An academic research paper by University of Pennsylvania researchers claims touch screen phones may be vulnerable to smudge attacks, a new form of security vulnerability based on the oily residue left on the screen. The researchers claim malicious attackers may be able to ascertain a certain amount of information, such as inferring a password used by the devices owner, left by the smudges left on a touch screen.
The researchers took photos of screens and used a program to analyze the photos closely. They found they could figure out the password over 90 percent of the time. The study used Android phones, which use a graphical pattern to allow users to unlock the phone. Phones included the Nexus 1.
The study also found that “pattern smudges,” which build up from writing the same password numerous times, are particularly recognizable.
While it sounds somewhat plausible, I find it hard to believe that practical use of this vulnerability, assuming it is even an issue, will result in widespread exploits. The attackers would have to gain physical access to the device in order to make use of the exploit, and most bad guys prefer to do their dirty deeds from afar. This is not to necessarily downplay the issue but to speak towards the reality of the situation.
It should be worth watching to see if any true security issues ever come from this research. I applaud the University of Pennsylvania team for conducting some very exhaustive investigative work, and some very informative and interesting research, but the reality is this “vulnerability” is a non-issue right now.
According to Jim Dalrymple Apple will be holding a press conference this coming Friday to discuss the iPhone 4, presumably to chat about the recent antenna and reception issues:
Apple on Wednesday invited select press to a special press conference to be held this Friday in California.
Apple would only say that the press conference would be regarding the iPhone 4. No other information was available when I spoke with them tonight.
Could this possibly be the first time that Apple has held a press conference for something other than to announce a new product? One such theory by Dan Rubin is that Apple will finally announce the availability of the iPhone on Verizon. This would ultimately change the conversation to something positive – misdirection if you will – because Verizon has the most robust mobile network in the states. But what about the international people complaining about the iPhone 4 and its antenna reception issues?
Whatever happens on Friday, it should be very interesting. I imagine a lot of folks would welcome the iPhone on Verizon but I’m not buying it. However, and this is a big if – maybe this is why the white iPhone is taking so long to manufacture – because its the fabled CDMA version for Verizon?
According to Consumer Reports, it appears the iPhone 4 signal issues many folks are complaining about may not necessarily be unique to the iPhone 4 and might not even be all that serious.
Most of the Web sites reporting dropped signals and even dropped calls have demonstrated several techniques, or “death grips” for recreating the problem (which we’ve yet been able to reproduce in a meaningful way). But those almost always require squeezing the phone hard, in an unnatural way. Those grips may also produce sweaty palms from exertion, with the sweat increasing conductivity—and possibly the degree of signal loss.
There does not appear to be a hard and fast rule for when and how this signal degradation issue afflicts the iPhone 4. About the only constant in all cases is a lack of a quality signal in the area, which may ultimately facilitate the purported issues.
Either way, this is definitely not going to stop me from snatching up an iPhone 4. What about you?
Two possibilities come to mind: 1) Apple realizes its antenna problems are due to an internal control issue so they fired a few iPhone/iPad antenna engineers, or 2) Apple was missing this type of expertise to begin with.
Kristena Hansen at the Los Angeles Times writes this about Apple:
The company, which is under fire for reception problems with its newest iPhone model and its iPad tablet computer, has posted three openings on its website for jobs described as “Antenna Engineer-iPad/iPhone.”
…
The posts are dated June 23, the day before the launch of the iPhone 4, which customers have been complaining loses signal when held in certain ways that seem to interfere with the device’s antenna.
Should you just skip Apple’s iPhone 4 and wait for the iPhone 5?
Truly disappointing leak from Apple. Even worse than Steve Jobs’ “You’re holding it wrong” remark.
Boy Genius reports on Apple’s leak:
- Keep all of the positioning statements in the BN handy – your tone when delivering this information is important.
a. The iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. Our testing shows that iPhone 4’s overall antenna performance is better than iPhone 3GS.
b. Gripping almost any mobile phone in certain places will reduce its reception. This is true of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, and many other phones we have tested. It is a fact of life in the wireless world.
c. If you are experiencing this on your iPhone 3GS, avoid covering the bottom-right side with your hand.
d. If you are experiencing this on your iPhone 4, avoid covering the black strip in the lower-left corner of the metal band.
e. The use of a case or Bumper that is made out of rubber or plastic may improve wireless performance by keeping your hand from directly covering these areas.
- Do not perform warranty service. Use the positioning above for any customer questions or concerns.
- Don’t forget YOU STILL NEED to probe and troubleshoot. If a customer calls about their reception while the phone is sitting on a table (not being held) it is not the metal band.
- ONLY escalate if the issue exists when the phone is not held AND you cannot resolve it.
- We ARE NOT appeasing customers with free bumpers – DON’T promise a free bumper to customers.
Potential upside to the iPhone 4 antenna debacle coming this Monday in the form of iOS 4.01?
Readers report that Apple’s tech support forums originally confirmed that a iOS 4.0.1 software fix addressing the issue would ship early next week (as early as Monday), before the comments were subsequently taken down along with all the other related discussion about the matter.–Daniel Eran Dilger, AppleInsider.com
In an interview conducted on June 10 with Professor Gert Frølund Pedersen, an antenna expert at Denmark’s Aalborg University, the brainiac described how the antenna design of the iPhone 4 could result in lackluster reception – a whole two weeks prior to the release of Apple’s latest masterpiece.
The human tissue will in any event have an inhibitory effect on the antenna. Touch means that a larger portion of antenna energy becomes heat and lost.
Sounds like a fair bit of epic fail for Apple. How could they possibly botch such a vital feature of a mobile phone?
Maybe Apple already knew of this issue and that is why they are selling Bumpers?
A fair number of users have found that after upgrading they iPhone 3G[S] to iOS 4 they were discontent with the results. In many cases iOS 4 has caused iPhone 3G’s to become extremely slow and even more unresponsive than prior to the ostensible upgrade. If you are unhappy with iOS 4, follow these simple instructions for downgrading from iOS 4 to iOS 3.1.3:
The process should work nearly the same on Windows and OS X, so unless we say otherwise, you can follow the same steps on each. The main difference between Windows and OS X is RecBoot, so Windows users, make sure you pay close attention to the RecBoot process before diving in. The same basic steps should likely work for iPhone 3GS, according to our 3GS-toting intern Adam Dachis, who’s used a similar method in the past. (Still, I haven’t been able to verify, so proceed at your own risk, and if you do, let us know how it worked in the comments.) Lastly, you should read through the entire guide before you dive in, just so you know what you’re getting into.
Was all of this part of Apple’s master plan to “force” people to upgrade to the iPhone 4? Somehow I doubt it, as that is just a little too far-fetched and conspiracy theory-ish.
While I have noticed a considerable slowdown in iOS 4 on my iPhone 3G I do not plan to downgrade. The upgrade is quite compelling even if somewhat slower than iOS 3.1.3, as I simply adore the unified inbox and folders, among the few other features iPhone 3G owners were offered.
What about you – are you noticing such a severe degradation in speed after the upgrade that you are considering downgrading?
A number of extremely wild claims about the battery life of the iPhone 4 were made earlier today by a few tech journalists. Zee from The Next Web compiled a list of such statements, where Engadget reported they sucked about 38 hours out of an iPhone 4:
Engadget reports that – on heavy use – the battery lasted 38 hours. Mossberg claims that his battery didn’t even reach the red zone in his single day of tests (which means he must have been using it a fair amount.) Finally, Xeni Jardin at BoingBoing reports that with “3G data and WiFi turned on the whole time, she got a full 4 days of battery life!??
If true, this could be the killer iPhone 4 feature. While a speedy processor, more RAM, sick 720p full-motion video and other features are all quite nice, increased battery life is really what most iPhone owners will tell you they really need.
To not have to recharge the iPhone every single day – sometimes multiple times in a single day – would be a godsend!
If you, like me, are still rocking an iPhone 3G and completed the upgrade to iOS 4 today then you are probably feeling slightly left out. A good portion of the major new features, such as fast app switching, are not available on the 3G due to memory limitations. Engadget was kind enough to put together a comprehensive list on what is missing for 3G owners:
While iOS 4 is delivering on every promise for the iPhone 3GS users out there, as we were all told up front, the iPhone 3G would be missing some of those touted new features. Granted, we knew such disparities would exist but were never given the finer details. Now that the final build is percolating through the internet, we decided to take a look at what features are and aren’t working on the earlier year’s model.
There are no real show stoppers. Of those missing features listed, most were already known; their lack of appearance should not be a surprise.
While multitasking, aka fast app switching, would be a godsend on the 3G the hardware will just not support the feature. If you think your 3G runs slow now, with its measly 128MB of RAM, imagine how much more sluggish it would perform and how much quicker battery drainage would be.
The iPhone 4, with its sexy Apple A4 chip and 512MB of RAM, cannot arrive fast enough.
Following in the footsteps of the NY Times, the well respected LA Times newspaper has finally unleashed an iPhone app.
The app is broken down into several main sections, including the latest headlines, photos, Tweets from The Times and a constantly updated feed of local news from the L.A. Now blog.
Users can browse through The Times’ individual sections — including each section’s blogs — and save stories and photos under the Favorites section for later viewing. There are built-in functions to share stories on Facebook, Twitter and via e-mail.
The LA Times app costs $1.99 unlike the free NY Times app. However, it appears the LA Times app will be much more interactive, providing almost live content whereas the former merely allows for offline reading of current content – not necessarily up-to-the-minute news.
Sounds like a fairly useful app, especially if you live in LA or are interested in the articles the LA Times produces. The price is not too bad either, and should not scare too many folks away. If you happen to download and use the app please let us know your thoughts.
