About time Intel thought of ME!

Subject: General Tech | July 19, 2018 - 02:53 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: security, patch, intel management engine, Intel, IME

A bit before Christmas last year, Intel provided sysadmins with a lovely present, vulnerabilities in the on chip Intel Management Engine which you could not even tell if they had been used to breach your systems.  Intel have now publicly released four advisories pertaining to the IME, so that interested parties can investigate for themselves.  These were already released to system builders and patches released, after a quite a long delay.  This is better late than never ... assuming you are not running anything older than a fourth generation Core processor. 

The Register has links to the advisories if you are interested in a little light reading.

"Now that Intel's advisory is public, it's clear that Chipzilla has known the particulars for some time, and has been privately working with computer manufacturers to push fixes ahead of disclosure. For example, Lenovo emitted firmware fixes in April, and Dell no later than June."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Apple confirms its new MacBook Pro keyboard has a 'membrane' to prevent dust borkage @ The Inquirer
• Windows 10 IoT Core Services unleashed to public preview @ The Register
• Intel's 9th-gen 'Coffee Lake S' processors could debut in August @ The Inquirer
• Analyzing Graphics Card Pricing: July 2018 @ TechSpot
• Fork it! Google fined €4.34bn over Android, has 90 days to behave @ The Register

Spectre doesn't stand a ghost of a chance on the new Chrome, nor will your available RAM

Subject: General Tech | July 12, 2018 - 02:10 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: chrome, security, spectre

Chrome's predilection for gobbling up vast amounts of RAM will soon increase to new levels but it is for a very good reason.  Chrome 67 will offer a Site Isolation feature which will protect you against a variety of Spectre attacks.   When you have this feature enabled in Chrome each site would be isolated, with the a single renderer process per page.  This means coss-site iframes and pop-ups will be unable to read data from other pages; in fact a single site may spawn multiple render processes, each running in isolation.

There is of course a cost, The Inquirer was quoted an increase of 10-13% in RAM usage ... so better get a 128GB kit.

"The new feature basically splits the render process into separate tasks using out-of-process iframes, which makes it difficult for speculative execution exploits like Spectre to snoop on data."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• New Spectre 1.1 and Spectre 1.2 CPU Flaws Disclosed @ Slashdot
• Intel's new Xeon E chips take aim at entry-level workstations @ The Inquirer
• Microsoft is Updating Windows Notepad Application For the First Time in Years @ Slashdot
• NAND the beat goes on: Samsung to fling out 96-layer 3D NAND chip @ The Register
• You Can Now Buy a Practical Gauss Gun @ Hackaday

Driver IRQL not less or equal, please schedule a patch at your local car dealership

Subject: General Tech | July 5, 2018 - 01:15 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: security

Chris Roberts, who's claims to fame include taking over the thrust control of an airplane via the in flight entertainment system, spoke at length about the lack of security on less expensive vehicles.  With the electronics of cars and trucks becoming more and more complex and interactive, new threats are appearing almost daily and almost nothing is being done about it.  Car manufacturers will need to set up a method to update the software running on their vehicles, especially considering the fact that current laws make it illegal for owners to install patches on their own. 

The terrifying part is that he told The Register that the automobile industry is far ahead of all other transportation industries; apart from Tesla, the last newsworthy software update involved fudged emissions, not security enhancements.

"I put a network sniffer on the big truck to see what it was sharing. Holy crap! The GPS, the telemetry, the tracking. There's a lot of data this thing is sharing."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Tattoo your 3D Prints with Velocity Painting @ Hackaday
• Uh-oh. Boffins say most Android apps can slurp your screen – and you wouldn't even know it @ The Register
• What I’ve learned from nearly three years of enterprise Wi-Fi at home @ Ars Technica
• Anda Seat Assassin King Gaming Chair Review @ Neoseeker
• Netflix is Testing a New 'Ultra' Tier of Service @ Slashdot
• The BeOS file system, an OS geek retrospective @ Ars Technica
• The Grand Challenge 2018 Hackathon Guide – Johor! @ TechARP

Cortana's feeling vulnerable; that's why she's always eavesdropping on you

Subject: General Tech | June 13, 2018 - 12:39 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: security, windows 10, cortana, microsoft, spectre

If your Win10 machine did not go beep in the night, you might want to get on that reboot as there are numerous security patches waiting to install.  One of them is a long standing flaw which effects those who haven't disembowelled the Cortana search assistant on their computer.  For those that have managed to subdue Cortana, rest assured she is not listening to you at all times; those who haven't should be aware that she is always listening, even in her sleep.  As creepy as that already is, it has also been a way to take advantage of long standing security flaw in the assistant.   This, as well as a patch for a Spectre variant and a variety of other patches is waiting your installation. 

You can check out information on Cortana's bad habits over at The Inquirer.

"Lane Thames, a senior security researcher at Tripwire, spoke out about the long-standing flaw with Cortana, that meant the AI helper was always listening for commands, even when a PC is locked."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• June 2018, and Windows Server can be pwned with a DNS request @ The Register
• Microsoft Explains How it Decides Whether a Vulnerability Will Be Patched Swiftly or Left For a Version Update @ Slashdot
• Hello, 'Apple' here, and this dodgy third-party code is A-OK with us @ The Register
• Where is the Windows 10 Recycle Bin? @ Techspot

Has your Amazon Fire TV been running a little hot lately?

Subject: General Tech | June 12, 2018 - 01:36 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: amazon fire tv, amazon, security, cryptocurrency, Android, ADB.Miner

New cryptomining malware has been popping up on Android devices recently, especially Fire TV's with debugging mode or installation of unsigned apps enabled. ADB.Miner runs a program called Test under com.google.time.time and will happily suck up as much of your devices processing power as it can, causing slow performance and occasionally interrupting video playback with a screen which reads Test.  If you have seen this you should probably disable debug, set the device to block unsigned apps and do a factory reset. 

The Inquirer also describes an Amazon store app called Total Commander which should remove it, but the factory reset will offer a better guarantee of removal.

"AFTVnews has the scoop and reports that the threat, a malware worm variant dubbed 'ADB.Miner', is installing itself on Amazon gadgets as an app called 'Test' under the package name 'com.google.time.time.' "

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Actual control of Windows 10 updates (with a catch)... and more from Microsoft @ The Register
• Half of Windows 10 users have experienced PC borkage, says new research @ The Inquirer
• Korean cryptocoin exchange $30m lighter after hacking attack @ The Register
• Carmel, Libra, and Andromeda Are the Next Wave of Surface Devices: Report @ Slashdot
• Exclusive: Plume’s new “Superpod” hardware is here—and it’s fast @ Ars Technica
• 3D Print A Remote Control Flame Thrower @ Hackaday
• For Honor Starter Edition is FREE for a Limited Time! @ TechARP
• Ziggurat for FREE @ GoG

Why we can't have nice things, part infinity ... Samsung escapes security support

Subject: General Tech | June 1, 2018 - 12:41 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Samsung, security, lawyers

It is unlikely you spend much time following Dutch court cases; thankfully The Register had an ear out though as this particular case is of interest to many.  The Dutch Consumers Association launched a case which would have made Samsung legally responsible for providing security updates to phones for up to four years after launch, two years after sale.  A judgment in favour of this would have meant an appeal, of course, but could eventually have meant Android updates for all as it would be a bizarre decision on Samsung's part to geographically limit security updates.  We should expect to see more cases, hopefully somewhere is a judge that does not consider a maximum of six years of security updates unacceptably onerous for Samsung to provide.

"The case could have had far-reaching impacts, since there's little point in writing software for only one market. The Consumentenbond wanted the court to force the smartphone giant to provide security updates for four years after a product was launched, and/or two years after a product was sold."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Half of all Windows 10 users thought: BSOD it, let's get the latest build @ The Register
• 15-Way Linux Distribution / Operating System Comparison, Including Windows 10 & WSL @ Phoronix
• Dell is reportedly working on an ARM-powered dual-screen Windows device @ The Inquirer
• Cisco turns to AMD Epyc for the first time in new UCS model @ The Register

Remember Rowhammer; it has a long enough memory to remember you

Subject: General Tech | May 10, 2018 - 02:05 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: rowhammer, security, throwhammer

Rowhammer dates back to 2015, a vulnerability which is able to flip bits in DRAM and NAND.  An enterprising attacker could use it to target page table entries which would allow them to gain root access to Linux machines, but it was a local attack and could not be performed remotely ... until now.  Researchers have discovered a new way to exploit this vector using carefully crafted network packages to attack high end network cards which utilize remote direct memory access.  That feature is very handy, allowing the network card to move large amounts of data without taking CPU cycles but it is vulnerable to this new attack.  Drop by Ars Technica for all the depressing details about Throwhammer.

"For the first time, researchers have exploited the Rowhammer memory-chip weakness using nothing more than network packets sent over a local area network. The advance is likely to further lower the bar for triggering bit flips that change critical pieces of data stored on vulnerable computers and servers."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Every major OS maker misread Intel's docs. Now their kernels can be hijacked or crashed @ The Register
• Steam is finally getting support for Android, iOS and smart TVs (but there's a catch) @ The Inquirer
• And lo, Qualcomm hath declared that a new chip for wearables is coming @ The Register
• Patch designed to fix crashing in Windows 10 causes crashes in Windows 10 @ The Register
• Second wave of Spectre-like CPU security flaws won't be fixed for a while @ The Register

Fools! You thought you had seen the last of ... The Spectre?

Subject: General Tech | May 4, 2018 - 12:55 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Specter NG, Intel, security

Not to ruin your Friday, but it seems we have a sequel.  Spectre Next Generation refers to eight new vulnerabilities Intel CPUs posses, some of which Heise suggests could be even worse than the previously revealed flaws.  Intel's official response can be read at The Inquirer, AMD have stated they are investigating to see if there is any possible way their chips and vulnerable while ARM decided not to comment at all.  One of the more disturbing vulnerabilities can cross between or out of VMs, rendering your sandbox unsafe.  It is still early yet so we cannot say exactly what product lines are vulnerable, nor do we have specifics on the the eight flaws but you can expect to hear a lot more in the coming days.

"The flaws, first reported by German tech site Heise which said it has been given full technical details on the vulnerabilities and said Intrl had reserved Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) numbers for them."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Activision shows PC some love, plans “significant” resources for Call of Duty @ Ars Technica
• Vulnerabilities Affecting Over One Million Dasan GPON Routers Are Now Under Attack @ Slashdot
• Free To Play, Expensive To Love: 'Fortnite' Changes Video Game Business @ Slashdot
• May the 4th be with you: Best Star Wars gifts and gadgets @ The Inquirer
• It's World (Terrible) Password (Advice) Day! @ The Register
• nerdytec Couchmaster Cycon Ergonomic tech seating @ MissingRemote