Another Vulnerability Found In Intel Processors
Insecurity experts have found that Intel chips are vulnerable to another side-channel attack similar to Meltdown and Spectre. Researchers from the College of William and Mary, Carnegie Mellon, the University of California Riverside, and Binghamton University have described a security attack that uses the speculative execution features of modern processors to leak sensitive information and undermine the security boundaries that operating systems and software erect to protect important data. Dubbed...
Will The Google Vs Oracle Kill Open Source Development
A US Judge who clearly didn’t understand the full repercussions of what they were doing, has ruled that Google’s use of Java APIs in the original Android code did not constitute fair use, and that reparations are due. Some analysts believe that Google could be $8bn to $9bn poorer as a result of the ruling, the latest chapter in a long-running dispute. The story runs thus: Google used the Java code, formally owned by Sun Microsystems to create large swaths of the Android code. That’s fine...
Israeli Scientist Develop Terahertz Processors
Physicist Dr Uriel Levy and his team have emerged from his lightning struck tower in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem having created a proof of concept for a working terahertz microchip. Until now, two major challenges stood in the way of creating a workable terahertz microchip – scalability and the fact they tended to catch fire. In a paper published this week in Laser and Photonics Review, which we get for the spot the Proton competition, Levy, and HU emeritus professor Joseph Shappir...
Can Intel Keep A Stranglehold On The Server Market?
Qualcomm’s introduction of a top notch 48 core 10nm server chip means that Intel’s milkmaid can no longer serve up expensive milk from its cash cow Xeons and the lot. It’s years since Intel had any credible rival on the server front, but if Qualcomm’s hopes, as reported here, turn into reality, then Intel can wave its stonking profits goodbye. Unless, of course, Intel in sheer desperation, pulls a rabbit out of its financially top notch hat and can waste its shareholders’ money with...
BlackBerry Unveils New Security Platform
BlackBerry has unveiled a comprehensive mobile-security platform for a wide range of Internet of Things devices connected to enterprises. Officially named BlackBerry Secure, the mobile security software and related services will combine key technologies from recent BlackBerry acquisitions including Good Technology, WatchDox, AtHoc and Encription. The company detailed its efforts in a blog post. BlackBerry emphasized that the new approach will simplify management and security for smartphones,...
Will Windows 10 On ARM Finally Materialize?
Microsoft dropped a bomb on December 7th. At WinHEC it announced that the Next generation Qualcomm Snapdragon processors have full Windows 10 support. Yes, this time, they will run every Windows X86 application via an emulator. It looks like 2017 will be a fun year. Qualcomm, all of a sudden got support for Windows 10 on its mobile computing devices. This will enable new anytime, anywhere connected device form factors. What Qualcomm and Microsoft are trying to say is that you can expect some...
‘Stegano’ Malvertising Exposes Millions To Hacking
Since October, millions of internet users have been exposed to malicious code embedded in the pixels from tainted banner ads designed to install Trojans and spyware, according to security firm ESET. The attack campaign, called Stegano, has been spreading from malicious ads in a “number of reputable news websites,” ESET said in a Tuesday blog post. It’s been preying on Internet Explorer users by scanning for vulnerabilities in Adobe Flash and then exploiting them. The attack is designed...
Is Google Going After Facebook?
The word on the information street is that Google wants to buy Facebook. It is entirely speculative, but could have legs. Information leaked suggests that talks are well advanced between the two companies. Anecdotal evidence from many Facebook users suggests that talks are well advanced and the companies are already sharing experimental data, between themselves, of user data. Other sources suggest that Microsoft (Vole) is also interested in Facebook and, conversely, that Facebook is interested...
Will The TeraHertz Band Increase Wi-Fi Speeds?
Researchers have worked out a way to push Wi-Fi speeds to 34 Gbps using the TeraHertz band. While greater bandwidth in the 300GHz and above band has been known for a while it is pointless because the range makes it a chocolate teapot. Some researchers have managed to hit 100 Gbps but when it only works for a few centimeters it is not commercially viable. Now boffins at the Tokyo Institute of Technology have got the technology to provide a great 34 Gbps speed with a decent range. Naoto Oshimo,...
Helio Finally Launches X27
MediaTek has announced two more Helio X20 series products – a Helio X27 and an X23 and as you can figure out from the names; Helio X27 is faster than the X25 while X23 is a bit slower. Helio X25 was the fastest deca-core 20nm SoC from MediaTek with three cluster designs and this SoC ended up in quite a few prominent China higher end phones including a few Meizu devices. But it looks like customers wanted a bit faster camera, SoC and GPU performance for its late 2016 early 2017 phones, the ones...