Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 5 is now released by Apple for users. The new update is available through Software update. Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 5 provides much better compatibility for the computer. You can also avail security and reliability for your system by updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.0_26. The new software version is 1.0 and 78.9MB in size.

If you are interested in this new software then you can download by selecting Software Update from the Apple Menu which you can find at the top left of your screen.

Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 5 Released is a post from: The Apple Bites

Just a couple of weeks ago when Apple released iOS 4.3.1, which included several minor fixes and improvements for iOS devices and here BGR report that Apple is already planning to release iOS 4.3.2 in the next two weeks. The update will include few enhancements, address security issues and fix several bugs.

BGR reports:

“It’s said to include a few enhancements, address security issues, and it will also fix several bugs that have affected users. We’re told to expect the software update for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad in about two weeks.”

Breaking News: Apple to release iOS 4.3.2 in two weeks, update to fix several bugs is a post from: The Apple Bites

Apple has updated its firmware security for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. Apple new updates include firmware password to boot alternatives drivers or partitions.

Now this new updates will prevent the Kids and causal unauthorized users from booting to an external drive or install disks.

Apple updated Firmware Security for MAcBook Pro & MacBook Air is a post from: The Apple Bites

IBM has managed to get an attention of jailbroken phones and near-field communications enabled phones as a high security risk which they feel could lead to a high rise in the number of hackers targeting mobile phones.

Quote:

Threat intelligence manager for IBM’s internal security X-Force said, ”A lot of users are hacking or jailbreaking their devices so that they can do things the manufacturer had never intended. In order to do that they need the same sort of exploit code a malicious person would need to remotely control the device, and this desire to jailbreak is driving [harmful] exploits.”

Tom Cross even added that users of jailbreaking devices can also presents a credible threat to corporate security and could lead to data theft or corporate network intrusion.

IBM drawn attention of Jailbroken phones and its threat is a post from: The Apple Bites

A new iPad competitors coming on the market, make sure they attract certain audience or certain section of users to make their products sale. Let’s take an example of BlackBerry’s PlayBook which is targeting the business user and this new tablet from Kno was created with students in mind.

Kno, the start-up founded by online textbook rental service Chegg that debuted a rather bulky double-screen tablet in June, now has plans for a more streamlined version. Is learn that a new Kno tablet will be lighter and cheaper than the $1000 model now available and will have a 14.1” screen, the largest on the market.
Moreover, the tablet will have a touchscreen, a stylus that allows users to take notes, a full browser and Flash support. No news has been released on pricing or release dates.

Kno plans tablet for certain section of audience is a post from: The Apple Bites

According to Bloomberg, they claims of a Japanese tabloid magazine SPA! saying that the Apple CEO, Steve Jobs was stopped back in July by airport safety measure at the Kansai universal Airport in Japan. It seems Jobs was reportedly trying to transport Ninja throwing stars into his private plane before heading back to the United States from his family vacation in Kyoto.

The weapon was detected through a shield scan at Kansai universal Airport, near Osaka. It was found that he was carrying inside the executive’s carry luggage in July. The Japanese magazine reported, citing unidentified officials at the airport and the transportation ministry.

According to report Jobs defended his stand by saying that it wouldn’t invent sense for a person to try to hijack his own plane. He next told officials he would never visit Japan again, the magazine reported. Apple declined to comment.

Here the airport spokesperson has confirmed that a similar incident did take place at the end of July but would not name the persons involved. They also state that the passenger did discard the throwing stars and noted that both private and public passengers are subject to the same defense measures all through the airport.
But the latest update shows that Apple has responded:

“Steve did visit Japan that summer for a vacation in Kyoto, but the incidents described at the airport are pure fiction. Steve had a great date and hopes to visit Japan again soon.”

Steve Jobs love for Ninja stars put him into trouble is a post from: The Apple Bites

The cool iPad allows user to watch all the US Open matches and provides you with up-to-the-minute scores. But a problem was reported that you’re not allowed to take your iPad to the actual matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium where the US Open tennis matches is going on. Many iPad owner has experiences shock surprises as when they were told that they can’t take their iPads inside. Moreover, it was found that the actual reason behind this was about security where the security worker has push for the ban:

Till now no official statement on this policy has come from US Open officials. There is still hope for Apple lovers as they allowed iPhones and there’s even an app that helps you find the quickest bathroom lines. Maybe is the time the US Open security thinks they’re too small to do anything wrong.

No iPad in Arthur Ashe Stadium where the US Open is going on is a post from: The Apple Bites

Can I have your attention please? There is an exciting news for Apple fans who pre-ordered their brand new iPod touches are now getting shipment notifications via email with Apple listing September 14 as the estimated time of arrival.

Even Apple has started notifying buyers of a fourth-generation iPod touch that their new players are shipping out to them by September 14. Apple chief executive officer, Steve Jobs, announced during his company’s September 1 event that iPod touch 4 was available for per-order starting that day but the product would ship the following week.

The device will have the new front-facing camera and mic, iPod touch users can make FaceTime video calls over Wi-Fi. iPod touch users can even call or receive calls from iPhone 4 owners.

You can get the new iPod touch at $229 for the 8GB model, $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model.

You can expect new iPod touch soon as shipping started is a post from: The Apple Bites

Planning to jailbreak your iPhone, hold on till you read this article. Apple in its latest patent bid has revealed that it could close down jailbroken iPhones with new technology.

The purpose of the patent, published online last week, is to “identify unauthorized users of an electronic device” and either notify the genuine owner or stop the device from working.

The patent mentions that jailbreaking as a way of recognizing an unauthorized user, meaning the company could restrict access to an iPhone if this act was carried out.

“In some embodiments, an unauthorized user can be detected by noting particular activities that can indicate suspicious behavior,” read the patent.

“Activities such as entering an incorrect password a predetermined number of times in a row, hacking of the electronic device, jailbreaking of the electronic device, removing a SIM card from the electronic device, or moving a predetermined distance away from a synced device can be used to detect an unauthorized user.”     

We recently also heard that Apple is working on a technology where the iDevice could recognize the heartbeat of the current user and compare it with the one stored and recognize the actual owner. Looks like Apple is really working on a lot of security issues these days, but will it help the users or no is the question to be asked? Please let us know what you feel about this.

Via: itpro.co.uk

Apple’s new patent: Want to Jailbreak your iPhone, risk loosing it is a post from: The Apple Bites

This may sound like a scene from the Bond movie, but its true Apple is working on this technology. According to a recent report by AppleInsider, Apple patent information suggests that future iDevices could recognize their users’ voice, heartbeat, and face – and automatically adjust aspects accordingly (or notify the owner if an unauthorized user is interacting with the device).

Apparently, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently unveiled a patent application from Apple called “Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device.” This form of security involves detecting users based on their face, voice, and heartbeat.

The patent reads:

The photograph, recording, or heartbeat can be compared, respectively, to a photograph, recording or heartbeat of authorized users of the electronic device to determine whether they match. If they do not match, the current user can be detected as an unauthorized user.

If an unauthorized user attempts to access a device, the owner can then be notified via a phone call, SMS, or email.

Off course, this technology is in its very early days and so it would still take a long time before we could actually see something like this, but yes this is what Apple has in mind for the next generation of iDevices.

Via: AppleInsider.com

Future iDevices to recognize User’s heartbeat, voice and face is a post from: The Apple Bites

Since iPhone Firmware 3.0 we can create iPhone backups that are password protected. But there will always be people that will forget their password. If you are one of them your backup is suddenly became useless. But don’t give up, ElcomSoft has created a program that can crack your database password for you.

ElcomSoft’s iPhone Password Breaker can crack your encrypted iPhone backup and is currently in beta mode. It is free to download but will expire by March 15 2010. [Download: ElcomSoft's iPhone Password Breaker].

Crack Passcode Protected iPhone Backups is a post from: The Apple Bites

Apple today released Mac OS X 10.5.8 for both consumer and server versions of Leopard via Software Update.

The 10.5.8 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac, as well as specific fixes for:

- compatibility and reliability issues when joining AirPort networks.
- an issue that could cause some monitor resolutions to no longer appear in Displays System Preferences.
- issues that may affect Bluetooth reliability.

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3606.
For information on the security content of this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.5.8 and Tiger Security Update 2009-003 is a post from: The Apple Bites

Miller informed Apple about this vulnerability and Apple was quick on releasing a patch with the iPhone Firmware 3.0.1 and everybody could sleep at night once again.

This attack on MMS (multimedia messaging service) messages, a type of SMS message, could allow an attacker to trick the recipient into visiting a malicious Web site or ultimately do something else to harm the phone or steal data.

The attacks work potentially on any type of phone that is MMS-enabled and operating on Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) networks, said Zane Lackey, a senior consultant at ISEC Partners, and independent researcher Luis Miras.

They used a jailbroken iPhone for their demos of their proof-of-concept code that allows for bypassing carrier protections for SMS communications by sending specially crafted MMS messages.

SMS communications are used by carriers to do administration on the phone and contact customers. For example, voice mail notifications are often delivered over SMS, according to Lackey.

As a result, such admin messages are trusted by recipients, despite the fact that they typically do not reveal the source of the message and other details, they said. Spoofed messages could appear to come from any trusted company like a bank or PayPal.

“This is a carrier issue,” Miras said. “We disclosed to them and they’re working on a fix.”
The researchers also have shared information with the GSM Alliance, which is providing details of the exploit to carriers, they said.

In one demo, they sent a victim a message that offered a $20 credit and included a link to a supposedly malicious site. In other demos the researchers sent a fake voice mail alert and sent an SMS that prompted the recipient to accept or decline unknown new phone settings.

f the recipient accepted the changes believing they were something routine from the carrier, an attacker could be using the permission granted to do something behind the scenes like route all the phone’s Internet traffic through an attacker’s server instead of a carrier server, which would allow the attacker to spy on all the communications.

The SMS exploits the researchers showed allow an attacker to “bypass the carrier spoofing protections” including anti-malware filtering, Lackey said. The attacks also could be used to find out what operating system a phone is running so that someone could launch an attack targeted for that software, he said.

Lackey and Miras released a tool called TAFT (There’s an Attack For That) that automates the implementation flaws that have been fixed. It does not allow for the spoofing issues, which carriers still need to address, they said.
SMS attacks are getting easier because iPhones and Android devices are easily modified and because SMS functionality has been built at higher layers that provide full access to an attacker, said Lackey.

The researchers also said they uncovered an SMS implementation flaw that they exploited to temporarily crash the phone process of an Android phone so no calls or texts could be sent or received. Google fixed that flaw, they said.

They also discovered a flaw in a third-party iPhone app from SwirlySpace that interfered with the phone and texting capabilities and that too has been fixed, Miras said.

There isn’t much someone can do to protect against these attacks except be wary of SMS messages in general, he said.

New iPhone MMS Security Flaw Discovered is a post from: The Apple Bites

Apple today released iPhone OS 3.0.1, addressing an SMS security vulnerability disclosed at yesterday’s Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas. The release of iPhone OS 3.0.1 has been expected since a spokesperson for UK iPhone carrier O2 claimed earlier today that a fix for the issue would be coming from Apple on Saturday.

Apple has also posted a security document describing the issue.

As usual, jailbreakers and unlockers should NOT update as it will remove the jailbreak/unlock.

If you don’t care about this, and you still want to update, you can do it via iTunes, or you can direct download the new iPhone firmware 3.0.1 here :

• iPhone 2G/EDGE
• iPhone 3G
• iPhone 3Gs

Apple Releases iPhone OS 3.0.1 to Address SMS Security Vulnerability is a post from: The Apple Bites