Tech Brew Ride Home - Wed. 04/14 – Now It’s the FBI Doing The (Legal?) Hacking

Starting point is 00:00:00 On April 4th, 2023, around 2 in the morning, a man was found stabbed multiple times on a sidewalk in downtown San Francisco. Hey, who did this to you? What happened next turned the story into a political firestorm. Reports have identified the victim as Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App. From Bloomberg Podcasts, this is Foundering, the Killing of Bob Lee, beginning April 16. Welcome to the TechMeme ride home for Wednesday, April 14th, 2021. I'm Brian McCullough today. The FBI hacked into some exchange servers to prevent further hacking of exchange servers. Ming Chi Kuo thinks the iPhone Mini and the notch are both going away after this year.

Starting point is 00:00:49 Sony wants you to think of their phones as cameras first. Oculus gets a key new wireless update. And yes, those Boston Dynamics robot dogs have been spotted on the streets of New York City. Here's what you miss today in the world of tech. The U.S. Department of Justice has revealed that the FBI performed a court-approved operation to copy and remove malicious web shells on hundreds of exchange servers across the U.S. In case those words don't make a ton of sense to you on First Blush, basically the FBI just logged into hundreds of private exchange servers with court authorization

Starting point is 00:01:24 to proactively undo stuff put into those servers by hackers who had earlier penetrated the servers. motherboard. In short, the FBI obtained permission to access computers to remove artifacts of an earlier high-profile hacking operation in order to prevent further access to those machines by hackers. The action is in a response to a hacking campaign earlier in the year, which leveraged vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server. Multiple hacking groups use these security flaws to break into exchange servers, in some cases stealing victims' emails. A suspected Chinese hacking group led the way, infiltrating tens of thousands of exchange servers. In this case, the FBI, quote, removed one early hacking group's remaining web shells, which could have been used to maintain

Starting point is 00:02:10 and escalate persistent unauthorized access to U.S. networks. An announcement from the FBI reads, quote, the FBI conducted the removal by issuing a command through the web shell to the server, which was designed to cause the server to delete only the web shell identified by its unique file path, the statement adds. A web shell is, in essence, an interface the hackers have opened up so they can communicate with the vulnerable system at a later date. The announcement said the FBI action did not patch the underlying systems themselves or remove any other additional malware. Quote, by deleting the web shells, FBI personnel will prevent malicious cyber actors from using the web shells to access the servers and install additional malware on them, associated court records

Starting point is 00:02:54 released with the announcements read. The documents add that the documents add that. the impacted servers appear to be located in five or more judicial districts, including the Southern District of Texas, District of Massachusetts, Northern District of Illinois, and Northern District of Virginia. The FBI also took evidence from the servers themselves and used passwords, the documents said. The FBI also took evidence from the servers themselves and used passwords, the documents say. FBI personnel will access the web shells, enter passwords, make an evidentiary copy of the web shell, and then issue a command through each. of the web shells the documents add, end quote. Apparently, the FBI is also going to inform all

Starting point is 00:03:33 owners of the impacted computers about what they did. No word on if the FBI is going to offer malware removal as a service going forward, though that's, of course, a joke. But seriously, this is the first known case of the FBI basically cleaning up private networks after a hack to make sure those networks can't be used for further hacks. In a related note, the most recent batch of patches from Microsoft. The April 2021 patch fixes 108 flaws, including 19 critical flaws, 5-0 days, and 4 NSA discovered critical exchange flaws. So you are, you know, being urgently urged to apply these patches to Tzu-sweet. A couple of big rumor drops from Ming Chi Kuo today about upcoming iPhones, not this year's upcoming iPhones, but iPhones coming

Starting point is 00:04:31 next year and in 2020. According to Quo, the 2022 iPhone lineup will feature two 6.1 inch and 2 6.7 inch devices, which means the mini-sized iPhone is getting phased out again after this year, quoting Mac rumors. Apple introduced the 5.4-inch iPhone Mini in the iPhone 12 lineup and plans to continue to sell a 5.4-inch device in 2021, but it looks like the size will be discontinued after that if Quo's information is accurate. The iPhone 12. 12 Mini has not been selling as well as expected, according to multiple iPhone sales estimates, along with streamlining size options. Quo believes that Apple will introduce significant camera upgrades in the 2022 iPhones, adding

Starting point is 00:05:14 a 48-mixel camera in the high-end iPhone 14 models. Quo says that the upgraded camera lens will take iPhone camera photography to, quote, a new level, along with a 48-mixel lens that will also be able to output in 12 megapixels. Quo expects the high-end iPhones to be capable of recording 8K video, and he says that in the future, watching iPhone recorded videos on an 8K display or TV will, quote, offer a better user experience, end quote. Because the best resolution for augmented and mixed reality is 8K to 16K,

Starting point is 00:05:47 quote, quote, says that the 48 megapixel camera in the 22 iPhone will create videos and images, quote, more suitable for AR slash MR devices, and that will, quote, enhance the ARMR user experience, end quote. All right, but what about the 2023 iPhones? Quo says those will get the first under-display face ID system, which presumably means the notch is on its way out. Oh, and also a new periscope telephoto lens, quoting Mac rumors again. Quo had also previously stated that at least one high-end iPhone model in 2023 will feature an under-display fingerprint scanner with no notch and a real full

Starting point is 00:06:27 display screen. Quo provides no specifics with today's note on whether Apple would offer both an under-disply touch ID and face ID system, or whether under-display face ID will remain exclusive to the higher-end phones. Apple has widely been rumored to adopt an under-display fingerprint scanner, even possibly for the iPhone 13. However, this is the first time we've heard of a possible under-display face-ID system. From a technological standpoint, achieving an under-display facial recognition system requires more advanced tooling, given that the true depth camera system must be able to read and recognize faces through the pixels of the display without distorting or interfering with the content, end quote. And finally, as for the periscope lens, quoting

Starting point is 00:07:10 from Mac rumors one last time, existing smartphones have already adopted periscope lens technology. Huawei's P30 Pro allows for 5x optical zoom, and an iPhone with a periscope lens could have similar capabilities. Current iPhone, max out at 2.5x optical zoom and 12x digital zoom, but better zoom capabilities could let Apple's iPhones compete with smartphones that have focused on zoom functionality. Samsung's latest smartphones, for example, have a 100x zoom feature that Apple's current iPhones can't match, end quote. Again, I told you, we're going to be hella busy the second half of this month. Samsung has announced its next Galaxy unpacked event. We'll be held on April 28th.

Starting point is 00:07:55 What might we see then? Well, Samsung only announced that, quote, the most powerful galaxy is coming, end quote. But rumors are pointing to new galaxy book laptops, quoting CNET. Rumors from earlier this year said Samsung planned to unveil new galaxy book laptops in April, as well as possible Chromebooks. People have been waiting for more foldable phones from Samsung, but rumors point to their arrival in the summer. Samsung, like many device makers, has worked to bring features from smartphones to PCs. That includes longer battery life and cellular connectivity. Apple popularized the effort with its M1 MacBooks, while Qualcomm has worked with PC makers to introduce new devices with its chips. Samsung's rumored new laptops,

Starting point is 00:08:40 possibly the Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360, could include 5G connectivity, OLED screens, and other high-end specs, end quote. They get basically zero love or attention from anybody, but Sony still has a lineup of flagship smartphones. and they just unveiled the latest and the greatest, the 6.5-inch, Experia-13, and 6.1-inch, Experia-5-3 flagships with variable telephoto lenses, Snapdragon 888s, 312 megapixel rear cameras, and 4,500 MAHH batteries, quoting the verge.

Starting point is 00:09:26 Both are the latest in Sony's campaign to redefine the Experia brand as a kind of sibling to its well-regarded alpha digital cameras. As such, the camera system is once again the main focus, and Sony specifically is touting the, quote, world's first smartphone with a variable telephoto lens paired with a dual PD sensor and improvements to its already fast and accurate autofocus system. Pricing was not announced, but both phones should be available in the U.S. this summer. In order to establish the Experia brand, Sony has also been pushing a lot of other nice specs that are relatively hard to come by on other Android phones.

Starting point is 00:10:03 The Xperia 1-3 has a 4K OLED screen that now supports a fast, though locked, 120 hertz refresh rate. There are dual speakers that are 40% louder, and we'll work with Sony's 360 reality audio format. Sony is also enabling a special mode for the USBC port that allows you to use a special cable to take an HD-resolution video signal from an SLR camera, so you can use it as a monitor, much like the Experia Pro can do with HDMI. That could also make them an interesting option for live streaming.

Starting point is 00:10:38 But again, the big push is on the cameras themselves, and here Sony has done quite a bit to improve the hardware. Sony is using 312 megapixel sensors on the back, and both the main and telephoto lenses support OIS. The XPyria-13 also gets a time-of-flight sensor. Sony says it has lenses that are the equivalent to 16-millimeter and 70-millimeter. but that the telephoto can also reach up to a 105 millimeter equivalent. That extra telephoto zoom comes thanks to a folded periscope lens design,

Starting point is 00:11:10 and the Experia is physically moving the lens elements to get different focal lengths. These phones can take photos at up to 20 FPS with focus exposure readings happening at 60 FPS. They also support 120 FPS 4K in HDR. There's still eye tracking autofocus, but this year there's real-time tracking for that autofocus. In a demo, Sony showed a subject turning around, and when their eye was visible again, the camera adjusted. Sony is finally integrating its pro camera app with the main camera app. There's the basic mode like any smartphone, but it's now quicker to get to the pro mode. Sony's pro mode really is angled towards people who use

Starting point is 00:11:50 Sony's cameras too. The interface is very similar. Sony's tack with the Experian line is to pack them the gills with specs and features that will appeal to photographers and even videographers. There's an excellent workflow-based video app included, but in reality, Sony has struggled mightily to gain any measurable market share in the U.S. A lot of that has come down to higher prices than is the norm for even flagship Android phones, but some of it also comes down to availability. Without carrier partnerships or massive marketing budgets, these Experia phones are more likely to appeal to camera enthusiasts than mainstream Android buyers, end quote.

Starting point is 00:12:26 Oculus has announced that the new software update to the Quest 2 will add an airlink mode so you can play PC VR games wirelessly with a 120 hertz refresh rate, which I've not experimented with this myself since I don't have a gaming PC, but it's probably a big deal if you want to VR some of those heavy duty games like Half-Life, quoting and gadget. After updated to version 28, Aerlink gives wearers full freedom of movement without being tethered by a USBC cable and will at first be available only as an experimental feature. According to Oculus, your play area will ideally be within 20 feet of your router, so plan accordingly, then head to the beta settings in its PC app and toggle AirLink on. Other tweaks address the refresh rate, which runs at 90 hertz by default and for certain games, but after the update will allow refresh rates up to 120 hertz for native apps. There aren't any apps that actually use the new setting yet,

Starting point is 00:13:34 and so far it won't work for OculusLink titles, although that's coming later. Finally, the Infinite Office feature is improving, with the ability to map and save a virtual desk over your real furniture, and then pair a Logitech K830 keyboard so that it appears 3D rendered in VR along with your hands while you type on it in real life, end quote. Which, click through on the story link and the show notes to actually see a video of this in action. Basically, you grab the keyboard in real life and then you can bring it into your virtual world. Again, it's just kind of hard to describe, but it's pretty cool looking. Check out the video.

Starting point is 00:14:18 Finally today, you might have seen the videos making their way around social medias. Yes, the New York Police Department has one of those dog-like robots from Boston Dynamics, and yes, they've been deploying them in the first. field. In fact, according to Gothamist, since October, the NYPD has deployed a quarterped robot called Spot to a handful of crime scenes, quote, a video shared on Twitter shows the robot trotting out of a building on East 28th Street in front of two NYPD officers, then slowly descending the stairs as bystanders look on in shock. I've never seen nothing like this before in my life, one woman can be heard saying. The remote-controlled bot was made by Boston Dynamics,

Starting point is 00:15:00 a robotics company famous for its viral videos of machines dancing and running with human-like dexterity. Versions of Spot, as the mechanical dog is known, can open doors and are strong enough to help tow an 18-wheeler. Since October, the NYPD has dispatched the robot to a handful of crime scenes and hostage situations, raising fears of unwanted surveillance and questions about the department's use of public dollars. The mobile dog, which comes equipped with automated sensors, lights, and cameras capable of collecting limitless data is sold at a starting price of $74,000. A spokesperson for the NYPD said the robot dog was on standby, but not used during a domestic dispute at East 28th Street on Monday afternoon. After a man allegedly barricaded himself inside a room

Starting point is 00:15:46 with a mother and her baby, officers showed up and convinced him to let them exit. The man was arrested for weapons possession, the police said, end quote. Again, check the link to the piece in the show notes. If you've not seen the video, it's wild to see Spot walking in the real world. It almost looks like movie CGI. I have no opinion on the Robo Police Dog, either as a technologist or as a New Yorker, though, I will share this tweet from someone called Spiral Curse DeMarco, quote, Remember all those adorable Boston Dynamics videos everybody shared? This is where it was always really going.

Starting point is 00:16:33 end quote. Talk to you tomorrow. Prime directives. Serve the public trust, protect the innocent, uphold the law. Robo, excuse me, Robo, any special message for all the kids watching at home. Stay out of trouble.

Tech Brew Ride Home - Wed. 04/14 – Now It’s the FBI Doing The (Legal?) Hacking

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