Microsoft: Russia-linked hackers Using Windows Flaw in Attacks

A hacking group earlier connected to the Russian government and U.S. political hacks was responsible for recent cyber attacks that manipulated a newly exposed Windows security flaw, Microsoft Corp said on Tuesday.

The software developer in an advisory on its website named the hacking group as “Strontium”. It is more famously known as “Fancy Bear” or APT 28 and used “spear phishing” emails in some attacks. However, the company did not identify any victims.

Microsoft’s revelation of the current attacks and the connection to Russia came after Washington accused Moscow of unleashing an unprecedented hacking campaign. These attacks were intended for discrediting and disrupting the upcoming U.S. election.

Last month, The U.S. government formally accused the Russian government of the election-season cyber attack of Democratic Party emails. The Russians were also blamed for the emails’ ensuing release thru WikiLeaks and other entities. Russia has denied those accusations.

A patch to safeguard Windows users against the recently discovered threat will be released on Nov. 8, Election Day, Microsoft said. Nevertheless, it was unclear whether the Windows vulnerability had been exploited in any of the recent U.S. political hacks.

Representatives of the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI could not immediately be reached for comment.

A U.S. intelligence specialist on Russian cyber activity said that Fancy Bear principally works for or on behalf of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency. According to U.S. intelligence officials, the GRU was responsible for hacks of Democratic Party emails and databases.

In spear phishing, an attacker sends targeted messages, usually thru email. These messages manipulate familiar information to deceive victims into clicking on malicious links or open infected attachments.

Microsoft said the hacks used a vulnerability in Adobe Systems’ Flash software and one in the Windows operating system.

On Monday, Adobe released a patch for that vulnerability when security researchers with Google announced the details of the attack.

Google chided by Microsoft

Microsoft rebuked rival Google for going public with facts of the vulnerabilities before it had time to prepare and test a patch to remedy them.

“Google’s decision to disclose these vulnerabilities before patches are broadly available and tested is disappointing, and puts customers at increased risk,” Microsoft said.

A Google representative refused to comment on Microsoft’s statement.

Google held to its standing policy of going public seven days after uncovering “critical vulnerabilities” that are being actively used by hackers. Hence, the company revealed the flaw on Monday.

Companies are given 60 days by Google to patch less serious bugs.

 

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Alexa Voice Assistant To Be Available On Amazon’s Fire Tablets

On Wednesday, the Alexa voice assistant will begin rolling out to customers and designed to match what users get on other Alexa devices, such as the Echo speaker. By using voice commands, users listen to music from services such as Pandora or Amazon Music, or they can have the news read out to them.

The Fire tablets will have an apparent advantage over Echo by offering full-screen cards with additional details. For instance, when you inquire about the weather, just as she does on Echo, Alexa will speak out the current temperature and offer the day’s forecast. However, the visual card will also show the week’s forecast. The card also offers playback control such as skipping and pausing for news and music.

For those with both Fire and Echo, as long a user enables a Voicecast feature through the Alexa app, making a request on Echo will activate the Fire’s screen and present the detailed cards.

Amazon says Alexa will vary from Google’s Assistant and Apple’s Siri. It was designed for tablets first, instead of phones. That means aiming at activities usually done at home, such as recipes, entertainment, and timers. For tasks on the go, such as locating nearby establishments, the voice assistant carries out a standard web search or directs you to the Alexa app. Google and Apple have special interfaces with price ranges, restaurant ratings and more. Further, both combine that data into their chat apps, too.

Strength through affordability

Amazon.com Inc. has managed to stay strong despite the downturn in the overall tablet market by slashing prices and persuading people to buy more than one. The value of its base model is just $49. The company introduced last month a new 8-inch tablet for $90, down from $150 for comparable models in the past.

So far, Amazon is dodging business-oriented tablets such as Microsoft’s Surface and Apple’s iPad Pro. Senior product manager for Fire tablets Aaron Bromberg said that while such devices work well as laptop alternatives, “we also see an awful lot of people that want tablets to use around the house for entertainment.”

 

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8,000 mile ultra high capacity internet cable will link Hong Kong to LA

Google and Facebook are to install an 8,000-mile ultra high capacity internet cable which will link Los Angeles to Hong Kong.

The super-fast Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN) will be powerful enough to handle 80 million simultaneous HD video conference calls between the two cities.

To do this, the cable will have a capacity of 120 Tbps, making it the highest-capacity trans-Pacific route when it comes online in 2018.

The super cable will be twice as powerful as the current record-holding Faster cable that went live in June and which is 10 million times faster than a modem.

Google said: “It is our mission is to connect people to the world’s information by providing fast and reliable infrastructure.

“From data centers to cables under the sea, we’re dedicated to building infrastructure that reaches more people than ever before.

“PLCN is designed to accommodate evolving infrastructure technology, allowing us to independently choose network equipment and refresh optical technology as it advances.”

The Faster Cable system transmits multiple colours of light over various frequencies, using a repeater to reenergize the light roughly every 37 miles.

Faster and PLCN are hust two of several hundred submarine cables which connect different areas of the word and which gives the Internet its underwater ‘backbone.’

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Google Goes Head-To-Head With Apple and Amazon With New Hardware

Google announced on Tuesday a new Pixel smartphone, a smart speaker for the living room called “Home”. A slew of new consumer electronics products for the home were also available.

The announcement is a clear indication that the company plans to contend head on with Apple, Amazon, and even manufacturers of phones using its own Android operating system.

Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh said that if they can work on hardware and software together, they could innovate much better. This is very much like Apple’s established philosophy of tighter integration between hardware and software.

Google designed and developed the Pixel phones from the beginning, unlike previous efforts under the Nexus brand. However, they awarded the manufacturing contract to HTC Corporation of Taiwan.

Echoing another of Apple’s strategy, Google said it would operate exclusively with a single carrier in the United States. The Pixel will launch under Verizon Communications much like Apple’s deal with AT&T when the original iPhone launched. The agreement gave Apple unmatched influence over the look of the phone and how it worked.

The phone comes in two sizes and, according to industry analyst Patrick Moorehead, aside from the high-end camera, the Pixels are very similar to Samsung and iPhone seventh generation phones.

Analysts added that Google’s new phones obviously intended to compete with the iPhone, though promoting its own hardware would likely confound its relationship with Android licensees such as Samsung and LG.

Google’s voice activated AI system

Google opened the event Tuesday by flaunting the Google Assistant. The company’s answer to Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri is a voice-activated artificial intelligence system. It can make a restaurant reservation with just a few phrases spoken into the phone. The presenter demonstrated this feature during the event.

The assistant is being positioned as the focal element in a line of integrated hardware and software products. It will be embedded into the Pixel and Home products.

The “Home” speaker system is very much comparable to Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo home speaker system, likely having many similar features.

Meanwhile, Google’s Daydream View virtual reality headset sets the company against Facebook’s Oculus. The device, which will be available in November for $79, is far cheaper and simpler.

Home will also be available in November for $129.

Other products unveiled during the event included a new version of Google’s Chromecast digital media player and a wifi router called Google Wifi.

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