Microsoft Bug Let Hackers Spy on MacOS Users; COVID Wave-FDA May OK COVID Shots Early; Disney Backs off Using Disney Plus Arb Agree Applied to Death in Park; Waymo Now Giving 100,000 Robotaxi Rides a Week

They might be bored silly a lot of the time in my case, but a vulnerability in Microsoft apps for macOS has allowed hackers to spy on Mac users via the camera and microphones in Macs. 9to5mac.com reports that researchers at Cisco Talos say the attacks are based on injecting malicious libraries into Microsoft apps to gain their entitlements and user-granted permissions. Apple’s macOS has a framework known as Transparency Consent and Control (TCC), which manages app permissions to access things like location services, camera, microphone, library photos, and other files. They found 8 vulnerabilities. Microsoft apparently considered the exploit to be ‘low risk,’ but did update Teams and One Note. Right now, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook are still vulnerable to the exploit. The Cisco researchers say Apple could also implement changes to the Transparency Consent and Control framework to make the system more secure. 

After a fairly substantial summer COVID wave, the FDA is mulling signing off on this year’s strain-matched COVID-19 vaccines as soon as this week. According to arstechnica.com, CNN had that word from unnamed officials at the FDA. Last year’s vaccine was green lighted on September 11th, but the summer wave this summer started sooner and hit a much higher level. According to waste water samples, there were ‘very high’ virus levels found in 32 states and the District of Columbia. The South and West regions of the country had the highest concentrations. Even though vaccinations have dropped off, the good news is that there is enough accumulation of protection that emergency room visits and deaths are not near what they were in prior years. The biggest thing is to be prepared for the winter wave…so get your jab as soon as possible after the new vaccine blend comes out.

There was quite a bit of outrage when Disney’s legal folks tried to use part of an online agreement for a reason to force a man to arbitration after his wife died from an allergic reaction after eating at a restaurant at Disney Springs shopping complex in Orlando. Theverge.com notes that the House of Mouse was claiming that a click to agree when the woman had signed up for a Disney Plus trial membership also forced her into arbitration for the death in a restaurant. After quite an uproar, the chairman of Disney experiences Josh D’Amaro said in a statement to The Verge. “As such, we’ve decided to waive our right to arbitration and have the matter proceed in court.” Disney originally made no mention of arbitration when the case was filed.

As recently as earlier this summer, Waymo as giving 50,000 paid robotaxi rides a week. That number has now doubled to 100,000! These are all in its primary commercial markets of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix. Techcrunch.com reports that info gleaned from the California Department of Revenue indicates that there are 778 Waymo robotaxis with permits in the state. It wasn’t clear if some of them might be operating in Phoenix. We just reported last week that the service in San Francisco has extended down the peninsula to Daly City. There was already service to and from San Francisco International Airport. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.