I’m Sure They Have An App To Fix This

Posted by keithpatrick on Jun 10, 2010 in News

Hot on the heals of the iPad 4 announcement, Gawker is now reporting that 114,000 iPad owners personal information (currently it’s just email address, so don’t go too crazy) was exposed in a security breach, and perhaps even more than that.

Apple has suffered another embarrassment. A security breach has exposed iPad owners including dozens of CEOs, military officials, and top politicians. They—and every other buyer of the cellular-enabled tablet—could be vulnerable to spam marketing and malicious hacking.

And this statement from AT&T (how I actually think it responsible)

AT&T was informed by a business customer on Monday of the potential exposure of their iPad ICC IDS. The only information that can be derived from the ICC IDS is the e-mail address attached to that device.

This issue was escalated to the highest levels of the company and was corrected by Tuesday; and we have essentially turned off the feature that provided the e-mail addresses.

The person or group who discovered this gap did not contact AT&T.

We are continuing to investigate and will inform all customers whose e-mail addresses and ICC IDS may have been obtained.

We take customer privacy very seriously and while we have fixed this problem, we apologize to our customers who were impacted.

and!

Breach details: Who did it, and how

Apple’s Worst Security Breach: 114,000 iPad Owners ExposedThe subscriber data was obtained by a group calling itself Goatse Security. Though the group is steeped in off-the-wall, 4chan-style internet culture—its name is a reference to a famous gross-out Web picture—it has previously highlighted real security vulnerabilities in the Firefox and Safari Web browsers, and attracted media attention for finding what it said were flaws in Amazon’s community ratings system.

Goatse Security obtained its data through a script on AT&T’s website, accessible to anyone on the internet. When provided with an ICC-ID as part of an HTTP request, the script would return the associated email address, in what was apparently intended to be an AJAX-style response within a Web application. The security researchers were able to guess a large swath of ICC IDs by looking at known iPad 3G ICC IDs, some of which are shown in pictures posted by gadget enthusiasts to Flickr and other internet sites, and which can also be obtained through friendly associates who own iPads and are willing to share their information, available within the iPad “Settings” application.

To make AT&T’s servers respond, the security group merely had to send an iPad-style “User agent” header in their Web request. Such headers identify users’ browser types to websites.

The group wrote a PHP script to automate the harvesting of data. Since a member of the group tells us the script was shared with third-parties prior to AT&T closing the security hole, it’s not known exactly whose hands the exploit fell into and what those people did with the names they obtained. A member tells us it’s likely many accounts beyond the 114,000 have been compromised.

Goatse Security notified AT&T of the breach and the security hole was closed.

We were able to establish the authenticity of Goatse Security’s data through two people who were listed among the 114,000 names. We sent these people the ICC ID contained in the document—and associated with the person’s iPad 3G account—and asked them to verify in an iPad control panel that this was the correct ICC ID. It was.

Apple Sells Over 300,000 iPads First Day

Posted by keithpatrick on Apr 6, 2010 in News

Apple has issued a Press Release announcing that over 300,000 iPads were sold the first day and a monster 1 Million apps and 250,000 iBooks were downloaded during the first day.

The real question is how long till we see this on The Big Bag Theory, I mean sure Sheldon is mostly on a PC (looks like an Alienware), but you never know. Maybe the people over at Dunder Mifflin will sport it in the Office first?

CUPERTINO, Calif., April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple® today announced that it sold over 300,000 iPads in the US as of midnight Saturday, April 3. These sales included deliveries of pre-ordered iPads to customers, deliveries to channel partners and sales at Apple Retail Stores. Apple also announced that iPad users downloaded over one million apps from Apple’s App Store and over 250,000 ebooks from its iBookstore during the first day.

“It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world — it’s going to be a game changer,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad.”

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution with the Apple II, then reinvented the personal computer with the Macintosh. Apple continues to lead the industry with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system, and iLife, iWork and professional applications. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store, has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

First iPad Reviews Are In, Are You Going To Get One?

Posted by keithpatrick on Apr 1, 2010 in News

The first few iPad reviews are in. Gizmodo has the goods. Here are a few:

The WSJ’s Walt Mossberg is in love with the iPad’s interface and design:

The iPad is an advance in making more-sophisticated computing possible via a simple touch interface on a slender, light device. Only time will tell if it’s a real challenger to the laptop and netbook.

USA Today’s Edward Baig was impressed:

Apple has pretty much nailed it with this first iPad, though there’s certainly room for improvement. Nearly three years after making a splash with the iPhone, Apple has delivered another impressive product that largely lives up to the hype.

NYT’s David Pogue was sure to clarify just where the device excels:

The iPad is not a laptop. It’s not nearly as good for creating stuff. On the other hand, it’s infinitely more convenient for consuming it – books, music, video, photos, Web, e-mail and so on. For most people, manipulating these digital materials directly by touching them is a completely new experience – and a deeply satisfying one.

PC Mag’s Tim Gideon also realizes the iPad’s limitations, but praises it nonetheless:

Is the iPad a perfect product? No. And the omissions will give the anti-Apple crowd plenty of ammo. Why do I need this extra device that’s not a full-fledged laptop? Where’s the camera? What about Flash? Um, how about multitasking? These are all valid complaints, but one thing I can say about most Apple products, and certainly the iPad: There may be things it doesn’t do, but what it does do, it does remarkably well. Aside from the aforementioned limitations, there isn’t a lot else to gripe about. And to my great surprise, you can actually get real work done with the iPad.

The Houston Chronicle’s Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus agrees with our thoughts that the iPad is a whole new category of mobile devices:

It turns out the iPad isn’t as much a laptop replacement as I thought (though it could easily be used as one). Instead, it’s an entirely new category of mobile device. For example, now when I want to surf the Web from the couch or back deck, the iPad is the device I choose. Starbucks? Same thing. Think of the iPad as a new arrow in your technology quiver, an arrow that will often be the best tool for a given task.

I had high expectations for the iPad, and it has met or exceeded most of them.

BoingBoing’s Xeni Jardin was thinking ahead while trying out the device:

Maybe the most exciting thing about iPad is the apps that aren’t here yet. The book-film-game hybrid someone will bust out in a year, redefining the experience of each, and suggesting some new nouns and verbs in the process. Or an augmented reality lens from NASA that lets you hold the thing up to the sky and pinpoint where the ISS is, next to what constellation, read the names and see the faces of the crew members, check how those fuel cells are holding up.

I like it a lot. But it’s the things I never knew it made possible – to be revealed or not in the coming months – that will determine whether I love it.

The Chicago Sun-Times’ Andy Ihnatko thought the iPad lived up to all the excitement and hype:

The iPad user experience is instantly compelling and elegant. It’s not every computer and every function. It’s a computer that’s designed for speed, mobility, and tactile interaction above all other considerations.

The Root’s Omar Wasow thinks the iPad has something for everyone:

Apple pulled off a remarkable balancing act in that it has designed the iPad in such a way that in can simultaneously appeal to both newbies and nerds. For low-tech users looking for an affordable entry-level PC, the iPad is a computer without all the distractions. [...] For the tech-savvy with $500 to drop on a gadget, the iPad offers a convenient way to consume and enjoy digital media without being tethered to a computer all day.