An Unprecedented iPhone Hack, a Wi-Fi Leg Implant, and More News

Credit to Author: Alex Baker-Whitcomb| Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2019 21:03:34 +0000

Catch up on the most important news from today in two minutes or less.

A hacker has been taking advantage of iPhone security flaws, a man implanted a streaming device in his leg, and Uber and Lyft are fighting to avoid treating their drivers as employees. Here's the news you need to know, in two minutes or less.

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A mysterious iOS attack changes everything we know about iPhone hacking

Apple's iPhone has long been considered one of the most challenging devices to hack, in part because it's usually done by highly sophisticated groups targeting an individual. But a group of Google researchers discovered that, for two years, someone has been indiscriminately hacking thousands of iPhones just by getting their owners to visit a website. The hack takes advantage of not just one but 14 security flaws, and it ultimately gave the attackers complete control of the phones.

This DIY implant lets you stream movies from your leg

An implantable device about the size of a pack of gum, called PegLeg, serves as a combined wireless router and hard drive. That doesn't sound weird, until you learn that the device is meant to be surgically inserted into your leg. Any Wi-Fi enabled device can access it, and the device can store hundreds of gigabytes of data, stream movies or music, or smuggle encrypted files across international borders. It raises a thorny question: Who is responsible for the data stored in someone's body?

That's how much money ride-hail juggernauts Uber and Lyft have put into fighting a California law that would force them to treat their drivers as employees. The money will be used to fund a 2020 state ballot measure that would create an alternate classification for drivers, giving them some protections without acknowledging them as employees.

Two more Kindles have joined the lineup in 2019, so whether you're looking to get one for the first time or your old one is looking a little shoddy, here's how to choose the right one for you.

Did you notice WIRED.com looks a little different now? Here's why.

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