Teen hacker finds bug that lets him control 25+ Teslas remotely

  The downside with offering APIs to interact with a car is that someone else's security problem might become your own. Getty Images A young hacker and computer security researcher has found a way to remotely interact with more than 25 Tesla electric vehicles in 13 countries, according to a Twitter thread he posted yesterday.  David Colombo explained in the thread that the flaw "wasn't a vulnerability in Tesla's infrastructure. It's the owner's fault." He claimed to be able to remotely disable a car's  camera system, unlock doors and open windows, and even start driving without a key. It could also determine the  exact location of the car. However, Colombo has made it clear that it can't actually interact with Tesla's steering, throttle, or brakes, so at least we don't have to worry about an army of remote-control electric vehicles doing a Fate reenactment.  Colombo says he reported the issue to Tesla's security team, which is investigating the matter. On a related note, early  Wednesday morning, a third-party app called TezLab reported seeing “multiple thousand Tesla Authentication Tokens expiring at the same time.”  The TezLab application uses Tesla's  APIs which allow applications to perform operations such as accessing the car and activating or deactivating the anti-theft camera system, unlocking doors, opening windows, etc
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Tesla delays initial production of Cybertruck to early 2023 - source

Image Credit:Jeenah Moon/Reuters Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) aims to start initial production of its long-awaited Cybertruck by the end of the first quarter of 2023, pushing plans to start production later this year, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday. He said the delay comes when Tesla changes the features and functions of the electric pickup to make it a compelling product as competition heats up in the segment. Tesla is expected to produce a limited production of the Cybertruck in the first quarter of 2023 before ramping up production, the source said. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tesla, the world's largest electric car maker, produces electric sedans and SUVs, but has lost the pickup truck segment, which is profitable and hugely popular in America.  Ford Motor Co (FN) and Rivian Automotive (RIVN.O). are ahead of Tesla in launching electric pickups.  Ford said early this month it will nearly double annual production capacity for its red-hot F-150 Lightning electric pickup to 150,000 vehicles ahead of its arrival this spring at U.S. dealers. Ford's market value topped $ 100 billion for the first time on Thursday, when Tesla shares fell 6.7% and Rivian's shares fell 7.1%. CEO Elon Musk, who unveiled the futuristic vehicle in 2019, had already delayed  production from late 2021 to late 2022.  Musk said he would provide an updated product roadmap during the earnings call for the Tesla on January 26. “Oh man, this year has been such a nightmare for the supply chain  and it's not over yet!” He tweeted in late November when asked about the Cybertruck.  Tesla recently removed a reference to its production schedule from its Cybertruck orders website. Last month, the website said, "You will be able to complete your setup as production nears in 2022." Now "in 2022" has been omitted. Tesla plans to produce the Cybertruck at its plant in Texas, which is slated to begin production of Model Y cars earlier this year.
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AstraZeneca says third dose helps against Omicron

A test tube labelled with the Vaccine is seen in front of AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken, September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration AstraZeneca said on Thursday that preliminary data from a trial showed that its COVID-19 shot, Vaxzevria, generated an increase in antibodies against the Omicron and other variants when given as a third booster dose. The increased response, also against the Delta variant, was seen in a blood analysis of people who were previously vaccinated with either Vaxzevria or an mRNA vaccine, the drugmaker said, adding that it would submit this data to regulators worldwide given the urgent need for boosters. AstraZeneca has developed the vaccine with researchers from the University of Oxford, and lab studies conducted by the university last month already found a three-dose course of Vaxzevria boosted antibody levels in the blood against the rapidly spreading Omicron variant. The brief statement on Thursday, which did not include specific data, was the first by AstraZeneca on the protective potential of Vaxzevria as a booster shot following a two shot-course of either an mRNA based vaccine or Vaxzevria. Vaccines base on mRNA technology are made by BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna. The company said the findings “add to the growing body of evidence supporting Vaxzevria as a third dose booster irrespective of the primary vaccination schedules tested”. The data on Vaxzevria’s potential as a booster came from a comparative analysis in a trial testing a redesigned vaccine which uses the vector technology behind Vaxzevria but targeting the now-superseded Beta variant. AstraZeneca is trying to show the Beta-specific vaccine has potential also against other variants and more trial data is expected during the first half of the year. Separately, Oxford University and AstraZeneca last month started work on a vaccine specifically targeting Omicron though Astra – as well as other vaccine makers in similar development projects – have said it was not yet clear whether such an upgrade was needed. A major British trial in December found that AstraZeneca’s shot increased antibodies when given as a booster after initial vaccination with its own shot or Pfizer’s, but that was before the explosive spread of the Omicron variant. However, the study at the time concluded that mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna gave a biggest boost to antibodies when given as a third dose. AstraZeneca and its contract manufacturing partners have supplied over 2.5 billion doses globally of its vaccine, even though it is not approved in the United States, while BioNTech-Pfizer have shipped about 2.6 billion doses. Source: ARY News
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BlackBerry 5G smartphone with physical keyboard officially confirmed for launch again

Image Credit: TCL OnwardMobility, owner of the BlackBerry brand, has now reiterated its commitment to provide a BlackBerry 5G  smartphone with a physical keyboard.  “Contrary to popular belief, we are not dead,” the company said. OnwardMobility, early last year after acquiring the BlackBerry brand, announced that it is working on a new BlackBerry phone that offers both 5G and a physical keyboard. While no such phone was launched in 2021, the company is back with a reiteration of that promise. The US-based company has proclaimed it is not dead and still has plans to release a BlackBerry 5G  device this year. The company attributes the lack of a launch in 2021 to the “various delays” it has exp While there are already concept renderings of the phone, there is little  information on how exactly it looks. We expect it to primarily retain the KEY2 form factor, but with a modernized outlook. We will be sure to keep you updated.  
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Remember That Weird 'Cube' on The Moon? Yutu-2 Finally Took Closer Pictures

  The Yutu-2 image of the ‘mysterious hut’. (CNSA/CLEP/Our Space) The mysterious Chinese “moon cube” is no longer a mystery. The big reveal: it's a rock that doesn't even have the shape of a cube. National rover Yutu2  discovered the object - which appeared to be a gray cube looming above the lunar horizon - in early December. China's National Space Administration (CNSA) dubbed it the “mystery hut,” playfully speculating that the cube could be an alien house or a spaceship. The news called it the "moon cube".  The CNSA estimated that the object was about 80 meters (262 feet) away, according to the blog  affiliated with the agency, and ready to point the rover towards it. The blog said it would take two or three months to reach the cube. After several weeks of preparation and driving, the rover is close enough to see that the "mystery hut" is just a rock. Its sharp geometric aspect on the horizon was a simple turn of perspective, light and shadow. In an updated posted on Friday, Our Space published the rover's latest photo of its target, below. Yutu-2 image of the closer rock. (CNSA/CLEP/Our Space) One of the rover's ground controllers noted on the blog that the rock is shaped like a rabbit, with smaller rocks in front  that resemble a carrot. The rover's name, Yutu, means "jade rabbit," which is now also the name of the rock too. Yutu2 reached the moon in January 2019, when the Chang'e4 lander landed on the lunar surface and launched a ramp for the rover's descent. It was the first mission to land on the opposite side of the moon.  Over the next three years, Yutu2 traveled over 1,000 meters (3,200 feet), used ground-penetrating radar to reveal a surprisingly deep layer of lunar soil, and identified rocks in the lunar mantle, below the crust, which have been pushed to the surface. when an asteroid crashed into the moon billions of years ago. A closer look at the rock. (CNSA/CLEP/Our Space) The rover has survived long past its initial three-month mission, meaning Yutu-2 had plenty free time for a wild cube chase.
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Apple will reportedly unveil an iPhone SE with 5G this spring

  The Apple logo is displayed at an event at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 10, 2019. REUTERS/Stephen Lam Apple could use its now common spring event to update its cheaper smartphone. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in his latest newsletter that Apple is expected to showcase a third-generation iPhone SE this spring through a virtual presentation that "likely" will take place in March or April. Echoing past rumors, Gurman understood that the new SE would still stick to the iPhone 8-era design, but would add 5G and a new processor, possibly the A15 from the iPhone 13, when Apple's history of using the chip peaked of last year . No other changes were mentioned. It wouldn't be surprising if Apple increased the storage to 128GB or upgraded the camera sensors (again carried over from the iPhone 8), but that's not guaranteed given Apple's low-cost approach to the iPhone SE. A larger battery may be required to compensate for the typically higher power consumption of 5G. If the leak is true, the new iPhone SE would be disappointing to those who want a modern design that covers almost the entire screen. It would still have a relatively small screen, thick bezels, and a button-based fingerprint reader. However, as we just mentioned,  price is everything to the SE. The model's current  price of $ 399 is helping Apple reach some customers who otherwise wouldn't justify an iPhone. The company may not want to do anything that could result in a small  price increase, if only to maximize the SE's potential audience.
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SUPERMAN, CINDERELLA AND MINIONS GIVE CHILDREN COVID-19 SHOTS

A medical staff member wearing a costume looks at a child who receives a shot of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a mass vaccination center in Prague, Czech Republic, January 8, 2022. REUTERS/David W Cerny Superman, Cinderella and Minions were among characters from films, comics and fairy tales who greeted children at a COVID-19 vaccination centre in Prague on Saturday to ease their nerves as they came to be inoculated. Despite a lull in coronavirus infections in the past month, the Czech Republic is trying to boost vaccination rates because it is bracing for the Omicron coronavirus variant. Vaccinations lag other European Union countries. With children aged 5-11 now eligible for the vaccine, staff dressed in costume at one of the biggest vaccination centres in the Czech capital helped children who came to be vaccinated. REUTERS/David W Cerny “We thought it would be better to have a day just for the kids,” said Nikola Melicharova, a vaccination centre worker dressed for the day as Snow White. “And because kids are usually a bit afraid of vaccinations, we decided for a fairy tale day so that it was a little more pleasant.” Some 62.4% of the population in the country of 10.7 million has been fully inoculated, compared to a rate of 68.6% in the whole of the EU, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. REUTERS/David W Cerny The Czech Republic started giving shots to children aged 5-11 in mid-December. Health Ministry figures show just over 27,000 shots had been administered to this age group by Friday. Some children cried, but less so while talking to their favourite characters. “I think it is right (for vaccinations). It is the only way out of the pandemic,” said Jaroslav Kottner, who brought his nine-year-old son to be vaccinated.
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