Fan of Reddit is Fun, Sync, Apollo, Boost, Relay, or Slide? Big changes and uncertainty are on the horizon for all third-party Reddit clients on Android and iOS.
In a big move announced just yesterday, Reddit plans to start charging developers of third-party Reddit clients for access to the Reddit API. The fee won’t be set and will vary depending on every app’s usage of the API, and Reddit intends to “be reasonable with pricing, not prohibitively expensive”.
Before we detail the changes, it’s important to know a few things first. Why do people go out of their way to use third-party Reddit clients? Some may argue that apps like Apollo, Relay, and Boost offer deep customization and personalization, and that’s objectively true, while others will unabashedly state that they simply hate the mobile Reddit app, which subjectively has some merit to it.
There’s another reason, though: monetization, or the lack thereof. Reddit is free to use, but ad-supported, both on desktop and mobile. Reddit users that subscribe to Reddit Premium don’t get to see ads but have to pay $5.99 per month. In stark contrast, third-party apps usually offer a similar ad-free experience with better app customization at a much lower price, which definitely makes them way better value. Some Reddit clients even allow you to purchase a lifetime premium experience for an often very affordable and reasonable one-time payment.
So, is cost the official reasoning behind the change? Apollo’s developer, Christian Sellig a.k.a. u/iamthatis, who had a couple of phone calls with Reddit representatives, clarifies that the inherent reason for the changes is not further monetization of Reddit itself, but merely covering the costs of providing an API to third-party Reddit clients in the first place, which is seemingly an ever-growing expense for Reddit. Sadly, no matter how big or prominent a Reddit client is, free access to the API will no longer be offered, so third-party apps will either have to go with an ad-supported tier or adopt adjusted premium subscription plans.
Third-party apps reportedly draw more and more taxing traffic and lure away users from the monetized ad-supported official Reddit app on iOS and Android, which definitely hurts the bottom-line. That’s a big issue considering Reddit is targeting the second half of 2023 for its anticipated IPO.
At the same time, Apollo’s developer was ensured that Reddit highly values third-party Reddit clients and doesn’t intend to kill them off in favor of its own first-party creation.
What’s more, the upcoming API changes will prevent third-party Reddit clients from accessing and displaying mature posts labeled as NSFW (not safe for work). The change seemingly will affect only sexual content, so regular posts labeled as NSFW due to one reason or another shouldn’t be affected by the looming changes. For example, if a non-sexual post on r/AskReddit gets labeled as NSFW, it shouldn’t be affected, not to mention that labeling non-NSFW posts as NSFW is an inside joke across multiple subreddits.
All of these changes will reportedly be implemented while having a dialogue with the developers of third-party Reddit apps. The changes won’t take place right away, but will likely get implemented in the coming months.
What do Reddit users say about the upcoming API changes? Needless to say, Apollo users were quite vocal on the topic:
u/DigiQuip says: “Reddit has struggled to find investors and buyers of the app due to the legal risks of allowing NSFW content on the platform. But, at the same time, the NSFW content is huge part of its users base. This may just be the slow transition towards removing the content altogether and allow them the opportunity to see how it impacts their traffic.”
u/ChaoticShadows: “I sense that I’ll be leaving Reddit very soon just as I did with Twitter. The monetization has begun. Resistance is useless. Soon you will be paying a subscription for everything.”
u/ReverandJohn: “Welp looks like Reddit is about to become yet another site that got too big for its britches and killed itself.”
u/SafeMeasurement9: “How this could ever be a positive change? It’s beyond me how much we are ready to justify corporations, it’s a negative change, in every single way. Not paying a subscription for a social network, I’m out of it”
An independent security analyst and bug hunter, Nagli (@naglinagli), recently uncovered a critical security vulnerability in ChatGPT that allow attackers to easily exploit the vulnerability and gain complete control of any ChatGPT user’s account.
ChatGPT has become extensively used by users worldwide, reaching more than 100 million in just two months of its public release.
Since its release in November, there have been several use cases of ChatGPT, and organizations are proposing plans to implement it inside their business.
Though it has extensive knowledge that can be used for several significant innovations, protecting it from a security perspective is still essential.
One such critical finding was a Web Cache deception attack on ChatGPT Account Takeover, allowing attackers to do ATO (Account TakeOvers) inside the application.
The bug was reported on Twitter by Nagli (@naglinagli) even before the bug bounty program of ChatGPT was launched.
Web Cache Deception
Web Cache deception is a new attack vector introduced by Omer Gil at the Blackhat USA conference in 2017, held in Las Vegas.
In this attack, the attacker can manipulate a web server into storing a web cache by giving a non-existent URL with a non-existent file type like CSS, JPG, or PNG.
A list of default cache file extensions is given here.
This non-existent URL is spread to victims via private or public chat forums where victims tend to click.
Later, this URL is visited by the attacker, which reveals several sensitive pieces of information.
This kind of Web Cache deception attack was discovered by a security researcher posted by him on Twitter.
As per the tweet by Nagli, the below steps can be used to replicate the issue.
The attacker logs in to ChatGPT and visits the URL:
The attacker changes the URL to Victim.css and sends the URL to the User.
The user visits the URL (The user is also logged into ChatGPT). The server saves User’s sensitive information on this URL as a cache on the server.
The attacker visits the URL: https://chat.openai.com/api/auth/session/vicitm.css, which shows sensitive information of the User like Name, email, access tokens, etc.,
An attacker can now use this information to log in to ChatGPT like the user and can do any malicious activities.
HTTP response of ChatGPT’s api/auth/session captured via Burp Suite
Cache Status of ChatGPT server
Sending a non-existent URL with a filename extension as (victim.css)
After the victim clicks it, the Attacker visits the URL showing highly confidential information that can be used for Account TakeOver. (ATO)
However, OpenAI has rectified this issue within a few hours of being reported.
The team at @OpenAI just fixed a critical account takeover vulnerability I reported few hours ago affecting #ChatGPT.
It was possible to takeover someone’s account, view their chat history, and access their billing information without them ever realizing it.
We take a look at a fake check scam which plugs into the art world.
We’re seeing a number of complaints on Reddit and elsewhere regarding a scam which flares up every so often. It’s called the “Muse scam”, and targets users of Instagram.
Let’s hear from one of the Reddit posters impacted:
An artist approached me on Instagram asking if they could use one of my photos for their up and coming project at a legitimate art museum. The profile looked good too. Actual photos of the person messaging me and photos of their work in a well laid out time line as well. I told them they could use my photo but they had insisted I needed to be paid in order to show the museum the proof of my consent. And that my payments were through the museum as well. I was a bit uncomfortable but they assured me everything was safe and even showed me screenshots of other people doing this as well. I thought “what could go wrong?”
What could go wrong, indeed.
Then a third party started messaging me after I had given the artist my phone number and full name. The messages were coming from an email. They quickly pressured me into doing a mobile check deposit and that everything was legit. It all happened so fast. I didn’t even have time to fully think it through but I guess that is exactly what they want. I did the deposit.
“Luckily” for this person, the payment amount in this example ($100 for art supplies) is not typical for this scam, and significantly lower than usual. The most common approach involves the scammer sending you a check, often in the region of $2,500. This is supposed to be your “payment”. From this, you’re supposed to take something in the region of $500 and forward this money on to the artist for the cost of materials. From another recent Reddit example:
Someone said that they’ll want some muse for an art thing, and so she send me a check of $2500 to pay me $500 with the remaining $2000 sent to her. Is this a scam?
It is indeed. At this point, if you pay up then you’re $500 down from your own money. You also have a check pending against your account. After a few weeks, with the scammer long gone, the check will eventually bounce and you’ll absorb the cost of the remaining check money from your own finances.
Some of the scammers also include attachments with their messages. Some recipients were convinced they’d received some sort of malware and have, in extreme cases, formatted their device just to be on the safe side.
She sent me an email with an image of a cheque, I stupidly opened the image and 5 seconds later my email closed the image and sent it to my junk folder. I checked windows virus protection and it said threat detected, I tried resolving the treat but the button wasn’t doing anything, so I promptly shut down my computer and unplugged my router.
This scam is all a spin on the much older fake check scam, covered in detail by the FTC. Some of the variations include:
Personal assistant scam. Fraudsters make you think a personal assistant job is for the taking, then send you a check to buy gift cards for your “boss”. They get the card codes, you’re left with the remnant of a fake check.
Car wraps. Fraudsters offer to cover your car with ads, for a price. Sadly, that price is “You’ve been ripped off”.
Overpayments. If you sell items online, people will occasionally send you too much as if by accident. If they do this by check, beware: it may well be a scam.
Avoiding the fake muse scam
Beware of uncommon art practices. It’s tough out there for an artist. Nobody is going to randomly approach you with the promise of free money and work for the cost of materials alone.
Avoid checks. The moment someone offers to send you money by check and have you forward some of that cash somewhere else, it’s high alert time. If you see people warning about this type of attack online, they usually reference somewhere in the region of $2,000 to $2,500 as the scammer sweet spot. While the actual amount referenced could be anything, this does serve as a useful first glance indicator.
Fix the damage. Call whichever wire transfer company was used to send the money and lodge a complaint. You may be able to get the money back so it’s worth asking, although very unlikely. Do the same for money orders. Contact your bank and let them know what’s happened.
Malwarebytes 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.
Once upon a time, handheld game consoles were a rapidly expanding sector of the entertainment medium, and for some, the best way to play games. The way we play games these days has grown to include a multitude of platforms, but handhelds are still one of the favorites, and there’s more than a few excellent options out there.
Despite ours, and whatever your own personal preferences are, handheld game consoles provide some of the best experiences for their portability and their ability to be played basically anywhere. This makes them the optimal choice for travel, lounging on the couch, playing in bed or anywhere else you may choose to relax. They’re also great for when someone else wants to use the TV. No matter the reason, handhelds are great. And we’ve scoured the internet to round up some of the best options for handheld game consoles that you can currently get your hands on.
Keep in mind we won’t be including anything that is no longer having games made for it. We portable consoles like the PSP, PS Vita, and 3DS too. But developers are no longer making games for them. And we want this to be a list of consoles where you can still purchase games. New or old. So with that said, here’s our picks for the best handheld game consoles.
The obvious place to start here is the Nintendo Switch OLED. It’s definitely one of the best handheld game consoles. Though truly it will probably be the best handheld console for many for a few reasons, not the least of which is the value. It comes in at $349.99 and for that you get a game console that can be used not only in handheld mode but in desktop mode with the built-in kickstand, and in home console mode with the included TV dock.
It also plays physical games and it can play digital games if you buy them via the Nintendo eShop. So there’s lots of versatility here. And most of the games won’t require any sort of online connection at all. Which means it’s damn near the perfect companion for flights or any commuting where internet connections might drop out. If they’re available to begin with. Overall, it’s a solid buy and the OLED model is the best way to play Switch games these days. Thanks to the much nicer screen.
Raising the price a little bit can move you into a slightly larger, but more capable handheld device. The Steam Deck. While not technically a console per se, it can be though of as one since it fits into the same category as the Switch when it comes to playing games portably.
While the cost is $50 more than the Switch OLED (and that’s just the base model), the Steam Deck does more. It can play a huge library of Steam games. Which is vastly larger than what’s available on the Switch. But because it’s also a PC, you can install emulators onto it and play games that way. You can also install apps for PlayStation Remote Play, Xbox Game Pass, and more. And if you really want to you can install Windows on it and access games from other stores like Epic, Battle,net, EA, and more.
The big downside here is that if you want to keep the price a little more reasonable, you have to stick with the $399.99 model, which only has 64GB of storage. From there your options are to either buy a microSD card with a decent storage amount, or upgrade to the 256GB model which is $529, or the 512GB model which is $649. This isn’t exactly the least expensive portable to get into. But it’s far from the most expensive, and it sure is an awesome handheld.
While we don’t necessarily think the G Cloud is the right call for everyone, it’s still a great handheld. The main downside is that it’s meant mostly for cloud gaming. Which means you NEED an internet connection to play the games it was designed for, which are games on PC via apps like Steam Link, or services like GeForce NOW and Xbox Game Pass.
This makes it mostly a no-go for gaming on commutes or flights where you have no internet connection. And while you can use it for playing Android games, your phone is probably a better option there. However, putting all of that aside, this is a wonderful cloud gaming handheld.
It’s perfect for when you might want to kick back on the couch or in your favorite chair and stream games. It’s a bit more niche, but there are players who only tend to use their handhelds at home most of the time. And for that, this is a great device. Though it is a bit pricey for what it is. Still, if you only plan to use this where you have a reliable internet connection, it’s not a bad option at all. And at its current price of $299, it’s $100 less than the Razer Edge which does the same thing, even if the Edge does have the advantage of the better display.
On that note, we’re including the Razer Edge as an honorable mention because it’s also a great handheld if you want a really nice cloud gaming device that isn’t your phone.
More or less the same thing as the Nintendo Switch and Switch OLED, but with a few key changes. One is that is has no home console mode with the dock. Because it doesn’t come with a dock. In fact it doesn’t come with a built-in kickstand either. Or even have the ability to output video or audio to a TV. This is truly meant to be a handheld console and does not have the necessary hardware to output video to another display. It does however play all the same Switch games so you won’t be locked out of any titles by going with this model.
It’s smaller and more compact than a normal Switch or the Switch OLED, and that makes it perfect for travel and commutes. It’s also less money with a price tag of $199, and comes in a handful of fun colors.
If you want to scale things down even further, consider the Game & Watch – The Legend of Zelda handheld from Nintendo. It’s extremely pocketable making it easy to take with you just about anywhere. In fact it’s the most handheld of any handheld console on this list. That being said, it does only play a few games. These include the Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.
Now, these are still fun games. And if you love the Zelda classics, this is cool little handheld to keep with you. It can also serve as a clock if you want to use it for that purpose, and it’s only $50. It’s extremely limited in what it plays. But well worth it if you like to collect this kind of stuff or you want something inexpensive to play games in a handheld fashion.
The Miyoo Mini Plus is a handheld retro game machine inspired by the likes of the Game Boy from Nintendo. It features a very similar design but of course, comes with quite a few more capabilities. It’s biggest selling point is that it comes pre-loaded with thousands of games from across a number of different emulators including Famicom (NES), Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Super Famicom (SNES), Game Gear, NeoGeo, PS1 and many more.
On top of that it features an HD IPS display at 3.5-inches, and it supports things like key mapping and it’s fairly lightweight. It also has a 7-hour battery life on a single charge. So you can play for hours before needing to plug it in.
When it comes to handheld consoles, the SupaBoy from Hyperkin is one of our absolute favorites. If you grew up with a Super Nintendo or Super Famicom, then you know how awesome it would have been to play those games anywhere. This little handheld console lets you do just that. It has a 4.5-inch display and lets you play actual, official SNES carts on the go. If only this were available when we were kids.
In addition to its handheld capabilities, it supports audio/video out and comes with the cable to connect it to a TV, plus there are two controller ports on the front for plugging in original SNES controllers for playing games with a friend or family member.
It’s a pretty sweet little device if you love retro games and prefer to play your old carts. Should you have any of them around still.
Rounding out this list is the Ayaneo Air. This is much more like the Steam Deck in that it’s a handheld gaming PC. But we’re still including it because it is a handheld, and it plays games. It’s an incredibly powerful little handheld allowing you to play anything you can play on a Windows PC. As it runs Windows and has some powerful tech on the inside to run games with decent performance and decent graphics.
It is however a very pricey handheld. So if you want something that’s not only portable but also affordable, this unfortunately, isn’t it. But it is an excellent little gaming machine you can take with you anywhere. One that’s more compact than the Steam Deck and will play anything the Steam Deck can. If you’re willing to pay more for that capability.
According to a new rumor, the vanilla iPhone 15 models may feature frosted back glass. That goes for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, of course. This “feature” may trickle down from the ‘Pro’ models.
The iPhone 15 & iPhone 15 Plus may get frosted back glass, just like the ‘Pro’ models
This information comes from the same source that accurately leaked that iPhone 14 models will arrive in a yellow color, reports MacRumors. The thing is, the Weibo post has been deleted since, so take that as you will.
The vast majority of people prefer frosted glass over the glossy finish, mostly due to fingerprints. It simply looks cleaner if you don’t have the tendency to wipe down your phone all the time.
If this ends up happening, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will look more similar to the ‘Pro’ models than ever before. Not only will they have frosted backplates, but also the Dynamic Island cutout.
The thing is, the ‘Pro’ models will still have more cameras on the back, thinner bezels, and on top of everything, a titanium frame, if rumors are to be believed. So you’ll still be able to figure out which is which with ease.
New colors are also tipped
Now, in addition to the frosted backplate, we may also see some new colors, based on this report. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are said to arrive in a new cyan and green blend, that will allegedly resemble the Mint Green variant of the iPhone 12.
The iPhone 15 Pro models, as some of you already know, are said to launch in a new Dark Red variant. So, chances are we won’t see the Deep Purple color anymore, as that one was exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro models.
All iPhone 15 devices are expected to arrive in September, which is when Apple usually announces its smartphones. It’s also worth noting that all four phones will include Type-C ports this time around, which is a first for iPhones. The Lightning port is becoming a thing of the past.
Researchers at ESET found that hardware on resale in the market consisted of highly confidential information such as IPsec or VPN credentials, hashed root passwords, and much more.
Second-Hand sales of computing equipment have been in place ever since the introduction of computers and their hardware parts.
Every company relies on its managed service providers or e-waste contractors for the decommissioning procedures.
Unfortunately, this equipment, like corporate routers or any other network managing devices, did not have great decommissioning and wiping procedures, which led to the disclosure of confidential information.
Researchers also mentioned that this highly classified corporate information equipment was resale for just $100 – $150.
Threat actors who plan to attack the infrastructure can get this information for just $100, which they can use for planning an attack.
Another overwhelming fact is that this equipment was sometimes owned by organizations that include cloud computing businesses or data centers, who must be aware of how to wipe this information during decommissioning of the equipment.
According to the report, the information that was revealed during the analysis included,
Customer data – 22%
Data of Third-party connections to the network – 33%
Credentials for connecting to other networks as a trusted party – 44
Connection details for specific applications – 89%
Router-to-router authentication keys – 89%
IPsec or VPN credentials, or hashed root passwords – 100%
Data to identify the former owner/operator – 100%
The report also mentioned that it was hard for the researchers to contact the companies whose data had been exposed in the analysis.
Most of this data exposure is due to human error, which could lead to a potential data breach.
“Equally concerning was the difficulty the team experienced during the disclosure process when attempting to contact the companies concerned, to disclose that our researchers were in possession of a device with the company’s sensitive network configuration data.” reads the report published by ESET.
ESET used 18 routers for testing and analytic purposes. The list of routers used for analysis by ESET researchers is given below
In these routers, accessible were several network configuration data were extracted by the ESET research team. The data is given in proportion to the data extracted.
Network Configuration Data
Number
Percentage
Complete Configuration Data available
9
56.25
Wiped Properly
5
31.25
Hardened
2
12.5
Dead (no recoverable data
1
N/A
Second Device in Mirror pair
1
N/A
Source: ESET
Companies that were identified during the analysis and details of their type of business and revenue are listed below.
Vertical
Reach
Employees
Revenue (US$, M)
Light Manufacturing/supplier
Direct data services, as well as managed MSP services for the region
5-50
5-25
Legal
Nationwide (US) law firm
50-100
5-25
Creative
Products/subassemblies integrated into larger companies’ products
This was CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) for a transportation company
10000+
1000+
Every organization needs to decommission any computing equipment and have a clean wiping procedure before making the computing equipment available to the resale market.
We take a look at a malware collective pushing a set of Domino malware files.
There’s a new ransomware gang in town, stitched together from members of well known threat creators to push a new kind of malware focused on punishing unwary organisations. The malware family, called “Domino”, is the brainchild of FIN7 and ex-Conti ransomware members.
Domino has been seen in attacks since at least February 2023 according to researchers at IBM Security Intelligence. Domino is being used to further the spread of backdoors like Cobalt Strike and information stealers such as Project nemesis.
This specific group has previously been seen making use of a malware loader called “Dave Loader”, serving up a variety of well known files like IcedID (a modular banking trojan) and the infamous Emotet. The latter, another banking trojan which branched out into delivering additional malware files, was most recently seen in an IRS themed spam campaign. As the IBM researchers note, both of these are often used as a starting point for ransomware attacks.
Recently, the Dave Loader attacks have been observed including what has now come to be known as Domino files, and the Domino Backdoor in particular. Along with gathering “basic system information”, it receives an encrypted payload once the initial system data has been sent to the command and control center.
The file placed on the target PC was found to be similar enough to the original Domino Backdoor that it’s been named the Domino Loader. This Loader drops a payload called Nemesis Project, a .NET infostealer.
This “project” stealer has been around for a couple of years now, and tries to grab data from numerous browsers and applications including gaming platforms, VPNs, and cryptocurrency wallets. The researchers note that the stealer in question was originally advertised on forums with a sale price of $1,300 and in terms of data theft, the author of the file has this to say:
Collection of data from Chromium browsers (passwords, cookies, bookmarks, history)
Collection of data from Gecko browsers (cookies, passwords, history)
Grabbing links from the desktop
Collection of system information in HTML format
Telegram sessions
Collection of Discord tokens
It can also be set to block startup inside of a virtual machine (often used to test malware files), lock the startup if found to be running in a CIS country, and self-delete after sending the stolen data. Alongside all of this, Nemesis comes with a control panel, operated online, where the data can be accessed. All in all, it’s not something you’d want lurking on your network.
Bleeping Computer highlights that many ransomware groups and malware authors often work together, as it’s frequently an easier way to get a head start on compromising a network. The constant mashing up of files and intrusion tactics makes it harder for organisations to get to grips with the latest wave of attacks and also keeps security researchers on their toes. This current campaign is, sadly, no different.
Malwarebytes 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.
Twitter announced it would label and limit the visibility of tweets that violate the platform’s Hateful Conduct policy, Engadget reports.
Since Elon Musk’s takeover, Twitter has been in a dilemma about whether it should allow every form of content or remove the materials considered hateful. After months of trying different methods, the platform is now adding a label to tweets violating hateful speech policies.
The restricted tweets aren’t removed from the platform, but their visibility is limited. Users also have the chance to learn why the tweet is limited by tapping on “Learn More” and reading the company’s policies.
Additionally, if a tweet is restricted by mistake, users can appeal. They would have to wait for a revision by Twitter though, which might take some time. Twitter clearly states that sending feedback doesn’t guarantee a response or tweet restoration.
We’re adding more transparency to the enforcement actions we take on Tweets. As a first step, soon you’ll start to see labels on some Tweets identified as potentially violating our rules around Hateful Conduct letting you know that we’ve limited their visibility. 🧵…
Hateful tweets on Twitter now get a label with limited visibility
According to the company’s announcement, the tweets with these labels will be less discoverable on the platform, and no ads will be placed adjacent to them. Also, Twitter believes these labels can bring a “new level of transparency to enforcement actions.”
Imposing labels on so-called hateful content allows Twitter to keep its freedom of speech promises while preventing hateful materials from spreading across the app. The labels could also shed more light on Twitter’s content moderation policies. Letting users know why their content is restricted.
The Advocacy groups, however, objected to the decision, arguing that the offenders could remain on the platform. Of course, Twitter already said users could be banned if identified as “bad actors.” The new policy could also affect advertisers’ decisions to run ads on the platform.
Twitter was recently renamed X Corp to be a part of Elon Musk X-branded companies like SpaceX and X.AI. Yet, the billionaire’s plans for the platform remain to be seen. But Musk has recently ventilated the idea of an “everything app” called “X,” which might affect Twitter’s future.
Of all the alternatives to ChatGPT, Google Bard and Bing AI are some of the most powerful chatbots out there. Having tested both of them, I can say that they walk the line between impressive and downright scary in their capabilities. They seem like proper stand-ins for ChatGPT… except they’re not. [Disclaimer: We know that Bing AI is based on ChatGPT. However, Microsoft made considerable alterations to it. It’s basically a different chatbot entirely. You can learn more if you click here.]
On the surface, that wouldn’t really seem like the case. All three of them can perform some insane AI wizardry that makes us fear Skynet. If you’re looking for simple encyclopedia information, tips/advice, or bits of code, any one of them will suit you just fine. They’re basically indistinguishable from one another in that respect.
Once you start digging beneath the surface, you begin to see certain differences between, not only the capabilities, but the underlying mentalities between ChatGPT and the other two chatbots. These differences are such that you won’t find yourself deleting ChatGPT from your bookmarks in lieu of the others.
Why Bard and Bing AI aren’t proper ChatGPT alternatives
So, regardless of what chatbot you use, you’ll have a ton of power at your fingertips. As stated before, you can type in a query to get pretty much anything. Google Bard and Bing AI excel at digging up information from the web- obviously, they’re tied to massive search engines.
You can also generate short stories, bits of code, scripts, and so on. So, what’s the big deal? Well, it has a lot to do with the core mentality behind these chatbots. OpenAI crafted ChatGPT for the purpose of pushing AI forward. It’s a ship charting the open seas.
With that comes the incentive to make ChatGPT the best and most-featured chatbot on the face of the planet. I could get a sense of that while testing it out. This goes beyond serving up information. It’s able to generate a wide range of content, and it’s meant to do so in a conversational manner.
Google Bard and Bing AI are soldiers at birth
So, that’s what ChatGPT is, but what is Bing AI? It’s Microsoft’s attempt to battle Google in the search engine market. What is Bard? It’s Google’s attempt to keep Google Search from going under. The mentality behind these two chatbots is more competitive and urgent.
Microsoft jumped on ChatGPT to push Bing to new heights, not artificial intelligence. As for Google, the company brought Bard to the public as a response to ChatGPT. Both Bard and Bing AI are soldiers at birth to battle some assault on their respective companies. That’s very different from ChatGPT.
This is evident in how these chatbots present their responses. Bard and Bing AI primarily exist to serve you search results, pull facts, and keep you on the search engines.
At this point, Bing AI is the biggest example of this. When you type in certain responses, it will actually perform a Bing search to deliver results. There were times in my testing when it would pull up search results that I could click on. For example, I asked it for advice on how to swaddle a baby, and it gave me search results for baby blankets. That sling-shots you over to using the Bing search engine.
Right now, Google Bard isn’t heavily tied to Google search, but there is a Google It button at the end of each of the responses. At the time of this writing, Bard is still in the testing stage, so it still remains to be known how Google’s going to further advance it.
Falling short
So, Bard and Bing AI are champions when it comes to pulling information from the ether, but that’s not the only reason why AI chatbots are such a hot topic. It’s about what they can produce. While morally shaky, people can produce all sorts of content with these three chatbots.
While you can generate written content with Bard and Bing AI, ChatGPT beats them by a long shot. I asked Bard to write a review of the Pixel 7 Pro, and it gave me a rundown of the specs with a little bit of filler text.
ChatGPT, however, attempted to make it an actual review with a proper introduction, conclusion, and opinions. Also, it also added some humanizing text like “The Pixel 7 Pro’s camera is where the device truly shines” and “the Google Pixel 7 Pro is an excellent device that checks all the boxes for a flagship smartphone.” Bing AI didn’t even write a review.
This is the main theme that pervades most of the other tests that I performed. I asked all three chatbots to write a script about a couple who goes through a tornado warning. ChatGPT’s was the longest and it had the most developed lines. It’s also the only chatbot that could actually write a eulogy.
I even sparked up a casual conversation with all three, and ChatGPT is the one that stayed on topic the best. If I type something like “I had a great day today”, ChatGPT would ask why it was great. BingAI and Bard would say something along the lines of “That’s great to hear… ok next topic.”
Basically, all of these chatbots use artificial intelligence, but ChatGPT’s is more, well, intelligent.
Each chatbot has its purpose
So, Google Bard and Bing AI are two powerful chatbots with a lot to offer, but their purposes were written even before the first bits of code were being put together. They’re meant to help their companies fight for dominance in the tech industry and not much more. Thus, they’re heavily optimized to be search engine counterparts, not digital Swiss army knives.
As time passes, Google Bard and Bing AI will, indeed, become more advanced, but the core mentality driving the and them developers will always be market dominance. Because of this, they just aren’t proper replacements for ChatGPT.
If you’re on the beach sipping piña coladas, the last thing you probably want to do is rush to your desktop and address a critical security issue.
And yet, this is the reality for many IT security professionals today. Regardless of the time or current location, security pros are expected to drop everything at a moment’s notice and swoop in to save the day.
But being tethered to a desktop workstation can blur the boundaries between work and personal life. This inflexibility not only leads to additional stress and pressure on IT professionals, but also can delay response times as they scramble back to their workstation to put out fires. Even just taking a break is hard without the fear of leaving the system unattended.
Enter the Malwarebytes Admin app.
Designed as a companion to the Nebula console, the mobile app now allows administrators to manage alerts and perform essential tasks right from their iOS devices. No more being tied to a computer–you can now handle incidents and execute administrative functions wherever you are.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy an interrupted piña colada as we will delve into the key features of the Malwarebytes Admin App.
Getting started: Setting up the Malwarebytes Admin app
Download the Malwarebytes Admin app from the App Store. It is available for free for all Nebula users.
Log in with your Nebula console credentials. The app is accessible to users with admin or read-only privileges on the Nebula console.
NOTE: Malwarebytes Admin is an enterprise solution intended for IT admins. Malwarebytes Admin will not operate on your device without the required license for Nebula.
Navigating the app: Dashboard and features
Once logged in, the first screen you will see is the Dashboard.
Here, you can quickly assess the protection status of all endpoints, view detections by type, and view your license usage.
Managing endpoints: Endpoint list and actions
The Endpoint List displays all the endpoints you are managing.
The badges let you know which endpoints need immediate attention. The list can be filtered by status, OS, OS version, group, or policy, and you can search for specific endpoint names.
Selecting the “Actions” button lets you take various actions on the chosen endpoints, such as scanning, isolating, updating agents, checking for updates, and remediating endpoints.
Viewing endpoint information
Tapping on a specific endpoint allows you to view its general information, such as host, location, operating system, and network interfaces.
Adding users
With the Malwarebytes Admin app, you can add new users to the console by sending email invitations. You can assign roles (Super Admin, Admin, Read-only), add users to existing groups, delete users, resend invites, and edit user roles or group membership.
Future developments
While the Malwarebytes Admin app currently offers a wide range of features, there are some functionalities reserved for future updates. For example, while the app is only available for iOS right now, an Android app will be coming out soon. Additional features include detailed information on detections, push notifications on alerts, and more.
A game changer for IT security professionals
There’s no question that having to be attached to a desktop when managing threats and challenges faced by IT security professionals can exacerbate the stress they experience daily. That’s why we released the Malwarebytes Admin app, a game-changer for endpoint security management.
No more having to make a beeline out of the bathtub to resolve critical alerts. Receive instant notifications on your phone and quickly review, investigate, and resolve issues in just a few taps.
Download the app today and experience the convenience of having the power of Nebula right in your pocket!
Selecting the “Actions” button lets you take various actions on the chosen endpoints, such as scanning, isolating, updating agents, checking for updates, and remediating endpoints.
Tapping on a specific endpoint allows you to view its general information, such as host, location, operating system, and network interfaces.