Today’s Tech Sightings:
Smartphones Can Detect Eye Cancer
Believe it or not, smartphones can actually diagnose Retinoblastoma, a rare type of aggressive eye cancer that develops as a tumor in the retina and almost exclusively affects children. Those suffering from this disease often have a white glow around their pupils that shows up when photographed with a flash – a real lifesaver.
China Aims to Boost Internet Speeds, Cut Prices
A statement from China’s State Council, issued late Wednesday, said the country will accelerate development of its high-speed broadband network to increase speed and slash prices. The statement said telecoms should increase urban broadband speeds by up to 40 percent.
Top Level Domains Revitalize Phishing Campaigns
A new report from Kaspersky Lab found that cybercriminals are using top level domains to disseminate fraudulent advertising and phishing attacks. The report said the new generic top-level domain (gTLD) registration program has become a tool for spammers looking for large-scale spam distribution.
The Fix Is in for Venom Security Flaw
Venom, a recently discovered vulnerability in the open-source QEMU virtual machine hypervisor, has been fixed. Security firm Crowdstrike, which discovered the flaw, said Venom targets the legacy code for QEMU’s virtual Floppy Disk Controller, which leaves users open to attack even if they never use the now-extinct floppy drive.
Chinese Hackers Hid Malware Attack Controls in Microsoft TechNet Comments
Security vendor FireEye said Microsoft has moved to stop hackers based in China from using its TechNet website as an attack base. TechNet has technical documentation for Microsoft products and lets visitors leave comments or questions. The hacker group, APT17, created accounts and left comments embedded with the name of an encoded domain that infects computers contacting it.
A Flaw in the Apple Watch Leaves It Absurdly Vulnerable to Thieves
The Apple Watch, according to iDownloadBlog, has a serious lack of security features, which leaves it vulnerable to theft. While smartphones come with “kill switches” that shut them down if lost or stolen, the expensive Apple Watch lacks this feature and does not include GPS hardware to track the device if it is stolen.
The Battle for the Living Room
TV viewing is constantly evolving as major device platform providers, cable companies and telecoms battle to control their viewers’ living rooms. In the process, the experience is changing how and when TV is watched as more viewers turn to online steaming services to get their TV content.
Microsoft Reveals 7 Windows 10 Editions
Microsoft’s seven editions of Windows 10 are optimized for a wide range of devices. Here is a rundown of what to expect once the upcoming operating system hits the stores.
