Tag Archive for: competition

We need app store competition, not Apple’s 1960s-style paternalistic monopoly – TechCrunch

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Karen Gullo is an analyst and senior media relations specialist at Electronic Frontier Foundation.

A pair of bills moving through Congress would force some of the largest tech companies to cede control over how people find and use mobile apps, leading to more competition and lower prices. But Big Tech companies, especially Apple, want to scare people with dire warnings that the bills would put their security in jeopardy.

Tellingly, Big Tech firms are not so loud about other things jeopardized by the bills — their app store monopolies and ability to make more money off mobile customers and app developers.

Pro-competition bills — S. 2992, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act and S. 2710, the Open App Markets Act — would open up the largest app stores, including Apple’s and Google’s, by requiring them to allow competing third-party app stores and alternate channels for in-app payments. The bills would also stop the largest app store operators from preferencing their own apps over competitors’.

iPhone users would have the freedom to install less expensive third-party apps and choose to shop at third-party app stores. While some alternative app stores might have a greater volume of malicious apps, others may take a stronger approach to security and privacy than Apple — one that isn’t limited by the drive to enhance a monopolist’s bottom line.

Alternative app stores or app-vetting services could also offer important security- and privacy-enhancing apps that Apple has banned from iOS devices.

Nothing in the bills would stop Apple and Google from vetting apps for their phones for privacy and security or prevent them from offering new protective measures. So, because they trust Apple’s vetting of apps and are happy with the apps Apple lets them download, many iPhone users will choose to stick with the App Store. For those users, nothing will change under these bills.

The choice would be theirs. But Apple doesn’t want that. It wants to decide what, and how, users can purchase mobile apps. And it’s not just because the company is concerned about users’ privacy and security, which indeed it is.

No, it’s also because…

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Thirteen Westfield Tech students qualify for state SkillsUSA competition

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Westfield Technical Academy Liza Oliinyk takes the medical terminology exam for the District SkillsUSA competition on March 15. (PHOTO SUBMITTED)

Westfield Technical Academy student Liza Oliinyk takes the medical terminology exam for the District SkillsUSA competition on March 15. (SUBMITTED / WTA)

WESTFIELD — Westfield Technical Academy performed well at the District SkillsUSA competition on March 16, said chapter advisor and Allied Health instructor Maureen Baillargeon.

“We had 49 students signed up and a few absences. 20 students won and 13 will move on from this competition. We also have four or five that are signed up for leadership competitions,” Baillargeon said.

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FMHS grad qualifies for national computer competition > PenCityCurrent.com

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BY PCC STAFF

FORT MADISON – Fort Madison High School graduate of 2019, Blaze Vincent recently qualified to go to nationals for the Computer Club at Southeastern Community College. He placed first in 3 categories and will be representing SCC at the National Competition in Dallas! Blaze Vincent, Fort Madison, IA, Net Admin/Security-2nd Yr.
· 1st Place – SQL Database Fundamentals
· 1st Place – Linux OS Fundamentals
· 1st Place – Web Design Team 1
Blaze is in his final semester of the Network Administration/Cyber Security Program and is the current president of SCC Computer Club. SCC Computer Club is affiliated with Business Professionals of America. Through BPA, students have the opportunity to attend conferences, vie for top honors in technology skills competitions, earn industry level certification and network with other students.
Computer Club attends the State Leadership Conference every spring where students compete with other 2 year colleges around the state, including Des Moines Area Community College, Muscatine Community College, and Indian Hills Community College. This was Blaze’s second year competing at state and he placed 1st in Computer Security and Web Design Team and 3rd place in Device Configuration & Troubleshooting.
Last year Blaze went to Nationals, where he competed against 2- and 4-year colleges around the country. We had a virtual conference and he took 1st place in Web Design Team and 3rd in Linux OS Fundamentals at the national level. He also received multiple industry recognized certifications.
The Fort Madison Community School District is proud of the work Blaze Vincent is doing during his time at Southeastern Community College. His instructor, Brenda Wamsley, says, “Blaze is a great student. He came in well prepared and eager to learn, which makes my job so much easier!”

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Routers, NAS and phones hacked in Pwn2Own competition

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Security researchers gathered in Austin, Texas, this week for yet another Pwn2Own hacking competition, racking up more than $1 million in rewards for their exploit demonstrations.

The latest edition of the iconic hacking contest has seen a specific focus on network-attached storage (NAS) boxes as well as routers, with mobile phones and printers also on the menu.

Among the more popular targets at the competition was the Cisco RV340 router, which was subjected to nine successful or “collision” attacks that used previously known flaws, with one more attempt failing to execute. Researchers were able to break into the networking appliance using both known and unknown security vulnerabilities.

Also popular with hacker contestants was the Western Digital My Cloud Pro Series PR4100 NAS box. The storage device was the subject of nine successful or collision hacks.

Topping the contest was the team from security firm Synactiv, who managed to rack up $197,500 in payouts and 20 “Master of Pwn” points.

Second in the rankings was the Devcore trio of researchers Orange Tsai, Angelboy and Meh Chang, who showed off six successful attacks and claimed a total of $180,000.

The achievement continued a busy year for Orange Tsai in particular. In late 2020, they discovered and reported the ProxyLogon flaws in Microsoft Exchange Server, which were exploited by nation-state hackers prior to being patched. In August, the researcher took to the stage at Black Hat 2021 to discuss their discovery of ProxyShell Exchange bugs, which had been disclosed and patched in April.

Printers were also targeted in the event. Ten different entries were launched against either the Canon ImageCLASS MF644Cdw or Lexmark MC3224i. The ZDI noted that when researchers from Synactiv demonstrated a heap overflow attack against the MF644Cdw, it marked the first successful printer hack in the competition’s history.

The contest ended on Friday with researchers from NullRiver successfully exploiting two flaws in the Netgear R6700v3 router. The ZDI says that it paid out $1,081,250 in rewards over the four-day competition and received 60 new zero-day vulnerabilities.

Not every device put in the crosshairs has been successfully…

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