Smart home
iOS Users Could Face Freezing, Crashing of Devices Due to HomeKit Issue
Security researcher Trevor Spiniolas has detailed the scope of the HomeKit vulnerability that was initially reported to Apple on August 10 last year. The attacker can exploit the flaw and bring your iPhone or iPad in a cycle of freezing and crashing by connecting it with a HomeKit device that has an extensively lengthy name of around 500,000 characters, the researcher explained.
The iOS device is said to become unresponsive once it reads the device name. The attacker could also trigger the vulnerability by using an app to rename an existing HomeKit device. Alternatively, it could be exploited by sending an invite to a new HomeKit device that has a long name.
According to the researcher, Apple introduced a limit for the name an app or the user can set for a HomeKit device in iOS 15.1. This will help reduce the impact to some extent as the attacker couldn’t impact users by triggering the vulnerability after renaming one of the connected HomeKit devices. But nonetheless, the issue can still impact users on the newer iOS versions if a HomeKit device with an extremely long name is connected via an invite.
The researcher also found that since Apple stores names of the connected HomeKit devices in iCloud, the issue persists even if a user restores an iOS device.
“If the device is restored but then signs back into the previously used iCloud, the Home app will once again become unusable,” the researcher said.
Spiniolas has created a video to give a brief look on the impact of the vulnerability even after restoring an iPhone.
Users can reject random invitations of HomeKit devices on their iPhone and iPad to avoid getting impacted by the vulnerability. Users who are already using smart home devices can also protect their hardware by disabling the setting Show Home Controls after going to the Control Centre.
In case you’re already targeted by an attacker, the researcher advises that you can resolve the issue after restoring the affected device from Recovery or DFU Mode and set it up as normal without signing up into your iCloud account. Once signed up, you should sign into iCloud from settings and then disable the switch labelled Home immediately after signing in.
Spiniolas said that although it informed Apple about the bug in August, the company failed to bring a fix since the last deadline of January 1.
“I believe this bug is being handled inappropriately as it poses a serious risk to users and many months have passed without a comprehensive fix,” the researcher said.
In 2019, Apple credited Spiniolas for reporting a vulnerability in macOS Mojave. The researcher, however, accused the iPhone maker of giving insufficient response to the fresh vulnerability.
Gadgets 360 has reached out to Apple for a comment on the matter. This report will be updated when the company responds.
In a post made on its developers-focused blog, Google said, “We’re bringing Android 14 to TV! The next generation of Android provides improvements in performance, sustainability, accessibility, and multitasking to help you build engaging apps for TVs.” The tech giant also announced a new Compose for TV feature for developers which will allow them to build new apps with Jetpack Compose, the company’s latest Android development toolkit.
The big focus with the new operating system is performance and sustainability. Android 14 for TV will get new energy modes that let users decide the experience they want from their Android TVs. There is a low-energy mode that will reduce the smart TV’s standby power consumption. Then, there’s an increased energy mode that keeps network connectivity active even when the TV is on standby. Finally, there is an optimised energy mode that supports Google Cast over Wi-Fi, but not through ethernet.
Multitasking is also a big focus area for the company as it is finally introducing a picture-in-picture mode. However, this will not be available on all smart TVs. Google says the feature is being reserved for ‘qualified’ Android 14 TV models. It has not announced the list of TVs which will offer this feature, but the rule of thumb says newer and premium smart TVs are likely to get it.
Finally, accessibility features are also being introduced. These include colour correction, improved text options, better navigation for users, and more. All of these features can be toggled on and off using remote shortcuts. Further, Gemini AI has also made its way to Android TV. Google will be adding personalised descriptions for movies and TV shows on the Android TV home screen, powered by Gemini.
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The Acerpure Air Purifiers have a starting price of Rs. 9,990 in India. The price of the Acerpure Cozy Air Circulator Fan starts from Rs. 7,490. They are currently up for sale from Acer online store, Acer Exclusive stores and other e-commerce platforms.
Pricing of Acerpure water purifiers, vacuum cleaners, and personal care products has not been announced yet. They are confirmed to be available in the country in the coming months.
Acerpure air purifiers, water purifiers, vacuum cleaners features
Acerpure Air Purifiers series includes four models — Acerpure Cool C1, Cool C2, Pro P2 and Pro P3. The first three models are 2-in-1 air circulator and purifier while the Acerpure Pro P3 is a UVC air purifier. They come with LCD displays and feature multiple sensors to monitor air quality. The Acerpure Cool C1 and Cool C2 sports multi-directional swing with four timer modes. The Acerpure Pro P2 has a touch panel. The Acerpure Cool C1 and Pro P2 have 3-in-1 HEPA filters to purify air while the Acerpure Cool C2 and Pro P3 have 4-in-1 HEPA filters.
The vacuum cleaner portfolio of Acerpure comprises Acerpure Clean D1, Clean WD1, Clean R1 and Clean R2 models. The Acerpure Clean models are cordless vacuum cleaners with BLDC motors, a removable brush roll and a detachable battery pack. The Acerpure Clean D1 sports a 2,500mAh battery that is claimed to deliver a run time of 60 minutes, while the Clean WD1 has a 3,000mAh battery that is said to offer up to 35 minutes of running time.
The Acerpure Clean R1 and Clean R2 offer automated cleaning with wet and dry mopping capabilities. The former provides a working time of 110 minutes while the latter is touted to deliver 300 minutes of working time. Both models have up to five hours of charging time and 65dB noise level. They have a climbing threshold of 20mm. The Acerpure Clean R1 uses 4,000Pa suction power and a 3,200mAh battery capacity. The Acerpure Clean R2, on the other hand, has 5,000Pa suction power and 5200mAh battery capacity.
Acerpure’s latest water purifier lineup includes Amrit Premium Pro, Amrit Elite, Amrit Supreme, and Acerpure Aqua models. They come with up to 8.7 litre storage capacity. The Acer subsidiary has also unveiled Acerpure Cozy fans and personal grooming products, including hair dryer and hair styler.
The launch of Acerpure brand marks Acer’s foray into the consumer electronics space in the country. The brand is eyeing to unveil refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, and more in the Indian market soon. The company is collaborating with Dixon Technologies to manufacture Acerpure products in its facilities as part of the Make in India initiative.
Price details of new Acerpure Aspire and Swift smart TVs have not been announced yet. They are confirmed to be available in the country in the coming months. The Taiwanese brand disclosed that it is looking to unveil new OLED, mini LED, and gaming smart TVs in the Indian market. Besides the new TVs, Acer has unveiled a few smart home products under its Acerpure subsidiary during the event.
Acerpure Aspire, Swift TVs specifications,
Acerpure Aspire TV comes in 32 and 43-inch display sizes while the Acerpure Swift series is available in 55 and 65-inch screen options. As mentioned, they are offered in HD, full-HD, and UHD resolutions with minimal bezels and 178 viewing angles. The top-end Acerpure Swift TV with 65-inch panel offers UHD (2,160×3,840 pixels) resolution. The lineup supports HDR 10 and has 60Hz refresh rate.
The new Acerpure smart TVs are loaded with Amazon Prime and Netflix. They run on Google TV and users will have access to several apps with the Google Play store. They have an inbuilt Google Chromecast that lets users stream movies, shows, photos, and more, from their phones right to their TVs. The higher variants support Dolby Atmos 3D sound system, while the 43-inch full-HD Acerpure Aspire and 32-inch HD models have Dolby Audio. They carry up to a quad-core A55 chipset with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage.
Acer has packed a smart remote with voice assistance on the Acerpure smart TVs. It supports ambient mode as well. The lineup features three HDMI ports and two USB 2.0 ports. They support dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.
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