Author: Amanda Giasson

The search giant sees a big future in Magic Leap.

Google and other firms, such as KKR, Andreessen Horowitz and Legendary Entertainment, have invested in the augmented reality (AR) company Magic Leap, and the $542 million the startup recently raised in a funding round led by Google, indicates that among some of the biggest tech companies, there is a large and growing interest in firms that provide 3D wearable tech.

Magic Leap hopes to one day replace smartphone and computer screens with VR interfaces.

The Florida-based startup was established in 2011 and is developing technology that functions like virtual reality (VR) glasses. When the technology is activated, computer generated images are displayed over what the wearer would typically see.

The company’s primary aim is to develop augmented reality technology in a way that will blend real-world images with three dimensional images, instead of submersing the wearer of a VR headset in an alternate reality. The company has created digital lightfield technology, which it claims mirrors biological processes, assisting the brain in making sense of the images it sees. According to an article in the New York Times, the company’s tech projects 3D images (“light sculptures”) onto the retina of the viewer.

In addition, patent filings have revealed that part of Magic Leap’s technology could involve the use of cameras, ultrasonic sensors and infrared sensors, which could help the technology sense the environment around the user and recognize gestures.

That said, beyond what has been gleaned from patent filings, what the company has indicated in the blog on its official site, and speculations from experts, it is not publicly known exactly what products Magic Leap is working on or what the company has up its sleeve.

Google isn’t the only big name investing in augmented reality devices.

Back in July, Facebook, the largest social network in the world, closed a $2 billion deal for Oculus VR, a company that creates head-mounted AR goggles. Likewise, Samsung is in the process of developing its own AR device, as is Sony.

As for Google, Magic Leap is only one of the company’s investments in augmented reality technology. Google launched a do-it-yourself cardboard kits for creating VR goggles out of smartphones in June and has also demonstrated Tango, an initiative that attempts to provide mobile devices with 3D sensing and mapping capabilities. Some speculate that while Magic Leap’s technology will come to market as a wearable that the tech could also be integrated with Google Glass.

Apple’s iCloud storage service was attacked in China by hackers attempting to steal sensitive information.

According to a Chinese web monitoring group, Beijing government hackers were behind the cyber attack and the hackers were trying to steal the credentials of Apple users.

The hackers used an MITM attack.

The hackers employed the “man-in-the-middle” (MITM) attack, which enabled them to interpose their own website between Apple’s iCloud server and users. They intercepted data, which could potentially have given them access to private user information, such as passwords, photos, iMessages, contacts, etc.

When asked about allegations that the Beijing government was attempting to spy on Apple customers, an Apple representative declined comment. However, the representative did note that the company’s technical support page had been updated and provided users with advice on how to protect themselves against cyber attacks. A statement on the page said: “We’re aware of intermittent organized network attacks using insecure certificates to obtain user information, and we take this very seriously.”

The electronics giant instructs its users to watch for warnings when visiting www.icloud.com and to never enter their iCloud password in the event they receive a warning regarding invalid digital certificates. Furthermore, the company explains methods that users can employ to make certain they are connected to Apple’s genuine site when using different web browsers.

Hua Chunying, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson was asked about the incident and said that Beijing was opposed to hacking.

The cyber attack occurred only weeks after Apple announced where it would be storing iCloud data for Chinese users.

Greatfire.org, a website that conducts research on Chinese internet censorship, suspected government involvement in the cyber attack. Greatfire noted that it was similar to previous attacks on Microsoft Corp’s Hotmail, Yahoo Inc., and Google Inc. According to Greatfire, the attack took place several weeks after Apple said that it would use China Telecom servers to store iCloud data for Chinese users. In addition, it also occurred during the same time the iPhone 6 began selling in China.

Greatfire also said that it was highly probable that the attack was staged with the knowledge of internet providers, such as China Telecom, since it seems to have initiated from “deep within the Chinese domestic internet backbone”. However, a spokesperson from China Telecom said that “The accusation is untrue and unfounded.”

Reuters contacted two independent security experts and both said that Greatfire’s report about the cyber attacks looked credible. Chief research officer at F-Secure, Mikko Hypponen, said that “All the evidence I’ve seen would support that this is a real attack.”