Stepping Up Your iPhone's Security

The number of viruses specifically targeting iOS devices is still low compared with the number of malicious programs aimed at Windows computers, but that does not mean iPhone and iPad users should feel invincible, as hackers are always trying. Apple has built a lot of security into iOS to guard against traditional viruses that can infect an operating system, but users are still targeted by phishing scams and browser pop-ups with malicious intentions.

The iOS version of the Safari browser includes a few basic security settings you can use for slightly safer surfing.

This is not to say iOS cannot be infiltrated. The iOS App Store offers a number of security programs, but many of them focus more on Wi-Fi safeguards, the encryption of personal files, identity protection, data backup, and the recovery of lost or stolen gadgets than on conventional antivirus defense.

Although some security apps warn you of sketchy sites, you may not get much more protection from a third-party program than if you used all the built-in iOS tools. Make sure you have updated the device to Apple’s most current version of iOS (with all the latest bug fixes and security patches), use only App Store software, have a passcode and two-factor authentication enabled, back it up regularly and have configured the Find My iPhone service to find lost hardware.

The iOS Safari browser has some controls — including settings to block pop-up ads and issue warnings against fraudulent sites — but you may still see things like deviously coded browser windows taking over the screen until you force the app to close.

If you have not jail-broken your device, your iPhone or iPad is most likely safe at the moment from any known mobile malware, although you may want to consider a virtual private network (VPN) service for encrypting your internet connections on unfamiliar Wi-Fi hot spots. Password-manager programs and apps that encrypt photos and other files can also protect your personal information.

The US Again Has the World's Most Powerful Supercomputer

The Department of Energy pulled back the curtain on the world's most powerful supercomputer Friday. When Summit is operating at max capacity, it can run at 200 petaflops -- that's 200 quadrillion calculations per second. That smokes the previous record holder, China's Sunway TaihuLight (which has a 93 petaflop capacity). Summit is also about seven times faster than Titan, the previous US record holder which is housed at the same Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee. For perspective, in one hour, Summit can solve a problem that it would take a desktop computer 30 years to crack.

Summit's 4,608 servers, which take up the size of two tennis courts, house more than 9,000 22-core IBM Power9 processors and more than 27,000 NVIDIA Tesla V100 GPUs. Cooling the system takes 4,000 gallons of water a minute and Summit uses enough power to run 8,100 homes.

There's a lot more to Summit than simply snatching back a record China's held for five years. It was designed for artificial intelligence operations, and can use machine learning and deep learning to power research into health, physics and climate modeling, among other domains.

Scientists have already used Summit to run what they say is the first exascale scientific calculation. That's one billion billion calculations per second (or one exaop). Summit almost doubled that, as it ran at 1.88 exaops to analyze millions of genomes; the supercomputer can hit 3.3 exaops using mixed precision calculations. The US is aiming to build a fully capable exascale computing ecosystem for research by 2021, and Summit is a step towards that.

Upcoming projects include analyzing exploding stars (or supernovas) to find out how elements like gold moved through the universe, and running simulations on new types of materials such as superconductors. Scientists also plan to look for relationships between cancer factors like genes, biological markers and environment by crunching vast reams of health data. Researchers will use Summit's power to probe other disease markers, such as for Alzheimer's, heart disease and addiction. "Summit is enabling a whole new range of science that was simply not possible before it arrived," Oak Ridge computational biologist Dan Jacobson said in a release.

There's a battle between not only the US and China, but Europe, Japan and other nations to build better supercomputers. The machines aren't just focused on health and environmental research; supercomputers are used for aircraft design and developing nuclear weapons too, so there's a lot at stake.

The Best New Updates Coming to Your iPhone & iPad in iOS 12

Apple unveiled iOS 12, the newest version of its software, during WWDC 2018 on Monday. IOS 12 will be available for iPhones and iPads for free later this year.

These are the biggest new features you need to know about:

It will feel faster

Apple said it's "doubling down" on performance so that iPhones and iPads feel faster and more responsive. It's also going to be available for all of the devices supported by iOS 11, including the 2013 iPhone 5s. This means apps will launch up to 40 percent faster than in iOS 11. Apple said it does this by detecting when you need increased performance and pushing the processor inside your phone or iPad to focus on that task.

Siri Shortcuts

Siri is getting some improvements in iOS 12. With a new "Shortcuts" app, users can set pre-determined Siri queries that automatically launch apps. If you say, "Help me relax," it can start playing music and dim the lights. Or you can tell Siri you need to order groceries, and it'll launch a grocery delivery app. Siri will learn, so if it knows you always get coffee in the morning, it can suggest that you place your regular order through a coffee app ahead of time. If you're running late for a meeting, it can suggest you message the meeting organizer that you're behind schedule.

Screen Time

Like Google, Apple is trying to help users strike a better, healthier balance between gadgets and life. A new Screen Time feature in iOS 12 will detail how much time you’re spending on your device and using individual apps. It can break down app usage by category (games, social media, etc.) and track which apps are sending you the most notifications. Screen Time will provide a weekly summary of your usage habits.

Similar to Android P, you’ll be able to set time limits for each app. iOS will automatically notify you when you’re running out of the allotment of time you’ve given to each application. A “time’s up” message will display when the counter runs out. If you want to continue using that application, you can simply request more time. Apple is also applying this abundance of usage data to parental controls, giving parents greater oversight and supervision over how often their kids are staring at a screen.

FaceTime Group Calling

FaceTime is getting group calling support with the ability to add up to 32 people into a single FaceTime video call. Apple is integrating FaceTime into Messages, too, so you can turn a group chat chain right into a group video chat. A roster of everyone on the call is included at the bottom of the screen, so you can see everyone who has joined the call. When someone speaks, their tile gets larger automatically. A double tap on any person in the call brings them front and center, too. Filters, stickers and other effects are supported in the FaceTime group chat.

Better, Grouped Notifications

Apple is taking a huge, overdue step to fix its messy notifications situation: iOS 12 will support grouped notifications, so you’ll be able to interact with or dismiss multiple notifications from the same app at once. Grouped notifications show up in a stack to give you a sense of how many are waiting for you. Apple is also giving users more authority over which apps are allowed to send notifications that vibrate their phone. “Quiet” notifications will show up in Notification Center, but not on your lock screen. They also won’t make sounds or interrupt you in any way.

Messages and Memoji

Apple is going to let you customize your own animated emoji, or Animoji, with a spinoff called "Memoji" — it's basically a 3D version of yourself that can move based on your facial expressions. It's still only supported on the iPhone X right now. You'll be able to choose your hairstyle, skin color, freckles, eye color, head shape, glasses and more.

Measure App

iOS 12’s more powerful augmented reality is being put to use right away in a new Apple app called Measure. As the name suggests, the software allows you to accurately measure objects or walls around you. You put the object in the camera frame, tap and drag out a line, and it measures it. Several third-party apps already offer this functionality using ARKit, but now Apple is creating its own and taking advantage of the new, more precise AR capabilities in the upcoming version of iOS. Safe to say it’ll have a leg up on the competition.

Where Does Cybercrime Hit the Hardest?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released its annual cybercrimes report, which outlines which states saw the largest number of compromised records and the largest financial losses. The report provides statistics on what states are hit the hardest by these crimes. It also breaks down how much financial damage is caused and what mechanism for the crime was used. Interestingly, some of the states with the highest numbers of cybercrime have also been on the top identity theft state lists for several years. California, Florida, Texas, New York and Pennsylvania (in that order) had the highest numbers of cybercrime reports last year. The most financial damage from these attacks occurred in California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Arizona, again, in that order. As for how these cybercrimes manifested, Business Email Compromise (BEC) and ransomware were highly common forms, as were tech support fraud and extortion.

California, Florida, Texas, New York and Pennsylvania (in that order) had the highest numbers of cybercrime reports last year. The most financial damage from these attacks occurred in California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Arizona, again, in that order. As for how these cybercrimes manifested, Business Email Compromise (BEC) and ransomware were highly common forms, as were tech support fraud and extortion.

With such alarming numbers of occurrences around the country, what are individual consumers and businesses supposed to do? The very first answer is to simply understand that the threat even exists. Read up on the findings of the FBI, the ITRC’s annual Aftermath report, the Federal Trade Commission’s data on fraud reports. Once you understand the ways—and the likelihood—that cybercrime can strike, you’ll be better prepared to take as much preventive action as you can.

That action all starts with recognizing a possible cyber attack and refusing to play along. BECs and ransomware are easily ignored if you understand the dynamics that hackers use to trap you, for example. These tactics rely on the person receiving the communication not realizing the danger, so it’s important to set solid policies in place (for yourself and your workplace) about how to recognize, respond, and even recover from a cyber attack.  

Why the FBI Says Rebooting Your Router Can Weaken a Global Malware Attack

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking everyone with a home router to do one small thing: Turn your router off and then back on again.

The agency issued a warning on Friday asking home Internet users and small business owners to reboot their routers to ward off a pernicious piece of malware called VPN Filter. The malware infects routers during the first stage of an attack that eventually gives hackers great control over the devices connected to the Internet. The malware has been linked to a group believed to be connected to the Russian military.

Research from Cisco's Talos security group, published last week, estimates that 500,000 devices around the world may be affected by the malware, including routers made by major manufacturers such as TP-Link, Netgear and Linksys. While the FBI recently seized a critical part of the network that runs this attack, the agency still recommends that everyone reset their router, regardless of manufacturer, to cast a wider net.

Simply unplugging your router may not seem as if it could do much for your security. But resetting the router sets this complicated malware back to Stage One, said Ashley Stephenson of Corero Network Security. In its first stage, VPN Filter establishes a presence in a router, but it needs to talk to another part of the network to download the second stage of the attack.

Now that the FBI has control over part of the network, routers trying to enter that second stage will send information to the agency instead of hackers, Stephenson said.

Simply hitting the power button without updating their router would leave users at risk, software experts warned. As a next step, they should download the latest firmware for their devices and change their password to further guard themselves against infection.

Routers are often neglected — even forgotten — pieces of technology in our homes. After they've been set up, they are rarely given a second thought. But they have increasingly become a focal point for hackers looking to build massive networks of computers to control.

Several companies, such as Google, Eero and security firms Norton and F-Secure, are trying to make routers and their security easier to understand. Most people, however, simply stick with the router issued by their Internet service provider or one that they can find cheaply for $25 or $30 online, experts said.

Poor router security comes from a combination of factors, said Ben Herzberg, threat director at the security firm Imperva. Many people don't know how to access their router settings or how to check for software updates, he said. And some manufacturers are slow to push security updates, he said, out of negligence or because their devices are so old that they can't easily be updated over the Internet.

Herzberg recommended that anyone with a router that's at least 15 years old replace it with a newer device and that they regularly check for updates to guard against potential new attacks. And while regularly rebooting your router isn't always a necessary part of good security hygiene, he thinks it's good advice to follow this time — considering the source.