Apple Inc. said all Mac computers and iOS devices, like iPhones and iPads, are affected by chip security flaws unearthed this week, but the company stressed there are no known exploits impacting users.
The Cupertino, California-based company said recent software updates for iPads, iPhones, iPod touches, Mac desktops and laptops, and the Apple TV set-top-box mitigate one of the vulnerabilities known as Meltdown. The Apple Watch, which runs a derivative of the iPhone’s operating system is not affected, according to the company.
Despite concern that fixes may slow down devices, Apple said its steps to address the Meltdown issue haven’t dented performance. The company will release an update to its Safari web browser in coming days to defend against another form of the security flaw known as Spectre. These steps could slow the speed of the browser by less than 2.5 percent, Apple said in a statement posted on its website.
Apple shares rose less than 1 percent to $173.56 in early trading Friday in New York.
Intel Corp. on Wednesday confirmed a report stating that its semiconductors contain a vulnerability based around a chip-processing technique called speculative execution. Intel said its chips, which power Macs and devices from other manufacturers, contain the flaw as well as processors based on ARM Holdings architecture, which is used in iOS devices and Android smartphones.
In December, Apple came under fire for iPhone software changes that reduced the performance of some older models of its smartphone. Alongside an apology and an explanation that a software change was implemented to balance out the effect of aging batteries, the company reduced the cost of replacing the power units from $79 to $29 through the end of 2018.
Security experts have said highly regulated sectors of industry, such as government offices and public health institutions, are most at risk of compromise as a result of the chip security vulnerability.
If you’ve been using your MacOS notebook or desktop for some time you may have noticed that things are slowing down: screen refresh, on-disk operations, programs open & close. This is eventually happens to all computers as we clutter the system with additional files and programs.
Most people don’t look forward to upgrading their Mac and all the cast and hassles that come with it. Instead, you may be able to improve your Mac’s performance by taking a few, inexpensive steps proven to speed things back up. Here’s how:
Clean up your hard drive
Cleaning your hard drive is by far the best and easiest way to speed up your Macbook. Go through your hard drive and clean out everything that’s slowing it down.
What exactly is slowing it down? Caches, logs, apps, widgets, language packs, plugins, hidden trash, and large files. Get rid of these things to increase the speed of your Mac. It’s true that you can do this all manually, but finding all of these items and removing them takes time. Plus, you have to know where to look.
One of the top rated tools on the market is Dr. Cleaner. Dr. Cleaner is an all-in-one free app that offers Memory Optimization, Disk Cleaning and System Monitoring to keep your Mac optimized for the best performance.
Here’s a list of the impressive features Dr. Cleaner offers.
Memory optimizer
Identify Apps that use a significant amount of memory as candidates for removal.
One-click memory optimization—instantly reclaim memory from closed apps and free up resources.
Disk mapping/file management
Views your entire disk by file or folder size so you can determine which files or folders use the most space.
Dr. Cleaner scans all your disks and creates a clickable map of the files on your disk, color-coded by file type showing detailed information on each file.
Managing large files
One-click scan for big files including your cloud-based drives (customizable size from 10 MB and above)
Apply multiple filters of size, date, name and type
Dr. Cleaner create “safe house” for your large files thereby preventing them from being unintentionally deleted.
Duplicate finder
Quick scan for duplicate files–Dr. Cleaner has the fast and accurate scanning technique that covers your entire folder system.
Smart selection–duplicates are selected not only by file names but also by their contents. Files are shown in detailed previews. Dr. Cleaner can also help you “decide” which copy to delete by presenting “Auto Select” button.
Easy and safe decision — duplicates can be sorted by file type and listed in their full route for you to track. You can decide which way to clean these files – either by putting them in to Trash or deleting them permanently.
A better way to manage your apps
Auto-clean leftover files of deleted apps
Easily manage all apps installed on your Mac
Clearly and easily view all app information installed on your Mac by name, size, and last opened date
System requirements: OS X 10.10 or later, 64-bit processor, 29 Mb of hard disk space.
Manage your startup items
Obviously, a clean startup helps speed up a Macbook that’s running slowly. No wasted time waiting for Chrome, Firefox, or Safari to load. Instant access! Well, when your Mac boots up, it runs a lot of unnecessary apps that slow your Mac down.
Take control of your Mac again! Go to your System Preferences > Users & Groups and then click on your username. Now click on Login Items. Select a program you don’t immediately need when your Mac starts up, and then click the “–” button below.
Taking care of these startup programs is an easy way to help add speed to your Mac.
Turn off visual effects
Most Macs are now capable of running Mac OS X Mavericks without any trouble. But some people prefer to keep the dock static to prevent slowdown. Click System Preferences > Dock and uncheck the following check boxes:
Magnification
Animate opening applications
Automatically hide and show the dock
Turn off accessibility
Now click on Minimize windows using and change Genie Effect to Scale Effect.
Update your software
Make sure you perform a software update for Mac OS X and all the apps installed in Mac. Click on the Apple icon in the menu bar and choose Software Update (or open Software Update in the App Store).
If you have apps purchased outside of the App Store, they will need to be updated separately. You’ll usually find Check for Software Update from the program name in the menu bar.
You should also make sure that Mac OS X keeps itself up to date. Click on System Preferences > App Store and ensure that Automatically Check For Updates is ticked. You can also tick Install App Updates,which will automatically ensure that apps are updated.
Apple has released a statement addressing “Battery Gate,” the company’s controversial decision to slow down older phones in order to protect battery stability.
The statement included the following, as reported by CNBC: “We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologize. There’s been a lot of misunderstanding about this issue, so we would like to clarify and let you know about some changes we’re making. First and foremost, we have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades. Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.”
As a result, the company is slashing $50 off the out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacement for the next year. A new software update will also launch early next year, giving users more insight into battery life.
Earlier this month, John Poole, founder of software company Primate Labs, found that iPhone 6s models running iOS versions 10.2 and 11.2, and iPhone 7 phones running iOS 11.2, were more likely to have instances of slower processing speed.
Apple confirmed Poole’s findings, noting on Dec. 20 that the tech company was trying to “smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down” when conditions were cold or as batteries aged.
The news caused a social media backlash, as customers expressed outrage that they had not been informed of the change or given the option to replace the battery. It has also resulted in a class-action suit against the Cupertino, California company.
Two California residents, Stefan Bogdanovich and Dakota Speas, filed a suit stating that Apple never got their consent to slow down their iPhones. The two claimed they experienced interference in usage of their iPhone 7 smartphones because of the intentional slowdowns. Both are also claiming damages in the lawsuit, contending that the slowdowns hurt them economically and that they are entitled to compensation from Apple.
While it’s rare for Apple to comment on critical news stories, this isn’t the first time the company has released an apology for a product. Apple shifted its stance on App Store guidelines in 2010, and also issued an extensive apology for issues with the iPhone 4.
For years, there has been a conspiracy theory that Apple deliberately slows down the older iPhones when it launches new models to get you to upgrade. An analysis by Futuremark has proved that an older iPhone with a fully functioning battery is no slower than it was at the time of launch. A Reddit thread emerged over the weekend that offers some interesting details on why your older iPhone is slowing down and how you could speed it up.
Image Credit: Apple.com (screenshot)
Replacing the battery will boost the performance of your older iPhone
The Reddit thread has attracted more than 500 comments. Reddit user TeckFire pointed out that their iPhone 6S had been “very slow these past few weeks.” It was running slow despite “updating multiple times.” After comparing their iPhone 6S’ speed with their brother’s iPhone 6 Plus, TeckFire did some research with benchmarking and battery life apps. The user ended up replacing their iPhone’s battery.
It improved the older iPhone’s speed significantly. Before the battery replacement, their iPhone 6S scored 1466 in single-core and 2512 points in multi-core tests on GeekBench. The speed went up to 2526 in single-core and 4456 in multi-core tests after the battery replacement. TeckFire speculates that Apple intentionally slows down older handsets to offer a full day of battery life even when the battery has degraded over time.
Last year, a large number of iPhone 6S owners complained that their phone was shutting down unexpectedly. Apple said it was due to a manufacturing issue that affected a “very small” number of iPhone 6S devices. The company launched a repair program, offering free battery replacement for affected users. A couple of months later, the tech giant rolled out the iOS 10.2.1 to fix the shutdown issue.
Reddit users said Apple had realized that the iPhone 6S shutdown problem was far more common than it initially estimated. Instead of coming clean about it, Apple throttled the speed via the software update to “solve” the problem. Apple had claimed that the iOS 10.2.1 had reduced the shutdowns by 80% on iPhone 6S and more than 70% on iPhone 6 handsets.
One Reddit user added that the iOS 10.2.1 was dynamically changing the clock speed “relative to the voltage that the battery was outputting.” It ensured that the phone doesn’t draw too much power. According to Reddit users, the same routine also exists in the iOS 11. The dynamic throttling of an older iPhone’s maximum speed ensures that users get a full day of battery life even as the battery wears and tears.
If you have an older iPhone that suffers from this problem, you can use apps like CpuDasherX to check your phone’s clock speed. Many affected users have reported that the clock speed shown by CpuDasherX is far less than what it should be. It indicates that Apple is deliberating throttling older devices. Consider replacing your iPhone’s battery to experience a performance boost. Do not use third-party batteries from unknown vendors. A battery replacement through Apple Store costs $79.
Apple Insider reached out to their sources at Apple. The sources told the publication that Apple does “not have a replace battery step as a rectification step for user-reported slow iPhones.” The tech giant says the iPhone batteries are supposed to last about two years worth of charge cycles. It means most of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S series devices are past their peak performance.
Will your iPhone 7 also slow down?
It isn’t the first time Apple is throttling the speed to deliver a decent battery life on older devices. The tech giant does the same thing with MacBooks. Performance of a Mac is related to the battery wear and usage. The macOS optimizes the battery life and performance as the battery wears and tears.
Will the iPhone 7 and later devices also suffer from similar problems in the future? That’s unlikely. The A10 and A11 processors consist of some high-performance cores to handle tasks that require more processing power, and some high-efficiency cores that take care of the low-power tasks. It should offset the issues related to performance and battery life.
However, there is one factor that could still slow your older iPhone down: the new iOS versions. Each new iOS version brings new features that may consume more processing power. As a result, many users could see their old iPhones slowing.
iPhone X shipping time comes down to just two days
Apple has ramped up the supply of the iPhone X, its hottest product in years. If you want to get the iPhone X before the holidays, now could be the right time to buy it. The shipping times have come down from 5-6 weeks in early November to just two days now. If you order the phone from Apple’s online store, you could get it by the end of this week.
Apple’s manufacturing partners are now producing 450,000 to 550,000 iPhone X handsets per day. The device costs $999 for the 64GB model and $1,149 for the 256GB version. The iPhone X comes with Face ID facial scanner, Animoji, Portrait Lighting, augmented reality, and many other new features.
With the release of the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, a lot of tech nerds, collectors and Apple cultists are upgrading ASAP. Whether they’re interested in the iPhone X’s edge-to-edge display, the iPhone 8’s snappy new a11 chip or simply to enjoy the tingling feeling they’ll get when someone sees they have the latest and greatest from Apple, they’re making sure they’re the first to get their hands on it. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with any of that.
But not everyone will be looking to upgrade. Some critics don’t see a large enough difference between the 7 and 8 to care, and others don’t see the justification of dropping a thousand buckaroos to cop the X. Trust me, I get it.
Just because you’re not looking to make the leap and upgrade yet doesn’t mean your current phone is trash. In fact, there’s a lot you could be doing to make sure you’re squeezing every ounce of sauce out of your old iPhone.
1. Disable Push Notifications
Power Clean
When you get push notifications delivered to your phone — from apps, game updates, the stock market, news, weather, emails, etc. — it makes your phone light up. It might not sound like that big a deal, but every email, every text message, every snap, every fucking Groupon deal (seriously Groupon, cut the shit), means energy is getting drained from your battery — even when you’re not using it.
If you go to Settings > Notifications, you can control exactly which apps have the ability to send you push notifications. Turn off the non-essentials, and keep as much of your battery life as possible.
2. Take a Look at Your Hard Drive Space
Your apps use a lot of space on your phone. And the “bulkier” and more bloated those apps become, they not only take up more physical storage on your hard drive, but they also take up more RAM and gum everything up. Some podcast apps save entire podcasts, even after you’re finished listening to them. Photo apps like Instagram will save duplicate photos to your Camera Roll, even if you don’t post the photo. Even Tinder takes increasingly more hard drive space with every match you get and conversation you start. Don’t even get me started on those bloated-ass games we all play for a week and then forget about. Of course, every single text message you send and receive is also stored on your iPhone’s hard drive.
All that crap takes up hard drive space and processing power that’s slowing your phone down and it’s all worth having a look at — and, potentially, deleting. Settings>General>iPhone Storage.
3. Disable Unnecessary Location Services
One of the coolest (and creepiest) features of your iPhone (and most smart phones, these days) is that it is always keeping tabs on where you are. Whether it’s to use the phone’s Find My Phone or Compass features, or whether it’s to grab a Lyft home from the bar, your phone always knows where you are. The problem is that certain apps request access to your location even when they’re not in direct use, and the more apps you have doing that at the same time, the more battery you’re going to use.
If you go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services, you can turn Location Services off completely, or you can go through each individual app on your phone and decide whether or not you want it to have access to your location. Some apps, like Uber, require users to have location services on at all times (regardless of whether they’re looking for a ride), while others, like Lyft, only require users’ locations when they’re actually using the app.
4. Give It a Makeover
Most of the stuff listed here are easy things you could do to make your older iPhone run and operate like new again, so I wanted to include at least one little bit about what you can do to make it appear different. The obvious answer is to buy a new case. Even though the 8 and X are out hogging the spotlight, developers are still putting out some pretty wild and creative cases for the older models. You can also fiddle with your background and lock images, give it a good cleaning, etc. Take pride in your stuff.
5. Turn off That Bullshit Background App Refresh
Your apps are always refreshing themselves in order to update the content in your respective feed. The idea is that when you launch them, you’re getting the most recent information. It sounds great in theory, but in practice, it means that some of these apps — Facebook, in particular — suck up a lot of battery in the background. If you notice your phone’s battery is getting weaker from prolonged use and charging periods (a side effect for every Lithium-ion battery, by the way), turning off Background App Refresh (Settings > General > Background App Refresh) will help ensure that apps are only consuming your precious battery life when you’re actually using them.
6. Close All Non-Essential Apps
This is an old one, but it’s still good as gold. If you were to look at how many apps are open on your phone right now, I bet you’d be shocked and perhaps even a little horrified at what you’d find. I did it just for the sake of proving my own point just now and found 42 apps open. Forty-fucking-two. Every single one of those apps is running in the background, sucking up tons of valuable battery life. Double tap Home to bring up the multi-tasking view, and then just swipe up on every app you want to exit. It’s that simple.
7. Lower Your Brightness
Apple iOS
Of course, there’s always the old “lower your brightness” trick. If you’re trying to conserve as much battery as possible, there’s absolutely zero reason to keep your screen brightness maxed out. The simple answer is: be smart. If you’re editing photos or reading an article, obviously up the brightness. But, when you’re done and don’t really need to use your home screen as a flashlight, toggle it down a bit. I keep my brightness at around 25% and I’ve never had a single problem with it.
8. Clear Your Safari Cache
Your Safari browser stores every single pieces of information you access from your phone on your phone’s hard drive. On one obvious end of the spectrum it’s convenient because pages will sometimes load faster, logins to your favorite sites are saved and your overall experience is generally pretty smooth. But when your phone gets to a point where it’s simply storing too much web data, it can make it things run sluggishly — particularly while web browsing. Sometimes you have to clear your history and free up the pipes a little bit. You can do that by going to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. You’ll have to log back into all your favorite sites, but you’ll see an immediate difference.
9. Give It a Soft Reset
I’ll be the first person to tell you that technology can be a big pain in the ass a lot of the time. While we’re seeing new advancements every day, nothing is perfect — including the iPhone. Sometimes your phone will get caught up; certain apps won’t work right, things get buggy, apps stop responding completely, text functions don’t work, etc. Anything could go wrong at any time. If your iPhone is acting up and giving you grief, a soft reset will usually do the trick.
All you have to do is hold down the home and sleep buttonssimultaneously until the white Apple logo appears. It won’t delete any of your data and won’t revert back to factory settings, but it will completely reboot the phone, close out all apps and fire back up with a clean slate. A lot of the time, it’s exactly what the doctor ordered.
10. There’s an App for That
Power Clean
Of course, if all of that stuff sounds too good to be true (or too difficult for the not-so-technologically savvy out there), there are a ton of apps to help you get the most out of your phone. Apps like Power Clean-Remove, Battery Doctor and Battery Saver are just a few of the most popular apps out there.
The TrendLabs Security Intelligence Blog has identified the Coin Miner mobile malware back in the Google Play store. The malware takes over a device and uses its resources to mine a selection of different cryptocurrencies. Users will often not realise what is going all. What they will see is poor battery life and degraded performance.
The apps are using several techniques to bypass security. The blog states: “These apps used dynamic JavaScript loading and native code injection to avoid detection. We detect these apps asANDROIDOS_JSMINER and ANDROIDOS_CPUMINER.”
What apps were used by Coin Miner?
This attack is a change to the way coin mining solutions take control of machines. As the report states: “We’ve previously seentech support scamsand compromised websites used to deliver the Coinhive JavaScript cryptocurrency miner to users.” This move to using apps is different and given the success of other app based malware, could be more effective. Those users who jailbreak their devices to install anything are particularly at risk here, especially with the ANDROIDOS_CPUMINER attack.
The first of the two mining apps, ANDROIDOS_JSMINER takes advantage of two apps:
Recitiamo Santo Rosario Free: This app helps users to recite the Holy Rosary.
SafetyNet Wireless App: This is aimed at people enrolled in government assistance programs in the US who would otherwise not be able to get online.
Once installed, the apps download the Coinhive JavaScript library and start mining cryptocurrencies. The apps run in a hidden browser window making it difficult for the user to know they are there. However, they do cause very high CPU utilisation. On most devices this will manifest itself as the device getting warm or even hot when held.
The second mining app, ANDROIDOS_CPUMINER turns any app into a trojan. Apps are modified and then repackaged. When a user downloads the app, often from an unofficial app store or from illegal software site, they will be quickly infected. TrendLabs discovered one such app was the Car Wallpaper HD: Mercedes, Ferrari, BMW and Audi.
TrendLabs says that it detected a total of 25 instances of ANDROIDOS_CPUMINER in addition to the ANDROIDOS_JSMINER infected apps.
What does this mean?
The explosion in cryptocurrencies and the need to mine them early to make a serious profit is driving these attacks. It is highly unlikely that we will see any let up in the number of attacks over the next year or even longer. Criminals are also getting smarter and looking for new ways to infect machines.
The big question here is what value is realistically being gained from using mobile devices? While they are getting more powerful the problems that need to be solved are also getting harder. This means that the return on investment for the hackers is questionable. Of course, it could be that once they realise this they will change their approach and use infected devices for other purposes.
In the blog post the authors state: “These threats highlight how even mobile devices can be used for cryptocurrency mining activities, even if, in practice, the effort results in an insignificant amount of profit. Users should take note of any performance degradation on their devices after installing an app.“
Is Coin Miner draining your Android device? was last modified: October 31st, 2017 by Ian Murphy
