Archive for February 25, 2014

Apple Releases Fix For Critical SSL Hole

Posted in Commentary with tags , on February 25, 2014 by itnerd

You might recall that Apple had an hole in its implementation of SSL that existed in pretty much everything they made that allowed someone on the same network as the victim to view encrypted traffic. Apple fixed this in iOS but not in OSX which left Macs vulnerable to this sort of attack. Thus it’s timely that Apple today released a patch for that hole today. Actually, they released several of them depending on what version of OSX that you run. Here’s the list:

Now, of interest was the notes relating to the security related items fixed in the above. It confirms that this issue only affects OSX Mavericks. Earlier versions of OSX were not affected.

I would recommend that Mac users running OSX Mavericks download and install this update right away. That way you’re fully protected from this exploit as it’s a safe bet that evil doers have got tools that take advantage of this.

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BlackBerry Announces New Phones And Services

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 25, 2014 by itnerd

From the “We’re not dead yet” file, comes this announcement from BlackBerry. Two new phones are about to hit the streets:

  • The first thing that was announced was the BlackBerry Z3. It’s a 3G-only device with a 5-inch 960×540 pixel display, a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1.5 GB RAM, 8GB storage, a 5MP rear camera and a 1.1MP front-facing camera. The Z3 will be available in Indonesia this coming April for under $200. It will be only available in Indonesia which is a BlackBerry stronghold – for now.
  • Next up is the BlackBerry Q20 which is unique because of the classic navigation keys (menu, back, send, end) and a trackpad. That may appeal to old school BlackBerry users. Other than a 3.5″ touch screen and a large battery, I don’t see any specs on the device. I guess we’ll have to wait until the second half of 2014 when this device is due to be released for more details.

Finally, BlackBerry announced the “eBBM Suite” of products specifically designed for the enterprise market. The first being BBM Protected. Think of it as BBM that’s secure enough for enterprises to really want to use it. That should hit the streets this summer. BES 12 was also announced and existing BES 10 users will be able to migrate for free.

I’m guessing that these announcements are resonating as the stock is up slightly in pre-market trading as I type this. That’s a good thing for them and shows that the company perhaps has a lot left in it.

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