Techno

Friday, March 1, 2024

Latest Tech News

Hackers are using complex social engineering campaigns and calendar invites to distribute Mac malware.

The hackers are abusing calendar scheduling tool Calendly to distribute meeting invites as part of their attempts to fool the best Mac antivirus.

The narrative behind this campaign is far more complex than the usual email spam you might be used to, so here is how they did it, and how to keep yourself safe if you get targeted.

Shady investments

Disclosed by a reader of Krebs On Security, the campaign saw hackers go after cryptocurrency by posing as investors looking for their next startup to provide with funding. In this case, the victim was originally contacted via Telegram looking for an investment opportunity.

The scammer wanted to organize a meeting to discuss the potential investment options, and so the victims sent over their Calendly details in order to organize a video call. The fateful day approached, but nothing happened when the victim attempted to open the meeting link. Low and behold, the scammers’ ‘IT team’ fixed the issue by sending out a new meeting link.

Alas, the second link opened up a technical error message instead of the meeting, with a message displaying that there was an error with the video service. Luckily the message had a handy little script that could fix the issue and allow the victim to finally get some facetime with the potential investors.

Rather than being graced with the face of the generous benefactor, the script installed a trojan with the ability to steal sensitive information from the victims Mac device. The victim, realizing the error of their ways, then changed their passwords and installed a fresh version of macOS.

While this was a good choice on the victims part, it unfortunately means that there is no evidence to suggest exactly what strain of malware was used.

In order to keep your device safe, always have a healthy amount of suspicion when receiving and clicking on any links sent from a stranger, and be sure to keep your device up to date with the latest updates, or take a look at some of the best firewalls to keep your device secure.

Via TomsGuide

Thursday, February 29, 2024

This Wine Deal from Firstleaf Gets You 6 Bottles for $30 -- No Strings Attached - CNET

Time to stock the rack with a half-case of wine for just $5 per bottle.

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Latest Tech News

The Oscar-nominated movie Poor Things is coming to Hulu in the US on March 7. This means you'll have just enough time to watch it before the Oscars air on March 10. If you're elsewhere in the world, you can already rent or purchase Poor Things via Amazon's Prime Video or Apple TV Plus. It'll also be landing on Disney Plus in other regions, but there's no official confirmation about when that will be.

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Favourite), Poor Things is based on a 1992 novel by Scottish writer Alasdair Gray. It follows the story of Bella Baxter (played by Emma Stone), a woman who lives in Victorian London who is given a brain transplant by scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) and later begins a journey of self-discovery with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) to assert her independence.

The film has been nominated in 11 categories at the 96th Academy Awards, including best picture, lead actress and director. It already won the Golden Globe for best motion picture – musical or comedy back in January, when Emma Stone also bagged a trophy for best actress in a musical or comedy.

Where can you watch the rest of the Oscar nominees?

If you want to catch up with the rest of the Oscar Best Picture nominees before March 10 rolls around, here are the best streaming services where you can find a few of our favorites right now.

American Fiction is one of our top picks in this year's line-up of Best Picture nominees. It follows the story of a frustrated writer and professor who writes a harsh satire of stereotypically "Black" fiction. However, the stereotypes he creates end up being taken seriously and highly praised. You can currently buy American Fiction on Prime Video and Apple TV Plus in the US and stream it on Prime Video in Australia. Sorry UK viewers, you can't get your hands on it yet.

Barbie is currently streaming on Max in the US and you can rent or buy it elsewhere on Prime Video. Although the Golden Globes snubbed Greta Gerwig's Barbie, it was an incredibly fun movie that sneaked in some smart, barbed observations about our patriarchal culture amongst its entertaining adventure.

You'll find Killers of the Flower Moon on Apple TV Plus. This epic tale from Martin Scorsese follows the story of the brutal murders of Osage Nation members and the subsequent cover-up in a dark and violent movie that's western-meets-crime drama.

For the rest, take a look at our guide: where to watch the Oscar Best Picture nominees.

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Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Latest Tech News

In an effort to meet the ever-growing data demands, a team of Chinese photonic engineers has developed a high-capacity optical disc capable of holding up to 200TB of data. The team's groundbreaking work, published in Nature, has the potential to revolutionize storage technologies, particularly in data centers where space is at a premium.

Traditional DVDs, used for storing movies and data, have a capacity of 4.5GB - enough to store approximately two hours of video. Data is written onto the disc's surface using a laser to etch a series of ones and zeros. However, Tech Xplore reports that this new technology developed by the Chinese team takes an entirely different approach.

The engineers claim to have found a way to store data in three dimensions, as opposed to a single layer, enabling them to create an optical disc with up to 100 layers.

Challenges ahead

This new breakthrough was achieved by developing a special coating and using unique patterns of light and a dye in the coating that allowed for etching at the nanoparticle scale. This process has enabled the team to store data at an unprecedented level.

However, the team acknowledges that there are still challenges to overcome before these “super DVDs” can be commercialized. The current process of writing data to the disc is slow and energy-intensive, issues the team believes can be rectified. Furthermore, the cost of manufacturing such DVDs and the potential retail price for consumers remains unclear.

Despite these obstacles, the Chinese research team remains optimistic. They believe they are on the right path to selling DVDs capable of storing massive amounts of data, not only to consumers but also to data storage facilities, businesses, and media companies.

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Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Latest Tech News

iOS 18 tipped to be compatible with the same models as iOS 17
That would mean support for iPhones from the XR onwards
Major software update expected to be announced in June

With iOS 18 expected to be one of the biggest updates in iPhone history, the obvious follow-up question is – which models will support it? Well, we now have a good idea thanks to a new rumor from a credible source.

A now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter) from MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris says that iOS 18 will be compatible with models from the iPhone XR onwards. The XR was released in 2018 and has an A12 bionic chip, which means the rumor suggests that the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will also be compatible.

If true, that means the iOS 18 compatibility list would match the one for last year's iOS 17 update. And that'd be good news, as Apple usually drops support for older devices with each new iteration of iOS. For example, iOS 17 dropped support for the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X.

iOS 18 and iPadOS 18: rumored compatibility

An iPhone on an orange background showing Siri — (Image credit: Apple)

iOS 18
iPhone XR, XS and XS Max or later

iPadOS 18
iPad Pro (2018 or later)
iPad Air (2019 or later)
iPad mini (2019 or later)
iPad (2020 or later)

The three latter phones all ran on the A11 Bionic chip, but it seems that the A12 has a longer shelf life for software updates. If the rumor is correct, then Apple will have given the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max six years of software updates (and counting).

However, the news could be less positive for owners of older iPads. According to the same MacRumors source, iPadOS 18 could drop support for iPads running on the A10X and A10 Fusion chips.

If so, these incompatible models would include the iPad Pros launched in 2017 (including the iPad Pro 10.5 2017 and iPad Pro 12.9 2017), plus the standard iPad 9.7 (2018) and iPad 10.2 (2019). iPadOS 18 is likely to arrive at WWDC 2024, which typically runs every June – although we're yet to get a confirmed date for the event.

Which phones will get AI features?

Two iPhones on an orange background showing the Siri assistant and shortcuts — (Image credit: Apple)

While it's good news that iOS 18 potentially won't see Apple drop software support for older models, that doesn't mean the iPhone XR will get exactly the same experience as the iPhone 15.

As we've seen before, older iPhones can hit a performance ceiling when running the latest versions of iOS, even if they technically support all of the latest features. And given that some of the biggest iOS 18 changes are expected to be AI-powered, some new tricks may still be restricted to more recent models (in reality).

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple's senior management has called its next operating system "ambitious and compelling" with some "major new features and designs".

What kind of features? Reliable leaker Revegnus has suggested that Apple is using a proprietary LLM (large language model) to “completely revamp Siri into the ultimate virtual assistant", while Messages, Apple Music and Pages are also expected to get major AI upgrades.

The question is how many of these new features will run on-device or via the cloud. Given Apple's privacy-focused stance, it seems likely that it'll err towards the former, but we'll likely find out for sure in June. For now at least, your iPhone XR, iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max will live on to see another year, it seems.

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Monday, February 26, 2024

Latest Tech News

The iconic Canadian national police force, also known as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), suffered a recent data breach which temporarily knocked its website offline - but its operations, as well as citizens, should not be affected by the incident, it said.

CBC says the RCMP sent a breach notification letter to its employees following the attack, explaining what had happened, with a spokesperson for the law enforcement organization confirming the news to media shortly afterwards.

"The situation is evolving quickly but at this time, there is no impact on RCMP operations and no known threat to the safety and security of Canadians," the RCMP spokesperson said.

Missing details

"While a breach of this magnitude is alarming, the quick work and mitigation strategies put in place demonstrate the significant steps the RCMP has taken to detect and prevent these types of threats."

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) was reportedly notified of the attack, which knocked the RCMP website offline, but was already up and running again by press time.

Other details are not known at this time, but this could very well be a ransomware attack - possibly even LockBit, given that the group promised retaliation against law enforcement, for the disruption it experienced last week.

More than two dozen servers, plenty of stolen data, and a number of encryptors were seized recently during an international effort against LockBit, dubbed Operation Cronos.

Initial reports state that data on police investigations, as well as on Canadian citizens, is secure. However, data on RCMP employees could still have been compromised, and later used for blackmail or advanced spear-phishing attacks.

Usually, ransomware operators refrain from targeting critical infrastructure organizations, healthcare firms, or law enforcement, as this allows them to remain undetected for longer and avoid becoming a target themselves.

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Dog Essentials List: 13 Necessities for New Dog Owners - CNET

We’ve rounded up all the gear your dog will need to live comfortably in your home. From beds and blankets to bowls and chew toys -- and everything in between -- we’ve got you covered.

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Latest Tech News

The design elements in iOS don't often change – and when they do, it's not usually by much – but the upcoming iOS 18 software could indeed have a significantly updated look, according to one well-placed source.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman (via 9to5Mac), Apple "is indeed working to update the design of iOS as early as this year". That doesn't give us much detail to work with, but it does suggest there will be noticeably different visuals.

Gurman – usually reliable when it comes to predicting Apple's moves – was in part responding to rumors that iOS 18 would borrow some design inspiration from visionOS on the Apple Vision Pro. That "total overhaul" isn't happening, says Gurman, though it sounds as though Apple may get part of the way there in 2024.

New versions of iOS are usually unveiled at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, so we don't have too long to wait to see what Apple's been working on – and how much different in style it is to iOS 17.

An "ambitious and compelling" update

iPhone 15 front handheld angled — iOS 18 will be coming to the iPhone 15 (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

The biggest visual overhaul we've ever seen for iOS came with iOS 7, launched back in 2013: skeuomorphism (where digital elements are designed like their real world equivalents) was out, and a much more modern look was in.

In the decade since, app icons and menus have been tweaked and adjusted, but there hasn't been what you would describe as a full-scale redesign. We'll have to wait and see what iOS 18 brings when WWDC 2024 gets underway.

Gurman has previously gone on record as saying that iOS 18 is going to be an "ambitious and compelling" upgrade, so it sounds as though there's a lot to look forward to. As with everything else in tech lately, generative AI is likely to play an important role – with Siri and iOS set to be updated with some big new AI-driven capabilities.

According to Gurman, a visual refresh is also coming to macOS, though it'll lag behind iOS: the updates Apple is planning to the macOS design are apparently still in the early stages, and won't be completed until 2025 or 2026.

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Saturday, February 24, 2024

You Can Find Many Great Deals at Best Buy's Member-Exclusive Weekend Sale - CNET

If you're a My Best Buy Total or Plus member, you can use your membership to find a ton of excellent deals across various product categories.

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Latest Tech News

It's hard to imagine the notch on the iPhone 14 or the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 15 looking any different than they currently do, but of course there will have been a full design and review process behind them – and some unused ideas just leaked out.

According to information obtained by MacRumors, a variety of different designs were explored before the ones that we now have got finalized. Some mockup images have also been put together to show how the rejected ideas would've looked.

One of the ideas apparently under consideration was a pop-up sidebar down the right of the screen, to go alongside the notch – a sidebar that would be used to show the time, signal strength, battery level, and other bits of key information.

Apple also reportedly thought about extending the notch all the way across the top of the screen – so less a notch, more an Android-style status bar – which may have had the added benefit of giving users a little bit more battery life.

A design for life

iPhone mockup concept — Dynamic Island ideas that didn't make it (Image credit: MacRumors)

Apple's design team was busy when it came to introducing the Dynamic Island too, which first appeared on the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max. One of the rejected ideas here was a full row of status icons underneath the selfie camera.

It seems that Apple designers also toyed with the idea of having a Dynamic Island that was permanently elongated – so just an island, in that case – before deciding that it should change shape and size depending on context.

Head over to MacRumors to see the full set of mockups and imagine what might have been. It's possible that some of these ideas might appear again in the future, as Apple continues to tweak the look of its iPhone series.

It's also possible that both the notch and the Dynamic Island will eventually disappear altogether, if Apple can figure out how to get the selfie camera and the sensors next to it to sit under the display somehow (as Samsung has with the Galaxy Z Fold 5).

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Latest Tech News

You might not be too familiar with Loongson, but it has been developing computer processors since 2000, and in China the company is widely viewed as the grandfather of domestic CPUs.

The launch of Loongson 1 in 2002 was China's first independently developed general-purpose CPU, using the MIPS III instruction set. in 2020 Loongson transitioned from the MIPS instruction set to its independent instruction set, LoongArch (which is widely viewed as being a clone of MIPS). The first LoongArch-supported processor, the 3A5000, debuted in 2021, marking the beginning of the Loongson ecosystem's Dragon architecture era.

The 3A6000, a follow-up product of the 3A5000, is the second-generation processor using the LoongArch instruction set. Fabricated on a 12nm process it has four cores and eight threads capable of boosting to 2.5GHz under a 50 watt TDP. It has an L2 cache of 256KB and an L3 cache of 16MB, and is compatible with DDR4-3200 RAM.

Hit and miss performance

In a recent video review by Geekerwan (Geek Bay), Loongson's 3A6000 demonstrated substantial progress in its Instructions Per Cycle (IPC), nearly on par with the latest architectures from Intel and AMD. While it still lags behind the latest x86 and Arm CPUs in raw performance, the high IPC suggests a promising future, provided Loongson can attain higher frequencies.

In SPEC 2017's integer and floating point performance test with all CPUs locked to 2.5GHz, Loongson's chip impressed. It surpassed the Zen 3-based Ryzen 9 5950X and was just slightly behind the Zen 4-powered Ryzen 9 7950X and Raptor Lake Core i9-14900K. Tom’s Hardware has more on the test results.

However, the 3A6000 can't truly harness its impressive IPC due to its low clock speed and its limitations in core count and cache size. The company's next-generation 3A7000, rumored to use a 7nm process, may improve on these points, potentially boosting clock speeds and allowing for more cores and more cache.

While the 3A6000 demonstrates considerable progress, it still falls behind Intel and AMD's performance when operating at silent frequencies above 5GHz. However, the rapid improvement in Loongson's architecture design, coupled with its high IPC, suggests a promising future for China's homespun CPU.

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Friday, February 23, 2024

Best Ski Accessories for 2024: High-Tech Gear for the Winter - CNET

The best ski accessories are going high-tech for enthusiasts of the popular winter sport.

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Latest Tech News

Japanese tech giant Dynabook has unveiled a new 14-inch notebook, the Dynabook R9.

Available in a stylish Dark Tech Blue color, the new device is powered by a Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and Intel Arc Graphics GPU, and weighs only 1.04kg/2.29lbs, potentially making it the lightest laptop of its kind.

The new R9 sports a 14-inch display (1920 x 1200) and comes with 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and a 512GB NVMe SSD. It features a range of ports, including two USB 3.2 (Gen1) Type-A, two Thunderbolt 4 (USB4) Type-C, HDMI, microSD card slot and audio input/output. Connectivity is provided in the form of Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3.

Copilot ready

There’s a 920,000-pixel (VGA) webcam with privacy slider and a fingerprint sensor. Plus the keyboard includes a dedicated Microsoft Copilot key so you can summon Microsoft's new AI assistant with a single tap.

The R9 comes with four Dolby Atmos compatible speakers and, for a bit of variety, there are twin microphones at the top of the screen rather than at the side of the webcam. AI noise cancelling reduces unwanted background sounds during Teams and Zoom meetings.

As with other Dynabook products, the laptop features Dynabook Empower Technology to optimize heat dissipation, and maximize the performance of the Core Ultra.

The Dynabook R9 runs on Windows 11 Home, and comes with Office Home & Business 2021 and one free year of Microsoft 365 Basic.

The main downside of the new laptop? It’s only going to be available for sale in Japan. Priced at around 290,000 yen ($1932.56) it’s expected to go on sale there in late April.

Thursday, February 22, 2024

You Can Earn $200 From Bank of America When You Open a New Checking Account - CNET

You can add $200 to your account with this big bank's bonus. Here's how to do it.

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Best Chest Strap Heart-Rate Monitors for 2024 - CNET

Chest strap heart-rate monitors are a comfortable, accurate way to track your cardio health. Check out CNET's picks for the most comfortable options.

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Friday, March 1, 2024

Shady investments

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Thursday, February 29, 2024

Where can you watch the rest of the Oscar nominees?

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Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Challenges ahead

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Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Which phones will get AI features?

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Monday, February 26, 2024

Missing details

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Sunday, February 25, 2024

An "ambitious and compelling" update

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Saturday, February 24, 2024

A design for life

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Hit and miss performance

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Friday, February 23, 2024

Copilot ready

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Thursday, February 22, 2024