Daily Tech Snippet: Monday, September, 21

• Apple's iOS App Store suffers first major attack: Apple said on Sunday it is cleaning up its iOS App Store to remove malicious iPhone and iPad programs identified in the first large-scale attack on the popular mobile software outlet. The company disclosed the effort after several cyber security firms reported finding a malicious program dubbed XcodeGhost that was embedded in hundreds of legitimate apps. It is the first reported case of large numbers of malicious software programs making their way past Apple's stringent app review process. Prior to this attack, a total of just five malicious apps had ever been found in the App Store. The hackers embedded the malicious code in these apps by convincing developers of legitimate software to use a tainted, counterfeit version of Apple's software for creating iOS and Mac apps, which is known as Xcode, Apple said. Palo Alto Networks Director of Threat Intelligence Ryan Olson said the malware had limited functionality and his firm had uncovered no examples of data theft or other harm as a result of the attack. Still, he said it was "a pretty big deal" because it showed that the App Store could be compromised if hackers infected machines of software developers writing legitimate apps. Other attackers may copy that approach, which is hard to defend against, he said. Researchers said infected apps included Tencent's popular mobile chat app WeChat, car-hailing app Didi Kuaidi and a music app from Internet portal NetEase. The tainted version of Xcode was downloaded from a server in China that developers may have used because it allowed for faster downloads than using Apple's U.S. servers, Olson said.

• Cheap robots may shift car making from China to U.S.: Magna CEO. The falling cost of intelligent robots may help repatriate some car manufacturing work away from low-cost locations like China back to factories in Germany and North America, Donald Walker, Chief Executive of auto supplier Magna told Reuters. Rising wages in China and the cost of importing heavy components like electric car batteries into Europe may lead established car makers to introduce more highly efficient automated manufacturing closer to home, Walker told Reuters in an interview at the Frankfurt auto show. "If you have a high labor, easy-to-ship part, it has already gone, for the most part, to a low-cost jurisdiction," Walker said about the evolution of assembly work in the car manufacturing business. "A bigger issue is how fast do you have intelligent robotics replace manual labor everywhere in the world," Walker said. By 2025 the total cost of manufacturing labor is projected to fall between 18 and 33 percent in countries which already deploy industrial robots, including South Korea, China, the U.S. Germany and Japan, a study on advanced manufacturing technologies by the Boston Consulting Group showed.

• Amazon Wins First Emmy for 'Transparent': Jeffrey Tambor and Jill Soloway delivered Amazon.com its first major Emmy awards for the show “Transparent,” as the online retailer went toe-to-toe with Time Warner’s HBO in the comedy categories. Tambor plays the patriarch of a Los Angeles family who reveals to his children that he has long felt he’s a woman and is going to begin to dress like one. Soloway created “Transparent” and won an award for directing, one of 11 nominations the show received.

• From EyeEm, Technology to See and Tag Photos:  A little-known German start-up may have just made it a lot easier to search for photos online. EyeEm, a photo-sharing service started in 2011 that has drawn parallels to Instagram, announced new technology in Brooklyn on Friday that uses a sophisticated algorithm and machine learning to analyze the details of online photos. The technology, called EyeVision, automatically scans images and tags them with certain keywords, from “landscape” and “New York” to the perceived emotions of people in each photo, which makes them easier to find through web searches. While other companies have tried similar techniques to categorize online images, the German start-up’s efforts — which comes after roughly three years of development — are based on analyzing millions of photos already shared on EyeEm’s photo-sharing social network. The company has roughly 15 million users compared to about 300 million on Instagram. Combined with the company’s machine-learning techniques, EyeEm’s search algorithm adapts over time to better understand what is part of each uploaded image, making it easier to find specific photos online, according to the company’s chief executive.

• Gentex transforms rear-view mirror into high-tech vision system: Gentex Corp is broadening its role from a traditional Michigan-based auto parts maker to a supplier of high-tech vision systems that eventually could be integrated into self-driving cars. General Motors Co will be the first automaker to use a new rear-view mirror developed by Gentex, on the 2016 Cadillac CT6 sedan. The car goes on sale early next year and the mirror will be offered at extra cost. At the flip of a switch, the full display mirror converts into a video display that provides a panoramic view behind the vehicle. Called the Gentex Full Display Mirror, it incorporates a rear camera and software that transforms a prosaic piece of hardware into a platform for more advanced safety technology, marketing director Craig Piersma said. While relatively young tech-focused suppliers such as Mobileye NV have become investor favorites as the auto industry ramps up development of advanced driver assistance systems - the building blocks for future self-driving cars - Gentex has quietly been turning out 30 million rear-view mirrors a year. Founded in 1974, Gentex is one of the world's largest suppliers of auto-dimming automotive mirrors, but it also has steadily beefed up its capability as an electronics manufacturer, expanding its expertise in cameras and displays. Among its products is the camera-based SmartBeam system that automatically switches headlamps from high to low beam. It also provides collision and lane departure warnings and vehicle and pedestrian detection.