Apple will be among several U.S. tech giants to attend a meeting at the White House today to discuss cybersecurity and possible security threats posed by open-source software, Reutersreports.
The meeting will be held by U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and will focus on "concerns around the security of open-source software and how it can be improved." The meeting was prompted by concerns around a security vulnerability found in open-source software Log4j.
The vulnerability, which posed a threat to organizations that use Log4j around the world, allowed hackers to control a system and remotely execute malicious code.
According to Sullivan, open-source software such as Log4j presents a "key national security concern" as it is often used and maintained by volunteers. Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, and Oracle are also expected to attend the meeting.
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I'm waiting for all the rabbid open-source fans to tell us open-source is much safer than closed-source.
It's not that simple. open-source CAN be safer, it can also be less safe. In open-source, the exact code is out there for anyone to look at. This means anyone could see any flaws and fix them. It also means that anyone could see any flaws and exploit them.
In closed-source, you can't see the code. It's a much different process to exploit the code. Much harder. There are also less people who have access to the code to fix any flaws. So, flaws will stick around longer.
The issue is more that there are a certain amount of core libs that everyone has in their builds. I think now its the Wild West because its no one person/ orgs job to check any of these libs or certify them. … We are leaving for too many core components to be looked after by people for free with no incentive to make sure everything is ok.
The entire Linux community is open source, and yet this is a much more secure platform than Windows has been. And Mac OS and their browsers have heavily benefited from the give and take between Unix and Linux (macOS building on a Unix rather than Linux kernel )
I am almost certain that there have been more security faults in proprietary systems than well maintained open source projects, because the drive behind open source is a more idealistic than the industries “quick to market / milk them all”
With that being said, especially when it comes to web development and the package repositories I see there, I am more doubtful and careful with using and relying on them. I feel it often moves too fast and the community has a different background than e.g. hardcore Linux developers.
I'm waiting for all the rabbit open-source fans to tell us open-source is much safer than closed-source.
It's not that simple. open-source CAN be safer, it can also be less safe. In open-source, the exact code is out there for anyone to look. This means anyone could see any flaws and fix them. It also means that anyone could see any flaws and exploit them.
In closed-source, you can't see the code. It's a much different process to exploit the code. Much harder. There are also less people who have access to the code to fix any flaws. So, flaws will stick around longer.
It's not simple.
Not a rabid open sores fan at all (except back in my teenage years when I went through a rebellious Linux phase ugh), but obscurity does not imply security.
Friday February 3, 2023 1:13 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple released iOS 16.3 in late January following nearly six weeks of beta testing. The software update is available for the iPhone 8 and newer, and while it is a relatively minor update, it still includes a handful of new features, changes, and bug fixes.
Below, we've recapped new features in iOS 16.3, including support for physical security keys as a two-factor authentication option for...
Thursday February 2, 2023 7:57 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's VP of hardware engineering Matthew Costello and product marketing employee Alice Chan recently spoke with Men's Journal and TechCrunch about the new second-generation HomePod in wide-ranging interviews about the smart speaker.
Apple discontinued the original full-size HomePod in March 2021 after multiple reports indicated that sales of the speaker were lackluster, but Chan told Men's ...
Apple's next device with an Apple silicon chip may not be a Mac or an iPad, but rather an advanced external display, according to recent reports.
The display, which is rumored to arrive this year, is expected to sit somewhere between the $1,599 Studio Display and the $4,999 Pro Display XDR – but more exact information about the device's positioning and price point is as yet unknown. While ...
Thursday February 2, 2023 6:41 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple appears to be preparing an iOS 16.3.1 update for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software in our website's analytics logs this week. It's unclear when the update will be released, but it will likely be available at some point in February.
The same logs have accurately foreshadowed the release of several previous updates, including iOS 16.0.3 and iOS 16.1.1 most recently, so they...
Tuesday January 31, 2023 11:58 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple has previously announced several upcoming iOS features that are expected to be added to the iPhone this year. Some of the features could be introduced with iOS 16.4, which should enter beta testing soon, while others will arrive later in the year.
Below, we have recapped five new iOS features that are expected to launch in 2023, such as an Apple Pay Later financing option for purchases ...
Thursday February 2, 2023 2:10 pm PST by Juli Clover
The Apple Pay Later service that Apple has in the works is set to launch "soon," Apple CEO Tim Cook told CNBC ahead of today's earnings call for the first fiscal quarter of 2023.
Cook said that Apple employees are beta testing the Apple Pay Later feature, which will help Apple boost services revenue. "It will be launching soon," Cook said.
Apple Pay Later was first previewed at the...
Google's Chromium developers are working on an experimental web browser for iOS that would break Apple's browser engine restrictions, The Register reports.
The experimental browser, which is being actively pursued by developers, uses Google's Blink engine. Yet if Google attempted to release it on the App Store, it would not pass Apple's App Review process.
Apple's App Store rules dictate...
Apple on January 23 released iOS 16.3, delivering support for Security Keys for Apple IDs, changes to Emergency SOS functionality, support for the second-generation HomePod, and more.
Top Rated Comments
It's not that simple. open-source CAN be safer, it can also be less safe. In open-source, the exact code is out there for anyone to look at. This means anyone could see any flaws and fix them. It also means that anyone could see any flaws and exploit them.
In closed-source, you can't see the code. It's a much different process to exploit the code. Much harder. There are also less people who have access to the code to fix any flaws. So, flaws will stick around longer.
It's not simple.
Dependency ('https://xkcd.com/2347/')
I am almost certain that there have been more security faults in proprietary systems than well maintained open source projects, because the drive behind open source is a more idealistic than the industries “quick to market / milk them all”
With that being said, especially when it comes to web development and the package repositories I see there, I am more doubtful and careful with using and relying on them. I feel it often moves too fast and the community has a different background than e.g. hardcore Linux developers.