A new security vulnerability could leave many Linux and Windows computers using the GRUB2 bootloader open to attack. After acquiring the maker of the Focals smart glasses recently, Google is bricking users’s hardware and offering refunds with just a few days notice. And with Samsung’s August 5th event just a week away, details about the company’s new products keep leaking.
This time we have more images of the upcoming Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ Android tablets, as well as detailed specs, plus a good look at the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G smartphone. It looks like a much more usable foldable phone than its predecessor… but with an expected price tag of $1980, it’s just as expensive.
Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.
- BootHole GRUB2 bootloader vulnerability [Eclypsium]
The BootHole vulnerability in the GRUB2 bootloader leaves Linux and Windows PCs with Grub2 installed vulnerable to attacks using Secure Boot. Mitigations are underway, but “full deployment of this revocation process will likely be very slow.” - Here’s Our Best Look Yet At the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G [MySmartPrice]
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G foldable smartphone renders leaked. There’s a punch hole selfie camera rather than a notch. And the display cover is much larger, making the phone more usable without opening the foldable interior display. - Surface Duo could ship in less than a month [Zac Bowden]
The Microsoft Surface Duo dual-screen smartphone could begin shipping as soon as August 24. Now Microsoft just has to, you know, officially announce availability and start taking orders for the phone. - Google offers refunds after smart glasses stop working [BBC]
After acquiring North, maker of the Focals smart glasses, Google has the company’s $600 smart glasses will stop working on Friday. Like, completely. No features will work. Google will refund all customers, but the sudden shutdown has to come as a surprise. - Chrome OS to gain Android ‘Phone Hub’ w/ notifications and ‘task continuation’ [9to5Google]
Google may be bringing an Android “Phone Hub” feature to Chromebooks. Pair your Android phone with your Chrome OS computer and you’ll be able to view notifications on your Chromebook and pick up activities on one device where you left off on the other. - Phone backup and a new storage manager in the Google One app [Google]
After launching phone backup for Google One subscribers last year, Google is bringing the feature to all Android and iOS users, even those with free accounts limited to 15GB of storage (you just might run out of space sooner). - Samsung weighs dropping Bixby as Google dangles new mobile apps deal [Reuters]
Google is allegedly trying to get Samsung to drop Bixby and the Galaxy App Store and emphasize Google Assistant and Google Play on its devices instead… and it’s willing to pay by sharing revenue. - Librem 14 Adds Microphone Kill Switch Enhancements [Purism]
Purism’s upcoming Librem 14 Linux laptop will have a hardware kill switch that not only disables the built-in mic, but also any external microphone connected to the 3.5mm audio jack. - Intel refreshing Core processor logos [VideoCardz]
It looks like Intel plans to update its Core processor logo, according to images found in the US Patent Office database. - HBO GO and HBO NOW apps will likely be removed from Amazon Fire TVs on Aug 1 [AFTVNews]
HBO Max is not yet available for the Amazon Fire TV… and in a few days the HBO Go and HBO Now apps may disappear from the platform as well. - Amazon is bringing Fire OS 7 to some older tablets [Liliputing Update]
Update: Amazon still plans to bring Android 9 to the previous-gen Fire 7 and Fire HD 8 tablets via an update from Fire OS 6 to Fire OS 7. But the target date for that update has been changed from July 28 to “at a future time.” - Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+ pop up on Google Play Console, new images appear [GSM Arena]
More Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+ leaks. This time we have more pictures courtesy of @evleaks, plus detailed specs, courtesy of the Google Play Console.
You can keep up on the latest headlines by following Liliputing on Twitter and Facebook.
“Boothole” seems like a problem that’s only a problem if you have even bigger problems, like a piece of malware that keylogs whatever you type after a sudo command, running on your computer.
Although, perhaps I should revise that a bit. It could also allow a person that you allowed to use sudo to execute arbitrary code, which is possibly more dangerous than any malware. It’s just that that’s far more relevant in business environments than your own computers so I didn’t think of it.
Also, this could lead to a wave of UEFI updates that disable unpatched GRUB entirely, so if you did install an operating system other than windows, you should be prepared for your computer to stop working for anything other than windows, if you allow your firmware to update at all, that is.