US automakers and dealers are still trying to figure out if the $430 billion (roughly Rs. 34,23,000 crore) climate, health care and tax bill that the US House of Representatives is set to vote on Friday will continue to let them offer $7,500 (roughly Rs. 5,97,000) tax credits to would-be buyers of electric vehicles (EVs).
A Samsung smartphone with the model number SM-A042F has been listed on the Geekbench benchmarking website. The smartphone is reportedly the Galaxy A04 Core. An earlier report suggested that the handset could feature a design identical to its predecessor. It is also said to be a budget smartphone.
One of the world’s most infamous trojans/malware/droppers, Emotet, seems to be running out of steam a little as the summer holidays begin.
Check Point Research's recent Global Threat Index for July 2022 found Emotet’s global impact, compared to June, fell by 50% - but warned that it’s still the reigning champion among malware and that won’t change any time soon.
“Emotet continues to dominate our monthly top malware charts,” said Maya Horowitz, VP Research at Check Point Software. “This botnet continually evolves to maintain its persistence and evasion. Its latest developments include a credit card stealer module, meaning that enterprises and individuals must take extra care when making any online purchases. In addition, with Microsoft now confirming that it will block macros by default, we await to see how malwares, such as Snake Keylogger, may change their tactics.”
Emotet still far ahead
Last month was Emotet’s peak, the researchers further stated, adding that the trojan is now back to its standard global impact numbers. While it’s hard to determine exactly what caused this drop, the researchers are speculating it’s most likely just due to the summer holidays, and not because the threat actor is backing out. Emotet constantly introducing new features is evidence to such claims.
That being said, Emotet is still the world’s most widespread malware, with a global impact of 7%. With 3%, Formbook takes second place, followed by XMRig with a 2% global impact. Formbook is a six-year-old infostealer for Windows, marketed as malware-as-a-service, and capable of stealing data from web browsers, collecting screenshots, logging keystrokes, and downloading and executing files.
XMRig, on the other hand, is a well-known cryptominer, a piece of software that mines the XMR (Monero) cryptocurrency for attackers. While XMRig isn't exactly a virus, and doesn’t necessarily steal data or destroy the endpoint it’s installed on, it does use up the majority of the computing power, leaving the device sluggish and underperforming.
BlackRock on Thursday announced that it has launched a spot Bitcoin private trust that will track the performance of Bitcoin, offering direct exposure to the price of the digital currency. The private trust will be available to BlackRock's US clients, according to the world's biggest asset manager.
A new report has shed light on the extent of the dilemma facing organizations as the demand for data storage capacity continues to skyrocket.
Published jointly by Fujitsu and Twist Bioscience, both of which operate in the archival storage market, the report predicts the gap between available storage capacity and demand will exceed 7.8 million petabytes by 2030.
In this scenario, businesses will be left with no choice but to delete large swathes of old data to make room for the new, which is enough to send a shiver down the spine of any firm with aspirations in areas such as artificial intelligence.
Data dilemma
As the volume of data produced by internet activity, digital devices and IoT sensors continues to expand at an aggressive rate, businesses are running out of time to solve a critical problem: where to put it all.
While hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid state drives (SSDs) do an excellent job of holding and supplying the quantities of data that servers and client devices need to function, neither are well-suited to storing information en masse and for long durations.
When it comes to archival storage, Linear Tape-Open (LTO) magnetic tape rules the roost, with the lowest cost per capacity of any technology. The current generation of tape, LTO-9, has a native capacity of 18TB and can be purchased for as little as $150 (or roughly $8.30/TB).
According to the report, large companies will have to invest heavily in tape and other archival media, as the volume of data produced by business operations continues to rise. The alternative would be to discard old data, but to do so would be to lose out on its potential value as a source of insight; the most advanced AI products are typically informed by the largest, most exhaustive pools of data.
(Image credit: Shutterstock / kubais)
“We believe most of this [new] enterprise data will be unstructured, ‘cold,’ infrequently accessed and will have to be maintained at minimal cost,” explained report author Jon Monroe, who says the spread of storage spend will need to reflect that fact.
However, while cost-effective, tape has its weaknesses too; data can only be accessed serially, making it hard to locate specific files, and companies also need to migrate to fresh tape on a semi-regular basis to avoid data loss.
In light of these issues, researchers are hunting for new ultra-dense and ultra-durable storage technologies. A few different candidates have emerged, but one concept looks particularly promising: DNA.
DNA storage
DNA, the foundational material of living organisms, is made up of four molecular building blocks: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C) and thymine (T). These compounds connect in pairs (A-T & G-C) to form the rungs of the famous double helix ladder.
This structure can be utilized as an extremely dense and durable form of data storage, by converting binary 1s and 0s into the four-lettered genetic alphabet. A single gram of DNA has been found to be capable of storing 215 PB (220,000 TB) of data.
“DNA holds the promise of offering the magic three in storage: ultra-high density, reasonable cost, and sustainability,” said Emily Leproust, CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience, which is investing heavily in bringing the technology to fruition.
“We expect that new media will be needed to address the $7 billion-plus of unmet storage demand projected in the years ahead.”
As it stands, the technology remains unusable at scale, as a result of the time it takes to write data to DNA and various other challenges. Naturally, the report also needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, produced as it was by two organizations with vested interests in an increase in spending on archival storage.
However, there is no denying that the rise in capacity of traditional data storage technologies is failing to keep pace with the rate of data production, which means a reorientation of the storage stack is inevitable.
“The datacenters of the future will need everything the SSD, HDD, and tape industries can manufacture and deliver, as well as requiring new DNA and optical and perhaps other enterprise storage technologies, to cost-effectively and reliably preserve the priceless artefacts of our personal, corporate, and cultural history,” added Monroe.
“Availability and sustainability challenges, combined with the costs of managing our multi-millionfold-petabyte dataverse over increasingly lengthy time periods, will create new use cases for old storage technologies and demand the creation of new, more cost-effective, and power-efficient storage technologies.”
Gaming routers offer better performance and more features than most general consumer models. But, as with any gaming-focused peripheral, deciphering whether you can benefit more from one over a traditional, and often cheaper, option takes a bit of digging.
That said, gaming routers are more than aggressive-looking pieces of plastic and PCB boards. They fit a very specific user that needs better and faster performance out of their equipment than someone just streaming Extraordinary Attorney Woo or checking their email.
Still, routers specifically made for gaming might seem a little harder to justify than upgrading your GTX 1080 to a 3000 series GPU. In that spirit, we’ll take a look at different network solutions including wireless routers and mesh routers to see if the gaming variety is worth the extra cost.
Will you get more out of your gaming PC with one of these routers? Will the WiFi signal be that much better for your gaming laptop if you upgrade? It depends. From the type of player considering a new router to the kinds of features a gaming router comes with, it all factors in.
What makes a gaming router?
Performance and features set gaming routers apart
They come with robust bandwidth solutions
Getting a gaming router will not all of a sudden make you a better player. But, it could make a difference in how seamless your sessions are by minimizing network-related issues or limitations. Experiencing lag, screen tearing, or other interruptions because multiple devices are vying for bandwidth all play a part in whether you need one of these routers.
To start, gaming routers offer the kind of fast data transfer speeds that you find in more robust routers. And, the current generation routers such as the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX6000 are more likely to come with the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard, allowing even faster speeds for computers and laptops that also support the standard.
Having enough bandwidth is always an issue, and one of the main things that gaming routers try to tackle is managing that bandwidth so that gaming devices keep a steady and low ping (or latency). While just about every Wi-Fi router younger than Tik-Tok comes with at least a 2.4GHz and 5GHz band to organize device traffic, gaming routers sometimes offer tri-band connectivity for even more capacity to handle for multiple devices. The Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000, for example, includes a blazing 6GHz frequency band for a faster, more continuous signal that’s less prone to interruptions from other devices on the network.
Even without that next level performance and bandwidth, a gaming router’s feature-set is still unique, not to mention useful. It’s able to help you prioritize your gaming devices during your gaming sessions, find servers that are geographically closer or are experiencing less traffic, and have a plethora of ports for dedicated connections.
Asus TUF Gaming AX5400 WiFi 6
For
Good Wi-Fi performance
Great network management
Against
Not many gamer-focused features
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX6000
For
Excellent performance
Gamer-focused settings
Against
Expensive
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 WiFi 6E
For
Supports Wi-Fi 6E
Super fast throughput
Against
Massive
Gaming router features explained
Gaming router can more easily prioritize gaming network traffic
They generally come with more ports
The included feature set on a gaming router separates it from the pack as much as its performance and bandwidth do. Though most routers come with physical ports for the devices that need it, models aimed at gamers come with more ports as well as more specialized ones dedicated to gaming consoles and PCs. USB ports are also typically on hand to plug in printers or external hard drives you want available to the whole network.
Whether or not you’re physically plugged in, these routers have a number of ways to minimize the amount of latency you experience while gaming. QoS (quality of service), a feature available typically through software that interfaces with the router, does just that by putting whatever you’re playing at the top of the list of devices and tasks vying for bandwidth. Many gaming routers also come with the ability to find the shortest path to the server to which you’re connected or even force a connection to the closest server to minimize latency (sometimes called geofiltering or geolocating).
You’ll also find MU-MIMO (multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output) support on most gaming routers, a feature that allows multiple devices almost instantaneous access to the network. This way, someone watching Netflix will still get a solid signal regardless of how poorly you’re doing in Fortnite at the moment.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to features. Security features, the ability to test and monitor ping and bandwidth, and even sometimes RGB lighting are part of the package.
(Image credit: Future)
Strengths and weaknesses of gaming routers
Gaming routers are adept at prioritizing network tasks
Mesh systems and range extenders are still needed for dead spots
What gaming routers do best, in essence, is provide a number of ways to prioritize and protect the connection handling your current gaming session. And, they do it better than other routers, thanks to that combination of performance and features. These are basically really good routers that happen to have some gamer-focused specialization.
That said, while some newer models such as the Asus TUF Gaming AX5400 (which still requires you to buy additional units) offer mesh-like features, many keep to the standard single-unit setup. That means that homes or offices with dead spots or range issues will still have those same problems when using a gaming router. If you insist on a gaming router and still have these coverage-related problems, you might need to add on a Wi-Fi extender.
Also, keep in mind that these are fantastic for organizing in-network traffic but can only do so much with the signal coming in. To take full advantage of one of these routers, you’ll want to make sure that the modem you’re using and the speeds that your provider offers aren’t also creating bottlenecks.
Should you get a gaming router?
Online competitive gamers will appreciate what these routers have to offer
Those that play mostly offline games should save their money
Not every gamer should invest in a gaming router. Their specialization means that they’re pricier than equivalent non-gaming options (not counting mesh routers, which are also heavy on the pocketbook).
Also, if you prefer single-player adventures, you’re paying quite a bit extra for some slightly improved download times. If your online gaming isn’t that intense, you probably won’t experience that much of a difference either.
Gamers that play anything online that’s remotely competitive are the ones who will benefit the most from a gaming router and see the biggest difference. After all, every part of a system needs to have the lowest latency possible and that includes that network connection. While a powerful non-gaming router may still work well, once another device starts doing something that requires a large amount of data, you need a network solution that can organize large downloads, streams, or whatever else is hogging the frequency band around your game instead of sharing it equally. And, nothing can do that quite like a gaming router.
Asus TUF Gaming AX5400 WiFi 6
For
Good Wi-Fi performance
Great network management
Against
Not many gamer-focused features
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX6000
For
Excellent performance
Gamer-focused settings
Against
Expensive
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 WiFi 6E
For
Supports Wi-Fi 6E
Super fast throughput
Against
Massive
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Pegasus spyware maker NSO Group has a large European presence, with at least 22 active contracts with 12 out of 27 members, according to a report by Ha'aretz. Representatives of the European Parliament Committee of Inquiry on Pegasus spyware recently visited Israel and learned from NSO personnel that the company has active contracts with 12 European Union members, as ...
Samsung could sell its newly launched Galaxy Z Fold 4 smartphone in India in September, according to company sources cited by PTI. The company is yet to announce pricing for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 smartphone in India. The company also launched the Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro on Wednesday at its Galaxy Unpacked event.
Microsoft has announced a new design for its OneDrive platform as it reaches a landmark anniversary.
Launched in 2007 initially as a document storage space, OneDrive developed into an all-encompassing cloud storage offering for photos, videos, and other types of media, with a number of tweaks over the past decade looking to ensure better file management and collaboration.
"Today, we’re celebrating the 15th anniversary of OneDrive," the company wrote in a Microsoft 365 blog post. "We’d like to take a moment to thank you for using OneDrive, whether you’re tackling a big project at work, planning a family reunion, backing up important content to your new device, or connecting with friends and loved ones through photos and videos."
Microsoft OneDrive update
As part of its latest update, Microsoft OneDrive will now highlight your most relevant and recently used files in a similar manner to Google Drive, in the hope that it can save you some time in digging around for them.
While suggestions can be helpful, Microsoft has added file type filters in the ‘Recent’ view, in recognition that some workers may need access to a large number of files at any given time. If you desperately need daily access to an area of your drive, or you just prefer to be hyper-organized, specific libraries can be pinned to the ‘Quick access’ section on the left hand side of OneDrive’s homepage.
Additionally, in the style of Google Drive which has been around for almost precisely a decade, OneDrive’s new Activity column will “[surface] the most recent, unseen edits, and comments on your shared documents.” It’s visible from the ‘My files’ view, and is designed to make real-time collaboration a little easier.
Microsoft’s services extend beyond OneDrive, with business users often straddling SharePoint and Teams borders, too. Continuity has historically been somewhat lacking, which Microsoft hopes with its new summer 2022 update it will be able to rectify.
Sharing controls are also more in tune across the web services, with a more “robust way to grant access to information, set granular sharing controls, see everyone you’ve shared files with and manage access settings across individuals and groups.” This is a move that could be seen as a counteraction against Google, which also recently tweaked its sharing sheet.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
OneDrive photos
The company’s final update is designed to take on the curated libraries seen in the likes of iCloud Photos, and involves “[bringing] all your memories into a private, invitation-only feed that you can share with family and friends.”
Much like Apple’s offering, comments and reactions take centre stage in this new photo sharing view.
Strangely, the updates have arrived in Australia first, with the United States and other countries to follow later this year. Users will be able to access the changes across the OneDrive mobile app for Android and iOS, as well as in their web browser.
Burger King customers around the world were left baffled after opening their email inboxes to find a blank receipt from the fast food restaurant chain.
It would seem that the company mailed everyone - not just people with an account, but most likely people in the marketing database, too - a completely blank receipt. Some people even got multiple receipts.
While the initial thought was that the company suffered a data breach, and that customer data was being leveraged in a widespread phishing attack, it is most likely just a blunder from the company, given that the emails were sent from the company’s main promotional marketing email address.
Keeping quiet
In any case, it’s all just speculation, as Burger King is yet to make any official statement, with the company’s Twitter account yet to acknowledge the incident.
TechRadar Pro has contacted the company for comment.
With phishing being as widespread as it is, and capable of causing real, financial damage, one can never be cautious enough with emails. Cybercriminals often impersonate big brands, not just in the fast food industry, but in other industries as well, with the likes of Amazon, DHL, Microsoft, Apple, and others, being frequently used to distribute malware, or steal sensitive data from customers and clients.
To spot a phishing email, the recipient must be extra careful, double-checking the sender email address for any typos or suspicious characters (sometimes Apple will be spelled with a capital i instead of a lowercase L), as well as the email’s body for typos or other mistakes. Also, phishing emails always carry a sense of urgency, to force the victim into action without thinking twice. That being said, phishing emails are usually threatening with account locks, fund lock-ups, blocked parcels, etc.
Emails with links and buttons are also a potential red flag. Recipients should double-check the hyperlinks before clicking anything, to make sure they’re not being redirected to a third-party landing page. Simply hovering over the hyperlink would sometimes suffice.
