it was normal, everybody gets it," said one of the men, a Uighur émigré now living in Europe who asked not to be named because he left family behind in China. Another victim identified by Microsoft's internal team was Tseten Norbu of Nepal, a former president of the Tibetan Youth Congress, one of the more outspoken members of a community that has frequently clashed with Chinese officials. Another Microsoft-identified victim was Tumturk, the World Uyghur Congress vice president who lives in Turkey. Microsoft investigators also saw that emails had been forwarded from the account of Peter Hickman, a former American diplomatic officer who arranged high-profile speeches by international figures at the National Press Club in Washington for many years. Hickman said he used his Hotmail account on Press Club computers to correspond with people, including the staff for the Tibetan government in exile, whose leader Lobsang Sangay spoke at the club in 2011; Tumturk's World Uyghur Congress, whose then-president Rebiya Kadeer spoke in 2009; and the president of Taiwan, who spoke by video link-up in 2007. Hickman said he didn't recall the password reset. He said he never suspected anything was wrong with the account, which he continues to use. (Reporting by Joseph Menn; Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk<http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=humeyra.pamuk&> in Istanbul and Sui-Lee Wee<http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=suilee.wee&> in Beijing; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Martin Howell<http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=martin.howell&>)

1 0

INTEREST: AVG AntiVirus plugin bypassed the security of Google's Chrome browser
by Wayne Billing 30 Dec '15

30 Dec '15

…from: http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/12/google-slams-avg-for-exposing-chrom… Google slams AVG for exposing Chrome user data with “security” plugin AVG AntiVirus "force-installed" Chrome plugin that left browsing data vulnerable. by Sean Gallagher<http://arstechnica.com/author/sean-gallagher/> - Dec 30, 2015 10:27am CST [cid:7457AFBE-6663-457E-A10C-A5D7DE836B30] Safer browsing... except someone can watch everything you search? A free plugin installed by AVG AntiVirus bypassed the security of Google's Chrome browser, potentially exposing the browsing histories and other personal data of customers to the Internet. The vulnerability, demonstrated in an exploit by a Google researcher earlier this year, has now been patched after initial stumbling attempts by AVG, according to a discussion of the bug in Google's security research discussion list<https://code.google.com/p/google-security-research/issues/detail?id=675>. AVG's "Web TuneUp" tool<https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/avg-web-tuneup/chfdnecihphmhljaae…> is a free download from the Chrome Store intended to provide reputation-based protection against malicious websites, and it was "force-installed" by AVG AntiVirus. The install, an "in-line" installation, happened only with user permission, but was performed in a way that broke the security checks Chrome uses to test for malicious plugins and malware. The plugin works by sending the Web addresses of sites visited by the user to AVG's servers to check them against a database of known malicious sites. But the way the plugin was constructed meant that information could be easily exploited by an attacker through cross-site scripting [XSS], according to a post by Google Security researcher Tavis Ormandy on December 15. "This extension adds numerous JavaScript API's to Chrome, apparently so that they can hijack search settings and the new tab page," Ormandy wrote. "The installation process is quite complicated so that they can bypass the chrome malware checks, which specifically tries to stop abuse of the extension API. Anyway, many of the API's are broken." Ormandy attached a proof-of-concept exploit that stole the authentication cookies from AVG's website, which "also exposes browsing history and other personal data to the internet." Ormandy added, "I wouldn't be surprised if it's possible to turn this into arbitrary code execution." Ormandy then sent what he described as an "angry e-mail" to AVG about the bugs. "Apologies for my harsh tone, but I'm really not thrilled about this trash being installed for Chrome users," he wrote to AVG. "The extension is so badly broken that I'm not sure whether I should be reporting it to you as a vulnerability, or asking the extension abuse team to investigate if it's a PuP [Potentially unwanted Program]. Nevertheless, my concern is that your security software is disabling web security for 9 million Chrome users, apparently so that you can hijack search settings and the new tab page." AVG's developers quickly turned around a fix, but all it did was try to "whitelist" requests only from hosts that contained the string "avg.com<http://avg.com>" in their name. Malicious websites that used avg.com<http://avg.com> in their names (such as the example provided on Ormandy's response, https://www.avg.com.www.attacker.com) could still spoof the AVG servers, and attackers could still use a man-in-the-middle attack to pass malicious JavaScript back to a victim—regardless of whether the connection was secure or not. And, as Ormandy noted, "Any XSS on avg.com<http://avg.com> can be used to compromise Chrome users"—a quick search of AVG's sites found plenty of opportunity for such attacks. As of December 28, AVG had completed a more secure patch, but installations of the plugin were still frozen while Google's Chrome Web Store team investigated possible policy violations by AVG—violations that could get AVG kicked off the Chrome Store completely. Update: A Google spokesperson contacted Ars to clarify the nature of the freeze on AVG's plugin. The block on AVG's usage of inline installation<https://developer.chrome.com/webstore/inline_installation> has no effect on the extension update process, so users with the AVG extension installed should have automatically received the updated version, as with any routine update. An AVG spokesperson sent a statement to Ars, claiming that the Web TuneUp Chrome extension is "offered as an option, not forcibly or automatically installed. Installation only begins once the customer has initiated the process and confirmed acceptance in Chrome—a double opt-in." The spokesperson added, "There is no auto-installation of Google Chrome extensions; the “inline” option allows third parties to offer installation from their own site or product, rather than requiring customers to visit the Chrome Store. We fixed the reported vulnerability just prior to the holidays and do not expect Google to confirm the availability of inline installation until early next year. In the meantime, anyone wishing to install the extension may easily do so from the Chrome Store.”

1 0

INTEREST: Apple Pushes Against British Talk of Breaking Encryption
by Wayne Billing 22 Dec '15

22 Dec '15

…from: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/world/europe/apple-pushes-against-british… Apple Pushes Against British Talk of Softening Encryption By DAVID E. SANGER<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/david_e_sanger…>DEC. 21, 2015 WASHINGTON — With governments threatening crackdowns on encrypted communications after the jihadist-inspired attacks in San Bernardino, Calif., and Paris, Apple<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/apple_computer_inc/in…> on Monday pushed back hard, arguing that lawmakers who talk about gaining court-ordered access to iPhone communications do not understand the technology. “The best minds in the world cannot rewrite the laws of mathematics,” the company told the British Parliament, submitting formal comments on a proposed law<https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/4…> that would require the company to supply a way to break into the iMessage and FaceTime conversations of iPhone users. “We believe it would be wrong to weaken security for hundreds of millions of law-abiding customers so that it will also be weaker for the very few who pose a threat,” Apple wrote. Apple’s statement came as questions about encryption — considered an arcane component of cybersecurity just a few months ago — has become a central issue in the American presidential campaign. Twice<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/07/us/politics/hillary-clinton-islamic-state…> in<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/16/us/politics/hillary-clinton-calls-on-tech…> the past three weeks, Hillary Clinton<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/hillary-clinton-on-the…>, the leading contender for the Democratic nomination, according to polls, has urged Silicon Valley companies to work with Washington to find a way out of their standoff over encrypted communications. Republican candidates have almost all called for giving intelligence and law enforcement agencies the kind of access to text messages and data stored on cellphones that they have long enjoyed with telecommunications providers, like AT&T and Verizon. Congress is calling for hearings, and there is talk of legislation, though it seems unlikely to include the kind of demands for access that Britain<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/un…>’s prime minister, David Cameron, advocates. The arguments made by Apple are not new, but the political context is. In the aftermath of the two most recent terrorist attacks, the political pendulum has swung away from protecting privacy — the direction Europe was moving after Edward J. Snowden, the former intelligence contractor, leaked classified documents on government surveillance — and more toward law enforcement. The technology companies argue that although the political winds may be changing, the technological challenge has not: To create an opening for government investigators is to also create a vulnerability that Chinese, Iranian, Russian or North Korean hackers could exploit. Mrs. Clinton rejected that argument recently, arguing that if the companies wanted to put their best minds to the problem, they would solve it. But in the British filing, and in an interview<http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-apple-tim-cook-charlie-rose/> on “60 Minutes” on Sunday, Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook, argued that politicians calling for such access do not understand the damage they would cause. So far, Mr. Cook still has a partial ally in President Obama. The White House determined in October that, despite a recommendation from the F.B.I. to put forward legislation requiring access to encrypted communications, it would not seek legal changes. That rankled the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, who has long warned about the “going dark” problem, and offered up evidence<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/10/us/politics/fbi-chief-says-texas-gunman-u…> a week ago that an attack in Texas this year had been plotted over encrypted text messages, which he said investigators still could not crack. Apple pushed back on Mr. Comey’s arguments in its submission to the British government. “Some would portray this as an all-or-nothing proposition for law enforcement,” it wrote. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Law enforcement today has access to more data — data which they can use to prevent terrorist attacks, solve crimes and help bring perpetrators to justice — than ever before in the history of our world.” That data, many experts say, includes phone “metadata” about who is calling whom, GPS coordinates for individuals, and access to unencrypted data stored on so-called cloud services. But the arguments in Britain and the United States have focused largely on systems designed by Apple and its competitors, including Google and Microsoft, that automatically encrypt data exchanges, and put the keys to those communications into the hands of the users, not the companies. Apple contended that if Britain went ahead with its legal changes, the company, and its competitors, may find themselves violating American laws to comply with British law — or vice versa. “This would immobilize substantial portions of the tech sector and spark serious international conflicts,” it argued. Correction: December 22, 2015 An earlier version of this article used an outdated name for iPhone messaging software. It is iMessage, not iChat.

1 0

FYI: Mozilla would like to move Thunderbird to someone else
by Wayne Billing 02 Dec '15

02 Dec '15

…from: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/12/thunderbird-a-tax-on-… https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/mozilla.governance/kAyVlhfEcXg Thunderbird “a tax” on Firefox development, and Mozilla wants to drop it Thunderbird is already low on its priority list; Mozilla wants to spin it off. by Andrew Cunningham<http://arstechnica.com/author/andrew_cunningham/> - Dec 1, 2015 9:41am CST * Share<https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Farstechnica.com%2Finform…> * Tweet<https://twitter.com/share?text=Thunderbird%20%E2%80%9Ca%20tax%E2%80%9D%20on…> 146<http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/12/thunderbird-a-tax-on-…> [cid:69FC9635-901D-4FD7-94DA-0D3A09EF4DC1] Mozilla would like to drop Thunderbird from its list of projects. Andrew Cunningham FURTHER READING MOZILLA TO PUSH THUNDERBIRD OUT OF THE NEST<http://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2007/07/mozilla-to-push-thunderbird-ou…> Mozilla CEO Mitchell Baker wants to spin off an independent organization for … You might know Mozilla primarily for its Firefox browser, but for many years the company has also developed an e-mail client called Thunderbird. The two projects use the same rendering engine and other underlying technology, but Mozilla Executive Chairwoman Mitchell Baker has announced<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/mozilla.governance/kAyVlhfEcXg> that Mozilla would like to stop supporting Thunderbird, calling its continuing maintenance "a tax" on the more important work of developing Firefox. "Many inside of Mozilla, including an overwhelming majority of our leadership, feel the need to be laser-focused on activities like Firefox that can have an industry-wide impact," Baker writes. "With all due respect to Thunderbird and the Thunderbird community, we have been clear for years that we do not view Thunderbird as having this sort of potential." Mozilla doesn't plan to drop Thunderbird immediately, however—the current maintenance schedule will continue, and Thunderbird users can continue to use the product. But the end goal for Mozilla, according to Baker, is to find "the right kind of legal and financial home" for the Thunderbird project, and "[separate] itself from reliance on Mozilla development systems and in some cases, Mozilla technology." In other words, the company would like to give Thunderbird to people who will take care of it, freeing the Firefox team from having to worry about it. Mozilla's recent support for Thunderbird has been limited—it still receives security updates and basic changes imported from Firefox, but adding major features hasn't been a priority for Mozilla for several years now<http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/06/so-thats-it-for-thunderbird/> despite some efforts from the development community<https://blog.mozilla.org/thunderbird/2014/11/thunderbird-reorganizes-at-201…>. In fact, Thunderbird is currently only updated on Mozilla's "extended support release<http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/01/firefox-extended-support-will-mitig…>" (ESR) schedule, originally implemented to help IT managers deal with Firefox and Thunderbird's then-new rapid-release cycle.

1 0

FYI: If, after charging, your iPad Pro stops responding....
by Wayne Billing 19 Nov '15

19 Nov '15

…from: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT6671 If your iPad Pro stops responding and the screen is black Learn what to do if your iPad Pro doesn't respond when you press buttons or tap on the screen, and the screen is black. To get back to using your iPad Pro, force restart<https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201559> it by pressing and holding both the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons for at least ten seconds, until you see the Apple logo. Apple is aware of this issue and is investigating. This document will be updated as more information becomes available. Last Modified: Nov 19, 2015

1 0

FYI: El Capitan v10.11.1 Update is recommended for all OS X El Capitan users
by Wayne Billing 26 Oct '15

26 Oct '15

…from: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205360 About the OS X El Capitan v10.11.1 Update The OS X El Capitan v10.11.1 Update is recommended for all OS X El Capitan users. The OS X El Capitan 10.11.1 update improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, and is recommended for all users. This update: * Improves installer reliability when upgrading to OS X El Capitan. * Improves compatibility with Microsoft Office 2016. * Fixes an issue where outgoing server information may be missing from Mail. * Resolves an issue that prevented display of messages and mailboxes in Mail. * Resolves an issue that prevents certain Audio Unit plug-ins from functioning properly. * Improves VoiceOver reliability. * Adds over 150 new emoji characters with full Unicode 7.0 and 8.0 support. * Resolves an issue that caused JPEG images to appear as a gray or green box in Preview. For detailed information about the security content of this update, see Apple Security Updates<https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222>. How to update your Mac Before updating, it's a good idea to back up up your Mac<https://www.apple.com/support/backup/>. Then use the Mac App Store<https://support.apple.com/HT201541> to install the update. Some updates become available only after installing other updates. Install all available updates, and allow installation to complete without interruption. You can also get this update from the Apple Support Downloads<http://support.apple.com/downloads/macos> site. You might have unexpected results if third-party OS X modifications have been installed, or you modified OS X in other ways. Last Modified: Oct 21, 2015 Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support Computer and Network Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne.Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne.Billing@umanitoba.ca>

1 0

FYI: Microsoft OFFICE and Outlook problems with El Capitan OS X release
by Wayne Billing 14 Oct '15

14 Oct '15

…from: http://www.macrumors.com/2015/10/05/microsoft-office-2016-el-capitan-bugs/ http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2016-macoutlook/outlo… Microsoft Working on Fix for Office Bugs in OS X El Capitan Monday October 5, 2015 10:06 am PDT by Juli Clover Since OS X El Capitan was released to the public<http://www.macrumors.com/2015/09/30/os-x-10-11-el-capitan-released/> last week, Microsoft Office users have noticed some serious bugs when attempting to use the software. Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint are crashing for many Microsoft users who have installed Office 2016, and Office 2011 users are also noticing problems with Outlook. Microsoft is aware of the problems with its software and has been responding to customer complaints. In a thread on the Microsoft forums<http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2016-macoutlook/outlo…>, Microsoft Program Manager Faisal Jeelani said the company is working with Apple to resolve the issues, but said there is no timeline for a fix. Microsoft also gave Computerworld<http://www.computerworld.com/article/2988995/mac-os-x/microsoft-acknowledge…> a similar statement: "We know that some users may be experiencing issues with Office 2016 for Mac running on El Capitan," the statement read. "We are actively investigating the matter with Apple. Until there is a fix, we recommend people install the latest updates to Office 2016 for Mac using Microsoft AutoUpdate." Microsoft Program Manager Faisal Jeelani: <http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/profile/41b14d01-7c89-4fc5-8523-b55a7903…> FJ Faisal Jeelani<http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/profile/41b14d01-7c89-4fc5-8523-b55a7903…> replied on October 1, 2015 * Microsoft Hello everyone, We are aware of the issue with Outlook 2011 on El Capitan and of Office 2016 on El Capitan. We are working on a fix for 2011 and for 2016 we are working closely with Apple to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Unfortunately we do not have any timelines for either fix, please stay tuned and thank you for your understanding. Faisal Jeelani | Program Management | Outlook for Mac

1 2

INTEREST: Firefox PLUGINS: support for most being removed by end of 2016
by Wayne Billing 10 Oct '15

10 Oct '15

…from: https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2015/10/08/npapi-plugins-in-firefox/ http://www.engadget.com/2015/10/09/firefox-stops-plugin-support-by-end-of-2… NPAPI Plugins in Firefox Benjamin Smedberg [cid:02D89318-17F6-4D45-8A15-4E6068B848D0] <https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/author/bsmedbergmozillacom/> OCT <https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2015/10/> 8 2015 <https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2015/> Mozilla has been steadily improving the Web platform to support features that were once only available via NPAPI plugins. […] Mozilla intends to remove support for most NPAPI plugins in Firefox by the end of 2016. Firefox began this process several years ago<https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2013/09/24/plugin-activation-in-fir…> with manual plugin activation, allowing users to activate plugins only when they were necessary. This decision mirrors actions by other modern browsers, such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, which have already removed support for legacy plugins. Moreover, since new Firefox platforms do not have to support an existing ecosystem of users and plugins, new platforms such as 64-bit Firefox for Windows will launch without plugin support. […] Websites and publishers which currently use plugins such as Silverlight or Java should accelerate their transition to Web technologies. The Web platform is powerful and can usually do everything that a plugin can do. In the rare cases where a site needs to extend Web technologies, the recommended solution is to develop the additional features as a Firefox add-on. Site maintainers should prepare for plugins to stop working in all versions of Firefox by the end of 2016. Mozilla continues to work with the Oracle Java Platform Group to ensure a smooth transition for those web sites that use Java. More information from Oracle about Java transition plans can be found in a post<https://blogs.oracle.com/java-platform-group/entry/npapi_plugin_perspective…> from the Oracle team. Oracle recommends<http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/deploy/applet_dev_gui…> that sites currently using Java applets consider switching to plugin-free solutions such as Java Web Start<https://blogs.oracle.com/java-platform-group/entry/java_web_start_in_or>. […]

1 0

FYI: Project Apollo Archive: NASA publishes thousands of Apollo photographs
by Wayne Billing 04 Oct '15

04 Oct '15

…from: http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/2015/20151002-apollo-astronaut-p… Thousands of Photos by Apollo Astronauts now on Flickr Posted By Jason Davis 2015/10/02 15:49 UTC A cache of more than 8,400 high-resolution photographs taken by Apollo astronauts during trips to the moon is now available for viewing and download. Kipp Teague, who created the massive image repository Project Apollo Archive in 1999, recently uploaded new, unprocessed versions of original NASA photo scans to the image sharing service Flickr. Teague says every photo taken on the lunar surface by astronauts with their chest-mounted Hasselblad cameras is included in the collection, along with numerous other Hasselblad photos shot from Earth and lunar orbit, as well as during the journey between the two. [unknown.jpg] https://www.flickr.com/photos/projectapolloarchive/albums [unknown.jpg]

1 0

INTEREST: Chrome browser stops FLASH ads.... ish
by Wayne Billing 29 Aug '15

29 Aug '15

Google, maker of the Chrome browser, has already stated it would be pausing many FLASH animations. In their latest posting, they emphasize this will begin September 1st, 2015 and they suggest that the makers of the ads change from FLASH to HTML 5 to ensure the ads keep displaying: …from: https://plus.google.com/+GoogleAds/posts/2PmwKinJ7nj [cid:B3A47200-282F-40B7-BF4F-315E1E27E9A7]<https://plus.google.com/+GoogleAds/posts/114353304932511604018> AdWords<https://plus.google.com/+GoogleAds/posts/114353304932511604018> Shared publicly - 27 Aug 2015<https://plus.google.com/+GoogleAds/posts/+GoogleAds/posts/2PmwKinJ7nj> In June, we announced (https://goo.gl/TF7dmD) that Chrome will begin pausing many Flash ads by default to improve performance for users. This change is scheduled to start rolling out on September 1, 2015. Most Flash ads uploaded to AdWords are automatically converted to HTML5. To ensure your ads continue to show on the Google Display Network, please follow these steps before September 1: 1) Identify any Flash ads in your account that aren’t eligible for automatic conversion: https://goo.gl/I4186A 2) Convert these ads to HTML5: https://goo.gl/ZBq5DR [cid:C7980F2F-5765-43F2-8FFA-B4BD75F06620]<https://goo.gl/TF7dmD> Bringing Better Performance to Rich Media on Chrome Video and interactive…<https://goo.gl/TF7dmD> = - = - = - = - = - = NOTE: this is in addition to the Chrome embargo on NPAPI plugins such as VLC: NPAPI plugins don't work on Chrome version 42 and higher https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/6213033?hl=en

1 0

FYI: iSight Camera Replacement Program for iPhone 6 Plus
by Wayne Billing 21 Aug '15

21 Aug '15

The following item has just been released but other recall/repair of Apple items can be found at: http://www.apple.com/ca/support/exchange_repair/ The first thing to do is check your serial number on the appropriate Apple page (linked to from the Exchange/Repair page). Each page has instructions on how to find the serial number of your device. …from: https://www.apple.com/ca/support/iphone6plus-isightcamera/ iSight Camera Replacement Program for iPhone 6 Plus [iPhone 6 Plus] Please select a Country Albania Australia Armenia Bahrain België Belgique Bolivia Brasil България Cambodia Canada (English) Canada (Français) Česká republika Chile 中国 Colombia Danmark Deutschland Egypt España Eesti Ελλάδα France French Polynesia Hong Kong (English) 香港 Hrvatska Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italia 日本 Kazakhstan 대한민국 Latvija Lietuva Luxembourg (English) Luxembourg (Français) Luxemburg (Deutsch) Macau (English) 澳門 Macedonia Magyarország Malaysia Malta México Moldova Montenegro Nederland Nepal New Zealand Norge Österreich Pakistan Philippines Россия Polska Portugal Réunion România Saudi Arabia Schweiz Suisse Serbia Singapore Slovensko Slovenija South Africa Sri Lanka Suomi Sverige 台灣 ไทย Türkiye United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Vietnam Other countries Apple has determined that, in a small percentage of iPhone 6 Plus devices, the iSight camera has a component that may fail causing your photos to look blurry. The affected units fall into a limited serial number range and were sold primarily between September 2014 and January 2015. If your iPhone 6 Plus is producing blurry photos and falls into the eligible serial number range, Apple will replace your device's iSight camera, free of charge. The iSight camera is located on the back of your iPhone 6 Plus: [iPhone 6 Plus iSight camera] …follow the above link to check your serial number, for more information, and for instructions on how to proceed if your serial number qualifies for the replacement….

1 0

FYI - Use Windows 10 on your Mac with Boot Camp
by Doug Hamilton 13 Aug '15

13 Aug '15

Good Morning: FYI, Apple has updated their "Boot Camp" driver suite to support Windows 10. Details regarding the system requirements, and installation instructions, can be found here https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204990 Regards, ------------- Doug Hamilton, BA, MA, ASP Senior Computer Consultant Computers-on-Campus; Univ. of Manitoba P: 204-474-6196 F: 204-474-7556 E: Doug.Hamilton(a)umanitoba.ca http://www.umanitoba.ca/bookstore/computers/

1 0

FYI: Researchers show security importance of upgrades to OS X
by Wayne Billing 03 Aug '15

03 Aug '15

…from: http://www.engadget.com/2015/08/03/mac-firmware-worm Researchers create a worm that infects Macs silently and permanently by Roberto Baldwin<http://www.engadget.com/about/editors/roberto-baldwin/> | @strngwys<http://twitter.com/strngwys> | August 3, 2015 [cid:1775869A-A926-4E5E-B09D-65CBA98C67AA]<http://www.engadget.com/2015/08/03/mac-firmware-worm/> Macs have typically been heralded as the more secure of the two main operating systems. But according to researchers, at the firmware level, that's not necessarily true. Ahead of their 'Thunderstrike 2: Sith Strike<https://www.blackhat.com/us-15/briefings.html#thunderstrike-2-sith-strike>' Black Hat<https://www.blackhat.com/> presentation, Xeno Kovah, Trammell Hudson and Corey Kallenberg demonstrated to Wired<http://www.wired.com/2015/08/researchers-create-first-firmware-worm-attacks…> that Macs have some of the same vulnerabilities as their Windows counterparts. The exploit is especially troubling because now a phishing email or click on a link on a malicious site could compromise the computer. This is in addition to the exploit shown last year that was spread by the ROM of infected external drives and accessories like a Thunderbolt to ethernet adapter. These exploits are nearly impossible to detect because security software doesn't scan the firmware and reinstalling the system doesn't remove the problem. The exploit highlights that firmware (the software that boots a computer) isn't typically encrypted out of the factory and doesn't authenticate updates from the manufacturer. The researchers say they have alerted Apple about the issue and according to the Wired article, the company has patched one exploit and partially patched another. This is the second Thunderstrike exploit<http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/27/yosemite-update-fixes-zero-day-flaws/> to target Macs. The first version was fixed with OS X 10.10.2 and required the hacker to have physical access to the computer. This new version is more nefarious because the malware can be delivered via a link. The latest OS X security update (10.10.4) seems to keep the exploit from taking hold. Still, vulnerabilities like this are a reminder that companies should be encrypting all the elements of a machine to reduce the chance of their customers getting hacked<http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/02/mac-firmware-exploit/> in the first place.

1 0

FYI: Fake Safari update installs MacKeeper, ZipCloud
by Wayne Billing 03 Aug '15

03 Aug '15

tl;dr (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Too_long;_didn%27t_read<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Too_long;_didn't_read>): Some malicious weblinks are claiming to supply a required update to Safari for OS X. You’ll be generally better off if you update your OS X (and Safari) via Apple Menu > App Store…. > Updates. …from: https://blog.malwarebytes.org/fraud-scam/2015/07/fake-safari-update-install… Fake Safari update installs MacKeeper, ZipCloud JULY 28, 2015 | BY THOMAS REED<https://blog.malwarebytes.org/author/treed/> [cid:7BA55B93-B0DC-4DC9-9633-7CD2533544B7] Last week, we discovered a new version of the InstallCore installer<http://www.thesafemac.com/installcore-adware-proliferates/> that displays an unpleasant new trick: it pretends to be a Safari update! This new installer was obtained while visiting one of the “First Row Sports” scam sports streaming sites. When I attempted to view one of the supposed streams, it redirected me to a page that claimed that Safari was outdated. (I was using OS X 10.9.5, so this actually was true.) [fake_Safari_update]<https://blog.malwarebytes.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/fake_Safari_update…> Clicking the Update Now button downloaded a disk image file named “Apple Safari Setup.dmg”. The installer on that disk image did not look like an Apple installer at all, but nonetheless, I opened it anyway. I was greeted with the familiar InstallCore installer interface, except that the first page of the installer read “Welcome to Safari.” [fake_Safari_update2]<https://blog.malwarebytes.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/fake_Safari_update…> Continuing with the installation resulted in being asked to accept the “Search-Assist” extension for Safari, with a big Yahoo! logo at the top of the window. Next was acceptance of the installation of MacKeeper, though the text was relatively small and uniform, and the familiar MacKeeper logo was nowhere to be seen. Finally, I had to accept the installation of ZipCloud. I chose to accept all of these, of course. As a result, both MacKeeper and ZipCloud were installed and opened automatically. Interestingly, the typical InstallCore Safari extension was for some reason not installed. The usual Set Search Settings extension for Firefox, which I have observed multiple times with InstallCore, was also incorrectly installed, as always. Although no browser extensions were successfully installed, both Chrome and Firefox had their preferences modified. Both browsers had their home pages and search engines set to a Yahoo “Search BOSS” page, which is how Yahoo is tricked into paying the scammers for promoting it. Most interestingly, however was the fact that this app also installed a newer version of Safari and a number of Safari’s support files! This, of course, had the effect of completely breaking Safari on my 10.9.5 system, as the newer version (8.0.6) cannot run on that version of OS X. I was immediately suspicious that malicious changes might have been made to this copy of Safari, but I have not found any evidence of that. Nonetheless, even if I were able to run this copy of Safari, I would not choose to do so. Victims of this malicious installer should immediately remove both MacKeeper and ZipCloud, of course, but should also reinstall OS X<https://support.apple.com/kb/PH18872>. This will overwrite Safari and its support files with fresh copies. It should not be necessary to erase your hard drive, simply reinstall on top of your existing system. Although this should not affect your data, it would nonetheless be wise to back up your computer before starting this process, just in case something goes wrong. ________________________________

1 0

FYI: AP/MovieTone make one million minutes of historical footage available on YouTube
by Wayne Billing 22 Jul '15

22 Jul '15

…from: http://www.ap.org/content/press-release/2015/ap-makes-one-million-minutes-o… AP makes one million minutes of historical footage available on YouTube July 22, 2015 LONDON — The Associated Press<https://www.youtube.com/c/aparchive> and British Movietone<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHq777_waKMJw6SZdABmyaA>, one of the world's most comprehensive newsreel archives, are together bringing more than 1 million minutes of digitized film footage to YouTube. Showcasing the moments, people and events that shape the world, it will be the largest upload of historical news content on the video-sharing platform to date. The two channels will act as a view-on-demand visual encyclopedia, offering a unique perspective on the most significant moments of modern history. Available for all to explore, the channels will also be powerful educational tools and a source of inspiration for history enthusiasts and documentary filmmakers. The YouTube channels will include more than 550,000 video stories dating from 1895 to the present day. For example, viewers can see video from the San Francisco<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjZ6NNLCdio>earthquake in 1906, exclusive footage of the bombing of Pearl Harbor<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42T4CWjLTdg> in 1941, Marilyn Monroe<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvxmFhAzH_k> captured on film in London in the 1950s and Twiggy<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jrUADTpdDs> modeling the fashions of the 1960s. [cid:4A31EC51-B03A-4C80-A41C-6C9C8958B671] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHTK-2W11Vh1V4uwofOfR4w AP Archive<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHTK-2W11Vh1V4uwofOfR4w> "The AP archive footage, combined with the British Movietone collection, creates an incredible visual journey of the people and events that have shaped our history," said Alwyn Lindsey, AP's director of international archive. "At AP we are always astonished at the sheer breadth of footage that we have access to, and the upload to YouTube means that, for the first time, the public can enjoy some of the oldest and most remarkable moments in history." Stephen Nuttall, the director of YouTube in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, comments: "Making this content available on YouTube is a wonderful initiative from AP and British Movietone that will breathe new life into their footage and no doubt delight our global community - from students researching history projects to curious culture-vultures and the billions in between. It's an historical treasure trove that will give YouTube users around the world a moving window into the past and I can't wait to explore it." Content on the channels will also include surprising videos from different regions across the UK, fashion through the ages, sporting coups, entertainment, extreme weather, technological innovations, the evolution of eating and drinking habits, political milestones and historical moments. They will be continually refreshed with up-to-date contemporary footage. About AP The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world’s population sees news from AP. On the Web: www.ap.org<safari-reader://www.ap.org/content/press-release/2015/www.ap.org>. About British Movietone British Movietone is arguably the world’s greatest newsreel archive, spanning the period 1895 – 1986. Shot on 35mm film, this global archive contains many of the world’s enduring images and is rich in coverage of news events, celebrities, sports, music, social history, science, lifestyle and quirky. It was the first newsreel to include sound, the first to use colour film, the first to break many exclusive stories, and is your first and last stop for newsreel footage. The collection is fully digitized and now available from AP Archive. Contact: Laura Imregi Communications Manager The Associated Press +44.0207.482.7751 LImregi(a)ap.org<mailto:LImregi@ap.org> Paul Colford Director of Media Relations The Associated Press Antonella Scimemi W Communications +44.07530 815 018 Eantonella(a)wcommunications.co.uk<mailto:Eantonella@wcommunications.co.uk>

1 0

FYI: Firefox now blocks Flash automatically
by Wayne Billing 14 Jul '15

14 Jul '15

[Presumably this is “coming soon” as I am unable to see any change in the behaviour of my FireFox: v39.0 (no pending updates) on OS X. YMMV] Posted today onto Twitter by Mark Schmidt (Head of @Firefox Support at @Mozilla, the makers of FireFox browser): Mark Schmidt ‏@MarkSchmidty <https://twitter.com/MarkSchmidty> 14h ago14 hours ago<https://twitter.com/MarkSchmidty/status/620743669197504513> It's day four of multiple critical Flash vulnerabilities and @googlechrome<https://twitter.com/googlechrome> still hasn't disabled Flash Player. …and then, 2 hours later: BIG NEWS!! All versions of Flash are blocked by default in Firefox as of now. https://t.co/4SjVoqKPrR #tech<https://twitter.com/hashtag/tech?src=hash> #infosec<https://twitter.com/hashtag/infosec?src=hash>pic.twitter.com/VRws3L0CBW<http://t.co/VRws3L0CBW> — Mark Schmidt (@MarkSchmidty) July 14, 2015<https://twitter.com/MarkSchmidty/status/620783674561327104> To be clear, Flash is only blocked until Adobe releases a version which isn't being actively exploited by publicly known vulnerabilities. — Mark Schmidt (@MarkSchmidty) July 14, 2015<https://twitter.com/MarkSchmidty/status/620806013768323072> …from: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/keep-flash-up-to-date-and-troubleshoot… http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/14/firefox-blocks-flash/?ncid=rss_truncated Firefox now blocks Flash automatically [blogger-avatar]by Daniel Cooper<http://www.engadget.com/about/editors/daniel-cooper/> | @danielwcooper<http://twitter.com/danielwcooper> | 3 Hours Ago Flash is the Justin Bieber of browser plugins: it's everywhere, it does nothing useful and every time you see it you want to smash a window. Yesterday, Facebook's head of security<http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/13/facebook-security-lead-wants-flash-dead/> publicly opined that it was time for the platform to die, and just a day later, Mozilla's Mark Schmidt has joined in. In a tweet, Schmidt has announced that, as of the latest update, the Firefox browser will block Flash automatically. It looks as if the technology world has decided that if Adobe won't do the decent thing and kill it, then everyone else will just tool up and beat it to death themselves. BIG NEWS!! All versions of Flash are blocked by default in Firefox as of now. https://t.co/4SjVoqKPrR #tech<https://twitter.com/hashtag/tech?src=hash> #infosec<https://twitter.com/hashtag/infosec?src=hash>pic.twitter.com/VRws3L0CBW<http://t.co/VRws3L0CBW> — Mark Schmidt (@MarkSchmidty) July 14, 2015<https://twitter.com/MarkSchmidty/status/620783674561327104> It may have been the best way to deliver video in the early days of the internet, but the rise of standards compliant technologies make Flash look obsolete. More importantly, however, Flash is riddled with holes, and it's often used as a beachhead<http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/18/russian-hackers-use-zero-day-attacks/> for hackers<http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/24/cryptowall-ransomware-attack-proofpoint-…> to get comfortable<http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/09/flash-rosetta-exploit-discovered/> inside your computer<http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/08/hacking-team-zero-day-flash-exploit/>. Oftentimes, this is met with silence from Adobe<http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/09/adobe-confirms-flash-player-is-dead-for-…>, a point that The Register<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/07/14/adobe_response_to_security_holes/> put to the company's Wiebke Lips. Her response was that there are "extensive efforts" in progress at the company to make the code harder to crack, although they're not yet ready to be pushed out to users. To be clear, Flash is only blocked until Adobe releases a version which isn't being actively exploited by publicly known vulnerabilities. — Mark Schmidt (@MarkSchmidty) July 14, 2015<https://twitter.com/MarkSchmidty/status/620806013768323072> 2015 is becoming the year that Flash gets killed-off once and for all, with Google tweaking Chrome to "intelligently" block auto-playing adverts. In addition, YouTube, the site that was probably the plugin's biggest proponent, switched to HTML 5<http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/27/youtube-html5/> to deliver video at the start of the year. It's likely that other notable holdouts will be pressured, either by these latest moves, the most recent security controversies or the Occupy Flash<http://www.occupyflash.org/> movement. Yup, there's a whole movement dedicated to eradicating this stuff from the web. Oh, and should you want or, more likely, need to use Flash, you can reactivate the feature at your liberty by dipping into Firefox's settings menu. Hide Comments

1 0

INTEREST: There won’t be any Windows 10 computers in stores on its July 29 release
by Wayne Billing 14 Jul '15

14 Jul '15

….from: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/07/there-wont-be-any-win… There won’t be any Windows 10 PCs in stores on its July 29 release But there will be parties in cities around the world. by Peter Bright<http://arstechnica.com/author/peter-bright/> - Jul 13, 2015 2:19pm CDT Windows 10's July 29 release date is looming. The OEMs we've spoken to in the past few months have all been confident that they'll have at least some hardware with Windows 10 preinstalled available to buy on launch day. It now looks as if those plans have been derailed. Bloomberg<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-13/microsoft-windows-10-won-…> reports that Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft vice president of Windows and device marketing, has said that Windows 10 hardware will be available "very soon after" July 29 but not on the day. The problem is that Windows 10 still hasn't had its release to manufacturing (RTM) version yet. It was initially expected that the RTM would be built last week, but it hasn't been. Currently the rumor mill is speculating that Wednesday will be the day. Either way, it seems there won't be enough time for the OEMs to test the build, install it to newly built systems, and get those systems delivered to retailers' shelves in time for July 29. The new Windows 10 release schedule was already significantly compressed—in previous versions there were usually a few months between RTM and retail availability—and as such has a lot less slack to cope with these delays. Just how soon the hardware will be available will depend on when a build is blessed with RTM status. Even if everything had gone according to plan, OEMs weren't expecting to have Windows 10 versions of their full range available on day one; it will take some weeks or months before every machine is available with the new operating system. In spite of the hardware shortage, Microsoft is planning a series of launch events for the new operating system with Windows fans as the focus. There will be "hands-on opportunities, experiential demos, entertainment, and opportunities to meet the Windows team" in Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore, Beijing, New Delhi, Dubai, Nairobi, Berlin, Johannesburg, Madrid, London, Sao Paolo, and New York City. Unlike prior versions of Windows, Microsoft is anticipating, and hoping, for a substantial volume of upgrade users. In practice, most Windows users stick with the operating system that comes preinstalled on their PCs. The fact that upgrading to a new version of Windows has historically cost money reinforced this trend. With Windows 10 and its one year free upgrade promotion, Microsoft is counting on a significant volume of users making the leap from Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1. To achieve its goal of one billion Windows 10 devices within two years, the company will have to make significant inroads into the large non-tech-savvy Windows userbase; a demographic that is not predisposed to performing operating system upgrades. To help stimulate and support this, the company is partnering with a number of retailers (and its own stores) to help users upgrade. Retailers participating in this scheme include Best Buy, Bic Camera, Croma, Currys/PC World, Elkjøp, Jarrir, Incredible Connection, Media Markt, Staples, Wal-Mart, Yamada, and Yodobashi, and they'll provide support for the upgrade, assist in data migration to new PCs, and let people try the operating system for themselves. The new operating system will also be promoted in advertising starting on July 20 in the US and July 29 in the rest of the world. For those not upgrading in store, availability of the upgrade will be staggered. Windows Insiders who have been using the preview releases of the operating system should be the first to get the RTM build, and new PC buyers will also be prioritized. Windows 7 and 8 users who will be upgrading through Windows Update will see a somewhat slower rollout, giving Microsoft the chance to gauge how successful upgrades are and detect any last-minute bugs should they arise.

1 0

FYI: Deleting "Google Photos" won't stop your phone from uploading pictures
by Wayne Billing 13 Jul '15

13 Jul '15

….from: http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/13/deleting-google-photos-wont-stop-your-ph… Deleting Google Photos won't stop your phone from uploading pictures [blogger-avatar]by Sean Buckley<http://www.engadget.com/about/editors/sean-buckley/> | @seaniccus<http://twitter.com/seaniccus> | 4 Hours Ago <http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/13/deleting-google-photos-wont-stop-your-ph…> Google Photos is pretty amazing. Not only does it offer free, unlimited back-up space<http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/28/google-photos/> for your photos and memories, it also automatically creates collages, slide-shows and movies from your uploaded library. I loved it from the first moment I installed the app--but if you don't, watch out: uninstalling Google Photos won't stop your phone from uploading pictures to your account. The issue was recently brought to light by the Nashville Business Journal<http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2015/07/google-photos-uploads-ima…>, after David Arnott discovered hundreds of photos he thought he deleted preserved in his Google Photos account--all taken weeks after he uninstalled the backup app. It's not a fluke, either: I tried it myself, deleting not only Google Photos, but also disabling my phone's Google Drive and Google Plus apps, and my phone still backed up every photo I took. All six of these photos uploaded, even after I deleted the whole suite of apps: [cid:3E9EC8AC-EC56-449D-8A76-BF7B19AC327E] It's a quirk in how Google Photos deals with upload settings--instead of keeping it all localized within its own app, Photos farms out the task of managing uploads to the Google Settings app, which also handles location data, search functions ad settings and more. When you delete the Google Photos app, its settings live on, as do whatever backup settings you chose when you first installed it. It's easy enough to disable (just pop into Google Settings and tap on "Google Photos Backup"), but it's not very intuitive.

1 0

FYI: US Office of Personnel Management: private information breach
by Wayne Billing 09 Jul '15

09 Jul '15

…from: http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/09/hackers-stole-21-5-million-social-securi… Hackers stole 21.5 million Social Security Numbers in government breach [blogger-avatar]by Sean Buckley<http://www.engadget.com/about/editors/sean-buckley/> | @seaniccus<http://twitter.com/seaniccus> | July 9th, 2015 Last month, the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) learned it was the victim of a massive cyberattack<http://Hackers%20stole%2021.5%20million%20Social%20Security%20Numbers%20fro…'s%20really%20bad.%20While%20investigating%20the%20incident,%20the%20OPM%20found%20evidence%20of%20another%20attack:%20one%20that%20compromises%20the%20privacy%20of%2021.5%20million%20individuals%20from%20the%20organizations%20background%20check%20database.%20That's%20/a%20lot/%20worse.%20%20%20According%20to%20the%20New%20York%20Times,%20the%20two%20attacks%20are%20separate,%20but%20related--though%20this%20second%20attack%20is%20obviously%20much%20bigger.%20In%20fact,%20if%20you've%20had%20a%20background%20check%20run%20through%20the%20OPM%20any%20time%20in%20the%20last%2015%20years,%20you're%20probably%20personally%20effected:%20the%20agency%20says%20any%20background%20investigation%20that%20occurred%20after%202000%20is%20/highly%20likely/%20to%20be%20compromised.%20Potentially%20compromised%20data%20can%20include%20the%20Social%20Security%20Numbers,%20fingerprints%20(for%201.1%20million%20of%20the%20aforementioned%20total),%20data%20from%20interviews%20conducted%20by%20background%20investigators%20and%20%20usernames%20and%20passwords%20used%20by%20applicants%20who%20filled%20out%20background%20check%20paperwork.%20%20%20It's%20bad,%20and%20the%20OPM%20know%20is--but%20the%20agency%20is%20trying%20to%20mitigate%20the%20situation.%20The%20organization's%20cybersecurity%20page%20has%20been%20updated%20with%20a%20list%20of%20steps%20you%20can%20take%20to%20protect%20your%20identity,%20including%20warnings%20signs%20of%20identify%20theft,%20tips%20to%20update%20your%20passwords%20and%20avoid%20phishing%20scams,%20and%20what%20to%20do%20if%20you%20think%20you%20might%20be%20a%20victim.%20If%20you%20are%20affected%20by%20the%20hack,%20the%20OPM%20is%20willing%20to%20help--affected%20individuals%20will%20be%20automatically%20be%20enrolled%20in%2018%20months%20of%20identity%20theft%20insurance,%20a%20identity%20restoration%20program%20and%20credit%20monitoring%20programs.%20%20%20Think%20you%20might%20be%20affected?%20Check%20out%20the%20source%20link%20below.>--a breach that compromised personnel data of 4.2 million current and former Federal employees. That's really bad. While investigating the incident<http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/19/investigators-connect-massive-federal-ha…>, the OPM found evidence of another attack: one that compromises the privacy of 21.5 million individuals from the organization's background check database<http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/30/opm-web-background-check/>. That's a lot worse. According to the New York Times<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/10/us/office-of-personnel-management-hackers…>, the two attacks are separate, but related--though this second attack is obviously much bigger. In fact, if you've had a background check run through the OPM any time in the last 15 years, you're probably personally effected: the agency says any background investigation that occurred after 2000 is highly likely to be compromised. Potentially compromised data can include the Social Security Numbers<http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/11/federal-hack-union/>, fingerprints (for 1.1 million of the aforementioned total), data from interviews conducted by background investigators and usernames and passwords used by applicants who filled out background check paperwork. It's bad, and the OPM knows it is--but the agency is trying to mitigate the situation. The organization's cybersecurity page<https://www.opm.gov/cybersecurity/> has been updated with a list of steps you can take to protect your identity, including warnings signs of identify theft, tips to update your passwords and avoid phishing scams, and what to do if you think you might be a victim. If you are affected by the hack, the OPM is willing to help--victims will be automatically be enrolled in 18 months of identity theft insurance, a identity restoration program and credit monitoring programs. Think you might be affected? Check out: https://www.opm.gov/cybersecurity/ How you may be affected If you underwent a background investigation through OPM in 2000 or afterwards (which occurs through the submission of forms SF-86, SF-85, or SF-85P for either a new investigation or a reinvestigation), it is highly likely that you are impacted by the incident involving background investigations. If you underwent a background investigation prior to 2000, you still may be impacted, but it is less likely. Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support Computer and Network Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne.Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne.Billing@umanitoba.ca>

1 0

FYI: thousands of unseen British films released by the BFI: 90% free to view
by Wayne Billing 07 Jul '15

07 Jul '15

…from: http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/07/bfi-britain-on-film/ http://player.bfi.org.uk/britain-on-film/ Watch thousands of unseen British films released by the BFI [blogger-avatar]by Nick Summers<http://www.engadget.com/about/editors/nick-summers/> | @nisummers<http://twitter.com/nisummers> | 30 Mins Ago <http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.engadget.com%2F2015%2F07%2F07…><http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.engadget.com%2F2015%2…><https://plus.google.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.engadget.com%2F2015%2F07…><http://www.reddit.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.engadget.com%2F2015%2F07%…> 0<http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/07/bfi-britain-on-film/#comments> [cid:A653CD5E-2BAD-4BCA-8A99-6E8B043489E1]<http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/07/bfi-britain-on-film/> For decades now, Brits have been shooting amateur movies about their holidays, personal celebrations and experiences at huge, historic events. They're valuable snippets of UK history, but often they're never seen by the wider public. Today, the British Film Institute (BFI) is launching a project called "Britain on Film<http://player.bfi.org.uk/britain-on-film/>," which offers free online access to thousands of archived videos. Some were shot by amateurs<http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-street-family-film-ireland-1958-1958/>, while others, such as this tour of Edinburgh by Sean Connery<http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-sean-connerys-edinburgh-1982/>, were commissioned for professional projects. Roughly 2,500 film and TV titles are being released today, with 90 percent of them being free to watch. Many have never been seen before, or not since their first showing, and reveal unique, personal perspectives of how British life has changed over the years. To support the initiative, BFI will be holding 85 screening events in 46 locations, from Belfast to Canterbury. Highlights of specific cities will also be shown on large screens in town centres and Caffe Nero has agreed to set up 10 special viewing pods in some of their coffee shops. If you're wondering where to start, BFI has built a handy search engine<http://player.bfi.org.uk/britain-on-film/> that lets you look up clips from specific locations.

1 0

FYI: FLASH disabled: all versions prior to Flash Player 18.0.0.194
by Wayne Billing 27 Jun '15

27 Jun '15

Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2015 15:00:49 -0700 From: Apple Product Security <product-security-noreply(a)lists.apple.com<mailto:product-security-noreply@lists.apple.com>> Subject: APPLE-SA-2015-06-26-1 OS X: Flash Player plug-in blocked Message-ID: <7226879C-0D2B-4201-A171-93A95D693C76(a)lists.apple.com<mailto:7226879C-0D2B-4201-A171-93A95D693C76@lists.apple.com>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 APPLE-SA-2015-06-26-1 OS X: Flash Player plug-in blocked Due to security issues in older versions, Apple has updated the web plug-in blocking mechanism to disable all versions prior to Flash Player 18.0.0.194 and 13.0.0.296. Information on blocked web plug-ins will be posted to: http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202681 This message is signed with Apple's Product Security PGP key, and details are available at: https://www.apple.com/support/security/pgp/ -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- iQIcBAEBAgAGBQJVjcrjAAoJEBcWfLTuOo7tgOYQAIE8TIKsm6yivQn0sB62/NL4 mV9fBeAmQsoWM3+3K7dYgmLCdor/hhH8GSf5pTs0TIx5pra8H8m3G60T0PlCAPlf XiiWUwCxWQ347fJntOcXnbWXluqp9RXcLoxh1ITAzZ+J12lRRBgRP1w2M5vaqWDJ Wrr2u5AUSJ57I6qEPDkIHJhrcddaYr2IGmRAi/u1xpvwYPVa5NVsUvhoEfx4SLrF IwJGJ2Fe+LKK/Crqj4uQMjdEtu8nYadQYnIEZr4Z7VZ46s/9PUZx0s2AsFz9i4nb MREMYa4Ub5zvj+R44nP17N/BrHnfbv8BpmppEmjibARM8pzf5y+ZrZ4lLQAQl30u E/N3S9IP9n/9lmT9Eg2ft7/dDvAXoDQoCi2cHHRsGi31BVW2sUwdYcfMbTlGsoj4 ZVhujg2nBcE7qw0/9HT7h7pNP4Gzs6aBtLl8VOQ62EOL806ULQTKHg+0l0M7xunb 1rQyR2zzUBxXIxEAXTF7jC4mo5A2IgIOAGL2WWbRaJEtoDTgl/RvhiYzDri4PrCo QQYXrmwvhGqlcFU2q71GVX2YwqCfh08NQijSrd+AC42CnKygogY1d5nAWlHfFhtw RS9BJgYuzsdACH0l/zTWUAlEP8y6JwPt01vI2VKmFx6ZHo7NIz9eeaawBYWHvp4T XZ3hJveFwZzyO8t3k+Hk =Ui36 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

1 0

FYI: 70 NASA Image galleries combined into single, searchable source
by Wayne Billing 21 Jun '15

21 Jun '15

…from: http://nasaimages.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/view/all?sort=who http://gizmodo.com/nasa-image-gallery-brings-all-your-favorite-space-photo-… NASA Image Gallery Brings All Your Favorite Space Photos Under One Roof<http://gizmodo.com/nasa-image-gallery-brings-all-your-favorite-space-photo-…> 6,255 2<http://gizmodo.com/nasa-image-gallery-brings-all-your-favorite-space-photo-…> Maddie Stone<http://kinja.com/maddiestone> Filed to: NASA IMAGES<http://gizmodo.com/tag/nasa-images> 6/21/15 3:00pm<http://gizmodo.com/nasa-image-gallery-brings-all-your-favorite-space-photo-…> <http://gizmodo.com/nasa-image-gallery-brings-all-your-favorite-space-photo-…> [NASA Image Gallery Brings All Your Favorite Space Photos Under One Roof] The NASA Images collection<http://nasaimages.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/view/all?sort=who>, built and unveiled last week by Luna Imaging, combines over 70 NASA Image galleries into a single, searchable source. These includes familiar collections such as NASA’s Image of the Day Gallery<http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/> and the Jet Propulsion Image Gallery<http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/>, but also plenty of obscure treasures. In total, the collection contains over 100 thousand photographs that range from historic documentation of the Apollo moon missions to the latest shots of distant quasars by the Hubble Space Telescope. […] ….complete HELP/UserGuide at: http://doc.lunaimaging.com/display/V71D/Browsing+and+Viewing+Media#Browsing…

1 0

FYI: iMac (27-inch) 3TB Hard Drive Replacement Program
by Wayne Billing 19 Jun '15

19 Jun '15

…from: https://www.apple.com/support/imac-harddrive-3tb/ iMac (27-inch) 3TB Hard Drive Replacement Program Apple has determined that a very small number of 3TB hard drives used in 27-inch iMac systems, may fail under certain conditions. These systems were sold between December 2012 and September 2013. Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) will replace affected hard drives free of charge. Apple is contacting affected iMac owners who provided a valid email address during the product registration process to let them know about this program. If you have not been contacted, but think you have a 3TB hard drive, you can enter your serial number below to see if it's part of this program. Finding your iMac serial number is easy. See how.<https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201626> The serial number you entered is not eligible under this program because either: - It's not one of the serial numbers in the affected range OR - Our records show that your hard drive has already been replaced. If you paid for hard drive replacement, check with Apple to see if you are eligible for a refund. Replacement Process Apple recommends replacing affected hard drives as soon as possible. Please choose one of the options below: * Apple Retail Store - Set up an appointment with a Genius. * Apple Authorized Service Provider - Find one here<https://locate.apple.com/ca/en/>. * Apple Technical Support - Contact us for local service options. Before you go in for service, Apple strongly recommends backing up your data. Learn more about backup options<https://www.apple.com/ca/support/backup/>. Additional Information You will need to re-install your operating system, other applications and any backed up data after your hard drive is replaced. Please refer to About OS X Recovery<https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201314> for instructions. If you believe you have paid for a repair or replacement due to this issue, contact Apple regarding a refund. This worldwide Apple program does not extend the standard warranty coverage of the iMac. The program covers affected iMac models until December 19, 2015 or three years from its original date of sale, whichever provides longer coverage for you. Information as of 2015-06-19

1 0

FYI: Twitter on iOS may "bump into" your data plan ceiling
by Wayne Billing 17 Jun '15

17 Jun '15

To prevent unwanted data usage, iOS does not autoplay video. Twitter on iOS has changed its default to autoplay all video and Vines and GIFs: …from: http://9to5mac.com/2015/06/16/twitter-ios-autoplay/ Twitter is adding autoplay to GIFs, Vines, and native videos on iOS Zac Hall June 16th, 2015 [Autoplay_videos_on_Twitter] Twitter is turning on automatic playback for certain types of media in your timeline through an update to its iOS app and its website, the social network announced<https://blog.twitter.com/2015/introducing-a-more-seamless-video-experience-…>. Starting today, users will notice that native videos, GIFs, and Vines all autoplay directly in the timeline when browsing Twitter without the need to tap or click to initiate playback. Sound playback for native videos and Vines will still require tapping or clicking to play to avoid hijacking the experience. Users can also initiate full playback by rotating the iPhone to landscape mode when viewing an autoplay video. Not everyone is a fan of autoplaying media, of course, so Twitter says it will provide users with an option to disable the new feature and use the previous click-to-play behavior. Data consumption is also a concern for users, of course, so Twitter promises a WiFi-only option is available. Twitter says it will actually be opting some users out of the new feature as well to avoid issues: “If you’re somewhere with high data rates or you have low bandwidth on your device, we’ll opt you out of autoplay to avoid unexpected charges or slow performance.” Twitter says the new feature is rolling out to its official iOS app<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/twitter/id333903271?mt=8&at=10laZc> and the web starting today with support in its Android app coming soon. No word on if third-party Twitter apps can or will want to support video autoplay, although GIF autoplay seems harmless and useful. the social network also recently said that it’s removing the 140 character limit on direct messages<http://9to5mac.com/2015/06/11/twitter-dm-limit-ceo-change/> sent between users soon.

1 0