Has Your iOS Device Been Hacked By The CIA?

Let me start this out by stating that we, in no way, can confirm any particular reasoning, whether it be beneficial or malicious, as to the CIA's attacks on Apple's devices and software. That being said, if you own any type of Apple device that has come out since the release of the first iPhone, there are some recent developments that you should definitely be aware of.

While we don't know everything for sure, we do know that the CIA and the NSA have been making attempts to hack into Apple's security networks. This has come as a shock to just about every consumer that has found out about it. Of course when asked about it, the CIA had no comment on the story.

So what exactly has even been happening, you may wonder. Since the first generation iPhone was in development, The CIA have been have been both sponsoring and attending an event call "Jamboree". This event was designed to figure out the latest and best tactics at cracking Apple's security codes and developer tools. One Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor, has come out and shown some of the slides that were presented at one of the previous Jamboree events. The slides explain multiple efforts to weaken and break through Apple's security within their multiple devices. One of the slide's even talks about creating and infected version of Apple's Xcode.

Xcode is the development code used to design applications on both iOS and OS X devices. The "dummy" code would allow access to all of the applications utilizing a backdoor implanted within the code itself. This particular "whacked" code would be targeted at budding developers who might be unfamiliar with the original, unaltered Xcode. Should these newer developers end up using the tampered Xcode, they would be allowing a backdoor to be created within the program, unknowingly of course. Needless to say, this type of tampering and targeting towards newer developers is violating more than a few laws.

As far as we know, there have not been any successful attempts at cracking into Apple's security encryptions. That being said, this doesn't mean that we as consumers and the developers are safe from the prying CIA. They are still very capable of weakening the security of Apple devices, as well compromising any app developed by the developers that fall prey to the CIA and their infected code.

What type of data was the CIA even planning to take from us? Well apparently they've been looking to ascertain the GID keys used by our devices. A GID key would be used to track a single user on one device. The GID key, however, would be used to gain access to an entire product line as they likely use the same application processor. If the CIA were to get their hands on these GID keys, they'd be able to create their own type of firmware to install on an entire product line that shares the same app processor, thus allowing for mass surveillance.

Again, there is no confirmation as to the reasoning that the CIA has for these malicious attacks on Apple's product security. That being said, this is disturbing to say the least.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

Apple is Present in More Than Half of American Households

Apple products can be seen almost anywhere these days. With iPhones, iPads, iPods and MacBooks, Apple is definitely finding its way into the American household. According to a survey that was conducted by CNBC, more than half of all American households own one or more Apple product.

That means that more than 55 million U.S. homes own some kind of Apple product, and CNBC says that this number will only be going up. Of those polled, a quarter of the individuals said that they would be buying an Apple device sometime within the next year.

“It's a fantastic business model — the more of our products you own, the more likely you are to buy more,” says Jay Campbell, the vice president of Hart Research Associates, which helped to conduct the CNBC survey. “Planned obsolescence has always been a part of the technology industries sales model, but Apple has taken it to a whole new level.”

The survey found that the majority of Apple consumers are younger, college-educated males. It also showed that, not surprisingly, the more money that an individual made, the more Apple products that they tended to have. Seventy-seven percent of individuals making $75,000 or more owned at least one Apple device, and on average, owned three devices; while only 28 percent of individuals that made $30,000 or less owned at least one Apple device, and on average, they owned 0.6 devices.

It’s crazy to think how many devices Apple has sold. When the third-generation iPad was released, more than 3 million devices were sold on the first weekend. According to the CNBC survey, it really looks like in the future it’s only going to get better for Apple.

Sources: CNBC - Apples Are Growing in American Homes and PCMag - Half of American Homes Own at Least One Apple Product

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Critical to Download Apple's iOS Security Patch

Recently, there has been news flying around about some issues with Apple’s mobile operating system. At first it didn’t seem like a huge deal, but according to Chester Wisniewski, a senior security advisor at Sophos, it is much more critical than was first believed that iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users download Apple’s recent security patch for iOS.

“It is clearly critical that all users update as soon as possible, unless they only use their device for telephone calls,” Wisniewski wrote Wednesday, July 27 on Sophos’ NakedSecurity blog. He wrote that the Apple operating system is vulnerable to an updated version of a tool that is called sslsniff. It "allows users to easily perform man-in-the-middle attacks against SSL/TLS connections," he said.

He said that the new version of sslsniff can "identify vulnerable Apple devices and allows anyone to snoop on secure communications."

"This patch should be applied immediately if you log in to any service on your device, especially things like your bank or PayPal," Wisniewski writes. "Users are particularly vulnerable to this attack if they frequently use public/open WiFi."

According to Wisniewski, iOS versions 4.3.4, 4.2.9, 5.0b and earlier are vulnerable. He also said that there is no fix, even for devices that are only a couple of generations old.

"If you are using an iPod Touch generation one or two or an iPhone older than the 3GS, you will be perpetually vulnerable," he writes. "Owners of these devices should not use them for any purpose for which security or privacy is required."

"Oddly the flaw in iOS was a widespread flaw in WebKit and Microsoft's CryptoAPI nine years ago," Wisniewski writes. "It allows any valid certificate purchased from a Certificate Authority to sign any other certificate, which the client device will then consider valid.”

"This allows anyone who can capture traffic from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch with man-in-the-middle techniques to intercept and read any and all encrypted SSL traffic silently and without notification to the user."

If you haven’t fixed this issue yet, it is definitely something that you need to get on. You do not want to put your private information at risk.

Put your eye on the problem with Camera Security Now, installing security cameras since 1999. We install in the US and we can help you do it yourself.

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New iPod Dock/Pico Projector?

Lately, I’ve been noticing that companies are beginning to couple certain devices into one convenient device. I’ve especially been seeing this within the projector field. Everywhere you can find phones with projectors, cameras with projectors, and now an iPod deck with a projector. Optoma, a manufacturer of DLP and pico projectors, has just recently announced their new Neo-i. The company says that the Neo-i is the world’s first all-in-one iPod sound dock to feature a built-in pico projector. This is definitely an odd combination, but it could be extremely useful at times.

Although the Neo-i is technically not a portable device, it is very easy to move from place to place. It measures in at 8.9 x 12.8 x 3.1 inches (HWD) and weighs 2.5 pounds. The device features a variety of inputs including a VGA, an A/V jack, an Audio Out, an HDMI, and a DC jack. It also comes with a 16-watt speaker system that provides some great sound including a nice bass reflex for an iPod dock. The docking station of the Neo-i uses Apple’s 30-pin connector. This means that you can use your Apple iPod, iPhone, or iPod Touch with the device, and that the station will charge whatever device you are utilizing. The HDMI and VGA ports even allow you to connect devices like your laptop, Blu-ray player, or Apple TV to the Neo-i. There is also an accessory kit that is offered that will allow you to connect your iPad to the docking station.

Optoma allows you to control your iPhone or iPod from the device with an IR remote that they include with the dock or from the backlit control panel on the top of the Neo-i. You are also able to display the artist name or song or video titles by utilizing the projector, which is awesome. The projector built in to the oval shaped dock is a 50 ANSI Lumen Pico projector. It utilizes LED backlight behind the device's 0.3” WVGA DLP color wheel. This means that the device has a low enough power draw to run on batteries alone. The pico projector can deliver up to a 854 x 480 pixel resolution in its 16:9 format. Its image can be projected at any size from 5 to 120 inches, and it features a contrast ratio of 2000:1.

Unfortunately, the Neo-i iPod Dock/Pico Projector will not be available for sale until sometime in mid-December. It will be selling for $449.

I think that this new technology from Optoma is fantastic. Optoma has been producing projectors for quite some time, so it’s not too incredibly hard to believe that they decided to integrate a projector into an iPod dock. It makes sense. I think it’s a great combination and something that will definitely be a hit with iPod and iPhone users. It’s also going to be released just in time for the holiday season. I think that Optoma will do well with this new product, but I guess we will just have to wait and see.

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BMW's New iDevice Makes Your Commute Entertaining

BMW is stepping things up a notch when it comes to listening to your iPod in your car. Sure, there are several ways to do that in many cars now, but BMW's next-generation iDevice will let you control your apps while you drive, from your dashboard. Or, just to be safe, when you're sitting in a parking lot or your driveway, right? Perhaps your passenger could do the controlling?

Anyway, the new iDrive allows you connect your iPod or iPhone through the iPod out connector and in turn, you'll be able to get data from your media players. If you check out the video below, you'll see that it's really a very gorgeous-looking new feature and would really come in handy during long commutes. It almost makes me wish I still drove 45 minutes to work each day! OK, not really, but it is that neat!

As for safety, it's probably a lot safer than switching songs on your actual iPod while driving because it's a lot bigger and located on the dash. You won't have to worry about messing around with your touchscreen or the wheel on your iPod. On the other hand, BMW may see this as an easy way to avoid putting a fancy entertainment system in its new cars.

Check out the video for more information about the plans to integrate BMW cars and your iPod or iPhone.




Check out these related stories:
1. BMW's Vision EfficientDynamics Concept Car
2. Emergency Stop Assistance from BMW
3. The PoolPod: Floating Waterproof Wireless iPod Speakers

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