Oracle releases bumper security update for Java.

The update fixes 51 separate security bugs in Java, which owner Oracle says is used on billions of devices.About a dozen of the bugs were serious enough to allow attackers to take remote control of a compromised system, researchers said.Java is one of the most popular targets for cyber-thieves and malware writers seeking to hijack home computers.

In its advisory about the update, Oracle urged customers to patch the software as soon as possible "due to the threat posed by a successful attack".Programming language Java has proved popular because software written with it can easily be made to run on many different types of computer.

Twelve of the holes in Java addressed by the update topped the table that ranked the severity of security weaknesses in software, wrote Qualys security expert Wolfgang Kandek in a blogpost.If these bugs were exploited, attackers could bypass ID controls and take over a target system, he added.

He said those seeking to exploit Java would probably seed web pages with booby-trapped links in a bid to catch vulnerable machines.Security glitches in Java are favourites among those that write and run so-called "exploit kits" that seek to compromise vulnerable websites and other systems.

Security blogger Brian Krebs said if people needed to run Java, it was well worth taking time to apply the update.Those that did not need the software should consider disabling it altogether, he said."This widely installed and powerful program is riddled with security holes, and is a top target of malware writers and miscreants," he wrote.

The update is available via the main Java website and has prompted follow-up action from other electronics firms. Apple has released an update to the version of Java that runs on its computers. This update points people towards the official version of Java from Oracle instead of that supplied by Apple.In the past, Apple has faced criticism over the speed with which it updated its version of Java.

Facebook turns away from Flash for video.

Instead Facebook has developed a video player built around the widely used HTML5 technology.

Games on Facebook would still use Flash, it said, but it was looking into ways to change those too.

The site is one among many that have turned away from Flash. Many see it as a security problem because bugs in it are often exploited by cyber thieves. Daniel Baulig, a front-end developer at Facebook, said the switch to HTML5 had helped the firm speed up the development of its video-handling system. HTML is the basic computer language underpinning the web.

In addition, he said, the HTML5 video player worked much better with accessibility tools such as screen readers that are used by people who do not see well.

Mr Baulig said it introduced the HTML5 player a while ago for a small number of Facebook members who kept their web browsers up-to-date. It did not launch all at once with HTML5 because testing revealed problems with the new player.

"We noticed that a lot of the older browsers would simply perform worse using the HTML5 player than they had with the old Flash player," he said. "We saw more errors, longer loading times, and a generally worse experience."

Facebook ran HTML5 and a Flash-based video player in parallel while it ironed out bugs. Now, the stability of the new video player has persuaded the social network to roll it out by default

US drone owners encouraged to register online.

New rules governing drone ownership require anyone aged 13 or over who owns one of the craft to add their details to the register.Anyone who gets a drone after 21 December must register with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) before it goes on its maiden flight.Existing owners have until 19 February to put their details online. Anyone who does not comply could face hefty fines.Those who register will be given an identification number that they must display on the remote-controlled craft. Registration is valid for three years.The rules cover drones weighing between half a pound and 55lb (228g to 22.7kg).

A $5 (£3.30) registration fee is being waived for the first 30 days of the system to encourage people to register. Those who do not comply could face a fine of up to $27,500.The FAA hs said that in "severe cases" of drone abuse it can mount a criminal prosecution which could see offenders hit with a $250,000 fine and up to three years in prison.

The register of owners has been set up following several high-profile cases which saw drones flown in restricted airspace near airports and crowds, or that interfered with the work of emergency services.The FAA said it wanted the register up and working before Christmas as drones are widely expected to be a popular gift.

FAA rules for flying drones stipulate that they must:

• stay below 400ft (120m)
• be visible to their pilot at all times
• never be flown near manned aircraft
• never fly over groups of people, stadiums or sporting events
• never fly near emergency workers.

Iranian hackers penetrated the computers controlling a dam near New York.

Extensive information about the Bowman Avenue dam in Rye, New York state was taken by the hackers, experts familiar with the incident told the newspaper.An investigation pointed to Iran as the likely source of the attack and alerted US authorities to the significant cyber warfare capabilities of that nation, said the report The same group of hackers that attacked Bowman Avenue was also implicated in separate attacks on three US financial firms, it added.The US power network has also come under regular attack by "sophisticated foreign hackers" said AP in an extensive investigation.Many times security researchers had found evidence that hackers had won access to these sensitive systems. So far, all the attacks seemed intent on gathering detailed information, including engineering drawings, about networks and facilities.

One extensive campaign gave hackers access to 82 separate plants spread across the US and Canada. Comments in the code found when the attacks were detected suggested Iranian hackers were behind this attack. Information about this series of attacks led the FBI to issue a warning to power industry that it was being targeted.The knowledge accumulated by the attackers has not been used to shut down the power plants or change the way they work, wrote AP reporters Garance Burke and Jonathan Fahey.

However, the knowledge could be used to cause damage if diplomatic relations between Iran and the US changed for the worse, former US Air Force cyber security expert Robert Lee told the agency.Hackers could get at the power plants and other parts of national infrastructure because many of the systems were set up long before the need to protect them against remote attacks became apparent.

world's first modular phone goes on sale.

A smartphone designed to be easy to repair and upgrade goes on sale this week.The internal components of the Fairphone 2 are split into modules which can be replaced with minimal tools or expertise.The company behind the phone hopes this will encourage owners to keep their phones for longer, rather than regularly changing to new devices.

Fairphone say they aim to create a more ethical device with an emphasis on reparability and sourcing key minerals used in the phone's construction from conflict-free areas.

The store tech which could personalise how you shop.

A shop in London has been fitted with the latest shopping technology in order to help target products and provide a more custormised experience.The Dandy Lab has cameras which analyse customers' shoes to calculate the number of people entering, their gender and whether they have come on their own or with a family.

Other technology allows the shop's owners to see which displays work best by tracking how people move about the shop and change their shop window display depending on who is looking at it.

Tomato collecting robots created

Tomatoes collecting by a robot

In Japan, there is a popularity to robotize rural work because of the diminishing birthrate and maturing populace. As one of the measures to address the issue, robots are drawing consideration.

At the late International Robot Exhibition, a gathering titled "Fate of Japanese Agriculture Cultivated by Robot Technologies" was composed. What's more, farming robots were displayed at the corners of organizations and colleges.

To start with, I was pulled in via Automatic Tomato Harvesting Robot of Squse, an organization that participates in framework incorporation and advancement of mechanical robots. This robot is being created by the organization with help from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). The organization is trying the robot in Nagasaki Prefecture and Hokkaido.

With a camera and range picture sensor joined to each of the fundamental body and the tips of the two mechanical arms, the robot perceives the clusters and products of tomatoes. When it recognizes a focused on natural product, two units of the "UR5" multi-joint robot, which was created by Denmark-based Universal Robots A/S, capacity as arms and gather the organic product. As of right now, the time it takes from looking to reaping is 20 seconds.

"Indeed, even 20 seconds is moderate as operation time," Squse said. "We need to lessen it to 10 seconds or speedier, particularly around six seconds, in the long run."

The aggregate mass of the showed robot was around 400 kg. It is fueled by a lead-corrosive battery. To lessen weight and measure, the organization arrangements to utilize a sheet-sort lithium-particle battery later on.

Squse displayed a model of the robot, and it is at present adding to a second model. The organization arrangements to diminish the measure of the primary body and supplant the arms with the N-Jiku Robot, which it created with assistance from New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

Significant organizations and colleges likewise showed robots to be utilized for collecting. Panasonic Corp has built up a picture handling innovation for perceiving the products of tomato, extent picture sensor and automated arm independent from anyone else.

Natural products gathered by the mechanical arm fall into the opening in the focal point of the principle body, which works as a base, and are encouraged by a belt transport inside the body to a crate situated on the back some portion of the robot.

This tomato collecting robot utilizes boiling hot water funnels as an aide and moves in a nursery where tomatoes are developed.

"In expansive homesteads, boiling hot water channels and different offices are generally institutionalized," Panasonic said. "There are additionally control supplies. Along these lines, shockingly, they offer great operation situations for robots."

The organization arrangements to proceed with the test of the robot, meaning to market it in two years.

Strawberry-gathering robot

Utsunomiya University showed a robot that can reap strawberries. It was produced by the college's Graduate School of Engineering and Faculty of Agriculture and NEC Corp. It harvests strawberries, stores them in a holder and conveys it.

The robot utilizes a 3D scanner to move along development racks. It judges the readiness of strawberries by preparing pictures and reaps just completely aged ones. Its automated arm identifies caules, which are situated above strawberries, and gathers strawberries without touching them.

Likewise, the college added to a compartment for strawberries so that the surfaces of strawberries are not harms while being transported.

"We are considering adding a capacity to appraise the position of the robot taking into account a route strategy that uses an ecological attractive field and is being created by the college," the college said.