Overture Foundation unveils its first Open Map Dataset to challenge Google Maps

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Overture Foundation unveils its first Open Map Dataset to challenge Google Maps
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It’s no secret that Google and Apple have long been the dominant players in the mapping world, thanks in part due to the extensive resources required to map cities and remote areas. However, last year, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and TomTom came together to form the Overture Maps Foundation to challenge the duopoly of Google and Apple. Now, as part of these efforts, the group has finally unveiled its first open map dataset, empowering third-party developers to create their mapping products without having to spend significant resources.

Primary objective

Overture Maps Foundation says the primary driving force behind this collaboration is the significant amount of time and resources needed to develop mapping data. Therefore, by pooling their expertise and resources, the participating companies aim to equip developers with the necessary tools and data to craft innovative global mapping and navigation services.

According to the group, they have successfully captured a database of over 59 million “points of interest,” including restaurants, landmarks, streets, and regional boundaries. Moreover, this data will be available for free, serving as a base layer for creating new map applications.

“The Places dataset, in particular, represents a major, previously unavailable open dataset, with the potential to map everything from new businesses big and small to pop-up street markets located anywhere in the world,” said Marc Prioleau, Overture’s executive director.

Why not use Google’s solution?

Although Google does offer its mapping services to other companies, it comes with a significant fee based on the number of times an app accesses the map, which makes it an unviable option for small companies and businesses. Additionally, the lack of access to the underlying data poses major restrictions.

Overture aims to solve this problem by providing the underlying map data, allowing companies more flexibility to develop their map-based solutions and tailor them to their specific requirements.

Challenges ahead

While this new development is a significant step forward in open map development, one of the biggest challenges is keeping the data up to date, considering the ever-changing nature of businesses and roads. However, Overture has acknowledged these concerns and is actively encouraging its members to continuously contribute real-time information. Moreover, the group is also exploring the use of AI to automate and streamline the data updating process.


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OPPO Find N3 foldable launch is right around the corner

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OPPO Find N3 foldable launch is right around the corner
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The OPPO Find N3 is the company’s upcoming foldable smartphone, and its launch seems to be right around the corner. OPPO confirmed as much via a teaser on social media.

The OPPO Find N3 launch seems to be right around the corner

OPPO’s official Twitter account shared a short video clip in which the letter ‘Z’ transforms into the letter ‘N’. It’s not exactly difficult to figure this out. The letter ‘Z’ probably represents Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 5 handset, while the ‘N’ stands for the OPPO Find N3.

In addition to that video, OPPO also used the caption “Stay tuned”. Considering the way this is presented, we’re expecting the OPPO Find N3 to launch sooner than expected.

As a reminder, the OPPO Find N2 arrived back in December last year. Towards the very end of the year. Well, the Find N3 may arrive months sooner than that.

Why is that? Well, the OnePlus Open is coming soon, probably at the very end of August. That device is said to look the same as the OPPO Find N3. So OPPO probably doesn’t want to wait with the launch of its product either.

The Find N3 could even arrive before the OnePlus Open next month

In fact, the OPPO Find N3 could arrive before the OnePlus Open. That means we’re also looking at the August launch date. It remains to be seen if it will become globally available, however.

The OPPO Find N and Find N2 were both quite compelling smartphones. The thing is, neither was globally available, they both remained exclusive to China. Considering that this teaser comes from the global OPPO account, the Find N3 could see a global launch, despite the fact the OnePlus Open is coming.

Either way, we’re in for an interesting month, it seems, at least when it comes to foldable smartphones. More info will probably arrive soon, along with press event confirmations.


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Twitter didn’t properly compensate the owner of @x handle

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Twitter didn’t properly compensate the owner of @x handle
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A couple of days ago, Twitter officially changed its handle from @twitter to @x. The thing is, the @x handle was already taken, and was not in Twitter’s possession. Twitter took the @x handle from that user in order to claim it, and we thought that the company did compensate the owner of it, but it turns out that’s not the case.

Twitter didn’t properly compensate the owner of @x handle, it seems

The details got revealed by The Telegraph and Business Insider. The owner of the handle was Gene X Hwang, a photographer from San Francisco. He had over 53,000 followers at the time. Twitter removed him from the handle, and assigned a new one to him, the @@x12345678998765 handle. Needless to say, a truly generic one.

Gene X Hwang said that he owned that handle since 2007. He also added that he would’ve been willing to trade the handle, but the company did not provide him with any financial compensation.

“When it all started happening, I thought maybe something cool would come out of it”, said Hwang. People were telling him that he could get a Tesla Model X, or a ride on a SpaceX rocket perhaps.

Hwang was expecting something meaningful in return, which is understandable

Either way, he did expect some sort of proper compensation, which is understandable. He said: “I definitely would have accepted something for it, but I also wasn’t trying to extort money or anything like that”.

What he got, however, is an email, which Business Insider did see, and you can too, as it’s included below this paragraph.

Twitter X Hwang message

The email, as you can see, said that the handle is “affiliated with X Corp”, and the company simply gave Hwang a different handle. His followers, at least, were transferred to that new handle.

He was also told that he will be provided with “X merch and an exclusive visit to X’s HQ to meet members of our team”. He told the company that he already visited the company’s headquarters a while back, and that he would be more interested in Twitter-related merch, than X-related one.

What’s odd is that Hwang tweeted “all’s well that ends well” from his new handle, suggesting he did get properly compensated, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.


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Modern Warfare 2 servers were offline due to malware concerns

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Modern Warfare 2 servers were offline due to malware concerns
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IN SUMMARY

  • The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 servers were taken offline on July 26th.
  • The malware is believed to be a self-spreading worm targeting PC gamers.
  • As of the time of writing, the Modern Warfare 2 servers were back online.

Last month, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 players expressed concerns on the Steam discussion page over the presence of a self-spreading worm virus on the PC version of the game. In response, Activision, the company behind the legendary Call of Duty franchise, took the game’s servers offline on July 26th, 2023.

Cybercriminals Eyeing Classic Games to Spread Malware

Recently, Activision brought back the servers for classic games like Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3, and Call of Duty Black Ops 1 and 2, responding to the increasing interest among players in these timeless titles.

Unfortunately, the excitement was short-lived as players soon detected unusual behaviour, prompting the company to take the servers offline once again. Apparently, the servers fell victim to a self-spreading worm virus, causing this unexpected setback. Concerns about the virus’s presence in the 2009 game were raised by users on June 26, 2023.

Steam users Kordiii and Bee wrote that the malware was Trojan:Win32 Wacatac.B!ml. This malware is already listed on VirusTotal.

Another user claimed that the malware was a worm virus because it contained a series of text strings inside that were coded for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Many users wrote that the offender was Wacatac.B!ml.

Original Call of Duty Servers Taken Offline after Players Found Self-Spreading Worm

As a result, Activision took the original Modern Warfare 2 servers offline to address the issue. The company didn’t specify the problem but confirmed that it was aware of the reports on the Steam discussion forum and that the matter was under investigation.

Activision representative Neil Wood noted that the company had tweeted about the issue after the servers went offline.

“Multiplayer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) on Steam was brought offline while we investigate reports of an issue.”

Call of Duty Updates/Twitter

Researchers Believe Hacked Lobbies are Spreading the Virus

According to Tech Crunch, hacked lobbies were targeting players of Modern Warfare 2. Therefore, Activision immediately took its servers offline to prevent the further spreading of the malware.

It was also noted that hackers used a self-replicating worm that spread automatically from one user to another, which is how a typical worm virus behaves. So, everyone in the hacked lobbies would get their devices infected with the virus, and it would keep claiming one victim after another.

Researchers are currently investigating the motives behind hackers distributing the malware, speculating that they may have discovered one or multiple bugs to exploit, allowing them to execute malicious code on players’ computers. Additionally, a tweet from the company hints at the severity of the problem, suggesting that the issue has become deeply entrenched.

Nevertheless, this is not the first time Activision has suffered cybersecurity-related attacks. In earlier February of this year, Activision employees were targeted by an SMS phishing attack. As a result, hackers managed to access sensitive Activision data.

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WhatsApp makes conversations more fun with instant video messages

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WhatsApp makes conversations more fun with instant video messages
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WhatsApp is making your conversations more fun with a new feature called instant video messages. It lets you record and send short video messages directly from the chat, similar to audio recordings. These videos can be up to 60 seconds long and appear circular in the chat.

Circular instant video messages aren’t a new concept. Telegram has had the feature for a long time now. WhatsApp is essentially copying it. The Meta-owned messaging app was first spotted working on this feature in mid-June. It rolled out the new form of video messages to some users in the beta channel.

The company has now announced the public release of instant video messages through a blog post. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also shared the news on his Instagram channel, along with a video on how the feature works. It’s as simple as sending a voice message.

WhatsApp now supports instant video messages

The latest update for WhatsApp adds an interchangeable button to the right of the compose bar. The existing microphone button can now be changed to a video recorder with just a tap. Depending on which state the button is, it will function accordingly when you press and hold.

In the video state, it starts recording a circular video after a three-second countdown. Like audio messages, you can swipe up to lock. WhatsApp lets you switch cameras as you record. The receiver can play the video in the chat. Tapping the video while playing will pause the playback. These messages can’t be forwarded.

Note that WhatsApp already lets you send videos. You can send a pre-recorded video or use the camera to record one from within the app. The video goes through as a regular file that can be downloaded and stored on the receiver’s device unless it’s sent as “view once” or deleted for all by the sender.

Instant video messages, on the other hand, are like stickers you send during conversations. They appear in chats but you can’t download them to store locally on the device. These messages evoke a sense of immediacy and make conversations more fun. Like all other messages on WhatsApp, these circular videos are also end-to-end encrypted.

According to WhatsApp, circular video messages are rolling out to users with the latest update for the app. It will be “available to everyone in the coming weeks,” the company says. If the new feature hasn’t reached you yet, you can tap the button below to check for updates for WhatsApp on the Google Play Store.

DOWNLOAD WHATSAPP


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Pixel at a Glance widget to get more customization options

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Pixel at a Glance widget to get more customization options
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The Google Pixel at a Glance widget is set to get a remarkable upgrade that gives users more control. A recent APK teardown has shown off the presence of some customization upgrades to the at a Glance widget feature. This time around, the upgrade gives users the ability to customize the widget, so it suits their style.

With this APK teardown, it is clear that users would be able to pick from three background options. These background options will define how the widget will appear on users’ devices. Already this widget has got ‘Material You’ theming and now Google is preparing to add customization options for users.

This change will also affect the At a Glance settings page, where users will be able to access more functions. Most of these changes and upgrades will reflect in the coming Android 14 operating system. But before then, let’s have a look at what is new and what customizations Google is giving Pixel users.

Here are the new design customization upgrades coming to Pixel at a Glance feature

With the coming Pixel at a Glance widget update, users will be able to pick between three background styles. The background styles offered for selection are Solid, Semi-transparent, and Transparent. Each background gives the widget a different feel on the homepage.

For the Solid option, users will get a widget design that will not flow with the device’s theme. This is to say that the Solid design option will come with the colour white. With this, users will notice the widget once they go into their home screen thanks to its abstract colour that stands out from the device theme.

The Semi-transparent colour option will come with Material You theming, so it’d seamlessly blend with the device theming. This background style will be ideal for users that want a sense of orderliness across their devices. As for the Transparent colour option, users simply get a thin outline around the content of the widget.

All three background options will come in a pill-shaped design by default. However, users will be able to customize the shape and size of the cutout to suit their taste. Google will also give Pixel users a settings page that can be pulled up by holding down on the at a Glance widget.

This settings page comes with ‘useful’ and ‘not useful’ buttons with which users can vote for or against the content of the widget. Under these usefulness rating buttons are the style and customization settings options. More information on this upgrade to the Pixel at a Glance widget customization feature will be made available in the coming weeks.


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Threads lost half of its users, but it’s okay in Meta’s eyes

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Threads lost half of its users, but it’s okay in Meta’s eyes
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The brightest stars burn out the quickest, and Threads was the brightest in the sky a few weeks ago. The Meta social media app rocketed to 100 million users within a week, but its user base is waning, according to the company (via BBC). Threads has lost half of its users, but Meta is not worried.

In case you don’t know, Threads is the newest social media platform on the scene. It’s Meta’s answer to Twitter (or X, if you actually want to call it that) having borrowed heavily from the platform. It’s tied to your Instagram account, so if you have an Instagram account, you have a Threads account.

Threads lost half of its users

While Threads still has things that it can’t do, this fledgling platform has proven to be a worthy Twitter alternative. Again, it hit 100 million users in a few days. However, users and Active users are two very different things. The 100 million specifically refers to the number of sign-ups that the app got.

Active users are those who stick around and continue to post content. Meta announced that about half of the people who jumped on the Threads train have jumped off. This wasn’t unforeseeable, as Threads’ numbers have been on the fall immediately after it hit 100 million.

Is Meta worried? No

Meta’s response to this was pretty mild and optimistic. In fact, the company anticipated this happening and referred to it as normal. So, if you’re picturing Mark Zuckerberg and the Meta team panicking, that’s not the case.

In all honesty, this is something that we all anticipated. The initial hype around the app has cooled and most people have already made their posts bad-mouthing Elon Musk. The app has moved to the back of people’s minds.

The biggest reason for the dropoff might be the lack of features. While Threads is on its stable release, it feels like a beta. It’s pretty devoid of features like a DM system and the ability to post GIFs from the keyboard. It just recently gained the ability to see a feed of only those you follow.

Meta is still working on features for the platform, and it believes that it will win back some of those lost users with these features. Let’s hope that this is the case; things over at Twitter, A.K.A Elon’s Whacky House Of Shenanigans, aren’t looking too good.


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Google Assistant now handles voice search on Google Maps to speed things along

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Google Assistant now handles voice search on Google Maps to speed things along
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As per Google News on Telegram (via AndroidCentral), Google is changing how its Maps app receives voice commands as Google Assistant is replacing Google Speech Services. The latter had been popping up whenever you tapped the microphone icon in the Google Maps search bar. Now, when you tap the microphone icon, the Google Assistant’s voice typing feature will deliver a faster voice experience and will briefly show you what you’ve said before displaying the results. This way you can see if the Assistant heard you correctly.
The first time you use this feature following the update, you’ll see a notification from Google that says, “New! Faster ways to search on Maps.” Underneath that heading, Google writes, “To get directions and search for places with your voice, allow Maps to record audio.” When you use the microphone, a Google Assistant card pops up from the bottom of the screen and says, “Say where you want to go” along with a carousel made up of suggestion pills that say “Restaurants,” “Home & garden,” “Coffee,” “Groceries,” and more. This carousel currently appears under the Google Maps search bar.
Faster voice search is coming to Google Maps thanks to the Google Assistant - Google Assistant now handles voice search on Google Maps to speed things along

Faster voice search is coming to Google Maps thanks to the Google Assistant

Users can check out how long it will take them to get from their current location to a particular destination or check the traffic by tapping the microphone icon and naming a destination. Or, by telling the Assistant “Navigate to…” a particular destination, the process of receiving turn-by-turn directions to that destination appears faster than before. The Google Maps app also recently received an update that added glanceable directions to the app. This allows you to get a preview of the suggested route that you’ll be taking to get to a destination without having to tap the start button.
With this new feature, available for driving, walking, and cycling modes on iOS and Android, users will still receive turn-by-turn directions and the estimated time of arrival will be updated. Using glanceable directions will also show you a broader view of your surroundings on the preview screen and the lock screen. 
Google Maps has certainly matured and these days it not only shows you how to get from point “A” to point “B” safely and quickly but it also tells you where to dine, where to sleep, where to find gas or a great cup of coffee, and where you can find entertainment once you arrive at your destination. If you don’t have it on your iPhone, tap here to install the app from the App Store. Google Maps should be on your Android phone by default. If not, you can install it by tapping here.

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41 Zero-days Exploited In-the-Wild in 2022

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41 Zero-days Exploited In-the-Wild in 2022
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41 Zero-days Exploited

In 2022, the detection of zero-day exploits in the wild decreased by 40% compared to the previous year. 

41 in-the-wild 0-days were detected, the second-highest count since 2014, but lower than the 69 found in 2021.

While a 40% drop appears as a security win but, the reality is more complicated than it seems. Despite the drop, 41 zero days in the wild is significant, and declining numbers don’t necessarily indicate improved product security or better detection by defenders.

41 Zero-days Detected

Google’s 2020 finding of 25% exploited zero-days linked to disclosed vulnerabilities increased to over 40% in 2022, with 17 of 41 zero-days connected. Over 20% were variants of previous zero-days, seven from 2021 and one from 2020.

Detection (Source – Google)

In 2022, 18 organizations were credited across the 41 in-the-wild 0-days, highlighting the importance of a large workforce tackling this problem.

Analyzing 2022 0-days, Google researchers anticipate industry focus in the following areas:-

  • Enhance patching to promptly address variants and n-days posing as 0-days.
  • Platforms adopt browser-like mitigations to reduce the exploitability of entire vulnerability classes.
  • Make sure to increase transparency and collaboration between vendors and defenders to detect exploit chains across multiple products.

The 0-days detected and disclosed in the wild serve as one of many indicators for security experts, who attribute the 40% drop from 2021 to 2022 to a mix of improvements and regressions, leading to a higher-than-average count in 2022.

Gaps between upstream vendors and downstream manufacturers enable n-days to act as 0-days due to the lack of available patches, leaving users with limited defenses. Android experiences more prevalent and extended gaps in such associations.

Zero-Days Platforms (Source – Google)

Alongside the general decrease in detected zero-days, browser zero-days reduced by 42% in 2022, possibly due to increased exploit mitigations by manufacturers and attackers shifting focus to other areas.

In 2022, attackers also favored zero-click exploits, targeting non-browser components like iMessage.

Zero-Days Browsers (Source – Google)

One-click exploits require a visible link that targets must click, potentially detectable by security tools, with the exploits hosted on a server at that link that is navigable.

In the second half of 2023, their 0-days in-the-wild program moves from Project Zero to TAG, combining vulnerability analysis, detection, and threat actor tracking expertise in one team – introducing TAG Exploits.

Keep yourself informed about the latest Cyber Security News by following us on GoogleNews, Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook.


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Google revamps the Play Store for larger screens

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Google revamps the Play Store for larger screens
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Google has been slowly transforming Android into a more tablet-friendly platform. This involves revamping apps to work on tablets and foldables. According to Google (via Fone Arena), a huge Play Store redesign is going to make it much better for larger screens.

Google now has a tablet and a foldable; it couldn’t possibly ignore larger screens like it did for the past decade. Throughout the 2010s, Android tablet users were forced to use the mobile version of Android stretched over a 10-inch canvas. All of this happened while Apple introduced iPadOS and redefined what a tablet could do.

Now, the tablet version of Android is indistinguishable from what we had years ago. Google is continuing to push improvements to Android as we speak.

A new Play Store design makes it better on larger screens

This is a pretty big redesign of the app. Each change is specifically targeted at making the experience better for those with tablets and foldable. When you open an app’s detail page, you’ll see a large video banner stretching across the top of the page with a carousel of screenshots right below. It’s much more of a visual spectacle.

The Play Store will also implement a two-column view when viewing the app’s info. The left side of the screen shows the app’s information and the right side has the list of related apps. This makes navigating so much easier.

In that same vein, there’s also a split-screen search mode. When you type in a search query, you’ll get the search results on one side of the screen. The other side of the screen will show you the info screen for the app you select. This means that you won’t need to switch between screens when searching for apps.

This next feature is more reminiscent of what Apple does. When you’re using a Tablet, you’ll have recommendations of apps better formatted for larger screens. So, if you’re looking for a productivity or coloring app on your tablet, you’re more likely to get apps that are built for tablets than ones built for phones.

Other features

One new feature was revealed a while back. If an app has a crash rate of 8% or more, you’ll see a little warning on the app’s info screen letting you know.

On the main screen, you’ll see featured apps show up on the top of the screen. These apps will be a lot larger, so you’ll know that they deserve your attention.

Google’s going to roll out this change over the next couple of weeks. We’re not sure about Google’s rollout plans, but we expect the update to hit the Pixel Tablet and Fold before other devices.


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