It almost felt as though Apple Music wasn’t invited to WWDC yesterday, and the app may look the same following the update to iOS 18. However, Apple Music will have a couple of new features that will kick in once you install iOS 18 on your iPhone. One new feature, called Music Haptics, uses the Taptic Engine on an iPhone to produce taps and vibrations that will match the song being played on Apple Music.
This new feature is actually more important than you might think since it will help those who are deaf or have difficulty hearing “feel the music.” And that is why the feature will be found under the accessibility settings in iOS 18. After installing the latter, go to Settings > Accessibility > Music Haptics and toggle on the feature. You’ll also be able to test out Music Haptics.
The other new feature allows those without an Apple Music subscription to have control over the music heard on a SharePlay session. Instead of requiring SharePlay users to have an Apple Music subscription, users can share control of music sourced from a HomePod, Apple TV, or any Bluetooth-enabled speaker. As Apple itself notes on its iOS 18 Services preview page, “Participants do not need to have an Apple Music subscription to contribute to what’s playing.”
Create custom walking routes in Apple Maps with iOS 18
What changes are coming to the always-improving Apple Maps app in iOS 18? Suppose we told you that hikes and custom walking maps will be available. According to Apple, users will be able to browse through thousands of hikes found in U.S. national parks. These can be filtered by length, elevation, and route type and can be saved for those times when you’re offline. With just a few taps, users will be able to create a custom walking route whether it’s a local exercise route or a full-day walking tour in a city you’ve never been to before.
With the all-new Places Library, you can save your national park hikes, custom walking routes, and other places and you’ll be able to add personal notes about each one. This way you can remind yourself about certain aspects of these routes that might be important to remember. And helping Apple Maps create these hikes and walking maps will be the app’s new ability to show topographic maps. These maps show the ups and downs of an area’s terrain in 3D shown on a 2D map.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, said about Apple iPhone users, “We’re excited to give them even more to love about our services, like the ability to explore national parks with hikes in Apple Maps…and enjoy music with loved ones through SharePlay in Apple Music.”
As you know, the iOS 18 developer beta is available now and the public beta will be available next month. The stable final version of iOS 18 will be available this September.
Spotify may finally be making good on its promise to deliver a high-fidelity audio experience, according to recent reports. After years of anticipation and speculation, a Bloomberg insider has shed light on the company’s plans for this premium tier, suggesting it will be offered as an add-on to existing subscriptions for an additional $5 per month.This news comes on the heels of Spotify’s recent price hikes, which saw the individual plan increase to $10.99 per month. With the HiFi add-on, users could potentially be paying $15.99 per month for access to higher quality audio. This is a more reasonable price point than some had anticipated, with speculation previously suggesting a potential cost of around $20. It’s possible that the recent price increase was a strategic move to make the HiFi tier seem more palatable to consumers.In addition to enhanced audio quality, the new tier is rumored to include new playlist creation features. Users will reportedly be able to generate custom playlists based on specific dates, events, or activities, and the algorithm will even attempt to predict user preferences and create playlists accordingly.
Image credit: PhoneArena
While there is still no official release date for the HiFi tier, these rumors hint that Spotify is finally ready to deliver on its long-standing promise. The company has been teasing the launch of lossless audio since 2021, and it seems that the wait may soon be over for audiophiles and music enthusiasts.
The addition of a HiFi tier could be a significant move for Spotify, potentially attracting new users and retaining existing ones who value high-quality audio. It will also put the company in direct competition with other streaming services that already offer lossless audio, such as Apple Music and Tidal. Only time will tell how successful this new tier will be, but for now, it’s safe to say that the anticipation is building among users who are eager to experience their favorite music in a whole new way.
Apple just held quite possibly its biggest WWDC to date, and Apple users are all waiting to get their hands on the new AI tools coming to iOS. However, one billionaire is not happy about this. Elon Musk threatened an Apple ban throughout his companies because of iOS 18’s ChatGPT integration.
Before hopping in, if you want to know more about WWDC 2024, you can check out our coverage. The company announced new goodies coming to iOS 18 along with additions to iPadOS 18. Also, if you want to know how to install the WatchOS 11 beta, we have a guide.
Elon Musk is not happy about Apple’s AI
Soon after Apple brought its AI tools, the internet quickly became flooded with comments about them. Many of them were positive and hopeful, but not everyone was impressed. Elon Musk voiced his anger at the company in a couple of tweets. He was not happy with the company partnering with OpenAI to implement ChatGPT into iOS.
To catch you up, iOS 18’s AI tools are powered by its own models and can also use ChatGPT when needed. Apple AI couldn’t quite develop large-scale models in time, as it was slow to jump on the AI train. So, it needed some help. The phone performs most of its AI on-device, but it will contact GPT-4o when it needs a larger language model.
Well, Musk does not like the fact that the company chose to do this. “Apple has no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI.” He’s referring to the fact that OpenAI could have access to users’ data when they need to contact the cloud. It harkens back to the age-old question “What happens to my data when I turn it over to the cloud?”
He also threw more shade at Apple by saying that it’s “patently absurd that Apple isn’t smart enough to make their own AI, yet is somehow capable of ensuring that OpenAI will protect your security & privacy!” Right now, we don’t know just how OpenAI manages data. Obviously, companies like Meta, Google, and Amazon are gluttonous for your data. So, using ANY of their products turns over your entire identity. However, we don’t know how OpenAI is.
What we do know is that the company does have a bit of a history. It’s been involved in a few security breaches. So, Musk has a point there.
Elon Musk could ban Apple products from his companies
In a separate post, Musk said that if Apple implements OpenAI’s models on the OS level, Apple products could be banned from all of his companies. The billionaire owns several companies including X, Tesla, Space X, The Boring Company, etc. So, no one within those companies would be able to use their iPhones.
That could be a bad move on his part, as iPhones are…. kinda popular. We love Android devices, but we have to admit that iPhone users make up a significant portion of any group of people. Also, any company can benefit from having a diverse collection of tech users from both sides of the OS pond. Banning Apple devices could have a negative effect on these businesses.
Elon Musk needs to think about this before making this drastic change. It will have a sweeping effect on the people working at these companies. Many jobs are already at stake because of AI and the poor economic conditions. Workers don’t need any more reason to fear for their jobs.
But, this might just be because of bad blood
As many people may not know, Elon Musk had some deep ties to OpenAI; he was a co-founder. He cut ties with the company years ago, but he has since sparked a squabble with the company. Just a few months ago, Elon moved to sue OpenAI because he feels that its current trajectory clashes with its original vision.
OpenAI was founded on the dream of creating AI for humanity, not profit. However, the company has since moved over to a for-profit model. Not only that but it’s become a bit of an AI powerhouse for Microsoft. Elon feels that OpenAI has become a for-profit subsidiary of Microsoft. He’s suing the company to force it to make its source code public.
During the case, we got some pretty damning evidence pointing to Elon himself wanting to push the company to become a subsidiary of Tesla. Also, an email confirmed that Musk also wanted to keep OpenAI’s source code behind closed doors. So, the messages point to some extreme hypocrisy on Musk’s part.
So, there’s a chance that Elon is making this decision because of his feud with the company. In any case, Musk’s opinions or Apple’s AI aren’t important in this matter. The workers’ jobs are important. Let’s hope that Musk and Apple can come to some sort of agreement that won’t lead to a rapid shake-up. Jobs are already at stake.
iFi is a brand that specializes in high-quality audio equipment like DACs and amplifiers. If you’re in the audio business, you’ve undoubtedly used some of its products. Today, iFi just announced a new product and an entire new sub-brand. iFi announced the LAN iPurifier Pro under its new brand named Silent Power.
Most of the time, we tend to think that the best way to get the highest-quality audio is to buy an expensive pair of headphones. However, there are more ways to get the best audio from your system. The fact of the matter is that, while streaming your music, you run the risk of introducing electrical noise into your sound. That can be distracting if you’re an audiophile. Having clear audio is always a good thing, so this is where iFi comes in with its new brand.
The brand is called Silent Power. As its name suggests, this is a brand that will bring equipment designed to reduce the noise in your audio system. If you’re a person who likes to get the most from their music, then you’ll want to give its products a look.
iFi introduces the LAN iPurifier Pro
The christening product from Silent Power is called the LAN iPurifier Pro. No, this is not a fancy-looking air purifier. Rather, it’s meant to purify the audio pushed through your network-connected audio setup.
Streaming music wirelessly can be a hassle, and noise only makes things worse. The LAN iPurifier Pro can fix that. It uses advanced optical galvanic isolation technology. This tech actually converts the LAN signal into an optical signal. Then it converts the signal back into a LAN signal. In doing this, the company can effectively isolate the electrical signals between input and output. The result is a much cleaner sound coming through your audio system. If you’re curious about some of the specs, you can check out the table below.
Are you looking forward to this device? You can pick it up for $299.99. Check out the link below to go to the official website.
It seems that YouTube is currently testing AI summaries in Shorts comments section too. The feature was originally available for long videos, helping to automatically organize comments according to topics.
From time to time, Google introduces experimental features to its services. These features are initially available to a limited audience, and are not always widely implemented. For example, last year, some users started receiving an AI-powered topic generator for comments in long videos. This feature basically analyzes the comments and organizes them into specific topics.
The feature allows you to know the main topics that people in the comments are discussing. It also helps creators know their viewers’ favorite topics, which is useful for making more engaging content. The option to filter comments by topics is placed between “Top” and “Newest.” However, the company has not yet implemented the feature en masse. That said, it seems that doesn’t mean it was scrapped. Now, YouTube is testing AI summaries for comments in Shorts.
AI summaries for YouTube comments now available in Shorts as a limited test
As with long videos, AI summaries for YouTube Shorts comments are available only through the mobile app. In addition, it is a test of very limited scope among selected users. Even those who receive the feature will not be able to use it in all Shorts. It will only be available in some Shorts with full comment sections.
AI summaries in YouTube video comments
Google allows channel owners where the option is available to delete individual comments within topic threads. The company also states that topics are generated only based on published comments. That is, those under review do not count for the system.
It is not known when YouTube will massively implement the AI summarizer. However, the fact that they are now testing the option in Shorts too is indicative that the plans are still on track. In any case, Google seems to be taking the implementation of functions related to AI-powered summaries more cautiously. The controversy surrounding the bizarre results that AI Overviews showed in Search generated a lot of noise. So, they will probably take their time before a massive rollout.
Apple just held its developer conference, revealing its developments in the field of AI and the new iOS 18 features. However, it seems that Samsung was not impressed and did not miss the opportunity to mock Apple’s announcements during this year’s WWDC.
In the smartphone segment, Android brands were the pioneers in terms of AI implementation. Google has been the main driver in the integration of AI-powered advanced features. The company then worked with Samsung to bring this experience to flagship Galaxy devices as well. Other big names, such as OPPO and Honor, are also working on it.
Samsung mocks Apple for its late AI implementation
That said, Apple officially announced its own suite of AI-powered features during WWDC24. The company used “Apple Intelligence” as its marketing name for its own AI experience. This does not seem to have pleased Samsung, who in a post in X wanted to remember that it arrived first with its Galaxy AI suite:
Adding “Apple” doesn’t make it new or groundbreaking. Welcome to AI 🍎.
— Samsung Mobile US (@SamsungMobileUS) June 10, 2024
“Apple Intelligence” offers multiple advanced possibilities to use in almost any app. However, there are also multiple features that Android users will find familiar. There are transcriptions and summaries in the Notes app, the removal of elements from photos, etc. So, Samsung makes fun of having offered features of this type before Apple.
In addition to AI features, Apple announced other more “common” ones related to customization. One of the advantages of Android over iOS has always been the customization aspect. However, Apple’s mobile OS has been catching up in recent years by integrating more possibilities. Now, with iOS 18, the company has taken another step forward.
For example, users of devices running iOS 18 will be able to freely change the placement of app icons on the home screen. While this seems pretty basic, it wasn’t even a possibility on iOS. Samsung also mocks this new feature presented at Apple’s WWDC, remembering that this has been possible on its devices for more than a decade:
Moving my icons wherever I want since 2010 … isn’t that cool?
— Samsung Mobile US (@SamsungMobileUS) June 10, 2024
There was also an unexpected guest at the party: Nothing. During WWDC, Apple announced that iOS 18 users will be able to change the color of their icons. After that, the company founded by Carl Pei posted a screenshot showing that Nothing OS allows you to apply a monochromatic tone to the icons. Additionally, Android’s Material Theming feature analyzes the colors of your wallpaper to offer you a selection of tones that you can apply to your icons.
However, to be fair, Apple allows you to freely choose a wider range of colors to theme the icons. That is, you are not limited to the base colors of your wallpaper. Will Android 15 bring a feature like this in the near future? Only time will tell. Also, some of Apple’s AI features are more advanced than what Samsung currently offers. That said, several will arrive “over the next year,” so Samsung has time to catch up.
We recently reported that the OnePlus 13 will feature three 50 MP cameras. Now, there are rumors that the camera will get better zoom and will come with a new sensor for the ultrawide camera. The information has come from Digital Chat Station, the tipster who earlier tipped about the three 50 MP camera setups.
The OnePlus 13 is expected to get a better zoom and a new sensor for its ultrawide camera
The OnePlus 12’s periscope camera uses an OmniVision OV64B sensor with 3x optical zoom and an additional 6x sensor zoom. The ultrawide camera relies on a Sony IMX581 sensor. However, leaks suggest the OnePlus 13 will receive upgraded sensors for both the periscope and ultrawide cameras compared to its predecessor.
The OnePlus 13’s ultrawide and periscope cameras are rumored to use the Sony IMX882 sensor. And, the periscope lens will offer a 3x zoom. This sensor is already found in mid-range phones like the Poco F6 and the OnePlus Ace 3V.
The company is reportedly sticking with the same main camera setup as the OnePlus 12. This means a 50-megapixel sensor with Sony’s LYT808 technology. While some users might have hoped for the newer Sony LYT-900 sensor found in the Oppo Find X7 Ultra, leaks indicate no change for the main camera in the OnePlus 13.
The OnePlus 13 is losing wireless charging support
The upgraded zoom and ultrawide camera in the OnePlus 13 are definitely on par with the best aspects of the smartphone. But unfortunately, unlike the OnePlus 12, the OnePlus 13 might not support wireless charging. This is definitely a surprising move from OnePlus, especially after receiving a lot of praise for adding 50W wireless charging to the OnePlus 12.
The phone will run on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and will have a new design compared to its predecessor. You will get a 6,000mAh battery that will easily last a couple of days on normal usage.
The phone is still a long way off from its release. Therefore, expect many more rumors to surface in the coming days.
WhatsApp, the global chat app owned by Meta, is ever-changing and evolving by adding new user features. Lately, it was found that WhatsApp was enhancing its user experience with a new feature currently being tested in the Android Beta version 2.24.13.3. Select beta testers are now able to pin up to two of their favorite channels to the top of their channels list, making it easier to stay connected and informed with the content they value most.Before, users had to scroll through their entire channels list to find their most frequently visited ones. However, this newest update has been reported to address this issue by allowing users to select and pin up to two channels to the top, making them easily accessible whenever they open the updates tab.
In addition to pinning, users can now perform bulk actions on multiple channels simultaneously, such as muting, marking as read, or even pinning them together. This streamlined functionality is a welcome addition for users managing numerous channels, where taking these actions could become time-consuming.
By pinning their favorite channels, especially when there is more than one, users can easily access them without scrolling through their entire list. This not only saves time but also improves the overall navigation experience within the app. This enhanced accessibility encourages users to stay more informed and engaged with their preferred channels, as they are more likely to see and interact with the latest updates, which would be more visible if they are pinned.The new multiple pinning feature is currently available to a limited number of beta testers who have installed the latest updates of WhatsApp beta for Android from the Google Play Store. However, it is expected that WhatsApp will gradually roll it out to more users in the coming days, offering users a new way of organizing their WhatsApp channels.
The New York Times suffered a major data breach! Leaked data includes source code, user info, and potentially internal communications — Learn about the potential consequences and how to protect yourself. This article explores the New York Times hack and its impact.
The New York Times (NYT), a media giant in the United States, has suffered a significant data breach. As per the malware repository platform XV Underground, an anonymous threat actor on 4chan has leaked 270GB of data belonging to the NYT after targeting its GitHub account.
The NYT confirmed in its statement that the leak occurred in January 2024 due to the accidental exposure of a credential for a third-party cloud-based code platform (i.e., GitHub).
Today on 4chan someone leaked the source code (?) to the New York Times. They leaked 270GB of data
They wrote that the New York Times has 5,000+ source code repositories, with less than 30 being encrypted (?). It is 3,600,000 files in total
Reportedly, the leaked data contains around 3,600,000 files, including source code for its website, mobile applications, internal tools, and content management systems. It also contains a database with 1,500 user information from an educational site, the source code of the game Wordle, acquired by the NYT in 2022, and various authentication methods, including URLs, passwords, secret keys, and API tokens. Private user keys have also been found.
The leak also reveals internal communications from Slack channels, potentially exposing sensitive information about the NYT’s operations, editorial processes, and employee discussions.
The threat actor claims that The New York Times has over 5,000 source code repositories, with less than 30 of them encrypted. The leak may reveal information about NYT’s internal IT architecture and software development practices, potentially allowing attackers to exploit the organization’s infrastructure.
The files can be downloaded via torrent link, with a list of 6,200 repositories, and the data is stored in three folders, nytimes, nytm, and TheAthletic. The Athletic folder contains iOS.tar and android.tar files comprising the source code for the Athletics mobile app.
However, the leak involves data from the IT/infrastructure/website organization, not the news organization responsible for reporting and editorial content as these platforms use distinct GitHub instances with stricter access controls.
The NYT has confirmed that there is no evidence of unauthorized access to its internal systems or any impact on operations following the leak. Nevertheless, the incident is concerning as this is the second leak of proprietary information onto 4chan, following a recent incident with Club Penguin files, and many unanswered questions such as the motive behind the attack, the extent of the breach, how the attacker accessed the data, and the full scope of the leak.
The NYT is expected to undergo a thorough security review and implement additional measures to prevent future attacks. It is worth noting that this is not the first time the NYT has suffered a cybersecurity incident. In 2013, Chinese hackers infected the newspaper’s computer system, compromising 53 of its journalists.
In 2018, major US newspapers suffered a malware attack that impacted their printing and delivery processes. Affected newspapers included the Chicago Tribune, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, the New York Daily News, the Orlando Sentinel, the Hartford Courant, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times.
Malware distributors use MSI installers as Windows OS already trusts them to run with administrative rights by bypassing security controls.
For this reason, MSI files are a convenient means of spreading ransomware, spyware, and other malware that can be passed off as genuine software installations.
Cybersecurity researchers at Intezer recently discovered that SSLoad malware employs MSI installers to kick-start the delivery chain.
SSLoad Malware Employs MSI Installer
System infiltration, information gathering, and payload delivery are some of the operations in which SSLoad, a silent malware, is engaged.
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An active campaign using SSLoad recently involved a decoy Word document carrying an SSLoad DLL, which executed Cobalt Strike, and a phishing email leading to a fake Azure page that downloaded a JavaScript script as well as an MSI installer for loading the SSLoad payload.
Since April 2024, SSLoad has been targeting victims, and its multiple delivery methods hint at it being used for MaaS purposes, consequently showing how versatile it can be.
The researchers analyzed an MSI installer that initiates a delivery chain with multiple loaders, eventually deploying the final SSLoad payload.
The first PhantomLoader is a 32-bit C/C++ DLL using self-modifying techniques and XOR decryption to crack the next loader stage.
This second loader loads the SSLoad payload, a 32-bit Rust DLL. SSLoad decrypts a Telegram channel URL used as a dead drop to get the command-and-control server address.
SSLoad Telegram channel (Source – Intezer)
The C2 decoder decrypts the C2 address and user agent and sends an HTTP GET request to download the next payload stage from the C2 server.
This SSLoad variant uses a custom method to decrypt strings with the RC4 algorithm. Each string is encrypted with its own distinct key stored alongside it.
The key is derived from the encoded blob’s first 6 and last 7 bytes. After calculating the encrypted string’s length, it is Base64 decoded and decrypted with RC4 using the derived key, extracting the Telegram channel URL.
The payload is another Rust file that creates a mutex for anti-analysis, checks for debugging, dynamically loads DLLs, and derives rolling XOR keys through arithmetic operations to decode strings uniquely.
Besides this, it uses RtlGenRandom for unique folder naming, resolves library calls dynamically by hashing module and function names, and employs common malware techniques like manipulating the PEB for evasion.
The JSON fingerprint is sent to the C2 using HTTP POST, and Load makes an HTTP request containing the host ID.
The client checks for available tasks by sending a post request with a unique SSLoad host identifier.
Based on task availability, C2 responds with an encrypted job structure in RC4 and base64 encoded format, with a command (only “exe” is currently used for downloading payloads) and arguments.
It also demonstrates how complex it can be as shown by its use of Rust downloader, which is made up of dynamic string decryption and a new loader that includes an anti-debugging mechanism in place.
To combat such intricate malware campaigns effectively, continued monitoring and advanced threat detection are required.
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