Many of the most popular laptops and smartphones in use today could be vulnerable to two major security flaws that could result in identity theft, data exfiltration, business email compromise (BEC) and other risks, experts have warned.
This is according to cybersecurity researchers at Top10VPN and Mathy Vanhoef, who found two separate vulnerabilities - one tracked as CVE-2023-52160, and another tracked as CVE-2023-52161.
With the latter, a threat actor would be able to join an otherwise protected Wi-Fi network, and target other devices connected to it with malware or infostealers. The former, on the other hand, is found in the default software Android uses to handle logging into wireless networks and allows hackers to create a malicious clone of legitimate networks. If a victim gets tricked into joining this malicious clone, their traffic can be hijacked.
Patches available
While the vulnerabilities sound ominous, they’re not that easy to exploit. For the first one, the target’s Wi-Fi client needs to be configured not to verify the certificate of the authentication server. Furthermore, the attacker needs to know the SSID of the Wi-Fi network the victim usually connects to and needs to be close enough to be able to connect to it.
"One possible such scenario might be where an attacker walks around a company's building scanning for networks before targeting an employee leaving the office," the researchers explained.
CVE-2023-52161 was said to affect any network using a Linux device as a wireless access point.
Most Linux distributions (Debian, Red Hat, SUSE, Ubuntu), have all released patches, and so has ChromeOS. An Android fix is still pending.
"In the meantime, it's critical, therefore, that Android users manually configure the CA certificate of any saved enterprise networks to prevent the attack," Top10VPN said.
The Sphere, a music and entertainment arena east of the Las Vegas Strip, is a staggering technological achievement, standing approximately 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide, making it the largest spherical building in the world.
If you've seen any photos of it, you'll know the exterior is coated in 1.2 million fully-programmable puck-sized LEDs that allow for the creation of stunning, dynamic 360-degree image displays.
The interior is just as cutting edge however. With a seating capacity for up to 18,000 people, it hosts various events such as concerts and performances and features a 160,000-square-foot, 16K wraparound LED canvas, making it the world's largest and highest resolution LED screen with 256 million rendered pixels.
Enter Matrox
To manage this, multimedia system designer and integrator Fuse Technical Group, developed a system capable of handling 16K resolution, running on a complete SMPTE ST 2110 backbone, a standard they were not accustomed to.
"It took five years to build the Sphere, but we had only five months from the initial contact to deliver a 100% reliable solution in time for the first show — using a standard and workflow we weren't accustomed to. It was definitely no small feat to do something like that in such a compressed timeline," said Ryan Middlemiss, Fuse Technical Group's director of media servers.
To manage this, Fuse chose technology from Matrox Video, one of Nvidia’s earliest rivals, for the SMPTE ST 2110 routing, orchestration, conversion, and control inside Sphere.
"The jaw-dropping spectacle at Sphere sets a new gold standard for video in live entertainment,’ Francesco Scartozzi, vice president, sales and business development at Matrox Video said. "We're honored to have worked with Fuse on this unparalleled project and that our technology and our people played a role in its success."
The technology behind such an endeavor is, naturally, on the bleeding edge.
Critical Matrox products used for the workflow are:
Matrox ConvertIP for SMTPE ST 2110 Conversion - Fuse deployed 23 Matrox ConvertIP DSS dual-channel SFP SDI-to-IP devices to convert high-resolution SDI from the media servers into SMPTE ST 2110 and deliver content to the IP video backbone for display on the LEDs. Fuse selected ConvertIP for its 12G SDI and 4K (DCI) support, its low latency, and its 25G speeds. Fuse subsequently requested 6G support, and Matrox Video added the capability to ConvertIP.
Matrox ConductIP for Routing and Orchestration - Fuse uses Matrox ConductIP to route and orchestrate SMPTE ST 2110 sources on its internal network, a critical part of the workflow.
Matrox Extio 3 for Remote Operation and Control - The production system uses 30 computers, with one programmer and two technicians in the control room handling all the video for the show. Fuse deployed Matrox Extio 3 IP KVM extenders so the operators can access multiple computers from one remote workstation with one keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Users can move between Extio 3-equipped computers at once just by dragging the mouse.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 could come with a flatter and square-aspect-ratio inner display, potentially making for a phone with a wider inner screen and cover display.
That’s according to reliable smartphone tipster Ice Universe, who claimed on X that the next Galaxy Fold could be wider and have screen edges that are closer to a true right angle. If this turns out to be the case, as noted by SamMobile, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 could have a screen design that’s not unlike the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
A wider cover display would translate to a wider overall design, which would likely see the cover screen expand, perhaps offering a similar amount of screen real estate to the OnePlus Open. While Samsung has made improvements to the cover display of its Fold phones, they're arguably still too narrow to be used easily, especially if you have larger hands.
In the post, Ice Universe compares this to the screen design and middle frame of the rectangular Nubia Z60 Ultra, while including a close-up of that phone to illustrate the proposed look.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 is not as wide as the patent picture, but it is also relatively wide, and the screen R angle is close to the right angle. If you look for a mobile phone for analogy, it is more like the screen R angle of Nubia Z60 Ultra.And the middle frame is similar, which is a… pic.twitter.com/wWKCM0teMbFebruary 20, 2024
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This would represent a departure from the established look of most Samsung foldable phones, including the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which usually feature softer curved edges. Ice Universe’s tip matches up with a previous post from August last year that showed what was claimed to be a prototype Samsung Fold sporting a similar angular look.
Go bold with Fold
The past few generations of Galaxy Fold models have featured only iterative design changes over their predecessors, and while these have added up to making the Fold 5 one of the best foldable phones, there’s still scope for change.
We’d like to see titanium get used on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 to help make it stronger and lighter, perhaps opening up the way for more design tweaks. However, no rumors have hinted at this happening so far.
Instead, a recent rumor was camera-focused and has the Galaxy Z Fold 6 sticking with another 50MP camera instead of the much more impressive 200MP shooter used in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which many fans were hoping for.
The rest of the camera setup on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is tipped to feature the same 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP cover display front camera, and 4MP under-display camera that was included in the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s load-out.
If you like memory foam, chances are you’ll like the Nectar mattress. It’s been a mainstay within the online space for years, but up until recently, it was only available as an all-foam bed. In this review, I’ll cover everything you should know about the new hybrid version.
Notorious Israeli commercial spyware company NSO Group was reportedly offering a way to exfiltrate sensitive mobile phone data unlike anything ever seen before, experts have revealed.
A new report from telecom security specialists Enea discovered the method while recently sifting through the documents filed during the court case between WhatsApp and NSO Group.
According to ENEA, in late 2019, WhatsApp committed into evidence a copy of a contract between an NSO Group reseller, and the telecom regulator of Ghana. In the contract, one of the features and capabilities NSO Group offered was called “MMS Fingerprint”.
Blocking malicious MMS messages
This feature, as it later turned out, was exploiting a vulnerability in both Android and iOS (but also in BlackBerry devices, apparently) to exfiltrate some sensitive data from the device.
After a bit of digging, ENEA managed to recreate the flaw, and then explained how it worked. Allegedly, the attacker could create a unique, malicious MMS message, which the victim didn’t even need to open (or otherwise interact with). That message would trigger the device to return two unique pieces of information: the MMS UserAgent, and the x-wap-profile.
The former is a string that usually identifies the operating system and the device of the victim, while the latter points to a UAProf (User Agent Profile), that describes the capabilities of the target device.
This information, ENEA argues, could be used to profile the victim and prepare for more concrete attacks: “Both of these can be very useful for malicious actors. Attackers could use this information to exploit specific vulnerabilities or tailor malicious payloads (such as the Pegasus exploit) to the recipient device type. Or it could be used to help craft phishing campaigns against the human using the device more effectively,” the researchers explained in the report.
While being able to steal data without victim interaction sounds ominous, the victims aren’t utterly helpless, ENEA adds. Mobile subscribers could disable MMS auto-retrieval on their handset, which would prevent the malicious messages from reaching their devices. Also, most mobile operators today filter these kinds of messages from being sent in the first place.
The best Chromebooks are all physically different from Windows laptops in one important way: they all have Google’s iconic ‘Everything’ button. It’s essentially a search button that can be used to access everything on your laptop and beyond; from your own files and apps to online query results.
However, a new unique button could soon be coming to Chromebooks everywhere: a dedicated key for Google Assistant. As spotted by ChromeUnboxed, a file found in the Chromium Repositories (an open-source code base behind many of the features of ChromeOS and the Chrome browser) makes reference to an upcoming Chromebook model that features a hardware-mapped Assistant key.
The new Chromebook, codenamed ‘Xol’ – a rather oblique reference to Destiny 2, while past codenames have openly referenced everything from The Witcher to Skyrim – has scant other information about it, only that it will apparently run on one of Intel’s 13th-gen CPUs. That’s an odd move, given that Intel’s 14th-gen ‘Core Ultra’ chips are already on the table. But as ChromeUnboxed points out, we might not have seen the last of Intel’s 13th generation just yet.
Return of the king?
More intriguing is the fact that we have seen a dedicated Assistant button before - but only ever on Google’s own first-party Chromebooks, the venerable Pixelbooks. The Pixelbook Go remained in several of our laptop rankings even after Google axed the product line, and I even prayed for a Pixelbook revival that sadly didn’t materialize during last year’s Google I/O event.
Does this mean ‘Xol’ could be a new Pixelbook? Unfortunately, the answer is ‘probably not’ - Google seemed pretty committed to moving away from first-party Chromebooks when it killed off the Pixelbook back in 2022, fully dissolving the team responsible for it and encouraging third-party laptop makers to go all-in on ChromeOS with the recent Chromebook Plus initiative. There’s likely a far more straightforward explanation: artificial intelligence.
'Hey Google' might soon become 'Hey Gemini'...(Image credit: Google)
With AI on the rise just about everywhere, from OpenAI’s new Sora video generator to the seemingly ever-present ChatGPT, it makes sense that Google (and other Chromebook manufacturers) would want to push AI features as a key selling point for new laptops.
A dedicated button for accessing your on-board AI companion is the logical conclusion; and would you look at that, Google has a new suite of AI tools for us to play with.
AI for the Google guy
Yes, Google Gemini is here, a powerful selection of AI software – some new, some rebranded from Google’s own previous Duet and Bard AI models – that seems like it would be right at home on a new AI-focused Chromebook. Google promises that Gemini will be able to do all sorts of stuff, from simple chatbot functionality to writing-assistant tools that rival Microsoft Copilot.
Most importantly, Gemini will be replacing Google Assistant, although not just yet - it seems there are still some teething issues to work through, and Assistant remains present on all compatible devices at the time of my writing this. But for a Chromebook in early development, the inclusion of an Assistant key when Google is preparing to deprecate the virtual helper feels… off.
So, could this be a Gemini button instead? ‘Gemini Key’ has a nice ring to it. Paired with the Everything button for accessing all your stuff, a dedicated key to instantly summon the full might of Google’s AI software suite could be a worthy addition to the ChromeOS roster. Google has consistently put ease-of-use at the forefront when it comes to Chromebooks, so this could prove to be a good way to introduce less tech-savvy users to AI tools.
There’s just one problem.
'Chromebook Plus' is a step up from your everyday Chromebooks, and could benefit from a fresh injection of AI.(Image credit: Future)
As I mentioned above, ‘Xol’ runs on a 13th-gen Intel CPU - meaning it won’t have access to the powerful Neural Processing Units (NPUs) found in Intel’s new Ultra processors. You can click that link for the full rundown, but an NPU is essentially a dedicated chip for running local AI workloads; that's something you’d probably want in an exciting new AI-focused Chromebook Plus, no?
Whatever ‘Xol’ is, it might never see the light of day; Chromebooks spotted like this don’t always make it to final production, so this one might simply be a project that ends up half-finished. In any case, I’m still excited to see what Gemini means for ChromeOS – and I’m not the only one.
Remedy's chief executive offer, Tero Virtala, has revealed how Alan Wake 2 has impacted the studio and the future of other upcoming games in development.
Alan Wake 2 was released in late 2024 to wide critical success, and since then it has managed to sell 1.3 million units as of the beginning of February 2024 according to a stock exchange memo from Remedy.
"By comparison, Alan Wake 2 sold over 50% more copies and over three times more digital copies in its first two months than Control did in its first four months," the memo explains. "A great game can generate excellent long tail sales, and we expect this to be the case with Alan Wake 2 as well."
There is also mention in the memo of two paid DLCs and continuing updates for Alan Wake 2. This will likely work to support the horror game and the community that surrounds it. The latest update, which was released towards the end of January 2024, saw chapter selection and an option to stop jumpscare visuals from popping up on your screen.
"We will continue to develop the game to serve existing fans and attract new players and expect the game to continue selling well,” Virtala explains. “The successful launch of Alan Wake 2 has supported our other game projects: Condor, Control 2, and Max Payne 1&2 remake have all increased development pace thanks to the personnel released from Alan Wake 2, and we expect these projects to reach their next development stages during the first half of 2024."
This is excellent news for horror and survival game fans as well as those looking forward to experiencing more of the ever-growing Remedy Connected Universe.
This year’s Geneva Motor Show is going to be a comparatively quiet affair, with most of biggest automakers in the world boycotting the format following its recent move to Qatar. But Chinese EV giant BYD will be there, complete with the equally gargantuan Yangwang U8.
Boasting four electric motors - one for each wheel for true all-wheel-drive - as well as a 49kWh battery pack, the opulent U8 also uses a 2.0-litre turbo petrol that acts as a range-extending generator to top up the battery packs on the move.
Previously a model only destined for China, the fact BYD is bringing it to Geneva suggests it is gauging opinion ahead of a potential European launch.
As a reminder, the Yangwang U8 rides on a new e4 platform that isn’t currently shared with anything in the group. And although the model packs all of the hallmarks of a hulking SUV for the urban show-off, it is in fact engineered to tackle truly tricky terrain.
(Image credit: BYD/Yangwang)
Previously, the U8 has been shown performing 360-degree 'tank turns', where each wheel is individually controlled to allow the vehicle to effectively spin on the spot. On top of this, Yangwang also took delight in showcasing its 'emergency flotation' function that sees the vehicle sit on top of the water for around 30 minutes… like a boat.
If it senses a flash flood, or the U8 accidentally takes a dip in a nearby body of water, the windows close, the sunroof opens (to act as an emergency escape hatch) and the wheels can spin in order to propel the vehicle along at slow speed. It’s not quite an amphibious car, but it’s close.
The performance stats are mightily impressive, too. There’s 1,184bhp on tap, which means it can accelerate from 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds, while the onboard range extending engine means the overall electric range is pegged at 621 miles with everything brimmed.
Chinese brands drive towards the luxury market
Yangwang might not be a name that’s on your current EV radar but it is making waves in China, where its other party piece - the U9 electric supercar - showcases technology that allows it to jump and even drive on three wheels should you get a puncture. The same tech has been carried across to the off-road U8, where it arguably makes more sense.
Slated to cost around £120,000 (around $150,000 / AUS$232,000) in its domestic market, the U8 would represent excellent value for money in Europe if it can stick to those sticker prices.
It would mean it sits in direct competition with the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQG (or the electric G-Class, for short) and a fully kitted out Land Rover Defender.
(Image credit: BYD/Yangwang)
Whether or not the rest of the world will swallow that kind on money for a relatively unknown marque from China is another question, but the fact BYD is showcasing a swathe of vehicles at the Geneva Motor show suggests that it is seriously thinking about taking a punt.
Hundreds of thousands of Facebook Marketplace users have had their personal information stolen and posted on a dark web forum, putting them at serious risk of phishing, identity theft, and other cybercrime.
According to a BleepingComputer report, a known data leaker with the alias IntelBroker posted a new thread on an underground forum, with 200,000 Facebook Marketplace records. The records contained people’s names, phone numbers, email addresses, Facebook IDs, and Facebook profile information.
The hacker claims this is a partial Marketplace database, stolen by a different threat actor, with the Discord alias “algoatson”. This person allegedly breached the systems of a Meta contractor late last year. "In October 2023, a cyber criminal by the name of 'algoatson' on Discord, breached a contractor that manages cloud services for Facebook and stole its partial user database of 200,000 entries," IntelBroker allegedly said in the forum thread.
The publication said that at least some of the data is valid, as it took a random sampling and successfully matched email addresses and phone number information.
What can hackers do with your data?
IntelBroker is a known leaker, who has a long track record of leaks from major companies. Before Meta, IntelBroker was seen sharing sensitive data from DC Health Link, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), General Electric Aviation, Weee!, and others.
Information such as this one is a true treasure trove for hackers around the world. By knowing the details about people’s personal lives, they can craft convincing phishing attacks, breaking into their computers and smartphones, and possibly even stealing money and cryptocurrencies. They can also target businesses, deploying different malware and ransomware, and engaging in devastating Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks.
Companies that suffer data leaks often offer affected individuals identity theft protection services for free.
Nvidia briefly overtook Amazon in terms of market capitalization, fueled by a spike in interest surrounding artificial intelligence.
LSEG data reported by Reuters claimed the chipmaker reached a record high of $734.96 per share, giving it a market value of $1.82 trillion, surpassing Amazon’s $1.81 trillion.
Nvidia has now returned back to fifth position among the US’s most valuable companies, trailing Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet (Google) and Amazon.
Is Nvidia worth more than Amazon?
With Nvidia share prices rising 231.6% over the past year, and Amazon shares up by a less impressive (but still very healthy) 73.1%, Nvidia may soon overtake the Seattle-based company more permanently.
This achievement marks the first time Nvidia has outpaced Amazon in more than two decades, when it 2002 they were both worth less than $6 billion.
With Amazon reporting better-than-expected sales last month, thanks to a successful holiday period, investors are waiting for Nvidia to report its most recent quarterly earnings on February 21.
Nvidia has positioned itself as a key player in supplying components to technology companies focused on generative AI. However, with companies like Google, Amazon and Meta all exploring their own chips, Nvidia’s success rides on a lot.
Elsewhere in the tech landscape, Microsoft last month surpassed Apple as the world’s most valuable company, and the second to reach a market value of more than $3 trillion. Today, Apple sits below that $3 trillion threshold, after reaching the momentous figure in June 2023.
As the AI boom continues, Nvidia’s considerable share of the market highlights the growing significance of technology companies in contributing to the overall global economy, as well as the immense growth potential for companies handling aspects of AI.
