'Dirty USSD' code could automatically wipe your Samsung TouchWiz device (updated)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/25/dirty-ussd-code-samsung-hack-wipe/

The Factory Reset. One of those last ditch efforts that many of us have a fair bit of experience with. However, a malicious embed code could potentially do the exact same thing to your Galaxy S III. The Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) code (which we won't reproduce here) apparently only works on Samsung phones running Touchwiz, and only if you are directed to the dodgy destination while inside the stock browser (rather than Chrome, for example). This means the Galaxy Nexus is unaffected, but it can work the same dark magic on the likes of the Galaxy S II.

We've been trying to murder a (UK-based) GS III here at Engadget, but with no luck as yet -- we can cause the malicious digits to appear in the dialer, but we can't force the stock browser to visit them as a URL, even when trying a bit of URL forwarding and QR code trickery. However, this particular GS III has been rooted in the past, even though it's now running an official TouchWiz ROM, and that may be interfering with the process.

Aside from our own experiences, the evidence for the vulnerability is certainly strong. It was demonstrated at the Ekoparty security conference last weekend, during which time presenter Ravi Borgaonkar also showed how a different code could even wipe your SIM card. See the video after the break for the evidence.

Update: Tweakers.net has been able to replicate the security hole on a Galaxy S Advance, while The Verge has confirmed that it works on both the Galaxy S II and the AT&T Galaxy S III. Samsung has told us it's looking into the issue.

Conti nue reading 'Dirty USSD' code could automatically wipe your Samsung TouchWiz device (updated)

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile

'Dirty USSD' code could automatically wipe your Samsung TouchWiz device (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Tom Scott (Twitter)  |  Alejandrospamloco (YouTube), Ekoparty security conference  | Email this | Comments

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Apple A6 investigation shows highly customized dual-core, triple-GPU layout

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/25/apple-a6-investigation-shows-highly-customized-dual-core-design/

There's been a significant mystery lingering around the A6 processor found in the iPhone 5, even as it became clearer that Apple was veering further than usual from the basic ARM formula. A microscope-level inspection by Chipworks and iFixit is at last identifying the key elements of the 32nm, Samsung-assembled chip and revealing just how far it strays from the beaten path. The examination confirms earlier suspicions of a dual-core design with triple-core graphics -- it's how that design is shaped that makes the difference. Apple chose to lay out the two processor cores by hand rather than let a computer do the work, as most ARM partners do. The procedure is expensive and slow, but also gives the A6 a better-optimized design; it explains why the chip is noticeably faster than much of its competition without needing the brute force approaches of higher clock speeds or extra cores. Some mysteries remain, such as the exact PowerVR graphics that are at work, but it's evident Apple now has the design talent and resources to speed up mobile devices on its own terms rather than wait for off-the-shelf layouts like the Cortex-A15.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Apple A6 investigation shows highly customized dual-core, triple-GPU layout originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Piece of Glass Can Store Data Forever [Memory]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5946110/this-piece-of-glass-can-store-data-forever

Data, like all things, eventually dies. Your music, your movies, your documents, your files, your computer. You don't expect it to live forever but... what if it did? Hitachi claims that they've developed a new quartz glass plate that can store data forever.

CDs and hard drives can only last for a few decades or a century at most, this new quartz glass can "endure extreme temperatures and hostile conditions without degrading, almost forever." How does it work? The data is stored in binary form with dots inside a thin sheet of quartz glass. The data is read with an ordinary optical microscope. PhysOrg says:

The prototype storage device is two centimetres (0.8 inches) square and just two millimetres (0.08 inches) thick and made from quartz glass, a highly stable and resilient material, used to make beakers and other instruments for laboratory use.

The chip, which is resistant to many chemicals and unaffected by radio waves, can be exposed directly to high temperature flames and heated to 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 Fahrenheit) for at least two hours without being damaged.

Currently, the material—which is also waterproof—has four layers of dots which can hold 40 megabytes per square inch (approx. the density of a music CD) but researchers believe they can add even more layers. Glass storage. Amazing that something that sounds so fragile is actually the strongest form of data storage. [PhysOrg]

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Samsung-Made Galaxy Nexus 2 Currently in Testing? [Rumors]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5946141/samsung+made-galaxy-nexus-2-currently-in-testing

Photos that appeared online over the weekend appear to have been taken with an as yet unannounced Samsung phone, which seemingly fits in with Samsung's Nexus device naming system.

The data attached to the shots say they were taken with a device Samsung's labelled the GT-i9260, which you might reasonably expect to be an update of the phone known as the GT-i9250 - which was last year's Galaxy Nexus. Given that we've previously heard about this i9260 model are and expecting Samsung to contribute a new Nexus this year, it all makes perfect sense.

The images, which are still sitting up there on Picasa, don't give us any more information, although it's nice to imagine we're seeing a bit of the wall and floor of some top secret Samsung testing laboratory out in Korea. [GSM Arena via Techradar]

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Our newest offspring Gizmodo UK is gobbling up the news in a different timezone, so check them out if you need another Giz fix.

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Bloomberg: iPhone 5 'Shortage' a Result of New Ultra-Thin Display [Apple]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5946143/bloomberg-iphone-5-shortage-a-result-of-new-ultra+thin-display

Despite five million units being sold in three days, Bloomberg is claiming that demand for the iPhone 5 has been outstripping supply because of a shortage of the ultra-thin display units used in the new phone.

The new iPhone uses in-cell screen technology, which rolls together the display and touch-sensitive parts of the screen in order to make it thinner. These screens, though, are more labor-intensive to make. Hence the problem.

Originally Apple was using LG Display Co. and Japan Display Inc. to produce the new four-inch screens. To ensure production remained high, though, Apple drafted in the help of Sharp to make more displays.

According to Bloomberg, however, Sharp has been struggling to meet demand. Reports suggest that the company struggled to fix defects in its screens—the knock-on result being delayed shipments of iPhones and less stock to sell on to consumers.

While shortage is perhaps the wrong word to use with 5 million handsets sold over the weekend, no doubt it's a problem Apple would like to solve soon. In the meantime, you can at least now reserve an iPhone 5 for in-store pickup, so at least you won't have to wait in line. [Bloomberg]

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