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Researchers say some Android phone makers hide missed updates
A number of Android phones have a tendency to skip the occasional security patch while making it appear that the device is fully up to date, Wired reports. Researchers with Security Research Labs (SRL) looked into 1,200 phones from manufacturers like Google, Samsung, Sony, Nokia, Huawei, Motorola, LG, HTC, ZTE and TCL and found that there's often a gap between what the phones say have been updated and what patches have actually been installed. "It's small for some devices and pretty significant for others," SRL founder Karsten Nohl told Wired.
Square Enix gives 'Chrono Trigger' the PC graphics update it needs
Square Enix came under fire back in February when it released the mobile version of Chrono Trigger onto Steam, and not the anticipated SNES version. Players weren't happy, but now the publisher has made good its promise to fix things by releasing a patch that better aligns the game with its original look.
AMD releases chip patches to address Spectre variant two
AMD has released a microcode update to address variant two of the Spectre chip flaw, which makes computers vulnerable to attacks that could reveal sensitive information such as passwords. It's been released alongside Microsoft's monthly "Patch Tuesday" update, which contains Spectre variant two mitigations for Windows 10.
Square Enix pledges to fix the PC version of 'Chrono Trigger'
Square Enix is going to make it right for Chrono Trigger fans. In late February, the publisher dropped the classic JRPG onto Steam, but it was the oft-derided mobile port from six years ago -- not the original SNES game from 1995. To right that wrong, Square Enix will patch the game with an option to switch between the current visuals and "the original graphical style" of the game.
AMD vows to fix newly-disclosed processor vulnerabilities
Semiconductor company AMD has finally acknowledged there's a problem with its Platform Security Processor. Earlier this month Israel-based CTS labs found 13 critical vulnerabilities (including RyzenFall, MasterKey, Fallout and Chimera) with AMD's product, which could allow attackers to access sensitive data, install malware and gain complete access to compromised machines (although doing so would require admin access). Today, AMD has published a statement that largely underplays the threat, but claims that patches will be coming soon.
Microsoft fixes more Meltdown and Spectre flaws in Windows
Microsoft has taken another step on its gargantuan journey to fortifying more than a billion PCs worldwide against Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities. This week's Patch Tuesday release updates PCs running x86 versions of Windows 7 and 8.1 against Meltdown, meaning that all currently supported Windows releases now include defense against this vulnerability.
Apple Watch Series 3 will track your shredding on the slopes
Fancy yourself a skier or snowboarder? Don't let winter's impending conclusion distract you from news that your Apple Watch Series 3 can now track those snowy workouts and put them toward your daily activity goals. Apps including Snoww, Slopes and Ski Tracks will take advantage of the Watch's built-in GPS and altimeter.
Blizzard will host a tournament for the 15-year-old ‘Warcraft III’
Out of nowhere, Blizzard introduced a public test realm (PTR) last fall for its 15-year-old game Warcraft III. PC fans of its current best-sellers like Overwatch play on PTRs to try out new features before they're released to everyone, so creating one for an old title clearly implies greater plans. Today, as was rumored, we know what those are: A new gameplay patch and a tournament at the end of February featuring top players from the game's heydey to the present.
Samsung halts S8 Android Oreo update due to reboot glitch
If you were hoping Android Oreo would make its way to your Galaxy S8 soon, well, it sounds like you're going to have to wait. Samsung has halted the firmware rollout, as spotted by SamMobile, because the software was causing some handsets to randomly reboot. The rollout began in Europe, where users in the beta program noticed the problem. If you already downloaded and installed, you can keep using the software. But if you downloaded and didn't install, apparently the files will be deleted from your phone. Samsung is working on a fix but hasn't revealed when it will arrive.
Microsoft's new Windows 10 Spectre patch disables Intel's 'fix'
Intel recently admitted that its latest patch for "Spectre" was essentially worse than the bug it was supposed to fix, as it was causing computers to spontaneously reboot. Now, Microsoft has taken action by issuing an out-of-band patch for Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 that disables that fix for Spectre variant 2. If you're experiencing the problem you'll need to download the update, as it won't yet install automatically.
Apple releases Meltdown patches for older versions of macOS
Today, Apple released updates that will protect some older operating systems against the Meltdown vulnerability. Patches for High Sierra were released earlier this month and now Sierra and El Capitan will be protected as well.
Google says fix for WiFi bug on Cast devices is coming tomorrow
After weeks of reports from users losing WiFi connections due to Google devices with the "Cast" feature, the company has responded. According to an entry on Google's support page, the company has identified the issue and will release a fix to roll out as a Google Play service update tomorrow January 18th.
Intel’s Meltdown and Spectre fixes have some bugs of their own
Earlier this week, Intel said it would have Meltdown and Spectre fixes available by the end of the month for all recently made chips. But as the Wall Street Journal reports, some of the patches the company has released have caused some problems of their own. Some firmware updates are apparently causing computers to reboot.
'PUBG' update makes it easy to report cheaters from replays
Cheating in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is getting to be a problem. What started on the third-person servers has started invading first-person ones as well. As such, PUBGCorp is releasing an update for the battle royale game that gives additional options for reporting nefarious players. "Starting with the current test build ... you will be able to report players directly from the replay feature of our game," according to the Steam Community page. "This means that you no longer need to be killed by a suspected cheater for you to be able to use the in-game reporting tool." As Polygon writes, when you right-click on a name in the player list or while observing them in follow mode, you'll find the new report button.
Microsoft says security fixes will noticeably slow older PCs
It's been clear for a while that the fixes for the Meltdown and Spectre memory vulnerabilities would slow down PCs, but just how bad is the hit, really? Microsoft has run some benchmarks, and it's unfortunately bad news if your system is less than fresh. While the patches for Meltdown and one variant of Spectre will have a "minimal performance impact," fixing a second Spectre variant through low-level microcode imposes a tangible speed penalty -- and it's particularly bad on systems released around 2015 or earlier.
Xbox One adds 'do not disturb' mode for distraction-free gaming
Just over four years later and Microsoft is still adding features to the Xbox One that existed on its predecessor, the Xbox 360. Next up is a do not disturb mode that will "suppress" notifications and tells your friends list you don't want to be bothered, according to a post on Xbox Wire. This should be especially nice for when you just want to kick back and watch a movie or video, or hell even play a game, in peace.
Netflix brings HDR and surround sound to the Razer Phone this month
If you're a fan of mobile entertainment, the Razer Phone is about to get better. At CES, the company just announced that it's entering a partnership with Netflix and that the handset will be the first mobile phone to offer Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound. That's in addition to HDR10 video. Basically, it's the highest-quality Netflix experience you can get that still fits into your pocket.
Intel will patch all recent chips by the end of January
The potential impact of the major processor security flaw that went public last week can't be understated. But hardware and software companies alike have been quick to patch fixes for the first two reported exploits, Meltdown and Spectre. Intel, which to date is the company most affected by the exploits, already committed to patching "90 percent" of affected processors made in the past five years by the end of this week. Today on stage at CES, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich promised the remaining 10 percent would see fixes by the end of the month.
High-end Roombas will find your home's WiFi dead spots
That fancy new Roomba you got over the holidays could help suss out your home's WiFi weak spots this month. A forthcoming patch will add a wireless coverage map to the Roomba's vacuum heat map. From the sounds of it, the test group for this new feature could be relatively tiny.
Nearly three years later, 'The Witcher 3' runs in 4K on Xbox
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's performance on Xbox hardware has never been what I'd call "great." So, when Microsoft announced that CD Projekt RED's massive single-player RPG was one of the games getting an "enhancement" patch for the One X I got pretty excited. Finally, the game would be playable on the system I got it for. The patch recently arrived, and with it an "advanced" tab in the display options. You can pick from either 4K Mode or Performance Mode. The former gives you 4K graphics at a locked 30 FPS on a UHD display. For 1080p TV owners, that translates to super-sampled visuals and 60 FPS in my brief tests.
