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The program’s creator asks for payments but doesn’t have the encryption key to unlock victims’ files A new file-encrypting ransomware program for macOS is being distributed through BitTorrent websites, and users who fall victim to it won’t be able to recover their files, even if they pay. Crypto ransomware programs for macOS are rare. This is the second such threat found in the wild so far, and it’s a poorly designed one. The program was named OSX/Filecoder.E by the malware researchers from antivirus vendor ESET who found it. OSX/Filecoder.E masquerades as a cracking tool for commercial software like Adobe Premiere...

Full read/write access was there for the taking Microsoft has patched a code execution hole in its Mac remote desktop client that grants read and write to home directories if users do no more than click a link, says Italian security researcher Filippo Cavallarin. The hole was patched 17 January. Cavallarin says the flaw allowed remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable machines if users did not more than click phishing links. From there, attackers would gain read and write access to Mac home directories. "Microsoft Remote Desktop Client for Mac OS X allows a malicious terminal server to...

While the investing community this morning is focused squarely on the very disappointing iPhone 5 relaunch and the lack of a cemented China Mobile deal, which has resulted in a $20 billion loss in market cap in early trading for the second most widely held hedge fund stock, a thing that we find more curious in the aftermath of the latest revalations of an implicit, if not explicitly voluntary, joint venture between Apple and the US government and specifically its NSA uberspies, is just how much of Apple's product suite is derived thanks to developments by the US government....

If you’re wondering why Donald Trump is so popular… Republicans are sick of electing good conservatives, only to watch them cave to the bullying tactics of those so very tolerant and nice liberals. One by one, elected Republicans compromise away their principles to sit at the cool kid table. Paul Ryan used to be pretty cool. Speaker Paul Ryan is joining Apple’s Tim Cook for a fundraiser next week in California. A couple of days ago Cook said Apple will not be sending any money to the GOP convention because they do not agree with Donald Trump. I’m sure that...

The security services aren't going to like this Apple doubles-down on encryption in new APFS file system Apple is deepening support for encryption in its PCs, laptops and devices with the introduction of Apple File System (APFS), a new file system that will replace the existing HFS+ file system from next year.APFS has been "engineered with encryption as a primary feature", according to Apple, adding extra encryption features into the file system that will make it easier for users to encrypt files. However, it may also reignite disputes with law enforcement and security agencies over backdoors for encrypted communications and...

Apple’s brand new operating system for its laptops and desktop computers, macOS, will ship in the fall for all customers. A beta for developers will be released later today. There’s a host of new features, including Auto Unlock, Continuity Clipboard, Apple Pay, Siri for Mac and more. A public beta will be offered in July. Apple® today previewed macOS Sierra™, a major update to the world’s most advanced desktop operating system, with new features that make the Mac® smarter and more helpful than ever. Siri® is now on the Mac with brand-new capabilities to help with the things users do...

Redmond will support it inside Azure and send code back to the FreeBSD Foundation Microsoft has published its own distribution of FreeBSD 10.3 in order to make the OS available and supported in Azure. Jason Anderson, principal PM manager at Microsoft's Open Source Technology Center says Redmond “took on the work of building, testing, releasing and maintaining the image” so it could “ensure our customers have an enterprise SLA for their FreeBSD VMs running in Azure”. Microsoft did so “to remove that burden” from the FreeBSD Foundation, which relies on community contributions. Redmond is not keeping its work on FreeBSD...

The abacus-shufflers of analyst firm IDC have revised their 2016 PC sales forecasts downwards. The firm now says PC shipments “... are forecast to decline by 7.3% year over year”. That's “roughly two per cent below earlier projections as conditions have been weaker than expected.” The firm names “weak currencies, depressed commodity prices, political uncertainty, and delayed projects” as the weaker conditions impacting sales. Windows 10 isn't helping matters either, because lots of people are availing themselves of free Windows 10 upgrades rather than buying a new PC. The firm also says that “while a large share of enterprises are...

A new translation of the Bible updates the religious text with modern technology, replacing several words with emojis. The digital text titled “Bible Emoji: Scripture 4 Millenials” uses Apple’s vast library of emoticons to retell all 66 books of the Bible in a way intended to relate to young people.

Adding to the evidence that Apple is intending to change the name of OS X, the company on Thursday posted an updated webpage referring to the software as "MacOS" instead. The term can be found on an FAQ page within Apple's Environment subsite, specifically in a section about greenhouse gases and product lifecycles. The text is the only direct reference to either Macs or OS X in the FAQ — notably, the rest of Apple's website still appears to insist on using "OS X." In late March it was discovered that one framework in OS X 10.11.4 refers to "macOS."...

Sen. Chuck Schumer issued an urgent plea Monday for iGunControl ahead of the release of a new firearm that looks like a smartphone. The .380-caliber double-barrel handgun, manufactured by Ideal Conceal, is expected to hit the shelves in mid-2016 and will only cost $395, Schumer said. . . . "It's clearly being marketed for nefarious purposes — 4,000 people are ready to pull the trigger on this dangerous weapon," Schumer said. . . . "Why would we want to make it easier for criminals or terrorists like those who attacked Paris and Brussels to wreak havoc?" he said.

Apple announces plans to hand over iCloud encryption key management to users Apple has announced its plans to transfer iCloud encryption key management to account holders, a move which could stand in the way of or even prevent the FBI and other law enforcement agencies from requesting users' information.The tech giant currently manages the encryption key management for all iCloud account holders.eWeek reports that because of this level of control, Apple provided federal authorities with several iCloud backups of Syed Rizwan Farook, an individual who participated in a mass shooting and attempted bombing in San Bernardino, California back in December....

"all you have to do is go in the lab, apply more technology, and you should be able to make a bigger quantum computer" So the only thing preventing a more general purpose quantum computer is money and enough engineers... Hmm... (POLL-AT-LINK) Via: PC World: Much of the encryption world today depends on the challenge of factoring large numbers, but scientists now say they've created the first five-atom quantum computer with the potential to crack the security of traditional encryption schemes. In traditional computing, numbers are represented by either 0s or 1s, but quantum computing relies on atomic-scale units, or...

Apple’s March 21st special event invitation (below) features the message: “Let us loop you in.” What could this cryptic sentence mean?Well, Apple does offer the stainless steel (silver) Milanese Loop for Apple Watch and there are rumblings of a new black Milanese Loop coming at the event, but it that really enough to warrant being the marquee on the special event’s invitation?What if the phrase refers to Apple Smart Bands? Or “Smart Loops?” Think Apple Watch bands loops that add extra functionality (GPS, for just one example) to the Apple Watch.Wouldn’t such a Smart Loop or a line of Smart...

Oculus founder Palmer Luckey has poured water on the idea of his Rift virtual reality headset supporting the Mac by saying that Apple doesn't make any computers powerful enough to run it. "That is up to Apple and if they ever release a good computer we will do it," Luckey tells ShackNews when asked about Mac support. "It just boils down to the fact that Apple doesn’t prioritize high-end GPUs. You can buy a $6,000 Mac Pro with the top of the line AMD FirePro D700, and it still doesn’t match our recommended spec." Apple's high-end Mac Pro computers come...

Apple was hailed as a champion of digital privacy this week after refusing to help the FBI hack into an iPhone belonging to a suspect in the San Bernardino shooting. But the firm hasn't always been so scrupulous about user data, especially in China. The standoff between the FBI and Apple over the investigation into the San Bernardino shooting, which claimed the lives of 14 people in early December, has divided the United States. While some have argued that the company should, in this particular case, help investigators by bypassing the phone's security system, others have insisted that doing so...

My buddy David Gewirtz recently wrote about the question of whether you should move from Windows 7 to Windows 10 or a Mac. I have another suggestion: Linux. Specifically Linux Mint 17.3, Rosa, with the Cinnamon desktop. Linux Mint 17.3 is a great replacement for Windows 7. In fact, it's a great desktop operating system period. sjvn Yes, I'm serious. I use all the above desktops -- yes I'm a Windows 7 and 10 user as well as a Linux guy -- and for people I think Mint 17.3 makes a great desktop. I've been using Mint as my main...

Security is something that is always on the minds of users these days, and that includes those who use Linux. TechWeek Europe has a disturbing article about a Linux trojan that captures audio and takes screenshots. It remains to be seen how widespread this Trojan is among Linux users and what the exact attack vector is for it. Steve McCaskill reports for TechWeek Europe: Security researchers have found a new Linux Trojan capable of taking screenshots of infected systems and even recording sound. Russian anti-virus firm Dr Web says that once the Linux.Ekoms.1 malware is launched it checks for two...

A zero-day vulnerability in the FFmpeg open-source multimedia framework, which is currently used in numerous Linux kernel-based operating systems and software applications, also for the Mac OS X and Windows platforms, was unveiled recently. The vulnerability was discovered on January 12, 2016, by Russian programmer Maxim Andreev in the current stable builds of the FFmpeg software, and it would appear that it allows anyone who has the necessary skills to hack a computer to read local files on a remote machine and send them over the network using a specially crafted video file. The vulnerability is limited to reading local...

In 2015 Apple grabbed a 94 percent share of the world's global smartphone profits, sold the only profitable tablets and smartwatch, increased its Mac unit sales,, launched a successful NFC payment platform, took a huge slice of the music streaming market and introduced a new platform for the living room. How can it possibly beat that performance in 2016? That's the premise set out by clickbait legend Jay Yarow of Business Insider, who penned a compendium of worries of potential scenarios of doom for the world's largest and most successful tech company, bravely entitled "Apple is going to have a...