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A daily dose of today's top tech news, in brief.
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Some Windows 10 devices could exit 'support lifetime' as soon as 2018
Windows PCs using certain Intel processors could see Windows 10 support end as early as 2018, according to Ars Technica. This is the result of Microsoft's ill-defined "support lifetime" for Windows 10 devices.
The company elected to deviate from its traditional 5+5 policy, where devices would receive feature and security updates for the first five years, and only security updates for an additional five years. This proved to be problematic, as the significant cost of new Windows versions led many users and enterprises to continue using outdated and unsupported machines.
Now, users on machines built around Intel's low-cost Clover Trail Atom processors released between 2012 and 2015 are being blocked when attempting to download the Creators Update. When attempting to install, users are met with a message reading "Windows 10 is no longer supported on this PC."
The latest version Clover Trail machines can run exits its support lifetime in early 2018, leaving some users with an exceptionally short support lifetime for their devices. A support note from Acer suggests the lack of support may be temporary, with new drivers on the way, but these drivers have yet to materialize.
"Whatever the situation turns out to be for these particular machines, the situation demonstrates some uncertainties introduced with the Windows-as-a-Service model," Ars Technica writes. "The 'supported lifetime' of many devices is not well-defined, and Windows 10 users could find themselves with considerably fewer years of device support than they would have received under the old system."
Cisco patches critical WebEx bug for Firefox and Chrome on Windows
Cisco has patched a critical remote code execution plug in its plug-in for WebEx video conferencing software on Windows. The flaw can be exploited by leading a user to a compromised webpage controlled by hackers.
"A vulnerability in Cisco WebEx browser extensions for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected browser on an affected system," Cisco said in a statement released Monday.
Patches for Chrome and Firefox were released on July 13 and July 12, respectively, but outdated versions on or before 1.0.12 remain vulnerable. Cisco also said that the bug does not affect WebEx extensions for Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer, nor its extension for Safari on Mac.
The flaw was discovered and reported by researchers at Google's Project Zero earlier this month.
FBI issues privacy warning for connected 'smart toys'
As toys get smarter, the number of vulnerable sensors, microphones, cameras, and GPS devices in our homes increases as well. The FBI warnsthe new generation of smart toys provides potential companies as well as hackers a wealth of information about the toy's companion, and any adults with that companion.
The FBI's memo walks toy-owners through a thorough step-by-step process to follow before connecting toys, including researching the company's cybersecurity stance, privacy policies, storage techniques, and security measures taken. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) compliance plan was updated last month to protect consumers from invasive devices, but the FBI still recommends taking steps to ensure individual privacy.
These guidelines aren't likely to be followed by the majority of toy-purchasers, but the FBI makes clear its hopes that parents will do their due diligence to ensure the privacy of themselves and their children.
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But there's more going on in the world than that.
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ISPs now barred from informing users of ongoing investigations
Overturning a 2013 ruling that prevented the FBI from forcing ISP compliance without first informing the user of a pending investigation, a federal appeals court ruled Monday that ISPs, financial institutions, and phone carriers are now prohibited from informing users of ongoing FBI investigations.
The FBI can now issue a National Security Letter (NSL) to permit an investigation, but aren't required to review the necessity of the letter for three years after it was sent. According to Engadget, this means that a target can not dispute an investigation, as they won't be aware of it until three years after it began. The FBI is required to terminate the investigation upon conclusion of the national security inquiry.
An NSL does not require a judges signature, so the new ruling leaves the FBI largely independent in its decision to investigate an individual. An NSL gives the FBI access to a record of all online purchases made by a user, as well as the IP addresses of all other computers the individual has corresponded with.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is now exploring a possible appeal to the latest ruling. The organization successfully challenged the act in 2013, and hopes to maintain transparency from Internet Service Providers regarding government investigations.
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