EXTON, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 6, 2023--

Apple has issued an urgent update for millions of iPhone users after two critical security flaws were discovered. The tech giant warned that the latest version of iOS 16, called iOS 16.5.1, was required in order to protect against two vulnerabilities that hackers already know how to exploit. One of the bugs involves a “malicious attachment” sent through iMessage, that allows cyber criminals to gain access to an iPhone’s audio recordings, photos and location data. Security researchers said the security flaw, dubbed TriangleDB, has already been exploited through a campaign called Operation Triangulation, which targeted employees of the cyber firm Kaspersky. “The deployment of the spyware is completely hidden and requires no action from the user,” Kaspersky wrote in a blog post earlier this month. “The spyware then quietly transmits private user information to remote servers: microphone recordings, photos from instant messengers, geolocation, and data about a number of other activities of the owner of the infected device.” The second bug affected Apple’s browser engine WebKit, which leaves users exposed to something known as arbitrary code execution. This could result in malicious third parties stealing data or hacking a device. Both exploits could also impact iPad and Mac users, with Apple issuing security fixes for all of these devices. Apple also released a software update for Apple Watch, which brings new features to its smartwatch. The Cupertino company unveiled its latest mobile operating system iOS 17 earlier this month, though it is not yet widely available. A full public release date of iOS 17 will take place when the new iPhone is announced in September. The iOS 16 update covers more than a decade’s worth of devices, going back to the iPhone 6s and Apple Watch Series 3. “This update provides important security fixes and is recommended for all users,” Apple wrote in the release notes for iOS 16.5.1. Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad and Mac users can update their devices by going to the Settings app and selecting ‘General’ > ‘Software update’, and then following the instructions. Read More Apple seeks trademark of ‘actual apple’, Swiss fruit association says Apple Watch 7 pre-order: How to buy the new smartwatch in the UK Apple introduces new version of Watch with complete redesign iPhone 13 - live: UK contract deals and prices for Apple, EE and O2

Elon Musk has made it quite clear over the past few months: He's no fan

WASHINGTON A top U.S. auto safety official said Wednesday regulators will soon decide on a petition filed by

One of the pioneers of artificial intelligence has warned the Government is not safeguarding against the dangers posed by future super-intelligent machines. Professor Stuart Russell told The Times ministers were favouring a light touch on the burgeoning AI industry, despite warnings from civil servants it could create an existential threat. A former adviser to both Downing Street and the White House, Professor Russell is a co-author of the most widely used AI text book and lectures on computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He told The Times a system similar to ChatGPT – which has passed exams and can compose prose – could form part of a super-intelligence machine which could not be controlled. “How do you maintain power over entities more powerful than you – forever?” he asked. “If you don’t have an answer, then stop doing the research. It’s as simple as that. “The stakes couldn’t be higher: if we don’t control our own civilisation, we have no say in whether we continue to exist.” In March, he co-signed an open letter with Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak warning of the “out-of-control race” going on at AI labs. The letter warned the labs were developing “ever more powerful digital minds that no one, not even their creators, can understand, predict or reliably control”. Professor Russell has worked for the UN on a system to monitor the nuclear test-ban treaty and was asked to work with the Government earlier this year. “The Foreign Office… talked to a lot of people and they concluded that loss of control was a plausible and extremely high-significance outcome,” he said. “And then the Government came out with a regulatory approach that says: ‘Nothing to see here… we’ll welcome the AI industry as if we were talking about making cars or something like that’.” He said making changes to the technical foundations of AI to add necessary safeguards would take “time that we may not have”. “I think we got something wrong right at the beginning, where we were so enthralled by the notion of understanding and creating intelligence, we didn’t think about what that intelligence was going to be for,” he said. We've sort of got the message and we're scrambling around trying to figure out what to do Professor Stuart Russell “Unless its only purpose is to be a benefit to humans, you are actually creating a competitor – and that would be obviously a stupid thing to do. “We don’t want systems that imitate human behaviour… you’re basically training it to have human-like goals and to pursue those goals. “You can only imagine how disastrous it would be to have really capable systems that were pursuing those kinds of goals.” He said there were signs of politicians becoming aware of the risks. “We’ve sort of got the message and we’re scrambling around trying to figure out what to do,” he said. “That’s what it feels like right now.” The Government has launched the AI Foundation Model Taskforce which it says will “lay the foundations for the safe use of foundation models across the economy and ensure the UK is at the forefront of this pivotal AI technology”. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live TikTok ‘does not want to compete with BBC for Eurovision final viewers’ Eurovision’s preparations for potential Russia cyberthreat ‘in good place’ UK-based tech company claims quantum computing ‘breakthrough’

Fortnite Web Battles are now live with five daily tasks for players to complete to earn Spider-Verse inspired rewards.

Buying an external hard drive or SSD for your Mac is not all that different

LONDON & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 20, 2023--

Adin Ross revealed that he is currently battling a Covid-19 infection and is temporarily suspending his streaming activities

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 1, 2023--

Google Bard, the tech giant’s generative AI platform, can now link with other Google services such as Gmail, Maps and YouTube in order to provide more in-depth responses to prompts from users. Launched earlier this year, Bard is part of the new wave of AI-based chatbots which offer detailed written replies to questions and queries. Google has now announced a major update to the program, called Bard Extensions, which will allow users to link other Google services to collaborate with Bard to provide a response to a prompt – for example, when asking Bard to help plan a holiday, users can ask Bard to get the dates that work for family members from Gmail, use Google Maps to get directions to the airport and find YouTube videos to watch about the best things to do at the destination. It said the update made Bard “the most capable” version of the program so far and would help more people use the app to collaborate. The tech giant said the update would have a strong focus on user privacy, with users required to actively give permission to Bard to access their Google services, and any content lifted would not be reviewable by a human unless the user specifically asked Bard to flag it for review. In a further expansion of the chatbot, Google said it would now also enable users to double-check the responses they receive from Bard using a new “Google it” button, which will check the response against linked Google search results and highlight passages it is confident about the validity of, as well as those where it found differing results. Some experts have raised concerns about the possible spread of misinformation within generative AI platforms, warning some information is being presented to users in an authoritative way when it may be based on inaccurate or outdated information used to train such chatbots. A report by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published on Monday which looked into the potential impact of the AI market noted that without proper guiding principles, people and businesses could be harmed through exposure to significant levels of misinformation and AI-enabled fraud. In a blog post on the updates to Bard, Google’s director for product management of Bard, Yury Pinsky, said: “One of the biggest benefits of Bard, an experiment to collaborate with generative AI, is that it can tailor its responses to exactly what you need. “For instance, you could ask Bard to start a trip planning doc for you and your friends, draft up your online marketplace listing, or help explain a science topic to your kids. And now Bard is getting even better at customising its responses so you can easily bring your ideas to life. “Today we’re launching Bard Extensions in English, a completely new way to interact and collaborate with Bard. With Extensions, Bard can find and show you relevant information from the Google tools you use every day — like Gmail, Docs, Drive, Maps, YouTube, and Google Flights and hotels — even when the information you need is across multiple apps and services.” Elsewhere in the update, Google also confirmed that when a link to a Bard conversation is shared online, others will be able to click on that link and continue the same conversation themselves. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The Valorant Gaia's Vengeance 2.0 skins will be released on Wednesday, Oct. 4 with skins for the Phantom, Ares, Bucky, Shorty, and a new Melee.