Posted on December 10, 2017 at 9:06 PM
Intel Chip Vulnerability Exposes Millions of Devices to Malware Attacks
A newly discovered flaw in Intel Chips could make devices vulnerable to malware attacks, according to a new study.
Researchers from Positive Technologies revealed at this year’s annual Black Hat Conference in Europe that a specific flaw discovered in Intel chips could make the device vulnerable to malware attack. According to the research team, the flaw has been present in Intel processors since at 2015 and allows malware to infiltrate a device undetected.
The malware targets the chip’s Management Engine, which will enable hackers to have full access to the victim’s device, despite encryption methods and other antimalware and antivirus software.
As soon as the computer starts up, the management engine in the Intel chip starts running and continues to do so until the computer is switched off. This means that the flawed processor has access to all data from the computer while it’s running.
What makes the specific malware alarming is the fact that once it’s affected the device’s Management Engine, is that it’s nearly impossible to detect and remove. However, since the flaw’s discovery, Intel has issued an alert to its’ users and made a tool available for detecting the threat.
In addition, Google will start blocking users from accessing Fire TV from Amazon to watch YouTube videos. This move is just the latest in an ongoing battle between the two online giants. The latest move will become active as of 1 January 2018.
Google has already blocked users from accessing YouTube on Amazon’s Echo Show. This device is Amazon’s latest smart speaker and features an integrated display. According to a Google spokesperson, this decision was made after Amazon devices did not implement Google services such as Google Home and Chromecast. In addition, Amazon has ceased selling Nest products, and Amazon’s Prime Video is unavailable to Google Cast users.
The Google spokesperson added that the company hopes to reach an agreement with their competitor in order to address these issues. So far, Amazon has not yet commented on their decision.
Apple revealed on December 5 that Apple Pay will soon offer users Apple Pay Cash options. This will allow Apple users to conduct transactions directly to any other Apple user.
Apple Pay could soon prove a worthy competitor to other payment services such as Google Wallet, Venmo, Paypal, and Square Cash. Apple Pay Cash will allow users to conduct transactions directly from iMessage, a messaging service which sends messages between Apple devices.
This newest payment services will also include other useful payment features, such as sending gifts, managing shared household bills, splitting restaurant bills, and conducting safe transactions at selected merchants and retailers. Announced in the same week, the PC manufacturing giants, Asus and Hewlett Packard, revealed that their new device, “Always Connected PCs”, will allow Windows 10 to run on Arm-based processors. The device will be manufactured with mobile chips, a longer-lasting battery, as well as a cellular network connecting feature which would diminish the device’s dependence on Wi-Fi networks.
According to Terry Myerson, vice president of Microsoft, the screen instantly turns on as soon as the user picks it up. HP will start shipping the Envy x2 in September 2018. The device will use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip and will carry Windows 10 S, however, users will have the option to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.
Asus has also revealed their new device, NovaGo, a device advertised as the world’s very first Gigabit LTE PC. The device will feature a 13.3-inch display, a Qualcomm X16 LTE modem and will operate using Windows 10 S.
