O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: Belarus

  • MacPaw releases free SpyBuster utility for macOS, works to route around Russian, Belarusian servers

    MacPaw releases free SpyBuster utility for macOS, works to route around Russian, Belarusian servers

    Following the invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces have apparently begun hacking Ukrainian state digital systems and spreading disinformation.

    MacPaw’s Technological R&D Lead, Sergii Kryvoblotskyi, has developed the SpyBuster tool that analyzes where the apps are sending a user’s data, the company deciding to make it available for macOS users worldwide.

    Per Kryvoblotskyi:

    “As a Tech R&D team before the war, we did a lot of research. So I began to check which of them could contribute to the country’s informational security. One of these researches was about the technical implementation of network filtering on macOS. I’ve realized it could be well-applied to protecting computers from potentially dangerous apps and adapted to help users in our new reality.”

    As of July 2016, Russia enforced Federal bills No. 374-FZ and 375-FZ, which require telecom providers to store the content of voice calls, data, images, and text messages on Russian servers for 6 months, and their metadata (e.g., time, location, message sender, and recipients) for three years. Online services such as messengers, emails, and social networks that use encrypted data are required to permit the Federal Security Service (FSB) to access and read their encrypted communications.

    This translates to all internet and telecom firms within Russia being obligated to disclose these communications and metadata and “all other information necessary” to authorities on request without a court order. At present, FSB can simply call a local office of any tech company in order to obtain access to a user’s photos and text history. 

    From its end, SpyBuster allows a user to see and block applications, services, and sites connected to Russia or Belarus.

    The application also allows media outlets to notice if their sites are connected to Russian servers.

    SpyBuster currently offers two main functions: Static Analysis and Dynamic Analysis.

    With Static Analysis, the feature shows whether the app is somehow related to Russia

    For example, it will automatically detect and highlight any apps on your Mac that are somehow related to Russia or Belarus.

    With Dynamic Analysis, the user sees how these apps and websites are behaving. When you run an app on your Mac — it starts doing something right away: sending messages to servers, writing files, gaining access, etc. 

    SpyBuster scans these connections in real-time and displays their history (logs) that show whether the connection was secure. You can see only the potentially threatening connections by clicking the Compromised Only button and then adding them to Deny List, so they no longer work.

    SpyBuster is available for free and requires macOS 10.15 Catalina or later to install and run.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacPaw

  • Ultra Wideband feature availability expands to additional countries

    Ultra Wideband feature availability expands to additional countries

    If you’re traveling this year, there’s a decent chance you can now use the Ultra Wideband functionality in additional countries.

    The Ultra Wideband functionality found in the Apple Watch Series 6, iPhone 11, and iPhone 12, has now been expanded to additional countries, including Argentina, Pakistan, Paraguay, and the Solomon Islands.

    Apple is not allowed to activate Ultra Wideband technology in some countries due to international regulatory requirements, and it must be disabled in those places. All of the above listed countries previously did not allow UWB technology.

    The feature continues to be disabled in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

    As for the technology itself, the U1 chip found in the aforementioned Apple devices is designed to offer much more precise positioning information than either Bluetooth or WiFi. This, in turn, makes it ideal for spatial awareness and more precise indoor mapping.

    Ultra Wideband technology is required for the Precision Finding feature available for AirTags in the Find My app, and it is also used for Car Key functionality and more precise AirDropping between devices with a U1 chip.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and support.apple.com

  • Eurasian Economic Commission filings hint at as many as five new MacBooks, five new iPads slated for release in second half of 2018

    Sometimes it’s the early regulatory filings that offer the best tidbits as to forthcoming products.

    According to regulatory filings submitted to the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), Apple could be introducing as many as five new MacBooks and five new iPad models for the second half of 2018.

    The filings with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) are required by any corporation looking to market devices employing encryption in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.

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  • Apple international regulatory filings hint at two upcoming iPad models

    It’s the regulatory applications that sometimes tell you when the really cool stuff is coming.

    Apple has obtained permission to sell two new iPads in several Eurasian countries, suggesting that the company is planning to announce them in the near future.

    Per Consomac, the Eurasian Economic Commission, which oversees Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, this week approved “A1893” and “A1954” models. Those model numbers don’t correspond to any existing iPads or current Apple products.

    (more…)