Report shows the amazing strength of the global App Store ecosystem last year

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Report shows the amazing strength of the global App Store ecosystem last year
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Apple has released a new report that discusses the economic impact worldwide of the App Store. According to Apple, “The App Store ecosystem facilitated a groundbreaking $1.1 trillion in billings and sales worldwide in 2022.” Before you open your phone’s calculator to figure out what Apple’s cut of this figure would be, the report makes a point of saying that more than 90% of that $1.1 trillion came from transactions that did not take place through the App Store.
The vast majority of these transactions created revenue for app developers and third parties and Apple did not collect any commission on these specific transactions. The report was funded by Apple and contains analysis from economists who work for the Analysis Group. The $1.1 trillion in total billings and sales generated last year by the App Store ecosystem was up 29% year-over-year.

The App Store economy includes more than app and in-app purchases

Instead of focusing on purchases made in the App Store including in-app purchases, the entire app ecosystem includes things like groceries purchased through an app, ride-sharing revenue derived from using an app (like Uber and Lyft), and travel bookings made through an app. The $1.1 trillion is the total amount of revenue worldwide that can be traced back to an app listed in the App Store.

Breakdown of the App Store ecosystem over the last few years - Report shows the amazing strength of the global App Store ecosystem last year

Breakdown of the App Store ecosystem over the last few years

Last year the biggest revenue increases came from the travel (up 84%) and ride-share (up 45%) industries. Other categories that saw sales soar during the pandemic, such as food delivery and grocery sales, returned to more modest growth in 2022.

The report notes that “The App Store has been a safe and secure home to a large and varied array of apps for 15 years. Users today have access to over 123 times more apps than they did at the end of 2008, and annual downloads on the App Store increased 15-fold between 2009 and 2022. Users have downloaded apps more than 370 billion times and developers
have earned more than $320 billion in earnings directly on the App Store since its launch.”

The App Store has been supporting new areas of the economy over the past 15 years. It also has helped companies reach customers in new and lower-cost ways. And while last year the App Store ecosystem totaled $1.1 trillion, “9% originated from billings and sales of digital goods and services consumed on iOS apps; $910 billion, or 81%, from sales of physical goods and services made on iOS apps; and $109 billion, or 10%, from in-app advertising on iOS devices.”

The three ways that App Store apps are monetized

In 2021 the Apple Store ecosystem totaled $868 billion, up from the $643 billion reported for 2020, and the $519 billion generated in 2019. The Analysis Group notes that the App Store ecosystem is based on three separate ways that apps are monetized. The first way is through the sale and distribution of digital goods and services through paid app downloads and in-app purchases. Examples include apps for dating, gaming, video and music streaming, fitness and health, and news and magazines.

The second monetization strategy is through the sales of physical goods and services. Apps in this category include ride-hailing, food delivery and pickup, grocery delivery and pickup, general retail, and travel, and digital payment apps. The third monetization strategy is to sell in-app advertising. Examples of apps using this strategy are social media apps and short video-sharing apps.

Apple and the App Store help developers distribute their apps around the world. As the report notes, “Thanks to the App Store, developers can seamlessly distribute their apps around the world and make sure users discover their apps. The App Store facilitates on average more than 747 million app downloads, 1.5 billion re-downloads, and 40 billion automatic app updates each week. The App Store’s global marketing team, editors, and the “Today,” “App of the Day,” and “Game of the Day” features are examples of how Apple helps developers drive discovery of their apps.

And while we might never know, could Steve Jobs had foreseen the economic impact of the App Store when it was launched in July 2008 with 500 apps?

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This Campaign Spreads Three Malware Via YouTube Videos

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This Campaign Spreads Three Malware Via YouTube Videos
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Researchers have found a malicious campaign exploiting seemingly legit YouTube accounts. The campaign involves uploading pirated software videos on YouTube, which actually redirect users to malicious links delivering three malware simultaneously.

Pirated Software Videos On YouTube Make Users Install Three Different Malware

According to a recent report from FortiGuard Labs, their researchers have discovered an ongoing malicious campaign exploiting YouTube. As observed, the threat actors behind this campaign deliver three malware to the victim machines by tricking users into downloading them via falsified YouTube videos for downloading pirated software.

Though the concept isn’t new, as some previous reports already exist about exploiting YouTube videos for spreading malware. However, what’s peculiar with this campaign is the delivery of three types of malware – a cryptominer (XMRig), a data stealer (Vidar stealer), and a clipboard hijacker (Laplas clipper).

According to Fortinet, the videos spreading these malware, expectedly, do not include any malicious scripts themselves. Instead, they simply demonstrate the steps, apparently to download the cracked software, while tricking the users into downloading the malware. The videos use various popular subscription-based software names, such as Adobe Acrobat, which users often seek to get for free.

Nonetheless, a keen user may not fall victim to these videos as they usually display irrelevant static images.

Still, the campaign seemingly inputs more effort into achieving credibility as malicious videos often appear from legit accounts. As observed, many such YouTube accounts boast huge numbers of followers (even millions). After uploading the videos in batches (over several hours), the videos would disappear from one account and appear on another. It indicates that the attackers may have hacked those YouTube accounts to trick users.

Moreover, the campaign strives to escape attention by attempting to deliver the promised service – the cracked software – too. For this, alongside the three malicious executables that remain invisible to the user, the campaign also delivers a visible executable that serves as the crack downloader.

Stay Wary Of Malware, Even On YouTube

Although YouTube is a trusted platform, and the videos uploaded there, despite being from unofficial users, often display legitimate ways to resolve public issues, like downloading cracked tools. Yet, this malicious campaign shows how this trusted platform can also cause harm in sneaky ways.

Therefore, users must remain vigilant when performing such feats. Essentially, users must avoid following instructions randomly without verifying the viability of the procedures shown in a video. Similarly, users must secure their devices with robust antimalware solutions to immediately repel any potential malware intrusions.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.


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The Galaxy S23 Ultra costs less than $500 to build

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The Galaxy S23 Ultra costs less than $500 to build
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Smartphones are expensive to buy, but they’re not all that cheap to build either. The Galaxy s23 Ultra is one of the most expensive slab phones that general users can buy. According to a new report, it seems that it cost Samsung less than $500 to build a Galaxy s23 Ultra.

Obviously, companies have to give their phones a significant markup to recuperate the cost of manufacturing, marketing, R&D, and other expenses. Building a flagship device is not cheap. Still, it’s very interesting to see just how much money goes into making your favorite device.

According to analysis, it costs Samsung less than $500 to build a Galaxy s23 Ultra

This news comes to us from Counterpoint Research (via 9To5Google). The Firm published the Bill-of-Materials (BoM) analysis for this phone, and it weighs in at $469. That’s a pretty significant chunk of change, as there are some premium mid-range phones that retail for not much more than that. Also, according to the analysis, most of the cost comes from only three components of the phone.

Firstly, about 35% of the cost is just the SoC (approximately $164). Samsung worked with Qualcomm to deliver the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy. We’re not sure if the partnership to make a custom Snapdragon chip cranked up the price.

Next up, about 18% of the cost comes from the device’s display (approximately $84). There’s no shocker there, as Samsung has some of the most gorgeous displays out there. This monster of an AMOLED panel has a resolution of 1,440 x 3,088, and it has a 120Hz refresh rate.

Lastly, about 14% of the cost comes from the camera (approximately $65). Again, Samsung puts a lot of time and effort into its camera technology, and that makes it one of the best cameras on the market. It’s no shocker that this is an expensive component.

Two other major components of the phone are the RAM (11%) and the casing (8%). The remaining 15% occupy the dreaded “Others” category. This category includes other components like the motherboard, S Pen, ports, sensors, Etc. So, if you are wondering why the Galaxy s23 Ultra is so expensive, just know that almost 40% of the cost of the phone is just from building it.


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Researchers and industry leaders warn about AI and a ‘risk of extinction’

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Researchers and industry leaders warn about AI and a ‘risk of extinction’
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Ever since the launch of ChatGPT and the subsequent start of the AI revolution, industry experts and governments have been rallying for stronger security measures to prevent AI systems from going off the rails. Now, in recent news, a group of influential AI experts and industry leaders have issued a warning, emphasizing the urgent need to address the existential risk posed by AI on a global scale.

“Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war,” reads the statement.

Published by the San Francisco-based non-profit organization, the Center for AI Safety, the statement highlights the ongoing efforts of companies racing to build the most advanced AI systems without implementing adequate safety measures, which could potentially be a threat to humanity. As a result, the statement has received widespread support and signatures from prominent figures, including Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and artificial intelligence researchers such as Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, who both received the prestigious Turing Award in 2018 for their groundbreaking contributions to the field.

Moreover, the executive director of the Center for AI Safety, Dan Hendrycks, explained in a report that the statement aims to avoid potential disagreements and dilutions by suggesting specific interventions to mitigate the risks.

Understanding the threat

While current AI systems may not pose significant threats to humanity, the AI safety debate primarily revolves around hypothetical scenarios in which AI systems rapidly surpass safe levels of operation and begin evolving autonomously. Experts believe that once these AI systems reach a certain level of sophistication, controlling their operations would become nearly impossible. Therefore, it is crucial for companies like Google and OpenAI, who are spearheading the AI revolution, to acknowledge the threat.

Consequently, even the government is also exploring ways to control and regulate AI development. And although President Joe Biden recognizes the immense potential of AI in solving global challenges like disease and climate change, he also emphasized the need to address the potential risks it poses to society, the economy, and national security.


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Waze teams up with tennis legend Roger Federer for a new driving experience

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Waze teams up with tennis legend Roger Federer for a new driving experience
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Waze is at it again with yet another driving experience that will make our commuting more relaxing, because let’s face it, the navigation app can only do so much when it comes to busy traffic. On the bright side, it’s always nice to hear a famous person giving you advise or simply guiding you through the traffic.This time around, Waze partnered with one of the biggest tennis players of all time, the one and only Roger Federer. The Swiss player holds many titles, but also a couple of impressive cars. What makes the new driving experience not so common is the fact that it’s available in three different languages: English, French and German.

Roger Federer had something to say about the new Waze driving experience too: “I’m excited to help navigate my fans as part of my Waze driving experience. Driving around town with a navigator and playing doubles both require accurate timing and trusting your partner’s lead. Together with Waze, I will do my best to make proper adjustments if you miss your turn and make sure my partners on the road get to their destinations as quickly and safely as possible.”

Speaking of which, when you choose the Roger Federer experience, he’ll use encouraging words when the traffic slows down, such as “Make a U-Turn. Hey, even champions can mess up” or “Heavy traffic reported ahead. Let’s treat this like a change-of-ends break. I might even put on a fresh shirt.”

Naturally, the new driving experience wouldn’t be complete with the special Mood. You’ll be able to select from some of Federer’s favorite vehicles like the Mercedes  G-Class SUV or Mayback S-Class Cabriolet, as well as update your Mood to Victorious.

Starting today, the Roger Federer driving experience is available globally with voice navigation in English, French, and German. Update to the latest version of Waze to take advantage of the new driving experience.


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Critical Jetpack WordPress Flaw Exposes Millions of Website

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Critical Jetpack WordPress Flaw Exposes Millions of Website
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Jetpack WordPress Plugin Flaw

To address a critical vulnerability in the Jetpack WordPress plug-in, Automattic, the company that created the open-source WordPress content management system, has begun enforcing the installation of a security patch on millions of websites.

Reports stated no proof that the vulnerability had been used in the wild.

“We released a new version of Jetpack, 12.1.1. This release contains a critical security update.”

“While we have no evidence that this vulnerability has been exploited yet, please update your version of Jetpack as soon as possible to ensure your site’s security, ” said Automatic Developer Relations Engineer Jeremy Herve.

An extremely well-liked plug-in called Jetpack offers free security, performance, and website administration enhancements, such as site backups, brute-force assault defense, secure logins, malware scanning, etc.

The plug-in is maintained by Automattic, according to the official WordPress plug-in repository, and there are currently more than 5 million active installations.

“During an internal security audit, we found a vulnerability with the API available in Jetpack since version 2.0, released in 2012. This vulnerability could be used by authors on a site to manipulate any files in the WordPress installation”, Jeremy Herve.

Update Your Version Of Jetpack

Further, Jetpack 12.1.1, the security update that is presently being automatically distributed to all WordPress websites utilizing the plug-in, began rolling out today and has already been updated on more than 4,130,000 sites using every version of Jetpack since 2.0.

JetPack installations

Herve further warned website administrators that even though there are no indications that the problem has been utilized in attacks

They should still ensure their sites are secure because hackers will probably learn about the flaw’s specifics and develop exploits that target unpatched WordPress websites.

“We have no evidence that this vulnerability has been exploited in the wild. However, now that the update has been released, someone may try to take advantage of this vulnerability,” Jeremy Herve said.

“Please update your version of Jetpack as soon as possible to ensure the security of your site.”

“To help you in this process, we have worked closely with the WordPress[.]org Security team to release patched versions of every version of Jetpack since 2.0. Most websites have been or will soon be automatically updated to a secured version.”

Shut Down Phishing Attacks with Device Posture Security – Download Free E-Book

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Twitter Community Notes for images is currently in the testing stage

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Twitter Community Notes for images is currently in the testing stage
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Twitter kicks up the fight against AI-generated images with the Community Notes for images. This feature is currently in the testing phase and will help users on Twitter identify AI-generated images. Over the past few months, lots of users have fallen for these images that are products of AI models.

This feature is just one tool in Twitter’s arsenal that it will put to use as it combats misleading media. Some bad actors using the Twitter platform reach millions of users with AI-generated images, claiming they are proof of activities that never took place. The aim behind this effort is to mislead people, and it can be damaging to the global community.

Once these images get to Twitter via posts, it is easy for unsuspecting users to share them with others. This aids the misleading information spreading like wildfire, hence brewing false ideas of an individual or group. Twitter Community Notes for images is now here to combat the spread of such images to millions of people making use of the social media platform.

Twitter aims to curb the spread of AI-generated images with the Community Notes for Images feature

The Twitter Community Notes page recently put out a post that addresses AI-generated images. These types of images are becoming more rampant on the social media platform and tend to mislead lots of users. Twitter has taken note of this and they are now giving a group of users the ability to flag down this type of posts for other users’ awareness.

At this moment, it is easy for an ill-meaning Twitter user to use any AI model to generate a photo of whatever. All they need to do is describe what the photo should look like and what elements it should possess. The AI model then gets to work and produces an almost realistic image based on the users’ specifications.

Armed with this image, the ill-meaning user can then post the image on Twitter with a misleading description. Other users of Twitter that get to see this post might believe the misleading description and retweet or like the post, hence spreading it to millions. Now, Twitter is giving contributors on their platform the ability to flag down these misleading AI-generated images and videos.

With the Twitter Community Notes for images, contributors with high ratings will be able to flag down AI-generated images. Currently, this feature is in its testing phase and lets contributors flag these images down for other users. To flag these images down, contributors with high ratings will add descriptions to the image that’d be visible to other Twitter users.

Once the descriptions are set, the Twitter algorithm matches all posts of that image on the platform with the description. If another user posts the image again, it will pop up with the description, flagging it down as an AI-generated image. However, this feature needs to perform well during tests before it becomes available to the public.


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iPhone 17 Pro series to ditch Dynamic Island, get under-screen Face ID

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iPhone 17 Pro series to ditch Dynamic Island, get under-screen Face ID
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The iPhone 15 series didn’t even launch yet, and we’re getting plenty of iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 info. Ross Young, a well-known analyst, shared some display-related iPhone 16 info, adding some details for the iPhone 17 series too. It seems like the iPhone 17 Pro phones will ditch the Dynamic Island, and get under-display Face ID.

The iPhone 17 Pro series to include under-display Face ID, and ditch the Dynamic Island

So, the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Plus are said to include a pill-shaped cutout, the so-called Dynamic Island. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, not so much. Those two phones will finally adopt the hole punch design. In other words, they’ll have a single hole at the top, as we’ve seen on a ton of Android phones.

Apple seemingly plans to include an under-display Face ID system in the iPhone 17 Pro series. That’s why it’ll be able to ditch the pill-shaped cutout, and replace it with a single camera hole.

All iPhone 17 models are said to feature larger displays with taller aspect ratios. The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro will include 6.27-inch screens. The iPhone 17 Plus and iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature 6.86-inch displays.

All iPhone 17 models will feature 120Hz displays

With the iPhone 17 series, Apple finally plans to fully adopt high refresh rate screens. According to Ross Young, all four iPhone 17 models will feature 120Hz refresh rate AMOLED displays.

If you do some quick math, you’ll realize that the iPhone 17 series is expected to arrive in 2025. So, we’re still quite far away from that point, over two years, in fact. The iPhone 15 series is coming in September this year, while the iPhone 16 models are expected in 2024.

As per usual, Apple is taking its sweet time when it comes to adopting new tech. Hole punch displays are old news, generally speaking, and yet Apple will adopt them in 2025, no sooner. That’s just one example, of course. It is the way this company does things, however, so… there you go.


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Glimpse into the past: Reimagine App transforms old photos with AI

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Glimpse into the past: Reimagine App transforms old photos with AI
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The rapid integration of AI into our lives is poised to revolutionize our mobile experience in the coming years. The potential for AI to transform mobile applications and enhance user experiences is quite thrilling and promising. One such application, called Reimagine, has recently caught the attention of Slash Gear. Developed by MyHeritage, this app utilizes AI to restore and animate old photos, offering a glimpse into the past.With Reimagine, users can restore vintage photos tucked away in dusty boxes or forgotten in attics. The app boasts impressive capabilities, such as color restoration, image enhancement, and even the creation of animated images. The user can scan entire pages from physical photo albums. The AI algorithms then identify and isolate individual faces, extracting them from the page and saving them as separate images.Reimagine’s multipage scanner enables users to store their photos on the MyHeritage cloud. This cloud-based storage solution ensures the preservation and easy sharing of cherished family albums. In addition to the scanner, the Reimagine app features three main controls: Colorize, Enhance, and Animate.

The Colorize tool can turn an old black-and-white photo into a more modern-looking image, putting realistic colors into it. Although the colors may not be as vivid or sharp as those captured with modern technology, the overall effect is still impressive. The Enhance tool, which I have tried, effectively increased the image quality of my brother and me playing in the snow, making the photo look clearer and more detail-rich. It also aids in restoring colors and mending scratches or damaged areas of the photo using pixel-filling techniques.

One of the features of Reimagine, which benefits most from AI, is the Animate tool. Imagine ancestral figures seemingly coming to life, looking in different directions, or even smiling. The experience of witnessing one’s long-departed relatives gazing back from a photo is undeniably strange yet fascinating.

Reimagine integration of AI technology makes the process of scanning and working with the above-mentioned features quite easy. The app does not have many options other than the four tools buttons after selecting a photo you want to work on. The AI makes the process fast and in moments I could see for example the photo of my grandmother holding me in color for the first time.

 

Recognizing the ethical implications of AI utilization, Reimagine includes watermarks on generated images, signifying which photos have been manipulated by AI and which ones are original. By prioritizing transparency, the company addresses concerns about AI’s security aspects. Acknowledging the apprehension many individuals harbor towards AI and its potential implications, this move demonstrates the company’s commitment to soothing such concerns.Reimagine is not the only app exploring the integration of AI. Other prominent players, such as Adobe with its ongoing efforts to incorporate AI into its products, and Google with its introduction of the Magic Editor, are actively developing similar or even more complex features. Despite differences in their functionalities, the applications share a commonality: their reliance on AI.

Currently, the Reimagine app supports 11 languages, including English, German, French, and Spanish. It is available for iOS and Android devices, offering a free version allowing users to edit a limited number of photos. For more extensive features, increased cloud storage, and unlimited scanning and editing, users can opt for a paid subscription. Priced at $7.99 per month, or $49.99 annually, the latter option often proves to be more cost-effective in the long run.


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Hackers Can Bypass Fingerprint Locks With BrutePrint Attack

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Hackers Can Bypass Fingerprint Locks With BrutePrint Attack
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While biometric locks usually seem a safe device locking method, researchers have now devised a viable bypass. Dubbed “BrutePrint” the new attack method allows an adversary to brute-force fingerprint to unlock target devices like smartphones.

BrutePrint Attack Allows Fingerprint Brute-force

A team of researchers has shared details insights about vulnerabilities allowing to bypass fingerprints to unlock devices. To demonstrate the flaws in fingerprint lock technology, the researchers devised BrutePrint attack – a dedicated strategy to unlock a target smartphone by brute-forcing fingerprints.

Briefly, the BrutePrint attack exploits two inherent vulnerabilities in the Smartphone Fingerprint Authentication (SFA) framework and insufficient fingerprint data protection on the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) of fingerprint sensors.

The SFA vulnerabilities include Cancel-After-Match-Fail (CAMF) and Match-After-Lock (MAL). These vulnerabilities allow an adversary to evade the existing security measures – limit on the number of attempts, and liveness detection – to prevent device unlocking via non-live fingerprint images.

The concept behind this attack is to unlock a physically possessed device, such as a smartphone, locked with fingerprint scans, via hardware. Although, carefully conducting this attack requires the attacker to possess a huge library of fingerprint scans for brute-forcing. Yet, it isn’t too challenging for a keen intruder. All it takes is a $15 setup comprising a microcontroller board and an auto-clicker to hijack the data from the fingerprint sensor.

In their study, the researchers performed the attack on ten different devices from top vendors like Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, Apple, OnePlus, and Huawei. These devices run different operating systems (Android 8, 9, 10, and 11, iOS 14.4.1 and 14.5.1, and HarmonyOS 2).

In almost every case, the researchers could bypass the existing security measures to brute-force fingerprints and unlock the devices, except iOS ones that exhibited some resilience. That’s because the Touch ID encrypts SPI data and employs Secure Enclave TEE implementation, preventing fingerprint image hijacking. Nonetheless, the researchers could still exploit CAMF vulnerability, increasing the attempt limit from 5 to 15.

Attack Mitigations

Though the existing fingerprint lock mechanisms employ attempt limit and liveness detection to prevent forged device unlocking, the researchers demonstrated how exploiting the inherent vulnerabilities still allows malicious intrusions via brute force.

Nonetheless, the researchers have shared some mitigations for the vendors to prevent the BrutePrint attack. These include applying an error-cancel limit – a limit on the number of canceled or failed attempts – to mitigate CAMF vulnerability. Likewise, enhancing the fingerprint matching rate can help prevent MAL flaw.

The researchers have shared the technical details of this study in their research paper, aiming to help improve SFA security.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.


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