Apple released a firmware for their wireless router today that patches a critical vulnerability.
The flaw, a memory corruption issue stemming from DNS (Domain Name System) data parsing, allows arbitrary code execution, Macworld is reporting. The new firmware, 7.6.7 and 7.7.7, solves the issue. Fortunately, it appears Apple found the issue before anyone could exploit it.
“A memory corruption issue existed in DNS data parsing,” reads Apple’s security report on the update. “This issue was addressed through improved bounds checking.”
Apple didn’t offer a lot of details about the bug, or the fix, beyond those words. This is typical for the company, which prefers to wait until a thorough investigation is complete before revealing too much about security flaws.
Having said that, we can explain a little better what Apple means by an “issue in DNS data parsing”. DNS, if you don’t know, is the system by which your a web address (for example, “google.com”) is translated into an IP address (for example, “194.122.81.45”).
What’s that have to do with the Airport? When you try to open a web address, your computer or phone asks the local router for the IP address. In this way, the router is acting as a local DNS server. Your router, in turn, asks an external DNS server for the address, meaning it is acting as a DNS client.
Apple has not clarified which role the Airport plays, server or client, was causing the problem. Whichever role it was, it was bad enough to allow the execution of arbitrary code, which in security terms means an attacker could do whatever they wanted after exploiting the issue.
So if there’s one upgrade you don’t ignore, it’s this one. Go ahead and install that update now, and make sure the rest of your devices are up-to-date while you’re at it.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.