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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, has suffered a data breach that involved sensitive personal information of Church members, employees, contractors, and friends. Payment and other banking data were not affected.

In an announcement , the Church said the data breach happened in late March 2022, but as the law enforcement investigation was ongoing, it was asked to keep the incident confidential. 

The Church did not name the threat actor behind the attack, nor did it say if any malware was used, but it did say that U.S. federal law enforcement authorities suspect the intrusion was “part of a pattern of state-sponsored cyberattacks aimed at organizations and governments around the world” that is not intended to cause harm to individuals.

Banking data safe

When the hackers managed to get into the Church’s database, they stole “basic” data, including usernames, membership record numbers, full names, gender information, email addresses, birthdates, postal addresses, phone numbers, and preferred language. 

While donation history, or banking information, was not affected, this is still enough sensitive data for identity theft, phishing, and other types of fraud. 

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So far, the Church has not seen evidence of the data being used in the wild, but did urge everyone to be extra vigilant when receiving any emails, SMS messages, or phone calls, and to be on the lookout for potential fraud attempts. 

It also added that whoever was affected by the incident was already contacted, and those who had additional questions could reach out via phone numbers listed here.

To keep its members, employees, contractors, and friends secure, the Church employed external forensic experts, notified U.S. federal law enforcement, and “other cybersecurity professionals” that investigated the incident and “further enchanced” the security of Church systems. It did not detail what this enhancement means, nor did it provide affected individuals with identity protection services.

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A new phishing campaign has been discovered impersonating Google Translate in order to trick victims. 

The campaign was spotted by cybersecurity researchers from Avanan, which found numerous phishing emails, some of which were written in Spanish.

The emails are in line with what one can expect from a phishing attack, claiming to have come from the victim’s email provider, stating that their identity is not confirmed, and unless they act immediately they’ll lose access to the unread messages.

Lot of Javascript

This is standard practice with phishing emails, the researchers say, as the sense of urgency makes people act irrationally and recklessly, making them more likely to click on a malicious link or download a malicious attachment. 

To “confirm” their identity, the victims are told to click on a link provided in the email itself. Those that fall for the scam and do click the link are redirected to a page that looks like Google Translate (which it’s not). However, on top of the page is a login popup box, where the victims should enter their credentials. The username/password combination entered there goes straight to the attackers.

The fake Translate page looks quite authentic, the researchers say, adding that the attackers used “a lot of Javascript” to make it happen. They also included the Unescape command to hide their true intentions, it was said.

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“This attack has a little bit of everything,” the experts conclude. “It has unique social engineering at the front end. It leverages a legitimate site to help get into the inbox. It uses trickery and obfuscation to confuse security services.”

To defend from such attacks, users need to be extra vigilant, researchers warn. 

As a general rule of thumb, emails that demand urgent action from the user are most likely phishing attacks and should be handled with extra care.

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Samsung recently published the findings of a survey it conducted on the attitudes American users have toward electronic waste (e-waste) and the results speak to their reluctance to recycle.

As it turns out, a lot of people have a hard time letting go of their old devices and that’s contributing to an increasing amount of global e-waste. This information comes from the Green Print Survey that Samsung conducted with global intelligence company Morning Consult. They asked 2,210 people over the age of 18 what is holding them back from being more environmentally friendly.

According to the survey, almost 50 percent of respondents agree that e-waste is a major problem for climate but 72 percent don’t recycle their devices. This raises two questions: what do people do with that old tech and why don't they recycle?

Stuffing them away

Apparently, people put them away in various locations around the house for safekeeping. 36 percent of people admitted that they have a “designated e-waste junk drawer” where they put away old electronics (that number goes up to 54 percent for young people belonging to Gen Z). Stuffing them in a box and hauling them away to the garage or attic is another popular method with 35 percent of men surveyed.

As to why people don’t recycle, it’s because they’re so attached to their gadgets, or as Samsung puts it, they have “Digital FOMO” (fear of missing out). 24 percent of respondents said they were afraid of losing photographs on old phones. 23 percent save devices just “in case something happens to the new one”. And when looking at the age brackets, the older generations tend to be warier of sensitive information leaking.

A quarter of the eldest participants say they hold on to their e-waste because they believe that old devices still have sensitive information on them and don’t want it getting out there. That number drops to 8 percent for Gen Z respondents who appear to be more confident in software security. Younger generations are also more likely to save used devices to give them away as gifts later.

Recycling recommendations

In addition to the survey findings, Samsung offered a variety of suggestions on what people can do with e-waste. The company recommends taking your e-waste to one of its 1,700 recycling locations across the United States. Locations near your home can be found by looking them up on Samsung’s Responsible Recycling webpage and clicking "Drop off today."

It also recommends repurposing Galaxy smartphones by downloading the Smart Things app and using it around the house like a baby monitor, for example. You can also try fixing devices yourself via Samsung’s self-repair program to increase their longevity, but it’s limited to only a few smartphones like the Galaxy S20 and S21.

For keeping old photos, we strongly suggest you upload them to a cloud storage service. TechRadar recently updated its list of the best cloud storage sites for 2022, which includes Google Photos, OneDrive, and Flickr. Be sure to check it out. 

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Following Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos’ June confirmation that an ad-supported tier would be coming to the service, the company today released details on its new Basic with Ads subscription plan.

Netflix Basic with Ads will cost $6.99 / £4.99 month when it launches November 3 in the US and UK. The tier will also be available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Spain, with both Canada and Spain getting a head-start via a November 1 launch.

According to a Netflix corporate blog post announcing the ad-supported tier, the new offering won’t have any impact on the pricing of its current plans, which range from $9.99 to $19.99 a month in the US and £10.99 to £15.99 in the UK.

The post noted that ads will be either 15 or 30 seconds in length, and will pop up both before and during streamed programs. Overall, viewers can expect to see 4 to 5 minutes of ads per hour. Similar to the service’s current Basic plan, video quality will be limited to 720p HD rather than the 4K with HDR available on the Premium tier.

Not all current programs will be available on the ad-supported tier “due to licensing restrictions,” according to Netlix. As to the number of blocked shows, the company estimates that “about 5% to 10% of overall programming won't be available depending on the country.”

Netflix’s post also confirmed our fears that users of its Basic with Ads tier won’t be able to download shows, a capability provided to its Basic, Standard, and Premium subscribers.

Analysis: Netflix with ads was inevitable

We can’t say we didn’t see this coming. Over the past year or two Netflix has been scrambling to keep up with new streaming competition from Disney, HBO, and other entertainment giants. The company’s subscriber base plummeted in the first half of 2022, causing it to lay off staff and to cancel productions that were in the works, particularly in the animation category.

Netlix’s new ad-supported plan arrives just one month prior to the launch of the Disney+ ad-supported tier, which, at $7.99, will represent a pricier option for those looking to contain household streaming costs amid ongoing inflation and economic strain.

For some viewers, the omission of shows from the ad-supported tier could be a deal breaker since many subscribe based on buzz about a specific show. Yes, maybe not everyone wants to watch The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes, but not being able to stream Stranger Things or Seinfeld after forking over a monthly fee? No thanks!

Not being able to download shows will also be a problem since many take advantage of this feature to watch shows during a commute or other travel in environments where Wi-Fi or cellular services can be spotty. Forking out more cash for one of Netflix’s higher-priced ad-free tiers solves that issue, of course, but then you’re back to paying a premium.

With the addition of the new plan, Netflix is now just like every other streaming service that’s willing to plaster its shows with ads. The move may bring in new subscribers to the company, but it sure won’t help to differentiate it.

Already have a Netflix subscription? Here are our picks for the best Netflix shows you can watch today

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Apple has announced a new support package for developers that it hopes will help them adopt the company's latest technologies, such as the iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island.

Less than a month after the launch of the latest iPhone 14 range, VP for Worldwide Developer Relations, Susan Prescott, explained that the company has seen “increased appetite for one-on-one support and conversation”. 

Called ‘Ask Apple’, the new service comprises interactive Q&As and one-on-one, office hour consultations, and joins a number of other programs like Tech Talks and Meet with App Store Experts.

Ask Apple

Apple says that app creators from its Developer Program and Developer Enterprise Program can ask about things like “testing on the latest seeds; implementing new and updated frameworks from Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC); adopting new features like the Dynamic Island; moving to Swift, SwiftUI, and accessibility; and preparing their apps for new OS and hardware releases.”

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Depending on the level of assistance developers need, they can connect with Apple experts on Slack to ask questions and share their learnings, or take advantage of personal consultations to discuss “code-level assistance, design guidance, input on implementing technologies and frameworks, advice on resolving issues, or help with App Review Guidelines and distribution tools.”

According to MacRumours, the one-on-one sessions are bookable in 25-minute slots.

The company says Ask Apple will be an ongoing series. The first round of opportunities is set for the week of October 17, 2022, with no word on future dates. More importantly, Ask Apple is designed to be free of charge within the environment of a Developer account.

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The Supreme Court on Thursday asked how can there be a pre-screening committee for web series, films or other programmes which are directly released on online platforms. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India UU Lalit observed that it always felt pre-censorship is impermissible.

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Businesses are slowly moving away from open source software, due to growing fears of security risks that come from open source elements, new research has shown.

Virtualization giant VMware recently released a report that states that the number of companies willing to deploy open source software in production environments fell from 95% last year, to 90% this year. 

The two biggest concerns that are forcing companies to look elsewhere are the ability to identify and address vulnerabilities found in open source software. In fact, dependency on the community to address flaws and vulnerabilities is at the top of the list (61%), followed by increased security risks (53%), and the lack of service-level agreements (SLA) for patches from the community (50%). 

Too many tools, manual tasks, and people

To address the issue, businesses would love to see improvements in packaging security, as open source software packaging is essential in securing the supply chain, the report claims.

Apparently, there are too many tools, too many manual tasks, and too many teams working on packaging at most companies, which makes the process sluggish, inefficient and risky.

When asked which software packaging capabilities would improve security, almost two-thirds (60%) would appreciate immediate access to trusted security patches to applications or runtimes, dependencies, and operating system components, while half (55%) want centralized visibility to all scans, as it would simplify security audits. Half (51%) also want to automate CVE and virus scanning for every container.

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While open source software remains an indispensable part of every project, this is not the first time questions of security have been raised. Last June, cybersecurity firm Snyk, together with the Linux Foundation, published a report claiming open-source software poses a “significant security risk”.

Based on a survey of more than 550 respondents, as well as data pulled from 1.3 billion open source projects via Snyk Open Source, the report states that two in five (41%) firms are not confident in the security of their open source code.

The average application development project, it was found, has 49 vulnerabilities, as well as 80 direct dependencies. Usually, it now takes 110 days to remedy a vulnerability in an open source project, up from 49 days four years ago.

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A significant proportion (43 percent) of all business devices are still unable to upgrade to Windows 11 because of hardware requirements imposed by Microsoft, according to new research published by IT management company Lansweeper.

TechRadar Pro previously reported in March 2022 that many millions of business PCs were ineligible to upgrade to Windows 11, in part due to their processors lacking Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 compatibility, a feature Windows 11 requires.

Lansweeper claims that the situation has eased since we covered its last report, with the percentage of devices clearing the CPU and TPM requirements rising by 12%. At this level of growth, all devices should be compatible with Windows 11 by 2026.

Windows 11 in the workplace

However, Lansweeper still found that only 57% of the devices tested had CPUs that met Microsoft’s requirements. More than a third (35%) of workstations tested were incompatible with TPM or had it disabled, while virtual machines fared worse - with only 1% supporting or having TPM enabled.

Furthermore, the growth level of Windows-11 compatible devices that Lansweeper has seen still falls short of the end-of-life deadline for Windows 10: October 14, 2025. On this date, Windows 10 will stop receiving vital security and feature updates. 

This is important, as 82% of all Windows devices are still running Windows 10. A steady growth rate for compatible devices isn’t guaranteed, and any devices still running the previous iteration of the operating system will become increasingly vulnerable to malware and ransomware attacks.

This is a large part of why a great deal of cyberattacks target healthcare and educational institutions. Organizations neglect to update operating systems, usually to preserve a software or database solution that “just works”, and so become easy targets for malicious threat actors who value their sensitive personal data.

READ MORE

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Only 3% of all Windows users currently use Windows 11. By comparison, 1% of users are still using the 21-year-old Windows XP, and so it’s fair to say that businesses are still unaware as to why they ought to invest in new hardware.

As much as it may seem counterproductive, especially in a recession, organizations are advised to update the hardware powering their business for long-term confidence in their security posture, and look to save money in other areas, such as their software solutions.

•  Here’s a list of the best business laptops right now 

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