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Gapless Galaxy Z Fold 5 appears in real-life images

Android

andreasc

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July 4, 2023

Gapless Galaxy Z Fold 5 appears in real-life images

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The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 has just surfaced in several real-life images, and it shows off its gapless profile when folded. This is one of the biggest changes we’ll see compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 shows its gapless design in leaked images

If you check out the two images below this paragraph, you’ll see the phone in its folded state. As you can see, there’s no gap between the two halves of it. Other smartphone OEMs got there a long time ago, but not Samsung.

The company’s foldables up until this point had a noticeable gap between the two halves. That not only look bad, but it made the phone thicker than it should be, not to mention exposing the main display to damage.

Well, Samsung finally decided to deliver a Fold that does not have a gap. Now, in addition to the two images we mentioned, another one surfaced, showing the Galaxy Z Fold 5 next to the Fold 4.

The phone is also posing next to its predecessor

If you check out the image below this paragraph, you’ll see the Galaxy Z Fold 5 on the left, and the Fold 4 on the right. The LED flash on the Fold 5 will be on the side, while it’s part of the camera island on the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 will launch later this month, alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 5, the Galaxy Tab S9 series, and the Galaxy Watch 6 series. The company’s new truly wireless earbuds could also make an appearance.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 will be fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, while it will come with two 120Hz displays. It will also have some sort of water resistance, and support both wired and wireless charging. Check out our preview for more information.

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HTML Smuggling Technique Used to Attack European Entities

Hacking

andreasc

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July 4, 2023

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HTML Smuggling Technique Used to Attack European Entities

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Over recent months, CPR (Check Point Research) monitored a Chinese threat actor attacking European Foreign Affairs ministries and embassies.

Check Point Research identified a broader trend of Chinese activity, specifically targeting European entities and their foreign policy.

While security analysts identified that threat actors were found using HTML Smuggling.

Since December 2022, this campaign has been ongoing and is probably a direct extension of a previously disclosed RedDelta campaign.

Several new delivery methods were used in this campaign to deploy a new variant of an implant, “PlugX,” that is linked to various Chinese threat actors.

HTML Smuggling implementation (Source -Checkpoint)

HTML Smuggling Technique

In the SmugX campaign, HTML Smuggling is applied, leading to JavaScript or ZIP file downloads.

The lure themes primarily target the governmental ministries in Eastern Europe since they are mainly focused on European domestic and foreign policies.

Most documents featured diplomatic content, with some directly linked to China in multiple instances. The lures include:-

A letter originating from the Serbian embassy in Budapest.
A document stating the priorities of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
An invitation to a diplomatic conference issued by Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
An article about two Chinese human rights lawyers sentenced to more than a decade in prison.

Some of the lures used in this campaign (Source -Checkpoint)

A document called “China Tries to Block Prominent Uyghur Speaker at UN.docx,” was discovered by the security analysts during their analysis, and it was uploaded to VirusTotal.

Besides this, to access the following URL, the document uses a remote image technique, and it contains a single-pixel image that it keeps hidden from the user:-

https://www[.]jcswcd[.]com/?wd=cqyahznz

It’s known as Pixel tracking, a common reconnaissance tool that logs the following information when the attackers’ server receives a request for the remote image:-

IP address
User-agent
Access time

Infection Chains

In total, there are two infection chains that stem from an HTML file that stores the second stage in the Download folder as per the browser settings of the victim.

One chain deploys a malicious LNK file inside a ZIP file, while to fetch an MSI file from a remote server, the other chain employs JavaScript.

PlugX malware, used by Chinese threat actors since 2008, serves as the final payload, and it’s operated as a remote access tool (RAT) with a modular structure for flexible plugin integration.

For persistence, the PlugX payload duplicates and hides both the legitimate program and DLL in a newly created hidden directory.

Though none of the techniques employed in this campaign are unexplored, the blend of a wide range of tactics and infection chains with low detection rates allowed the threat actors to remain undetected for an extended period of time.

“AI-based email security measures Protect your business From Email Threats!” – Request a Free Demo.

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Galaxy Z Fold 5 won’t be dust resistant after all

Android

andreasc

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July 4, 2023

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Galaxy Z Fold 5 won’t be dust resistant after all

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Recent rumors suggested that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 could include an IP58 rating. In other words, be both water and dust resistant, which would be a first for the Galaxy Z Fold series. Well, based on the latest info, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 won’t offer dust resistance after all.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 won’t offer dust resistance after all

This information comes from a well-known tipster, Ice Universe. He flat-out said that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 won’t offer an IP58 certification for dust resistance. He did not clarify what rating will be included, though.

If we had to guess, we’d say that Samsung will stick with the IPX8 rating that is included on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 will likely meet the same faith as the Galaxy Z Fold 5, but nothing is certain just yet.

That’s not the only piece of info Ice Universe shared, though. The tipster also talked about the phone’s crease. Recently, he said that the crease will be around 15% less visible, and now he basically reconfirmed that.

Its crease will be “indistinguishable” from the one on the Galaxy Z Fold 4

The tipster said that he asked his source, for the fourth time, about the crease on the Galaxy Z Fold 5. He said that the crease looks “indistinguishable from the Fold 4” with absolute certainty. So it’s easily possible it’s only 15% less visible.

That basically means that the crease on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will, yet again, be a lot more noticeable than creases on some other foldable smartphones. Companies like OPPO and Huawei managed to get the crease under control.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 will launch later this month alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy Tab S9 series, and the Galaxy Watch 6 series. Samsung could also announce a new version of its truly wireless earbuds. We still don’t know the exact date, as Samsung didn’t announce it yet.

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Brave browser will prevent websites from port scanning visitors

Malware

andreasc

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July 4, 2023

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Brave browser will prevent websites from port scanning visitors

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We take a look at reports that Brave browser will prevent port scans of website visitors to keep them safe from tracking or other potentially malicious activities.

If you use Brave browser, then you’re shortly going to find you have a new string added to your security bow. Websites performing port scanning will now be automatically blocked beginning with version 1.54 of the browsing tool.

Port scanning, I hear you cry? Yes indeed. You may well not have even been aware that sites do such a thing. You may expect some antics related to cookies and perhaps the occasional tracking beacon, but port scanning?

Who is doing this and why?

Well, let’s start at the beginning with a rundown of what port scanning actually is. Port scanning involves scanning a computer network for open ports, which can then be exploited by individuals up to no good to gain unauthorised access or gather information about potential system vulnerabilities. It’s worth noting that scanning is not by default a malicious activity. For example, an organisation’s IT team may do this to ensure everything is working as expected and close any potential gaps which may have been missed.

As Ars Technica notes, a 2021 list of sites compiled by a researcher makes it clear that many major sites are, or have been, involved in this practice. Brave claims that many popular browsers allow websites to “access local network resources without protection or restriction, which puts users’ privacy and security at risk.”

The issue Brave is tackling is one related to how browsers typically work. While you may think everything is being served up from the web, some aspects of what you see in a browser are being hosted by software on your computer. Browsers are allowed to access these resources, and, on top of that, some software has been built to be accessible to websites with no malicious intention behind it. From the Brave update website:

…a small but important amount of software has been built expecting to be freely accessible by websites, often in ways invisible to users. And many of these uses are benign. Examples include some wallets for cryptocurrencies, security software provided by banks or security companies, and hardware devices that use certain Web interfaces for configuration.

Now we come to the crunch. Lots of dubious software can use the access to localhost resources to get up to mischief. As Brave explains, fingerprinting scripts will try to figure out the combination of software running on your system. By doing so, someone now has a picture of you built up and can potentially track you across the web. They could also try to determine if you have some vulnerable products running on your device and then come back with an exploit.

From Brave version 1.54 and up, this will no longer be possible. Brave already blocks scripts known to maliciously scan localhost resources and block requests from public sites to localhost resources. This is what the new version will do:

Requests to localhost resources, from a localhost context are allowed automatically; Brave does not block a locally hosted page from accessing other locally hosted resources. 1
Brave will continue to use filter list rules to block scripts and sites known to abuse localhost resources.
Brave will include a new permission called the “localhost” permission. Only sites with this permission will be able to make sub-resource requests to localhost resources. By default, no sites have this permission and, importantly, most sites have no way to prompt users for this permission. However, advanced users can use the existing site settings interface to grant sites this permission. 2
Brave will also include a list of trusted sites, or sites known to access localhost resources for user-benefiting reasons. The first time a site on this list initiates a sub-request to a localhost resource, it will trigger a permission prompt of the previously mentioned localhost permission. This list is publicly available, and will be maintained by Brave.

The thinking behind this is that abuse of localhost resources is more common than it being used for beneficial actions. The Brave developers also don’t want to waste users’ time with lots of popups asking permission to do things that they expect “will only cause harm”.

Brave mentions that only Safari browser currently really does anything significant in this area, and that’s more of a “side-effect of security restrictions” rather than deliberate targeting. It remains to be seen if other browsers will jump on the localhost resource blocking bandwagon, but it probably wouldn’t be a bad thing if they do.

We don’t just report on threats—we remove them

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your devices by downloading Malwarebytes today.

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Spotify is planning to bring music videos to its app

Android

andreasc

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July 4, 2023

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Spotify is planning to bring music videos to its app

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You might be able to watch music videos on Spotify someday. The music streaming giant is reportedly in talks with industry partners to bring full-length music videos to its app. Anonymous sources familiar with the company’s plans confirmed the development to Bloomberg but didn’t name the partners that Spotify is in talks with.

Spotify is the world’s largest music streaming service. But, despite its massive global popularity, the company has failed to bring videos to the platform. It tried to create original series several years back and also worked with media companies such as Paramount Global and Vice Media to offer TV content. But those plans didn’t work out.

Currently, videos on Spotify are limited to podcasts (the app has more than 100,000 podcasts with video) and short storytelling clips. The latter clips are 30 seconds or shorter videos that allow artists to communicate with their audience about their music. You can also count those 10-second looping GIFs that show up on the screen when listening to music as videos, but that’s all.

Spotify hasn’t given up on video efforts

However, it appears the firm hasn’t given up on video efforts. As pointed out by Bloomberg, videos tend to be “more lucrative than audio” today, so it’s understandable that Spotify wants a piece of this market. Some music services, such as Apple Music, already have videos. YouTube and TikTok, on the other hand, started with videos and have expanded to audio. The former’s YouTube Music app now offers full-length music videos, while TikTok is reportedly looking to expand its music streaming service Resso.

Spotify is now aiming to steal some Gen Z audience from YouTube and TikTok, both of which have established themselves in the short-form video space as well. The company recently launched a TikTok-like home feed to help users discover music and podcasts. But its ultimate plan is to expand to videos. Not only would it make Spotify an all-in-one streaming service, but also give the company a new revenue stream amid an economic slowdown. It laid off around 800 employees this year to reduce operations costs.

Unfortunately, we don’t yet have a timeline for the potential public release of Spotify’s video product. Perhaps the company is still planning, or the feature is in the early stages of development. It may take a while to materialize. We will let you know when we have more information. Meanwhile, Spotify is gearing up to add a Hi-Fi streaming tier later this year. The lossless audio quality is expected to arrive in the US in October.

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A week in security (June 26 – July 2)

Malware

andreasc

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July 4, 2023

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Last week on Malwarebytes Labs:

Stay safe!

Malwarebytes EDR and MDR removes all remnants of ransomware and prevents you from getting reinfected. Want to learn more about how we can help protect your business? Get a free trial below.

TRY NOW

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This Is the Best Price We’ve Seen

Android

andreasc

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July 4, 2023

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Best Buy has a really great deal right now on the HP Victus 15 gaming laptop. You can pick it up for just $649, that’s going to save you $250 off of its regular price. That does also bring it down to an all-time low.

HP Victus 15 – Best Buy

Why you should buy the HP Victus 15

The HP Victus 15.6″ Full HD 144Hz Gaming Laptop is a great option for gamers on a budget. It’s currently on sale for $649, which is a great deal for a laptop with this level of performance.

Here are some of the reasons why you should buy the HP Victus 15:

Powerful performance: The Victus 15 is powered by an Intel Core i5-13420H processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card. This combination of hardware is more than enough to handle even the most demanding games.
Vivid display: The Victus 15 has a 15.6″ Full HD display with a 144Hz refresh rate. This means that you’ll be able to enjoy smooth and fluid gameplay.
Sleek design: The Victus 15 has a sleek and stylish design. It’s made of a durable plastic material that can withstand everyday use.
Long battery life: The Victus 15 has a long battery life, so you can game for hours on a single charge.

If you’re looking for a powerful and affordable gaming laptop, the HP Victus 15 is a great option. It’s currently on sale for $649, so don’t miss out on this great deal.

Here are some additional reasons why you should buy the HP Victus 15:

It has a comfortable keyboard and touchpad.
It comes with a number of ports, including USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, and an SD card reader.
It has a built-in webcam and microphone.
It runs Windows 11 Home.

Overall, the HP Victus 15 is a great choice for gamers on a budget. It’s powerful, stylish, and has a long battery life. If you’re looking for a new gaming laptop, I recommend taking a look at the HP Victus 15.

HP Victus 15 – Best Buy

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Of sharks, surveillance, and spied on emails

Malware

andreasc

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July 4, 2023

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Of sharks, surveillance, and spied on emails

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This week on Lock and Code, we speak with Matthew Guargilia about the NSA’s broad powers to sweep up Americans’ emails, DMs, messages, and all manner of digital communications.

In the United States, when the police want to conduct a search on a suspected criminal, they must first obtain a search warrant. It is one of the foundational rights given to US persons under the Constitution, and a concept that has helped create the very idea of a right to privacy at home and online.

But sometimes, individualized warrants are never issued, never asked for, never really needed, depending on which government agency is conducting the surveillance, and for what reason. Every year, countless emails, social media DMs, and likely mobile messages are swept up by the US National Security Agency—even if those communications involve a US person—without any significant warrant requirement. Those digital communications can be searched by the FBI. The information the FBI gleans from those searches can be used can be used to prosecute Americans for crimes. And when the NSA or FBI make mistakes—which they do—there is little oversight.

This is surveillance under a law and authority called Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act.

The law and the regime it has enabled are opaque. There are definitions for “collection” of digital communications, for “queries” and “batch queries,” rules for which government agency can ask for what type of intelligence, references to types of searches that were allegedly ended several years ago, “programs” that determine how the NSA grabs digital communications—by requesting them from companies or by directly tapping into the very cables that carry the Internet across the globe—and an entire, secret court that, only has rarely released its opinions to the public.

Today, on the Lock and Code podcast, with host David Ruiz, we speak with Electronic Frontier Foundation Senior Policy Analyst Matthew Guariglia about what the NSA can grab online, whether its agents can read that information and who they can share it with, and how a database that was ostensibly created to monitor foreign intelligence operations became a tool for investigating Americans at home.

As Guariglia explains:

“In the United States, if you collect any amount of data, eventually law enforcement will come for it, and this includes data that is collected by intelligence communities.”

Tune in today.

You can also find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, plus whatever preferred podcast platform you use.

Show notes and credits:

Intro Music: “Spellbound” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music: “Good God” by Wowa (unminus.com)

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release date, specs, price & more – updated July 3, 2023

Android

andreasc

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July 4, 2023

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release date, specs, price & more – updated July 3, 2023

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The Google Pixel 8 Pro is the company’s upcoming flagship handset. It will launch alongside the Google Pixel 8, which we’ve already previewed in a separate article. The Pixel 8 Pro will be the best Google has to offer, though, a level above the vanilla Pixel 8 model. Details regarding the phone have been trickling in for a while now, though the device will become official later this year, most likely in October.

Having said that, we’re here to take a closer look at the Pixel 8 Pro, and see what it’ll have to offer. Below, you’ll find a lot of information about the device, based on what leaked thus far. We’ll add more information as it leaks out, of course. So, if you’re interested in the Pixel 8 Pro, well, read on.

This article will be regularly updated with new information on the Google Pixel 8 Pro (this is a preview article) — both official teasers and credible leaks, rumors, and insider claims — as it becomes available in the run-up to the release of the upcoming Android smartphone. The last update was made on July 3, 2023.

When will the Google Pixel 8 Pro be released?

The Pixel 8 Pro will almost certainly launch in October. Google still did not confirm anything, but that’s the usual timeframe for new Pixel flagship launches. The Pixel 7 series arrived on October 6, and chances are the Pixel 8 phones will follow in October too. There’s always a chance Google will change things up, but that’s not as likely. In any case, we won’t be sure until Google officially confirms the launch date.

What models are coming?

Google will reveal both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro during the event. We’ve already talked about the Pixel 8, so we’re here to focus on the ‘Pro’ model. Chances are that the device will end up offering 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM, while we’ll get more than one storage option. We’re not sure what those storage options will be just yet, though. Google will certainly go up to 512GB or maybe even 1TB this time around. The Pixel 7 Pro was available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB models. Don’t expect expandable storage to be a part of the picture, though.

How much will the Google Pixel 8 Pro cost?

We still don’t have any information regarding the Pixel 8 Pro price. The Pixel 7 Pro launched with an $899 price tag, which was considered a good price point last year. If Google can make it happen again, that would be great, as flagship phones are immensely expensive these days. If we had to guess, we’d say that the starting price tag will either be the same, or the Pixel 8 Pro will be a bit more expensive at $949 or $999.

What will the Google Pixel 8 Pro look like?

The Google Pixel 8 Pro surfaced in CAD-based renders back in March. Those images gave us a good idea of what to expect from the device. Its design won’t be too much different than the Pixel 7 Pro’s. The device will be a bit more rounded, however, and its camera visor will look slightly different. Its display will be either flat or very slightly curved. The bezels will be thin, and all its physical buttons will be located on the right-hand side. The power/lock button will sit above the volume rocker buttons.

The device will be made out of metal and glass, almost certainly. Its camera visor on the back will connect with the frame on the sides, and will be covered by metal, as was on the Pixel 7 Pro. The back side of the phone will be slightly curved towards the edges. The camera visor will once again protrude quite a bit on the back. Google’s logo will be visible on the back, but it won’t be too flashy or anything like that.

You can check out the images below to see what the phone will look like for yourself. It will be larger than the Pixel 8, that’s for sure, and it’ll be easy to recognize thanks to a different setup inside the camera visor. The device is tipped to measure around 162.6 x 76.5 x 8.7mm (12mm including the camera bump). The Pixel 8 Pro is coming in Jade, Licorice, Porcelain, and Sky color variants.

What specs will the Google Pixel 8 Pro have?

The Pixel 8 Pro will be fueled by the Google Tensor G3 SoC. That chip will be a considerable improvement over the Tensor G2. Not only will it come with newer Arm cores, across the board, but it will have a different cores setup, and support UFS 4.0 flash storage. More changes will be implemented, and even though it won’t be the most powerful chip on the market, it will be a major improvement over its predecessor. That chip will also be included inside the Pixel 8.

The Pixel 8 Pro will likely feature a 6.7-inch QHD+ (2992 x 1344) LTPO AMOLED display. Unlike the one in its predecessor, this one will be flat. That display will offer a 120Hz refresh rate, adaptive. Max brightness will be 1,600 nits, by the way. Google is expected to offer plenty of RAM here, probably 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. UFS 4.0 flash storage will also be included, up to 512GB or 1TB of storage. Don’t expect expandable storage to be on offer here, though, because it won’t be.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro will come with a bigger battery than its predecessor. It will include a 4,950mAh battery, compared to a 4,926mAh unit in the Pixel 7 Pro. It’s not a huge difference, but any improvement is welcomed. It will also support faster wired charging at 27W, compared to 23W the Pixel 7 Pro offered. Wireless charging speed will remain the same.

What about the cameras? Well, the Pixel 8 Pro is tipped to include an improved main camera sensor over the Pixel 7 Pro. In fact, detailed Pixel 8 Pro camera specs surfaced. The phone is said to include a 50-megapixel main camera. Samsung’s ISOCELL GN2 sensor will be used, thus improving upon the ISOCELL GN1 which was used in the Pixel 6 and 7 series. A new 64-megapixel ultrawide camera will be used (Sony’s IMX787 sensor). That is the same sensor Google used in the Pixel 7a, but for the main camera. The telephoto camera will seemingly remain the same, and offer 5x optical zoom. A 10.8-megapixel selfie camera was also mentioned.

Should you wait to buy the Google Pixel 8 Pro?

So, should you wait for the Pixel 8 Pro or get the Pixel 7 Pro now? Well, the Pixel 7 Pro can be bought at a discount at the time of writing this article, but we’d suggest waiting a bit. The Tensor G3 will bring various improvements to the table, and if the Pixel 8 Pro ends up sporting a new camera setup as well, it’ll be worth the wait. Let’s just hope that Google doesn’t plan to raise the price up, or at least doesn’t plan to raise it by much. Not a single price rumor surfaced thus far, so all we can do at this point is wait.

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We have a leak of the Nothing Phone (2)’s camera module

Android

andreasc

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July 3, 2023

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We have a leak of the Nothing Phone (2)’s camera module

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We’re not far from the launch of the next phone from Nothing, and we have a pretty good idea of how this phone’s going to look. While that’s true, another leak won’t hurt. Thanks to Paras Guglani, we have a leak of Nothing Phone (2)’s camera module.

So far, the Nothing Phone (2) looks like it’s going to share some major design characteristics with its predecessor. It appears that it will have the same general shape and it will retain the transparent aesthetic that we see with other Nothing devices.

Also, the Glyph Interface, the most defining aspect of the Nothing Phones, looks to be largely unchanged. It still has the same general shape. The only change is the fact that there are sections taken out of the LEDs. This could make it a bit difficult to differentiate this phone from the first generation.

Here’s a leak of the Nothing Phone (2)’s camera module

The picture of the Nothing Phone (2) is coming together. So far, we’ve been seeing a mixture of leaked images from leakers and teasers from the company. Now, this next leak helps confirm that this phone is going to have a dual camera package.

In the image, which looks just like the kind of image that Carl Pei would post to Twitter, we see the Nothing Phone (2)’s camera module. It matches what we’ve seen so far with the segmented LED strip. We can also see that the top camera’s lens is wider than that of the bottom.

There’s not much more that we can glean from this image, but that’s not a problem. The phone is going to get its official announcement on July 11th. That’s not too far from now, so we’ll find out more information about this phone then.

When this phone launches, because of the flagship-grade processor, it’s expected to be much more expensive than the Nothing Phone (1). We’re looking at a price of around $800 for the base model. Let’s hope that there’s enough change in this device to justify the price hike.

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