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A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration

The White House will meet with executives from major tech companies, including Alphabet-owned Google (GOOGL.O), Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Amazon.com Inc, , to discuss software security after the United States have suffered several major cyber attacks last year.

 In December, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan sent a letter to CEOs of tech companies after  a security vulnerability was discovered in open source software called Log4j that organizations around the world are using. to save data in their applications. 

In the letter, Sullivan noted that this open source software is widely used and maintained by volunteers and is a “major national security problem.” 

Thursday’s meeting, which will be hosted by the Deputy National Security Advisor for Information Technology and Emerging Technologies. discuss concerns about the security of open source software and how it can be improved, the White House said in a statement.

Other top tech companies in attendance at the meeting will include IBM (IBM.N), Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), Meta Platforms Inc (FB.O) which owns Facebook and Oracle Corp (ORCL.N). Government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense and the Commerce Department, will also be in attendance.

Cybersecurity has been a top priority for the Biden administration after several major cyberattacks last year, which exposed thousands of records held by companies and government agencies to hackers.

One hack, which the U.S. government has said was likely orchestrated by Russia, breached software made by SolarWinds (SWI.N) and gave hackers access to thousands of companies and government offices that used its products. The hackers got access to emails at the U.S. Treasury, Justice and Commerce departments, and other agencies.

Source: Tech Crunch

A test tube labelled with the Vaccine is seen in front of AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken, September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

AstraZeneca said on Thursday that preliminary data from a trial showed that its COVID-19 shot, Vaxzevria, generated an increase in antibodies against the Omicron and other variants when given as a third booster dose.

The increased response, also against the Delta variant, was seen in a blood analysis of people who were previously vaccinated with either Vaxzevria or an mRNA vaccine, the drugmaker said, adding that it would submit this data to regulators worldwide given the urgent need for boosters.

AstraZeneca has developed the vaccine with researchers from the University of Oxford, and lab studies conducted by the university last month already found a three-dose course of Vaxzevria boosted antibody levels in the blood against the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.

The brief statement on Thursday, which did not include specific data, was the first by AstraZeneca on the protective potential of Vaxzevria as a booster shot following a two shot-course of either an mRNA based vaccine or Vaxzevria. Vaccines base on mRNA technology are made by BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna.

The company said the findings “add to the growing body of evidence supporting Vaxzevria as a third dose booster irrespective of the primary vaccination schedules tested”.

The data on Vaxzevria’s potential as a booster came from a comparative analysis in a trial testing a redesigned vaccine which uses the vector technology behind Vaxzevria but targeting the now-superseded Beta variant. AstraZeneca is trying to show the Beta-specific vaccine has potential also against other variants and more trial data is expected during the first half of the year.

Separately, Oxford University and AstraZeneca last month started work on a vaccine specifically targeting Omicron though Astra – as well as other vaccine makers in similar development projects – have said it was not yet clear whether such an upgrade was needed.

A major British trial in December found that AstraZeneca’s shot increased antibodies when given as a booster after initial vaccination with its own shot or Pfizer’s, but that was before the explosive spread of the Omicron variant.

However, the study at the time concluded that mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna gave a biggest boost to antibodies when given as a third dose.

AstraZeneca and its contract manufacturing partners have supplied over 2.5 billion doses globally of its vaccine, even though it is not approved in the United States, while BioNTech-Pfizer have shipped about 2.6 billion doses.

Source: ARY News

Source: Tech Crunch

Image Credit:CIPhotos via Getty Images

 More than half of Europe’s population could become infected with omicron within weeks at current transmission speeds, a World Health Organization official said.

The fast-spreading variant represents a “west-to-east tsunami sweeping  the region,” Hans Kluge, WHO regional director  for Europe, said in a briefing Tuesday. 

He cited  the Institute for  Metrics and Health Assessment forecast that most Europeans could take it within the next six to eight weeks.

The latest Covid  surge has  resulted in fewer symptomatic cases and lower death rates than in previous waves, fueling optimism that the pandemic may subside. 

However, the WHO has repeatedly warned against underestimating the Omicron strain as mild. Kluge said hospital admission rates are increasing. In Europe, it puts pressure on health systems. 

On the flip side, another WHO official said it was too early to consider  COVID-19 is entering an endemic phase, an issue the Spanish government has proposed to discuss. An endemic phase would see “stable spread of the virus at a predictable level”, but what we are currently seeing for 2022 is nowhere near that, “said Catherine Smallwood,  WHO Europe Chief Emergency Officer.” We still have great uncertainty. 

We still have a virus that evolves pretty quickly and brings new challenges, “he said.” We are certainly not at the point where we can call it endemic.

Source: Tech Crunch

This morning, Microsoft’s 365 Defender research team released details of a new macOS “Powerdir”  vulnerability that allows an attacker to bypass transparency, consent, and control technology to gain unauthorized access to protected data. 

Apple has already fixed vulnerability CVE-2021-30970  in the macOS Monterey 12.1 Update released in December, so users who have upgraded to the latest version of Monterey are protected. Those who haven’t should update. Apple in its Security Release Notes for Update 12.1  confirmed the vulnerability of TCC  and attributed its discovery to Microsoft.

According to Microsoft, the “Powerdir” security vulnerability could allow the installation of a fake TCC database. 

TCC is a long-lasting macOS feature that allows users to configure the privacy settings of their apps, and with the fake database, an attacker could hijack an app installed on a Mac or install their own malicious app by gaining access to the microphone and the camera to obtain confidential information. 

Microsoft has a detailed description of how the vulnerability works, and the company says  its security researchers continue to “monitor the threat landscape” for new vulnerabilities and attack techniques affecting macOS and other non-Windows devices.

“Software vendors like Apple, security researchers, and the larger security community, need to continuously work together to identify and fix vulnerabilities before attackers can take advantage of them,” wrote Microsoft’s security team.

Source: Tech Crunch

Source: Tech Crunch

Apple-owned Shazam has just released a Chrome Extension that works to identify what’s playing in your “Netflix or YouTube video, that Soundcloud mix or in a Twitch streamed video game,” but it doesn’t work for all users just yet. 

After installation, Shazam exists in the Chrome Extensions drop-down menu to the right of the address bar and can be pinned like the others to always be handy.
Tap the blue icon to open a rectangular pop-up asking for another “Click Shazam”. While listening, you are told “do not update or close this tab”. Once recognized, there is a shortcut to play the entire song in Apple Music (login required), while you can “get lyrics, music videos and more with just one click”. The plugin’s main page  has a drop-down menu to view your “Shazam Browser Song History”.
It is not possible to log into your Shazam account and sync the songs you previously identified on your phone. It would be very useful. The extension, according to reviews from the Chrome Web Store, was released in late 2021.

Shazam appears to have only announced its existence on the Android app update website and list.One reason why it could be that it does not work anyway for all users.

Source: Tech Crunch

Image Credit:Letsgodigital

Samsung’s launch plans over the past two years have been unusual, but it looks like the company’s next flagship could be a return to normal. According to a new rumor, the Galaxy S22 launch date could be February 8.

Korean media outlet DDaily.co.kr reports that Samsung is planning a launch event for its Galaxy S22 series on February 8. The outlet claims that Samsung has “confirmed” the date with “Galaxy Unpacked 2022” to be held virtually online. 

Invitations would be sent out later this month, but it’s unclear whether there will be an in-person component for the launch, but MWC 2022 could open the door to in-person screenings later this month. 

To this day, MWC 2022 is still  to be held in person in Barcelona from February 28 to March 3. Apparently, pre-orders for the Galaxy S22, S22 +, and S22 Ultra will begin on February 9, with sales starting February 24. 

That’s about a month after the Galaxy S21 series debuted – that series arrived on January 29 for general sale. The Galaxy Tab S8 series is expected to arrive alongside the Galaxy S22, with three variants including a large Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.

Source: Tech Crunch

 

The Yutu-2 image of the ‘mysterious hut’. (CNSA/CLEP/Our Space)

Yutu-2 image of the closer rock. (CNSA/CLEP/Our Space) Continue reading “Remember That Weird 'Cube' on The Moon? Yutu-2 Finally Took Closer Pictures”

Credits: NASA GSFC/CIL/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez

 NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope team has fully deployed its 21-foot gold-plated primary mirror, completing the final phase of all major spacecraft deployments in preparation for scientific operations. 

As a joint effort with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency, the Webb mission will explore every phase of cosmic history, from  the solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe.

The two wings of Webb’s primary mirror were bent prior to launch to fit into the nose cone of an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket. After more than a week of other critical spacecraft missions, Webb’s team began remotely deploying the hexagonal segments of the main mirror, the largest ever launched on launch. Place.

The telescope will now begin moving its 18 primary mirror segments to align the telescope optics. The ground team will command 126 actuators on the backsides of the segments to flex each mirror – an alignment that will take months to complete. Then the team will calibrate the science instruments prior to delivering Webb’s first images this summer.

Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for Science Mission Directorate in NASA Headquarters in Washington, added: “I am so proud of the team – spanning continents and decades – that delivered this first-of-its-kind achievement. Webb’s successful deployment exemplifies the best of what NASA has to offer: the willingness to attempt bold and challenging things in the name of discoveries still unknown.”

Webb will also shortly undergo a third midway correction burn – one of three designed to bring the telescope into precise orbit around the second Lagrangian point, commonly known as L2, nearly 1 million miles from Earth. This is Webb’s last orbital position where his sunshade protects him from light from the sun, earth, and moon that could interfere with  infrared light observations. Webb was designed to look back over 13.5 billion years to capture infrared light from celestial objects in much higher resolution than ever before and to study our own solar system as well as distant worlds. 

Gregory L. Robinson, Director of the Webb Program at NASA Headquarters, said, “The successful completion of all  Webb space telescope missions is historic. This is the first time a NASA-led mission attempts to complete a complex sequence of observatory in space, a remarkable feat for our team, NASA, and the world.

Source: Tech Crunch

 

The Apple logo is displayed at an event at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 10, 2019. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

Apple could use its now common spring event to update its cheaper smartphone. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said in his latest newsletter that Apple is expected to showcase a third-generation iPhone SE this spring through a virtual presentation that “likely” will take place in March or April. Echoing past rumors, Gurman understood that the new SE would still stick to the iPhone 8-era design, but would add 5G and a new processor, possibly the A15 from the iPhone 13, when Apple’s history of using the chip peaked of last year

. No other changes were mentioned. It wouldn’t be surprising if Apple increased the storage to 128GB or upgraded the camera sensors (again carried over from the iPhone 8), but that’s not guaranteed given Apple’s low-cost approach to the iPhone SE. A larger battery may be required to compensate for the typically higher power consumption of 5G.

If the leak is true, the new iPhone SE would be disappointing to those who want a modern design that covers almost the entire screen. It would still have a relatively small screen, thick bezels, and a button-based fingerprint reader. However, as we just mentioned,  price is everything to the SE. The model’s current  price of $ 399 is helping Apple reach some customers who otherwise wouldn’t justify an iPhone. The company may not want to do anything that could result in a small  price increase, if only to maximize the SE’s potential audience.

Source: Tech Crunch