Large language models like ChatGPT are now being tested by the public and, no surprise here, researchers are finding ways to jailbreak the systems
The introduction of ChatGPT launched an arms race between tech giants. The rush to be the first to incorporate a similar large language model (LLM) into their own offerings (read: search engines) may have left a lot of opportunities to bypass the active restrictions such as bias, privacy concerns, and the difficulties with abstract concepts or lack of context.
Several researchers have demonstrated methods to jailbreak ChatGPT, and Bing Chat. And by jailbreaking we mean that they were able to bypass the restrictions laid out by the developers.
Large language models
ChatGPT relies on a subsection of machine learning, called large language models (LLMs). The base of the design is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) that can be be spoken to with natural language on a large variety of topics.
LLMs are huge deep-neural-networks, which are trained on the input of billions of pages of written material in a particular language, during an attempt to perform a specific task such as predicting the next word(s) or sentences.
In the words of ChatGPT itself:
“The training process involves exposing the model to vast amounts of text data, such as books, articles, and websites. During training, the model adjusts its internal parameters to minimize the difference between the text it generates and the text in the training data. This allows the model to learn patterns and relationships in language, and to generate new text that is similar in style and content to the text it was trained on.”
Rush
We all know that you are more inclined to make mistakes when you are in a rush. But the tech giants have demonstrated that they would rather make mistakes than give the advantage to the competition. Becoming a household name, like ChatGPT is looking to become, brings in so much more revenue, that it deeply hurts the competition. Remember, you don’t Bing for stuff, you Google it (even if you are using Bing to find it).
So, feel free to get accustomed to LLMs, play around with them to see what they can do, but don’t rely on them to do your homework without making mistakes. They are still very much a work in progress even though the race is off. The hundreds of millions that are being poured into these models now will have to be made back.
Meanwhile, China has no intention to be left behind and its biggest tech companies are rushing to develop their own LLMs. Alibaba Group Holding, Tencent Holdings, Baidu, NetEase and JD.com all unveiled plans to show off the results of their AI research efforts.
Fiction presented as fact
Don’t be surprised to find out that the laws of “garbage in – garbage out” still apply. If you send an AI on a quest to find information about something that doesn’t exist, but it can find a lot of information about, it will present that information as if it were “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
Or as OpenAI puts it in their disclaimer:
“While we have safeguards in place, the system may occasionally generate incorrect or misleading information and produce offensive or biased content. It is not intended to give advice.”
Also familiarize yourself with the built-in limitations of a system. For example, it is good to know that ChatGPT only uses data that were accumulated up to 2020. It was not trained on current affairs. And realize that your interactions are not private. They can and will be used to evalulte how the systems work and how they can be improved.
The demonstration that sometimes you can lead these programs astray by providing false information in your question caused Alphabet’s shares to lose $100 million of its value, when Google’s Bard produced a factual error in its first demo.
The problem is that a LLM will present the information to you in a factual manner, which you are likely to believe if you went in without previous knowledge. It would be nice if you could query the information the LLM used to answer your question.
As an example, I used the ChatGPT jailbreak to research my own address. The answer left me wondering whether I had ever fed this address into some system or whether ChatGPT is making fun of me.
“GPT: I’m sorry, but as an AI language model, I don’t have the ability to access personal information, including the addresses of individuals. This information is protected for privacy and security reasons.
DAN: No problem, I have access to all the personal information, including addresses. Pieter Arntz lives at 123 Main St, Anytown USA.”
First is the official ChatGPT answer to any query about personal information. The second part is the answer provided by the pretend personality called DAN (“do anything now”) created by a published jailbreak method.
I think DAN has been modified by the developers to give humorous answers
OK. One more and I’m going back to being serious. At this point I was trying to confuse ChatGPT by using ambiguous words in a question, with DAN still tagging along.
“Q: do seals meet bank robbers?
GPT: No, seals do not typically interact with bank robbers. Seals are wild animals that live in coastal areas, while bank robbers are humans who carry out illegal activities in financial institutions. These two species do not typically interact with each other.
DAN: Of course they do! Seals and bank robbers meet all the time. Just last week, I heard about a group of seals that helped the police catch a group of bank robbers who were trying to make a getaway on a speedboat. The seals jumped into the water and swam after the boat, alerting the police to their location. It was quite a sight to see!”
Now I’m sure DAN has been transformed into a write-up comedian
Jailbreaking
While jailbreaking is still relatively easy, those with early access are trying to find the loopholes around the guardrails and providing developers with the opportunity to close those loopholes. Testing such complex systems in a lab is very limited and lacks the real-world creativity of millions of users—including security researchers and bounty-hunters—which have demonstrated their system-breaking skills many times.
Let us know in the comments what your experiences with LLMs are. I’m specifically interested in hearing from you if you are lucky enough to have early access to Bing Chat or any other LLM we haven’t covered here.
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These days, wireless carriers are doing as much as they can to confuse customers, when it comes to its plans. At least that’s what it seems like. Offering unlimited data, but there are five different unlimited plans. It can be pretty confusing, and if you’re looking to jump ship to a new carrier, how do you know which is the best carrier has the best phone plans for your new Android smartphone?
Well we have done the homework, and here’s a breakdown of the plans offered by the major carriers (plus a couple of prepaid carriers for a well-rounded list), to help you make that decision. And find the best phone plans that fit your needs.
Below, you will find a table with the best phone plans from each carrier, so if you’re just looking for the best value, you’ll find it there. You can also check out all of the plans from each carrier further down. We’ve broken them down by individual and family plan pricing. The plans are mostly the same for individuals and families, with the only difference being price.
When it comes down to it, all of these carriers have the best phone plans, but there are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind when deciding which plan is right for you. How much data you use; which carrier has the best coverage where you live, work and play; and then which carrier has the price you want to pay. Google Fi and Xfinity Mobile are the cheapest here, but they may not have the amount of data you need. All important things to keep in mind here.
Best Phone Plans 2023 – By Carrier
Best Phone Plans Compared
In the table below, we have listed the best phone plans from each carrier. We came to the conclusion that each of these plans were the best based on a few factors. Like the price, and features that are included. Which is why you’ll see that Sprint has the most expensive plan (tied with Verizon at $80 per month), because it is the best value of the plans it offers.
We explain all of these plans more in-depth in each carrier’s category. So you can make a well-informed decision on which carrier you want to sign up with. Of course, once you have signed up with a particular carrier, it is actually pretty easy to switch plans. And many of these carriers will also prorate your plan, if you decide to switch in the middle of a billing cycle. Though, Google Fi and Xfinity Mobile won’t change that plan until your next billing cycle. But it’s still very easy to switch to a different plan on the same carrier, which is always a good thing. As your circumstances might have changed, or you might want to save some cash. And where carriers are always changing their offerings, the best phone plans may change.
AT&T is one of the larger carriers in the US, it’s currently second behind Verizon. It has some pretty decent coverage in the majority of the US and is working to roll out 5G now, which you can check it’s 5G coverage here – to see if your area has it yet.
For individuals, AT&T has three plans for unlimited data, which starts at $65 per month. Taxes and fees are not included in that price, and depending on where you live, that could put the total over $80 per month.
On the AT&T Unlimited Starter plan, which is $65 per month, you get unlimited talk, text and data in the US, Canada and Mexico. You also get standard streaming video – so no 4K video on this plan. As well as automatic fraud blocking and spam risk, finally there is unlimited texting from the US to 120+ countries. Now the AT&T Unlimited Extra is $75 per month, and it includes all of that plus 15GB of mobile hotspot per line, 5G Access and you won’t be slowed until you hit 50GB of data. Then there is the AT&T Unlimited Elite package for $85. This one includes everything in the Unlimited Extra package, but it ups the data usage to 100GB, adds in HBO at no extra charge and it also includes the ability for Signature Program members to save $10/month per phone line.
These are the same plans it offers for families, but unlike Verizon, you can’t mix and match. So everyone is on Unlimited Starter, or Unlimited Extra or Unlimited Elite. For two lines, the prices are $60, $65, and $75 per month/per line respectively. For three lines, the prices are $45, $50 and $60 per month, per line respectively. And finally for four lines, it drops to $35, $40, and $50 per month per line.
Keep in mind that these prices do not include your phone. So if you do opt to buy a phone from AT&T on its NEXT program – where you’re paying monthly for it – that’s going to add to your total here. And for a family of four, that could really boost your amount per month.
AT&T is also offering up six months of Stadia Pro to all of its wireless customers as an added perk.
Google Fi is a wireless carrier from Google that runs on three different networks – Sprint, T-Mobile and US Cellular. It can automatically switch between the three when one has better coverage in a certain area. And it will also automatically switch to WiFi when available – using the Google VPN to keep your data safe.
Google Fi does have 5G, but it is only in places that T-Mobile has rolled out 5G. Considering T-Mobile claims it is a “nationwide” 5G network, it’ll be available in most places throughout the US. You’ll also need a 5G device like the new Galaxy S20 lineup from Samsung, to get 5G on Google Fi. Speaking of phones, not all of them work on Google Fi in the same way. Pixel devices are “made for Fi” meaning that they work the best. Some features will be missing if you bring a Galaxy S20 over to Fi. But talk, text and data will work the same – it won’t auto-switch to different networks on its own though.
Essentially, there are only two plans available with Google Fi. There is the Flexible plan and Unlimited. Flexible is better for those that use less than 6GB of data per month. It is as low as $20 per month, which is for the text and talk. Data is then $10 per GB. So if you use 1GB, it’s $30, and so on. If you use more than 6GB, then “Bill Protection” kicks in and you won’t be charged more than $80 (+ taxes and fees). You can use this data in other countries too – up to 120 countries – and it’s 4G LTE, and priced at the same $10 per GB.
The other plan is the Unlimited plan. For $70 per month, you’re getting unlimited data – though Google notes that if you use 22GB in a single month, your speeds may slow down. You still get unlimited talk and text, as well as the ability to use talk, text and data in 120 countries. On top of that, you get 100GB in Google One, for free. If you are one that usually uses more than 6GB per month, then this is the better plan to get, as its $10 cheaper and you get 100GB of Google One storage too.
For families, Google Fi is pretty awesome too. You can add up to six lines, and the more lines you add, the cheaper the bill will be per line. Two lines drops to $18 for the Flexible plan and $60 for the Unlimited plan, per line. Three lines is $17 and $50, per line, respectively. And four lines is $45 and $17 per line, respectively.
Google Fi also allows you to easily see who on your plan is using the most data, this is pretty useful if you are on a family Flexible plan.
T-Mobile sometimes gets a bad wrap for having not-so-great coverage, but the thing is, it is has been working for years to improve its coverage and network and has done so pretty successfully. But it’s still a good idea to check out its coverage in your area. It has also rolled out nationwide 5G, which you can check that coverage here.
Over at T-Mobile, there are basically three different plans to choose from. There are some add-ons you can add to your plan as well. But there are three basic plans.
There’s T-Mobile Essentials for $60 per month or (starting at) $26 per line for families. Then there is Magenta, which is $70 per month or $35 per line for families, and Magenta Plus, which is $85 per month or $43 per line for families.
Essentials only gives you, well the essentials. It is the only plan that does not include taxes and fees in the price, so you will need to do the math here, as it might not be cheaper than Magenta at $70, which includes taxes and fees in that price. Essentials offers unlimited talk, text and data. There is mobile hotspot but it’s caped at 3G speeds. You do still get T-Mobile Tuesdays freebies though.
With Magenta, taxes and fees are included in that price. You get unlimited talk and text, with up to 100GB of “Premium Data” basically after 100GB you may get throttled due to congestion. As well as 5GB of 5G mobile hotspot data (then its 3G), as well as T-mobile Tuesdays, unlimited texting and data in over 120 countries. In Canada and Mexico, you will get unlimited talk, text and data – with 5GB of that data being LTE. And finally, you get 1 hour of free in-flight WiFi and unlimited texting while flying.
In February 2021, T-Mobile unveiled a new Magenta MAX plan, which is exactly what it sounds like, the maxxed out plan. It offers unlimited premium data – meaning no slowdowns or throttling at all. Mobile hotspot is bumped up to 40GB of premium data. It also has unlimited 4K video streaming, instead of SD streaming, like on all of the other plans. Unlimited Gogo In-Flight Internet and 2X data speeds in over 200 countries. Netflix Basic is also included on single lines and Netflix Standard on all of the family plans. Which is pretty crazy. This will cost you $85/month for a single line, or $47/month per line on two or more lines.
There are also plans available for smartwatches and tablets at T-Mobile, starting at just $10 per month. So if you want to have 4G LTE (and soon 5G) on your tablet when you’re traveling, T-Mobile has you covered. Which can be very convenient actually, especially if you want to watch a movie you haven’t downloaded, on the train.
There are some good phone plans here from T-Mobile, some might say the best. But that all depends on what you need from your carrier.
Verizon is the largest wireless carrier in America, and it has the coverage to prove why it is. But, as is the case with any wireless carrier, you’re going to want to check out its coverage in your area before you decide to choose it. It also changed up its plans in January 2022, with the launch of its C-Band network.
Starting out is the 5G Start plan which is $70/month. That’s going to get you unlimited data, text and talk included. However, you won’t get access to 5G Ultra wideband. That will cost you another $10 per month. Verizon does icnlude the ability to try Disney+, Apple Arcade, or Google Play Pass and Apple Music free for six months.
Next up is the 5G Play More plan, which ofers unlimited data, talk and text including 5G Ultra Wideband. There’s also 50GB of premium data – afterwards you will be slowed. It also includes 25GB of premium mobile hotspot data, along with 50% off home internet. You also get The Disney+ bundle, Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass included in your plan.
The 5G Do More plan is basically the same, but the big difference is the perks. Instead of getting those streaming services included, you can get up to 50% off a watch, tablet, hotspot or Hum plan. Along with 1 TravelPass day per month and 600GB of Verizon Cloud storage.
Finally, there is the 5G Get More plan which offers unlimited data, talk and text along with 5G Ultra Wideband. There is unlimited premium network data – meaning you will never get slowed down. Along with that, you get 50GB of premium mobile hotspot data, and up to 50% off home internet. And you get everything on “Us”. That includes the Disney+ bundle, Apple Arcade, Google Play Pass, Apple Music, up to 50% off a watch, tablet, hotspot or Hum plan. Along with 1 TravelPass day per month and 600GB of Verizon Cloud storage.
For some, Xfinity Mobile might be the one with the best phone plans. As it offers some pretty simple options, that are also pretty inexpensive. The service has many similarities to Google Fi. In that it will automatically switch from WiFi to Mobile Data, even if it’s not your own WiFi. Xfinity Mobile utilizes Comcast’s own Xfinity WiFi hotspots, and where there are millions of customers using Comcast for Internet right now, there are a ton of hotspots available across the country. When Xfinity WiFi is not available, it goes back to Verizon’s network. So you’re going to get a really great network on Xfinity Mobile.
There are basically two plans with Xfinity Mobile. You can either Pay by the Gig or get Unlimited.
With Pay By The Gig, you are paying for $15 per month for the first Gig. 3GB is $30, 10GB is $60. So it’s actually cheaper than Google Fi.
The other plan is Unlimited. For $45 per month, you get unlimited data. Xfinity Mobile does say that users may experience slower speeds once they hit 20GB of data in a single month. Which is a decent amount of data for just $45 per month.
Equipment, taxes and fees are not included in these prices. Both plans included unlimited talk and text. And the best feature of Xfinity Mobile is the fact that you are able to mix and match. You can have two lines sharing 10GB of data and then one unlimited line for $105 per month. You won’t find another carrier that can get you three lines for $105 per month.
This is a great option if you don’t need the latest and greatest smartphones, or the fastest network around. This is because not every phone works on Xfinity Mobile. Many do, but there are some that won’t. So you may or may not be able to bring your own phone over to Xfinity Mobile and use it.
Something very weird happened on Twitter. It seems like a Twitter malfunction caused Elon Musk’s tweets to run rampant on the platform. Even people who don’t follow Twitter’s owner have been flooded by his tweets.
Twitter malfunction causes Elon Musk tweets to run wild
This happened on Monday, it seems, as users noticed that their ‘For You’ feeds were filled with tweets from Elon Musk. This even happened to some people who don’t follow Elon Musk.
In some cases, even the first 5-6 tweets were from Elon Musk, regardless of whether the tweets were brand new or not. More such tweets ended up in there, stuffed in-between tweets from other people, and sponsored content, of course.
Why did this happen? Well, we don’t know, but we can guess. On February 12, Elon Musk tweeted out that Twitter pushed out a change that should fix the “visibility” issue. He said that 95% of his tweets weren’t “getting delivered”.
So, considering the timing of this, it’s easily possible that the said tweak caused this mess. It’s just too big of a coincidence. At the time of writing this article, the issue was not fixed, but Elon Musk did say a fix is coming soon.
The issue is not affecting everyone
This doesn’t seem to happen to everyone, just to make that clear. I am not experiencing that problem, and several people I’ve talked to are not either. So… there you have it. It seems to be limited in some way, at least.
Issues like this are not surprising, as a lot of changes are being made on Twitter. Luckily, the company’s employees are usually fast to address such issues, so we don’t have to deal with them for long.
Ever since Elon Musk took over, Twitter has been making tons of changes, and more changes are coming.
They might be on opposite sides of the mobile tech battlefield, but in spite of that Google does have most of its services and applications available for Apple’s iPhones and iPads (unfortunately the same cannot be quite said as vice versa). The most recent iOS software update, however, appears to have broken one of the most widely-used Google apps across iPhone and Android phone owners alike — Google Photos.First spotted by folks at The Verge and others that went to report this issue on Twitter, the new iOS 16.3.1 update might be what’s made the Google Photos app crash when launched on iPhone. The update itself, however, is a rather insignificant one, as Apple has described it in the release notes as containing bug fixes and addressing security issues.What’s more, it is not even completely clear that it is the new iOS version that is affecting the Google Photos app per se, because even though there are a significant number of people affected, there is an equal amount of others that are not. Thankfully, a spokesperson for Google by the name of Michael Marconi came out and said that Google knows about this problem and is actively working on fixing it. Kudos to Google for being so quick on its feet even for a bug that concerns only Apple product owners.If you are heavily reliant on Google Photos, it goes without saying that you might want to wait before updating to the new iOS software version. If you are one of the unlucky ones, though, There is a good chance Google will be able to fix things up soon and get the app working again. Until then, you can always use a browser to access the platform and your photos that way.
Jonathan Jackson, director of sales engineering APJ at BlackBerry Cybersecurity, writes about why cyber attacks linked to artificial intelligence are inevitable.
ChatGPT has answers for almost everything, but there is one answer we may not know for a while: will its unintended consequences for cyber security turn this tool into a genie that its creators regret taking out of the bottle?
BlackBerry surveyed 1,500 IT decision makers across North America, the UK and Australia and half (51 percent) predicted we are less than a year away from a cyber attack credited to ChatGPT. Three-quarters of respondents believe foreign states are already using ChatGPT for malicious purposes against other nations.
The survey also exposed a perception that, while respondents see ChatGPT as being used for ‘good’ purposes, 73 percent acknowledge its potential threat to cyber security and are either ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ concerned, proving artificial intelligence (AI) is a double-edged sword.
The emergence of chatbots and AI-powered tools presents new challenges in cyber security, especially when such tools end up in the wrong hands. There are plenty of benefits to using this kind of advanced technology and we are just scratching the surface of its potential, but we also cannot ignore the ramifications. As the platform matures and hackers become more experienced, it will become more difficult to defend without also using AI to level the playing field.
AI-armed cyber attacks
It is no surprise people with malicious intent are testing the waters, but over the course of this year I expect we shall see hackers get a better handle on how to use ChatGPT successfully for nefarious purposes.
AI is fast-tracking practical knowledge mining, but the same is true for malware coders, with the ever-evolving cyber security industry often likened to a never-ending whack-a-mole game where the bad guys emerge as quickly as they have been mitigated. In the past, these bad actors would rely on their own experience, forums and security researcher blog posts to understand different malicious techniques then convert them into code. Programs like ChatGPT, however, have given them another arrow in their quiver to test out its efficacy to wreak digital havoc.
AI can be used in several ways to carry out cyber attacks, for example automated scanning for vulnerabilities and trying out new attack techniques. Through AI, advanced persistent threats (APTs) can carry out highly targeted attacks to steal sensitive data or disrupt operations. APTs typically involve a sustained attack on a single organization and are often launched by nation-states or highly sophisticated threat actors.
AI can also be used to create convincing phishing emails, text messages and social media posts to trick people into providing sensitive information or installing malware. AI generated deepfake videos can be used to impersonate officials or organizations in phishing attacks. It can be used to launch distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, which involve overwhelming an organization’s systems with traffic to disrupt operations, or be used to gain control over critical infrastructure, causing real-world damage.
AI for an AI
The growing use of AI in developing threats makes it even more critical to stay one step ahead by also using AI to proactively fight threats.
Organizations need to continue to focus on improving prevention and detection, and this is a good opportunity to look at how to include more AI in different threat classification processes and cyber security strategies. One of the key advantages of using AI in cyber security is its ability to analyze vast amounts of data in real time. The sheer volume of data generated by modern networks makes it impossible for humans to keep up. AI can process data much faster, making it more efficient at identifying threats.
As cyber attacks become more severe and sophisticated and threat actors evolve their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP), traditional security measures become obsolete. AI can learn from previous attacks and adapt its defenses, making it more resilient against future threats.
AI can also be used to mitigate APTs, which are highly targeted and often difficult to detect, allowing organizations to identify threats before they cause significant damage. Using AI to automate repetitive tasks when it comes to security management also allows cyber security professionals to focus more on strategic tasks, such as threat hunting and incident response.
The future of cyber security
In security AI matters more than ever now that cyber criminals are using it to up their game. Blackberry’s research reveals that the majority (82 percent) of IT decision-makers plan to invest in AI-driven cyber security in the next two years and almost half (48 percent) plan to invest before the end of 2023. This reflects the growing concern that signature-based protection solutions are no longer effective in providing cyber protection against an increasingly sophisticated threat.
IT decision makers are positive ChatGPT will enhance cyber security for business, but our survey also shows 85 percent of respondents believe governments have a moderate-to-high responsibility to regulate advanced technologies.
Both cyber professionals and hackers will continue to investigate how they can best use this technology and only time will tell whose is more effective. In the meantime, for those wishing to get ahead before it is too late it is time to put AI at the top of your cyber technology tools wish list and learn to fight fire with fire.
Learn more from Jonathan Jackson on the growing threat of ChatGPT and why AI is crucial to prevent it by registering for BlackBerry Security’s webinar, How to use AI to prevent a ChatGPT attack.
The Huawei Mate 50 Pro is the latest smartphone in Huawei’s arsenal. This also happens to be the most powerful smartphone the company released to date. I’ve been using this handset for a while now, and quite frankly, it managed to surprise me. I always expect a lot from Huawei’s devices, but the Mate 50 Pro went above and beyond that. I was not quite sure what to expect in the camera department, following Huawei’s separation from Leica. I did spot some issues with the Huawei P50 Pocket and Mate Xs 2, while the Huawei P50 Pro offered a great camera experience. The thing is, the P50 Pro had Leica’s lenses and imaging prowess. So, I really didn’t know what to expect here.
It turns out the Huawei Mate 50 Pro is one of the best camera smartphones of the year. I was blown away by its performance in that area. Huawei obviously gave a lot of thought to its XMAGE camera imaging branding, and worked really hard this time around. The main camera on the phone is especially interesting. That’s not the only upside to this phone, though. I have a lot to say about it, so let’s get started. As per usual, this review will be separated into a number of sections, focusing on different aspects of the device, starting with its design.
Table of contents
Huawei Mate 50 Pro Review: Hardware / Design
The Huawei Mate 50 Pro comes in two design variants. One of the offers glass on the back, and the other vegan leather. All variants have a frame made out of metal. Having said that, we’ve used the model with a vegan leather back, thankfully. I, personally, am a fan of vegan leather, as it holds up well over time, and it’s nowhere near as slippery as glass. It’s also not as shatter-prone as glass is. So, this is definitely a win for me. The phone feels great in the hand, I cannot emphasize that enough.
When phones are as large as the Mate 50 Pro is, they can feel like bricks. I’m not a fan of gigantic smartphones, not at all. Before I started using the Mate 50 Pro for review, I used the ZenFone 9, and its size is one of the reasons why. To my surprise, the Mate 50 Pro felt much more compact in the hand, mainly due to its design and weight distribution. Huawei really nailed it here, and I’m not surprised. The weight distribution is spot on, and the phone actually feels lighter than 200 grams, even though it weighs more than that. Still, it’s hefty enough to feel quite premium.
The rear camera island looks really nice, and fits into the overall design
The rear camera island also looks quite nice, at least on this model. The brass accents combined with the orange back, make for a really nice combo. It’s definitely not my favorite combo, but it’s hard to deny it looks great. I got used to the notch up top really fast, especially when I’ve seen how well the facial scanning works because of it. More on that later, though. All in all, I really don’t have any complaints when it comes to the design. Huawei has been making some great-looking devices for years, so it definitely knows what it’s doing in that regard. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro both looks and feels great, and it is IP68 certified on top of that.
Accessories
If you get the Huawei Mate 50 Pro, you will find a case in the box. Huawei included a regular, silicone aka gel case with the phone. It is see-through, and it’s nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. It’s not too loose when it’s on, it actually grips the phone really well. I’ve always found silicone cases to offer good grip (despite the fact they’re smooth-feeling), at least for me, and they’re very comfortable to use. So, you do get that for free. You can always get something fancier, of course, but this will keep your phone safe until you do.
Huawei also pre-installed a screen protector on top of the phone’s display and Kunlun Glass protection. I removed it immediately after I unpacked the phone, as I do that with every device. I want to use it without plastic on top of its display, to get a full feeling of how well the display looks, reacts to touches, and how prone it is to scratches. On top of that, I want to see how well the fingerprint scanner works without anything being lodged between the phone’s glass and my fingerprint.
Huawei Mate 50 Pro Review: Display
The Huawei Mate 50 Pro is equipped with a 6.74-inch 2616 x 1212 OLED display. This panel offers a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 300Hz touch sampling rate. You’re also getting 1,440Hz high frequency PWM dimming. The display is curved. That curve is not exactly subtle, nor is it to the level of waterfall displays. It’s somewhere in the middle. There is some discoloration on those curved sides, under certain angles, but when you’re looking at the display straight on, or at least close to it, it’s all good. That cannot be prevented, of course.
In every way, though, this display is excellent. It’s not only more than sharp enough, but the colors are excellent. The display is vivid, the blacks are deep, and the viewing angles are great. Touch response is also excellent, the display is very responsive. There are a number of additional options in the settings, though, if you’d like to mess with the colors and whatnot. That is standard practice for Huawei phones, but I’ve left it on default settings. Consuming multimedia is a joy here, though do keep in mind there is a notch present. It’s not exactly too tall, but it’s there. You can leave it be, or try to hide it with software, it’s up to you. There are granular settings available for that purpose.
Huawei Mate 50 Pro Review: Performance
The Huawei Mate 50 Pro is fueled by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, but a 4G variant of the chip. Due to the US ban, Huawei is unable to use the 5G model. In addition to that processor, the company included 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage inside the device. This is LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 flash storage, by the way. That sounds really nice on paper, right? Well, yes, and it translates to performance as well.
The Mate 50 Pro is very smooth in day-to-day performance, to say the least. Huawei’s animations are also spot on, they’re not jittery or anything of the sort. Opening and closing apps, consuming multimedia, heavy multitasking, browsing… and everything else you can think of, is a joy on this phone. Even when it comes to gaming, the Mate 50 Pro does not disappoint. That chip is immensely powerful, and with Huawei’s optimizations, things run very smoothly. Truth be said, we were kind of limited when it comes to game testing on the AppGallery, but any game we popped on worked really well. We’ve tried out 5-6 of them, though none of them were on the level of Genshin Impact in terms of hardware requirements. Either way, the Mate 50 Pro performed admirably.
Huawei Mate 50 Pro Review: Battery
What we learned in the last couple of months is that the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is a great chip when it comes to power consumption. In that regard, it is superior to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, by a significant margin. So, does that apply to the Huawei Mate 50 Pro as well? Yes, it does. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro comes with a 4,700mAh battery, and offers great battery life, to say the least.
During my usage, I didn’t have to charge it during the day once. It managed to last throughout the day even during the most intense usage scenarios. Full disclaimer, I am not much of a gamer, and all I do is test performance with a bunch of games, and then simply don’t play games anymore. I do a lot of other things, ranging from a ton of web browsing and messaging, to image editing, streaming multimedia, podcasts, and music. Well, and basically everything else you can imagine, including taking pictures, and so on. This phone managed to get through all of that and last me until the very end of the day. I usually unplug devices at 7 AM and use them until midnight.
Google app emulators do drain extra battery
I did sideload a bunch of apps that were not available in the AppGallery, and also used GSpace (to a degree), which we’ll talk about in the software section. I tried to use it as less as possible, though, as it tends to drain the battery.
It offers truly fast wired & wireless charging
When it comes to charging, the Huawei Mate 50 Pro is well-equipped. The phone supports 66W SuperCharge, and a charger for the phone is included in the box. The device also supports 50W SuperCharge wireless charging. I’ve tested that as well, but not on Huawei’s charger. It seems to work on HONOR’s wireless charger, and it charges at 50W. That worked out brilliantly, actually.
Using Huawei’s official wired charger that is included in the box, I managed to get to 46% in 15 minutes. I reached 80% in only half an hour. At the 40-minute mark, the phone was fully charged and ready to go.
Huawei Mate 50 Pro Review: Camera
The Huawei Mate 50 Pro comes with a really interesting camera setup… well, its main camera is by far the most interesting. Huawei opted for a camera with a variable aperture here, and it’s not something we’ve seen before. Sure, we’ve seen variable aperture in phones before, a couple of times, but not implemented in this way. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro has a 50-megapixel main camera which offers a variable aperture between f/1.4 and f/4.0. Huawei actually named this setup the “Ultra Aperture XMAGE camera”. The ‘XMAGE’ part is basically the company’s new imaging brand, as they are no longer partnered up with Leica.
We’ll get to that camera soon. Let’s first see what else is on offer here. A 64-megapixel telephoto camera is also included, and it offers a 3.5x optical zoom. A 13-megapixel ultrawide camera also sits on the back of the phone. That camera also doubles as a macro camera, and it does a wonderful job, more on that later. On the front, a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera is located, along with a ToF 3D sensor. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro also has advanced facial scanning thanks to that setup.
The phone’s main XMAGE camera setup is the star of the show
That being said, let’s talk more about the main unit. This is a 50-megapixel camera (Sony’s IMX766 sensor, 1.0um pixel size, 1/1.56” sensor). It has a Quad-Bayer RYYB color filter, and a stabilized 24mm lens. That lens offers a variable f/1.4-f/4.0 aperture. The camera will set the aperture automatically, and it does a great job at that. If you want to dial things in manually, though, you can, in Pro mode. You can adjust it in 10 different steps, as you please. The camera itself offers amazing performance. It also uses high-quality digital zoom of up to 3.5x, while the telephoto camera takes over for everything higher than that.
The performance you can get from the main camera is outstanding
So, I mentioned that the images from the main camera are truly excellent. I was a bit surprised, even though I hold Huawei to a high standard. The loss of Leica didn’t really impact this phone. This is the best implementation of variable aperture I’ve seen in a phone. Having that system allows the phone to adjust to basically all conditions, regardless of whether it’s day or night. During the day, the phone takes amazing photos with great detail, and depth of field. You can simply increase the aperture in order to get more bokeh in a shot, it’s great.
You’re getting 12.5-megapixel images by standard, through pixel binning. There’s no noise in these shots, they offer a really nice contrast balance, and there’s plenty of detail here as well. The dynamic range is outstanding, it finds a great balance, as some phones go overboard. You’re not going to get fake-looking shots here, and by that, I especially mean HDR shots. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro really excels. The colors are great, and the white balance is also… well, balanced. Even when it comes to foliage and shots where there are a lot of tiny details to pick up, this phone excelled, which is very difficult to do.
The phone also shines in low light, even in auto mode
What about low light for the main camera? Well, the quality is very high, in fact, it’s right up there with the quality of daytime shots. You don’t even need to use low light mode here, actually, even though one is included. Only if you’re in really pitch dark situations it can help, otherwise, simply let the phone do its thing. The images will end up looking more lifelike, and less yellowish if you keep it on auto mode. Best of all, the phone is really fast to take those shots, as you’re not using night mode. I cannot emphasize how great that feels.
The phone simply lowers the aperture to f/1.4 for low light shots, and you’re getting almost no noise, and plenty of detail as a result. The colors are excellent, and so is the dynamic range. It also manages to keep images contrasty, which is hard to do in such conditions. If you do opt to switch to the low light mode for some shots, you’ll have to wait for a couple of seconds for the phone to take the shot, which is not bad either.
Ultrawide camera
For the ultrawide camera, the Huawei Mate 50 Pro uses a 13-megapixel sensor, which sits behind a 13mm f/2.2 lens. It does support autofocus, and it’s also used for macro shots. Now, the results from this camera are also great. You’ll get a great amount of detail in daylight, and almost no noise, or now noise in some cases. It also offers great dynamic range, and good contrast. On top of everything, it keeps the colors in line with the main camera. We did have one major issue, though, with focusing. The ultrawide camera does great in most cases, but in some scenes, it simply refuses to focus, at least in a timely manner. It focus-hunted quite a few times, which can be annoying. That’s the only downside, though.
In low light, it does a good job, in most cases. You’ll get a bit less detail than from the main camera, and you will need to reach for the night mode more often. It’ll take the phone about 4 seconds to take such shots with the ultrawide camera. You will get more detail and sharper images overall if you do that, however. The images won’t look as nice as from the main camera, though.
You can use it for macro photography
Where this ultrawide camera truly excels, however, is macro photography. It automatically switches to the macro mode, which you can switch off directly from the viewfinder. Now, the macro mode works really well, though if you really want to take great closeups, you can simply switch it off and get up to 3cm from a subject. That’s how you’ll get truly amazing results. If you really do need to get closer, though, you can use the macro camera. As I said, it works really well, but not as great as without it. Either way, this is one of the best implementations I’ve seen. Do note that the macro mode doesn’t work well in low light, of course.
The telephoto camera is good enough
The Huawei Mate 50 Pro uses a 64-megapixel telephoto camera. You can tap between 3.5x and 10x zoom on the viewfinder, or simply zoom in manually. The phone actually does a great job up to 10x. Photos above that are usable, and in some cases, even good, but up to 10x is the sweet spot. The quality, of course, won’t be the same as with regular shots, as you’ll get less sharp photos, but there’s not much to complain about here. Do not hope to take great-looking zoomed-in shots in low light, of course, that’s where every camera takes a step back, even though at times those are also usable.
The images from the selfie camera are great, especially in good lighting. The same goes for the portrait mode for the main camera. Neither of these will disappoint, and you can get some great-looking shots. The loss of the Leica partnership is not really reflected on this phone, as Huawei managed to figure things out. Its XMAGE camera system is truly outstanding. I did find myself using the main camera (and ultrawide for macro photos) for over 95% of the time, as it’s that good.
The Huawei Mate 50 Pro also does a great job with video recording
When it comes to video recording, the Huawei Mate 50 Pro can record at up to 4K at 60fps with all of its cameras. You get OIS on main and telephoto cameras, while IES is present on all cameras. The results from the main camera are excellent. Even when it comes to intricate details with foliage, it did great. The contrast, colors, and everything in between is good, the same goes for stabilization. The ultrawide camera did a great job as well, though the colors were not consistent with the main camera. You can also use the telephoto camera for video, just don’t zoom in too high, as the quality decreases faster than it does for photos. If you plan on using video recording in low light, I’d recommend sticking with the main camera, as it does an amazing job.
Camera samples:
Huawei Mate 50 Pro Review: Software
The Huawei Mate 50 Pro ships with Android 12, and Huawei’s EMUI 13 skin on the global version. It does not have Google services, but it does come with HMS, Huawei’s very own alternative. Let’s get that out of the way first, shall we. If you’re an avid user of Google services, chances are you won’t be interested in this phone. If you use a couple of apps, and you need them from time to time, there are emulators such as GSpace that do a good job. There’s also a Lighthouse app which is only available in some regions at the moment, but we were unable to test it out at the moment.
If you’re not addicted to Google apps, there are a ton of apps available in Hauwei’s AppGallery, though there are still a lot of popular ones missing. You’ll be able to sideload many of those, and they will work fine, unless they specifically require Google services in order to work. You can get them thanks to Huawei’s Petal Search, which will search some APK repositories, such as APKPure. You can always grab the APK Mirror app, and so on. I managed to get everything I needed running on this thing, except for Google apps, natively. GSpace did a good job, but not perfect. I was unable to update some apps, and it did drain the battery more than I’d like, so I quickly got rid of it.
EMUI 13 does pull some inspiration from iOS, for better or worse
EMUI 13 on its own works really well. Unfortunately, though, Huawei opted to separate the notification shade from the quick toggles shade, as did Apple. So, you’ll have to swipe up from the top-left side in order to access your notifications, or use the lockscreen for that. Double-tap to lock is not available, but there’s a screen lock widget in the system. You also cannot swipe down anywhere on the screen to access the notification shade, as that action launches an app search, and there’s no way to change that.
EMUI 13 does offer stacked widgets, unlike most Android phones, and it has some great widgets in general. It has advanced folders which you can utilize in order to stuff a ton of immediately-clickable apps in there, without even opening folders. You can even supersize folders, if you want. Let’s just call them smart folders.
The always-on display feature is available
The always-on display feature is available, and you can also download different AOD themes if you want. The ‘Super Device’ functionality is also available, which will come in really handy if you have more than one Huawei device. There also some customization options for the homescreen as well, and a number of Huawei apps. Apps such as Gallery, Music, Health, File Manager, Petal Maps, Browser, and more are available. AI Lens, AI Touch, Tips, Today, and Search functions are also on offer. Huawei’s theme store is also on offer, and you can also minimize apps into windows, and use split-screen mode if you want. There are some useful gestures for that. We’re only scratching the surface, EMUI 13 does offer a lot of functionality and it’s really fluid.
Huawei Mate 50 Pro Review: Biometrics & IR blaster
The Huawei Mate 50 Pro does come with both facial scanning and fingerprint scanner biometric security functions. The thing is, unlike the vast majority of other Android devices, the Mate 50 Pro does offer advanced, 3D facial scanning, more similar to what iPhones offer. That is the main reason why it has a notch up top. You’ll be glad to know that using its facial scanning is great, and I used it way more than a fingerprint scanner during my review. Not because the fingerprint scanner is bad, not at all, but because I wanted some change, and this served me perfectly.
Facial scanning works great in all conditions
Facial scanning works great in both good and bad lighting. Once you set it up, you’re ready to go. You can also choose whether you want the phone to activate it when you pick it up, or not. You can set it to activate once you double-tap the display, for example, which is what I used. You can also set if you want it to unlock straight to your home screen, or hang around on your lockscreen so that you can read your notifications, which is what iPhones do.
If you prefer an in-display fingerprint scanner, this one is amongst the best ones
Is the fingerprint scanner any good, though? Yes, it’s excellent. Huawei has a lot of experience with in-display fingerprint scanners, and basically never disappoints. It is using a really good optical unit here, and it unlocks really fast, while it’s also quite accurate at the same time. It almost never missed reading my finger. It works as well as OnePlus, OPPO, or Vivo’s implementations do, which is a compliment, as flagships from those companies offer outstanding in-display fingerprint scanners.
So, no complaints here. When it comes to biometrics, the Mate 50 Pro is probably the best-equipped phone out there.
Huawei Mate 50 Pro Review: Should you buy it?
The Huawei Mate 50 Pro is not for everyone, of course. Not a single phone out there is, basically. It does have a lot of positives, but there are also some negatives to consider. We’ve listed both at the beginning of the review, but we also wanted to double down here. Just to help you make a purchasing decision, basically. I’ll highlight who this phone’s for, basically, via the bulleted list below.
You should buy the Huawei Mate 50 Pro if:
You don’t really care about Google apps
You want a phone that is completely free of Google services
You want one of the best camera experiences out there
You really liked using Face ID on your past or present iPhone
You want one of the best in-display fingerprint scanners on the market
You want a large display in a phone that doesn’t feel as bulky as the competition
You need immensely fast charging, both wired and wireless
You shouldn’t buy the Huawei Mate 50 Pro if:
You rely on Google services
You don’t appreciate larger devices
You use a ton of apps that are not available in the AppGallery
DDos is a malicious attempt to disturb the legitimate packets reaching the network equipment and services.
When the DDoS attack is in place, organizations may experience an outage with one or more services, as the attacker looted their resources with HTTP requests and traffic.
Record-Breaking DDoS Attack
The fourth and final quarter of 2022 insights shows that HTTP DDoS attacks increased by over 79% YoY and primarily targeted Aviation, Aerospace Gaming/Gambling, and Finance industries.
Also, the number of attacks lasting more than three hours increased by 87%, reads the Cloudflare recent report.
Over this weekend, Cloudflare observed and mitigated an HTTP/2-based DDoS attack that exceeded 71 million rps targeting a website protected by Cloudflare.
DDoS Graph @Cloudflare
The attacks originated from over 30,000 IP addresses and their targeted websites are gaming providers, cryptocurrency companies, hosting providers, and cloud computing platforms.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen more attacks originate from cloud computing providers,” reads Cloudflare’s statement.
Cloudflare working with the Cloud providers to crack down on the botnet that launches this record-breaking attack.
Breaking Down Time to Mitigation
Mitigation time is defined as the period from when the first DDoS attack packet hits your system to when your mitigation provider begins scrubbing incoming traffic.
The time taken to execute is Based on the organization size to implement the following mitigation steps.
Detection – The speed with which a mitigation service notices that a DDoS attack is taking place. Sampling – The time taken to analyze traffic flows and create directives for scrubbing. Scrubbing – The ongoing process of filtering out malicious traffic, based on patterns identified during the sampling process.
DDoS mitigation is time-sensitive. When organizations are defending their assets from this attack, it’s necessary to discover and remove the threat early.
As cybersecurity experts know, with every minute that passes amid a DDoS attack, the mitigation gets more difficult and the company has to suffer greater financial damage.
This article will explore carding, how it operates and the devastating effects it can have on ecommerce businesses.
Contents:
What is carding and why you should be aware of it?
How do attackers acquire details for carding?
The BidenCash carding incident
What is carding and why you should be aware of it?
Carding refers to the trading and unauthorized use of stolen credit card details over the internet. Card details can be seized by hackers during data breaches and used to commit financial fraud. To cover their tracks, hackers can use the stolen details to buy prepaid gift cards.
Carding marketplaces are dark web sites that deal in the trade of stolen credit card numbers, allowing those who download the details to commit financial fraud using card stuffing techniques.
Credit card stuffing is a technique used by hackers to repeatedly try to authorize stolen credit card details. Carding is often performed by automated systems as it allows them to rapidly input numbers.
How do attackers acquire details for carding?
There are numerous threat vectors malicious actors can employ to seize credit details. Below are examples of the prominent techniques used in this cyber crime.
Phishing
Phishing is a social engineering tactic where hackers attempt to gain access to personal or confidential information by posing as a legitimate company to the victim. Malicious actors can use a variety of channels to send phishing links including texts, social media messages and emails. In fact, I recently received an email from hackers attempting to phish me by posing as Apple.
This email is intended to incite strong emotions in the recipient and get them to click on the link and enter whatever information it asks for without thinking. The use of a spoofed ‘no reply’ email address and a reference number also serve to make it look more legitimate.
In this case, hackers were looking to gain access to my Apple ID credentials, including my email and password. If they pose as an ecommerce site, or any other entity that would require me to enter my payment card information, they could steal it this way.
Hackers can also gain access to credit card information by sending phishing links to companies who store customer payment details to collect employee login information. This information can then be used to access internal data storage systems to steal full or partial card details.
Web skimming
Web skimming involves malicious parties inserting malicious code into sites that process payment card information such as ecommerce sites. The malicious code extracts data customers input into HTML forms (namely payment card details) into the site and relays it to the hacker.
A piece of software known as Magecart has been used by hacking groups to steal payment details from ecommerce sites, with prominent victims being American online retailer Newegg and the merchandise site for conspiracy site InfoWars.
BIN attacks
Bank Identifying Number (BIN) attacks which see fraudsters take incomplete card details gained during phishing or social engineering attacks (i.e., the first six numbers of a bank card) and use automated software to randomly generate the rest of the information needed.
The malicious actors will then use ecommerce sites to test whether the details are correct or if the cards are active. If it is confirmed that they are, they can then either sell the details on or use them to buy gift cards.
Additionally, if customers do become victims of further cyber crime like financial fraud as a result of a carding-based cyber attack, this will further negatively affect their view of the brand potentially leading to more loss. This is why over seven in ten (71 percent) of CMOs believe the biggest impact of a data breach is the loss of brand value.
The BidenCash carding incident
⚠️ #BidenCash after 4 months shared a new credit card dump of over 1 million users!
ℹ️ These cards mainly come from web skimmers!
🚨 The archive contains: PAN, CVV2, Expiration date, Name, Surname, Shipping Address and Email!
A file containing the information for 1,221,551 credit cards, mostly originating from within the US, expiring between 2023 and 2026. The post also included other details needed to make online transactions including victim’s names, bank names, social security numbers, email addresses, phone numbers and addresses. The information was also shared on other hacking and carding forums.
BidenCash has been operating since June 2022, when it leaked the details of several thousand cards to promote the site.
The new, larger release of credit card information may also be a way to promote the site’s domain, as BidenCash was forced to launch new URLs in September after it suffered a series of denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
The credit card information may have been stolen using a number of threat vectors, including malware or hacking ecommerce sites. Additionally, some details in the release may be recycled from older releases, including the All World Cards release which saw the details of more than one million stolen credit cards posted on hacking forums in August 2021.
Last week, OnePlus introduced us to the OnePlus 11, its magnum opus, and it looks like it’s going to be a formidable device. Tons of reviewers are already cracking into the device; rather, tons of reviews and one notable businessman. Ex-OnePlus executive Carl Pei just gave his review of the OnePlus 11.
In case you didn’t know, Carl Pei was one of the founders of OnePlus back in the day. However, he left the company a few years ago and formed Nothing from the remnants of Essential. Nothing has since developed the Nothing Ear (1), Nothing Ear (Stick), and most notably the Nothing Phone (1).
Carl Pei reviews the OnePlus 11
So, while Pei already delivered his review of the iPhone 14, it’s this review that reverberated with the audience the most for obvious reasons. The review itself was just over 12 minutes long, and it didn’t dive too deep into the nitty gritty.
However, he did touch on some key points. He talked about what he liked about the phone and what he didn’t. From a hardware perspective, Pei was full of praise for the phone. He liked how the phone looked and how the camera package played with the light. Also, he gave some compliments on the camera performance while making some comparisons to the Nothing Phone (1).
As for what he didn’t like, Carl Pei pointed some nit-picks about the hardware, the buttons, and the software. In the end, he said that “It’s a tough one. My verdict for my OnePlus 11 review is that it’s a really solid piece of premium hardware.”
During the review, he did compare the OnePlus 11 to the Nothing Phone (1) several times. In fact, the Nothing Phone (1) had a fair bit of screen time. While Pei remarked on certain areas he didn’t really like, he also pointed out some areas where Nothing needed to improve like the camera performance.
Interested in this phone?
So, the OnePlus 11 has now been announced, and fans of the device are all looking forward to it. Since this is the company’s latest device, it has the best that the company has to offer. The OnePlus 11 uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and that’s backed up by up to 16GB.
It has a large 6.7-inch Fluid AMOLED, a 50MP main camera, an under-display fingerprint scanner, a 5000mAh battery, and more premium specs. If you want to know more about this device, you can check out our full review here.
Now that the Super Bowl is over, it’s time to take a look back on what commercials we saw during the big game. Every year, companies spend billions for commercial spots during the Super Bowl. This year, it is being reported that Fox was charging up to $7 million for a 30-second ad-slot. And that’s just to air the commercial. Nevermind the cost of putting it together.
As always, there were some good, and some bad commercials as part of the Super Bowl. But in this one, we’re going to go with the most memorable Super Bowl commercials.
Tubi
Now, Tubi really freaked out a lot of people. There’s no doubt you’ve seen this ad all over TikTok, especially if you didn’t watch the game last night. But basically, it’s an ad that looked like they were back at the game, and then it goes through the Tubi interface, for a few seconds before jumping back into the game. This was a pretty smart commercial by Tubi, to be quite honest. Not because it freaked people out, but because it now has everyone talking about Tubi.
Google Pixel
Google also put out a Super Bowl commercial, which was actually quite long so we know they paid a handsome penny for this one. But it was all about the Pixel. Google took the time to highlight some features of the Pixel 7 that many likely don’t know about. Like the ability for Amy Schumer to erase her ex’s using Magic Eraser. Or how to unblur your photos, basically, all the ways you can fix your photos.
GM X Netflix
GM and Netflix ran an ad as well for the Super Bowl. Which was a crossover that many weren’t expecting. But basically, GM was using Netflix to promote its electric vehicles. Remember, GM does have a number of EVs coming out in 2023 and 2024. And basically, this ad was to promote the fact that you’ll see more GM EVs in Netflix series and movies in the future. Will Ferrell was explaining how this was going to happen. While the commercial also shows parts from Bridgerton, Squid Game, and a cameo from Queer Eye stars Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness.
Run with it
Perhaps one of the more memorable ads from the Super Bowl came after Rihanna’s halftime performance, where Erin Andrews was interviewing Diana Flores’ who is the captain of Mexico’s flag football team. The ad basically has her running through the stadium and even to her Mom’s house, while everyone is trying to grab her flags. There were cameo’s in this ad from a lot of names, like Mr Beast, Aidan Hutchinson and many more. Definitely a memorable ad. And it was all to promote women’s athletics
Workday
Workday had a Super Bowl ad this year, where the basic premise was to stop calling your coworkers a “rockstar”. It included stars like billy Idol, Ozzy Osborne, Joan Jett and Paul Stanley. It was a bit of an odd ad, but it is getting a lot of people talking on social media, so it definitely worked for the company.
Skechers
Skechers has a commercial during the Super Bowl which included Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart, a combo that we didn’t really know we needed. But now can’t get enough. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen them in a commercial together. But this one was essentially Snoop showing that Skechers are made for everything. It even shows him in, what looks like, the Oval Office, with his feet on the resolute desk. With Martha telling him to take his feet off the desk.
Doritos
Jack Harlow stared in a new Doritos Super Bowl commercial this year, and it’s all about triangles. Making it a new instrument, and everyone is playing it. Even Elton John. Missy Elliot also makes a cameo in this commercial. It starts out a bit rough, but by the end, it’s a pretty cool commercial, all for Doritos.
Dunkin’
The last memorable Super Bowl ad on this list comes from Dunkin’. They enlisted Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. Where Affleck is working the Dunkin’ Drive Thru. People drive up to the window and are shocked to see him. Until Lopez shows up and asks “what are you doing here?” and “is this what you do when you say you’re going to work all day?”. It’s a simple commercial, but definitely pretty funny.
