Apple devices are susceptible to hacking through MMS

Senior security researcher of Cisco Talos Tyler Bohan discovered a new serious vulnerability in the Apple devices, codenamed CVE-2016-4631. It is hidden in ImageIO - an API used to process image data in all "apple" operating systems, including iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS. With this vulnerability, attackers can access the user's personal information, including its authentication data, stored in the device's memory using a specially written message. This means that the hacker can find out information about Wi-Fi-networks, accounts, as well as e-mail addresses, logins and passwords to them. CVE-2016-4631 in many ways resembles the vulnerability Stagefright for Android.

The device is infected by sending the user malicious code encrypted in MMS via iMessage inside the Tagged Image File Format or through the Safari browser. Once the victim receives such a message, the virus begins its work. At the same time, no actions are required from the user, since applications automatically process images on receipt, and at this point the malicious code is launched. The most dangerous thing in a virus is that it is extremely difficult to detect such an attack.

Tyler Bohan said that this vulnerability is extremely critical. The user can not in any way prevent the receipt of MMS and the launch of malicious code. It is enough for an attacker to send such a message to the victim, and the virus will immediately start working as soon as the device is in the coverage area of ​​the mobile network.

It's worth noting that iOS has built-in protection against malicious code, so an attacker is required to use jailbreak or superuser rights to gain full control over the mobile device. In macOS, there is no such protection, so this type of attacks are subject to absolutely all users.

The good news is that iOS 9.3.3 has already been shut down, so all Apple smartphone users should install this update as soon as possible.

Qualcomm announces the first solutions supporting the standard Wi-Fi 802.11ax

Qualcomm Technologies, the world's first company, announced a line of first commercial solutions supporting the new standard Wi-Fi 802.11ax. These are the single-chip IPQ8074 system for network infrastructure and the QCA6290 solution for client devices. The need for new developments is due to the fact that Wi-Fi networks are becoming more diverse and overloaded. Novelties from Qualcomm Technologies with the support of the standard 802.11ax are designed to improve the quality of the connection, while providing up to four times the bandwidth, which will make Wi-Fi communication more efficient and provide users with up to four times more performance, as well as increase the time service battery of Wi-Fi devices in comparison with solutions of 802.11ac.

"Bandwidth, not the peak data rate, has become the most important measure of the network's ability to cope with the ever-increasing demands of modern diverse combinations of applications and services.We were the first to commercialize solutions aimed at the efficient use of maximum bandwidth, such as MU-MIMO, Wi- Fi SON and 802.11ad, and now we are on the front line with the innovations 11ax, which contribute to the transition of the entire Wi-Fi industry to the next level in terms of bandwidth and high efficiency of the network . Transforming 802.11ax making functions are designed to provide our customers the ability to satisfy the demand, providing sufficient bandwidth Wi-Fi connection for better ", - said Rahul Patel,

The standard Wi-Fi 802.11ax is designed primarily to expand the network bandwidth and better use of the Wi-Fi spectrum in order to maintain a quality connection in problem areas. The growing number of connected devices, the variety of traffic and density of overlapping networks currently overload the Wi-Fi spectrum and jeopardize the quality of the connection. To solve this problem, Qualcomm's 802.11ax products support the transmission to 12 streams (eight with a frequency of 5 GHz and four with a frequency of 2.4 GHz), 8x8 MU-MIMO, 80 MHz channels and other capabilities for maximum throughput and coverage. In addition, such solutions support cellular technologies such as orthogonal frequency division multiple access and traffic planning, designed to provide greater efficiency, higher throughput and more stable operation. This resource allocation approach, along with optimizing the exit time from standby mode, can reduce the power consumption of Wi-Fi by 2/3 and extend the battery life of the device without sacrificing performance. The greatest benefit will be visible on devices supporting Wi-Fi 802.11ax, but with this, Qualcomm Technologies has developed solutions to improve performance and better connectivity in 11ax networks, including for devices based on previous standards - 802.11ac and 802.11n. can reduce the power consumption of Wi-Fi by 2/3 and extend the battery life of the device without sacrificing performance. The greatest benefit will be visible on devices supporting Wi-Fi 802.11ax, but with this, Qualcomm Technologies has developed solutions to improve performance and better connectivity in 11ax networks, including for devices based on previous standards - 802.11ac and 802.11n. can reduce the power consumption of Wi-Fi by 2/3 and extend the battery life of the device without sacrificing performance. The greatest benefit will be visible on devices supporting Wi-Fi 802.11ax, but with this, Qualcomm Technologies has developed solutions to improve performance and better connectivity in 11ax networks, including for devices based on previous standards - 802.11ac and 802.11n.

"We are very excited about the potential impact of 802.11ax on small businesses and households, and 802.11ax is not an additional update designed to keep up with modern requirements.This technology will set a new benchmark for what is most important in the field of network technologies , and that will lay the foundation for network bandwidth for years to come, "commented the announcement of David Henry, senior vice president of home networking equipment at Netgear.

"Wi-Fi is now an important element in the areas of corporate use, education, services and networks, according to IT executives, their main challenges relate to performance and scalability, given the huge growth in the number of users.As industry leaders, we are developing innovations , which will help solve the problems of our customers, and we consider 802.11ax the culmination of key achievements that will form the basis of the future mobile enterprise, "said Anand Osval, Senior Vice President, uppy Cisco enterprise networks.

IPQ8074 is a single-chip system with a high degree of integration designed to provide maximum power, range and performance for the next generation of industrial access points, frequency gateways and consumer routers.

Key features of IPQ8074:

• four times the bandwidth to achieve maximum network performance in comparison with 802.11ac solutions: using the 12x12 configuration, MU-MIMO for upstream and downstream signals and supporting eight 80 MHz streams, IPQ8074 increases throughput 4 times, providing speeds of up to 4, 8 Gb / s and supports fast communication in large coverage areas;
• Intelligent functions for seamless connectivity: In addition to the self-organizing Qualcomm Wi-Fi network, which simplifies installation, optimizes traffic and reduces dead spots, the IPQ8074 offers opportunities to reduce interference in dense areas with a large number of overlapping Wi-Fi hotspots;
• all in one platform: integrating 11ax-radio, MAC and a built-in modem with a quad-core 64-bit A53 processor and dual-core network accelerator, providing a completely unloaded subsystem 11ax.

The QCA6290 is a single-chip 802.11ax Wi-Fi client device that offers high throughput, battery life, and rich user experience in homes, businesses, cars, public areas and other high traffic areas.

Key features of QCA6290:

• Increase the user throughput in overcrowded networks up to 4 times compared to 802.11ac solutions: support 2x2 MU-MIMO and realize all the advantages of 8x8 MU-MIMO, support for advanced 8x8 sounding mechanism;
• Fast Gigabit Speed: Peak speeds up to 1.8 Gb / s using Dual Band Simultaneous technology, combining bands at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies, as well as higher modulation order (QAM 1024);
• reduced power consumption by 2/3 compared to 802.11ac solutions using optimization from Qualcomm Technologies, which are in addition to supporting the standard 802.11ax power. With the capabilities of Wi-Fi 802.11ax and a wide range of features, such as 4K Ultra HD streaming video and video conferencing, content sharing, social media and file transfer, the QCA6290 solution is designed to improve user experience. The combination of DBS with increased bandwidth and improved performance also improves connectivity in vehicles, including gigabit Wi-Fi hotspots in cars, the sharing of content between connected devices and infotainment systems in cars, and the support of multiple video streams along with duplication of the screen.

Qualcomm Technologies is planning to test IPQ8074 and QCA6290 in the first half of this year.

NVIDIA Jetson TX2 will find application in drones and robots

NVIDIA introduced a new computing platform Jetson TX2, which runs twice as fast as the first generation. Jetson TX2 will be of interest first of all for developers of drones, robots, smart devices, cameras and other advanced gadgets. Thanks to the built-in elements of artificial intelligence, Jetson TX2 can be used for navigation, shooting, speech recognition and many other tasks.
Chipmeyker also revealed key features of Jetson TX2. In terms of size, the platform does not exceed the bank card, with two clusters with NVIDIA Denver 2 cores and ARM Cortex-A57 cores. The chip supports working with 4K-video with a frequency of up to 60 frames / s. Traditionally, a strong place in NVIDIA devices is graphics. For the processing of visual information, 256 CUDA cores are paired with 8 GB of RAM type LPDDR4. By default, all information can be stored on the built-in 32 GB eMMC. Wireless standards for Wi-Fi 802.11 ac and Bluetooth are supported, as well as Ethernet speeds of up to 1 Gb / s.

NVIDIA said that already about a dozen partner companies use TX2 for their own purposes. For example, Cisco chooses a platform for all-in-one devices, for example, a touch panel as a screen, an interactive whiteboard and for video conferencing. A company called Fellow Robots uses the TX2 platform to quickly inventory and search items in stores. Live Planet turns 4K-videos into 360-degree panorama during live broadcasts. In addition, TX2 has already found application in the compact unmanned aerial vehicle of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

NVIDIA has already opened pre-order for the TX2 Developer Kit in the US and Europe. The expanded set will cost $ 599, and the start of sales is scheduled for March 14. The very embedded TX2 platform costs $ 399, and its deliveries will begin in the next quarter. NVIDIA will also continue to sell the TX1 Developer Kit for $ 499.

The concept of the Internet of things is becoming more popular

The Swiss research company Berg Insight has calculated the existing base of wireless Internet devices of things in industrial automation and claims that in 2014 their number was 10.3 million units. Analysts of the company are confident in the further growth of popularity of this category of devices and believe that by 2020 their number will reach 43.5 million. The report says that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are the most common technologies in the automation of production, whereas cellular communication is usually used for remote monitoring and communication between enterprises. At the same time, the growth of the popularity of Ethernet-based networks in the automation of production is one of the main reasons for the popularity of Wi-Fi.

The report says that the market leaders in providing devices supporting Wi-Fi 802.15.4 for industrial automation are companies such as Emerson, Honeywell, GE and Yokogawa. At the same time Siemens, Cisco, Belden, Moxa, Schneider Electric and Eaton are the main suppliers of Wi-Fi devices, and Eaton, GE and Sierra Wireless are important suppliers of cellular devices for industrial automation.

"Large multinational corporations are beginning to systematically develop and implement better solutions to maximize the benefits of the Internet concept of things in every part of the organization." IT / OT convergence, smart industries, Industry 4.0 and the industrial Internet of things are part of the development of industrial automation. , wireless communication, energy collection, 3D printing, large amounts of data and cloud solutions together with seamless information exchange between devices, systems and people paves the way for improving productivity, flexibility and efficiency in the development of the value chain, "said Johan Svanberg, senior analyst at Berg Insight.

Apple and Cisco announced a partnership

Today Apple announced the beginning of a partnership with Cisco, an American company developing network equipment. This agreement shows the desire of both organizations to unite to create a "fast communication line" for business iOS users by optimizing Cisco networks in iOS devices and applications. Apple and Cisco are striving to make the iPhone a more effective business tool using Cisco networking technologies. In other words, iOS devices will work faster and more efficiently where there is Cisco technology.

"iOS is the best mobile platform in the world, and almost every Fortune 500 company and Global 500 today puts iOS at the heart of their mobile strategy," said Tim Cook. "The iPhone and iPad have become essential tools for today's work environment, We believe that together with Cisco we will be able to provide business tools to maximize the potential of iOS, as well as help employers become more productive using devices that they already love. "

New Intel Xeon processors increase the speed of data analysis

Com pany Intel announced a new family of Intel Xeon processor E7-8800 / 4800 v3, which are designed to provide a higher speed of the companies in analyzing the data in real-time due to improved performance and reliability. The processors are ready for use in critical computing computing environments, as well as real-time business intelligence, which is a top priority for companies from various industries: from healthcare and retail to telecommunications.

The world is constantly on the lookout for new computing technologies in RAM: according to Gartner, by the end of 2018, the revenue on the RAM market will exceed $ 9.5 billion, and half of the existing large companies will use computer calculations in RAM to implement their business- strategies. The newest Intel Xeon E7 v3 processors are designed not only to process and analyze large amounts of data in the system memory, but also to do it in a protected mode for faster business decision-making and efficiency improvement. Together, all this gives companies additional competitive advantages.

"In an economy based on digital services, success or failure can depend on how quickly companies can act on the basis of analyzing their data," said Diane Bryant, senior vice president and head of the Data Center Group of Intel Corp. "The Intel processor family Xeon E7 v3 allows you to accelerate business intelligence by analyzing data in real time, which helps companies improve customer satisfaction by offering more personalized products and services, creating new sources and profits and improve efficiency. "

• Compared to the previous generation, the performance of new chips is 40% more, while Intel Xeon E7 v3 has already delivered 20 new world performance records for various mission-critical applications.
• In applications optimized with Intel Transactional Synchronization Extensions (Intel TSX), it was possible to achieve up to 6 times the performance level associated with processing transactions in RAM.
• Support for 18 cores, an increase in the number of cores by 20% and support for up to 45 MB of cache provide up to 70% of analytical sessions per hour.
• The product family provides up to 10 times better performance in terms of $ 1 at up to 85% of the lower total cost of ownership compared to alternative RISC architectures. This is achieved by reducing the cost of acquiring hardware, energy and cooling costs.
• The processors support configurations with 32-way connectors and the largest memory per 1-way connector (systems with 8-way connectors can support up to 12 TB of DDR3 or DDR4 memory).
• New security and reliability features, including increased encryption performance with the latest Intel Advanced Encryption Standard New Instructions (Intel AES-NI) instructions, and additional improvements at the microarchitecture level. Intel Run Sure technology, which includes a set of reliability, availability and ease of use features for the Intel Xeon E7 family of processors, has been further enhanced with two new features to make critical applications available at 99.999%.
• The product family has 12 processor models, including processors optimized for several segments, for example, 2 high-frequency models that are designed for a set of database applications that require the maximum clock speed.
• Already, 17 manufacturers from all over the world announce the release of platforms based on the Intel Xeon E7 v3 processor family: Bull, Cisco, Dell, Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, Huawei, Inspur, Lenovo, NEC, Oracle, PowerLeader, Quanta, SGI, Sugon, Supermicro and ZTE.
• Cloudera believes that a partnership with Intel encourages the popularization of analytical solutions among companies. For example, the implementation of Intel AES-NI, which provides a 2.5-fold increase in the performance of encryption, which allows you to encrypt the entire array of Hadoop data with system costs at a level of 1 to 4%, depending on the workload.
• Nippon Paint, one of the largest paint producers in Asia, is currently using the Intel Xeon E7 v2 processor to run analytical software in SAP HANA memory. The application with higher accuracy analyzes customer behavior and speeds up the company's ability to analyze data and act on them to implement optimized marketing campaigns.
• "With real-time analytics solutions, Nippon Paint is able to collect and analyze information about customer preferences to adapt its products and services to customer needs," said Justin Chen, IT Director, Nippon Paint .-- Practical information for processing which used to take several days or even weeks, is now available almost in real time. At the moment, we are testing systems based on the new Intel Xeon E7 v3 processors in order to You can take advantage of higher performance and reliability features. "

Intel Xeon D - a line of server single-chip processors

Intel is updating the range of Xeon server processors with the release of the new Intel Xeon D line. The new chips are based on the 14-nm process technology and became the first Xeon family systems made on a single chip. Thus, greater energy efficiency and compactness of systems is provided, but at the same time the high performance required for server processors remains. Xeon D can be used to create low-power solutions in confined spaces. Xeon D became the third generation of single-chip solutions from Intel based on 64-bit architecture."The growth in the number of devices with advanced network capabilities and the need for new digital services have created new opportunities for the development of information and communication technologies," said Diane Bryant, senior vice president and head of the Intel Center for Data Center Group. "By implementing high performance Xeon processors in low-power single-chip systems, we combine all advantages in one solution, giving companies the opportunity to offer new services. "

Inside, Intel Xeon D combines the x86 architecture, 2 Intel 10GbE Ethernet ports and I / O ports. In this case, the new chipsets will allocate up to 20 W of heat and support up to 128 GB of memory. Compared with the previous-generation processor of single-chip Intel Atom C2750 systems, the performance in terms of 1 W of consumed power increased by 1.7 times. At the same time, the performance per node increased by 3.4 times.

"Our company is the largest provider of web hosting in Europe, so technological innovation is very important for our success," said Robert Hoffmann, CEO of 1 & 1 Internet AG. "As part of our technological cooperation with Intel, we are evaluating server platforms for base of new Intel Xeon D processors in order to take advantage of high performance and efficiency of the first single-chip Xeon solution. "

The novelty is intended for the companies containing Internet hosting, and also for creation of cloud services. Xeon D can be used to solve various tasks, for example, to provide dedicated web hosting, dynamic web surfing, memory caching or data storage. Cisco, HP, Huawei, NEC and other well-known companies are already building servers based on Intel Xeon D, 75% of them are for network solutions, storage solutions and Internet stuff. The processors are already available for $ 199 for the quad-core Intel Xeon D-1520 and $ 581 for the eight-core Intel Xeon D-1540. Ready-made solutions will appear in the second half of 2015.

Cisco and Samsung have reached an agreement on the exchange of licenses

The companies Cisco and Samsung Electronics announced the conclusion of a so-called cross-license agreement, immediately entered into force. Through this step, both companies have access to a broad portfolio of each other's patents relating to the widest range of technologies and products. The agreement provides equal access of companies to all existing patents, as well as to those licenses, applications for registration of which will be filed in the next 10 years.

Cross-license agreement significantly reduces the risk of possible litigation in the field of patent law, opening up new spaces for the development of products and services.

"Too often, innovation is literally throttled in the bud in today's overly controversial industry," said Dan Lang, vice president of intellectual property, Cisco. - And the agreement on the exchange of patents is an important step aimed at changing this trend. This is a step towards new discoveries and freedom of action. "

"We are optimistic about the future of our cooperation with Cisco," said Dr. Sego An, head of the Samsung Electronics Intellectual Property Center. "We expect this agreement to benefit our two companies and, ultimately, our customers around the world."

Android-devices: the main target for malicious attacks

According to a Cisco report for 2013, devices running the Android operating system are the primary target for cybercriminals. The statistics of malicious web programs on mobile phones says that 71% of the affected gadgets function on the Android OS. The figure sounds awesome, but it's worth remembering that only 1.2% of the time the attack is aimed at a specific device.
According to Cisco, the form of malicious programs called Andr / Qdplugin-A became very popular. It is embodied in any application for Android, located in unofficial app stores. Therefore, the company strongly recommends using only the original Google Play store.

Google and Cisco entered into a long-term patent deal

Google has concluded a long-term contract with Cisco on the licensing and use of each other's patents. Cisco Systems is the world's largest developer and manufacturer of network equipment designed to support remote access networks, security services, storage networks and other tasks. Reportedly, Google wants to focus on its own products, rather than on litigation with other companies.

The companies announced a deal officially on their websites . Dan Lang, Cisco vice president of intellectual property, said:

In today's overly controversial environment, cross-licensing is an effective way for technology companies to work together and help prevent unnecessary patent claims. This agreement is an important step in promoting innovation and ensuring freedom of development.

Google and Cisco are members of the Coalition of Patent Equity. Allen Law, deputy general counsel for patents at Google, said that Google encourages such deals with interested companies. Recall that earlier Google entered into a similar deal for a period of 10 years with Samsung.