People use social media platforms for numerous different reasons. Some people use it to catch up on the latest news while other people use it to share their life experiences. Well, if you’re a person who likes social media to keep up with sports, then Threads has a new feature for you. According to Mark Zuckerberg, Threads will soon be able to show live sports scores.
Threads has been making waves lately by introducing new features that users enjoy. For example, it finally introduced an in-app camera feature along with the ability to save drafts. Also, the app recently unveiled trending topics. It’s become much more of a fully featured social media site ever since it was unveiled last year.
Threads will soon show sports scores
Sometimes, you’re not able to tune in to the big game. This is why being able to get a live feed of the latest scores is a well-sought-after feature. On X, you’re able to see live scores by going to the For You tab. Well, since Threads is an answer to X, it’s only fitting that the Meta-owned social app should implement this feature as well.
Right now, unfortunately, we don’t really know how this feature will look. The only intel we have about it so far is from a Threads post from Mark Zuckerberg. In it, he mentioned that “Live scores are coming to Threads. @NBA is first up, and we will add other leagues soon.”
So, we don’t know when to expect this feature to roll out. Either it lands on the app via the next update or we get a future announcement. In any case, this is good news for people who want to keep up to date with sports.
We’re still waiting for more exciting and useful features to come to Threads like DMs. The company is currently working on a way of seamlessly integrating Threads’ DMS and Instagram’s DMs without creating duplicate notifications.
Well, it was only a matter of time. OpenAI shook the world when it first unveiled Sora, a video generation platform that created some extremely impressive and scary video clips. As if that wasn’t worrying enough, we just got the news that OpenAI is showing off Sora to Hollywood film studios and directors.
Let’s not mince words, at this point, we all know the fears surrounding artificial intelligence. With the unveiling of Sora, we all saw the potential implications for the film industry. Well, Sora is set to launch to the public sometime this year, so that reality is not far off.
However, OpenAI has been showing off Sora to Hollywood directors
This is a bit of scary news, as we all know that AI will start attacking lower-level jobs and indie creators before hitting industry-level jobs. However, it appears that OpenAI wants to go right to the top. A new report from Bloomberg states that the company has been showing off Sora to Hollywood directors. It previewed Sora to a list of unnamed directors and film studios.
This is something that further stokes fears of AI eliminating jobs. With the ability to create near-perfect videos, we can already see companies ditching trained professionals and equipment for AI models.
At this point, we don’t know who OpenAI contacted or whether or not we will see AI technology in the latest and greatest blockbusters. Are we going to be seeing fully AI-generated movies anytime soon? Not likely. However, we may start seeing a few AI-generated elements in movies within the next couple of years.
Maybe there is an AI-generated panning shot of a mountain or a shot of the sky above World War II-era Germany. Companies may invest in AI to help alleviate annoying, tedious, and expensive shots first and foremost.
However, we also can’t rule out certain directors who are vehemently against AI. These are the kinds of directors who use good old-fashioned practical effects today. In any case, AI is coming to the big screens, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it
Going into this review, I really had to learn a lot. This is because I have not actually used a Xiaomi phone in quite a few years. The last time I used a Xiaomi phone was when I reviewed the Mi 9T Pro back in 2019. That was over four years ago. Xiaomi no longer uses “Mi” in its product names, and it has also changed over from MIUI to Hyper OS. So lots for me to relearn with this phone. It’s like going in with a pair of fresh eyes, and I really liked what I saw with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.
After getting a chance to play with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra at MWC Barcelona last month, I was really excited to get my hands on one when I got back to the States. And it did not disappoint. You might ask, what’s so interesting about this phone? Well, the big thing for me is the camera. Xiaomi has included a 1-inch camera, something that’s not really available in the US, among a few other cameras and the photography kit is such a good add-on. Now you might be wondering if it lived up to the hype. Well, let’s find out in our review of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra Review: Hardware and Design
Xiaomi has always built perfect hardware, even on its more inexpensive smartphones. But with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra costing €1,499, you expect it to be top-notch, and it is. The 14 Ultra has a metal frame with a vegan leather back. The back is slightly curved at the edges, which makes it feel so much nicer to hold. The vegan leather is a nice touch; while I’d rather have horween leather, the vegan leather looks great and also provides a good bit of texture. Making it easier to hold onto and less likely to slip out of your hands.
The sides are pretty flat, with the volume rocker and power button on the right side. On the bottom, you’ll find the speaker grille, USB-C port, and SIM card slot. Unfortunately, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra does not support eSIM.
Then there’s the front, which looks absolutely stunning. It has a 6.8-inch display, which is curved on all four sides. It’s a very subtle curve and mostly makes the screen look like it’s floating above the rest of the phone. I normally don’t like curved displays, but this one is pretty good.
The camera bump is pretty massive on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which, given all the cameras included in this phone, as well as the 1-inch sensor, is to be expected. Even in a case, it won’t sit flat on a table. But since the camera bump is a round module, it doesn’t rock on a table when typing on it on a table. So there’s that.
Overall, this hardware is pretty incredible. It looks stunning in the black color and definitely stands out quite nicely. The white version also looks pretty good with the white vegan leather back and the silver frame. I’d say it’s on par with the price of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra Review: Display
Like I said before, I normally don’t like curved displays, but while using the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, I’ve almost forgotten that it was even a curved display. Because it is such a subtle curve, it really makes it look like the screen is floating above the rest of the phone, which gives it a really cool look. It is curved on all four sides, too, making it more uniform.
Using this curved display has been an absolute joy to use. When watching content on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra on this curved display, it does still have that waterfall effect like a lot of other curved displays, but the difference here is that it’s all four sides. It doesn’t make it hard to hold and doesn’t add any accidental touches as we might see with some other curved display phones.
This is a 6.73-inch QHD+ display with up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness. You’ll most likely only see it reach about 1,000 nits, which is the high brightness mode rating. In our testing, we were able to get it just above 1,000 nits. That’s by shining a flashlight on the light sensor and showing a white screen, measuring it with our Lux meter, as you can see below.
Xiaomi, like most other manufacturers, defaults to FHD+ resolution out of the box, which is what I’ve left it to. Honestly, I’ve had no real reason to push it above FHD+. It does already look super crisp. The colors on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra are also quite impressive. Xiaomi does have a few different modes for the screen color, including “Original color PRO”, “Vivid”, “Saturated”, and “Advanced Settings”. I normally put phones in their Vivid mode; however, on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, I prefer the Original color PRO mode, as it looks more realistic to my eyes. However, the good thing here is that Xiaomi allows users to adjust every aspect of the color scheme in the “Advanced Settings.” This includes using the original, P3, and sRGB color gamut, as well as changing the Hue, Saturation, Value, Contrast, Gamma, and just about anything else you can think of.
Overall, the display looks absolutely fantastic, and it’s honestly one of my favorite displays on the phone so far this year. We’ll have to wait and see if it holds that crown for long.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra Review: Performance
In a bit of a strange move for Xiaomi, there’s only one variant of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which includes 16GB of RAM and 512B of storage – which is what we have here. There’s also the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor inside, which at this point, I pretty much know what to expect from these internals. And that is a pretty impressive performing phone that will likely never run out of RAM, especially with Xiaomi using a portion of the storage to extend RAM up to 24GB. Basically, it’s 16GB of actual RAM and then up to 8GB of extension RAM. You can choose to use 2GB, 4GB, 6GB, or 8GB of extended RAM, which will utilize some of your storage. So if you’re running out of storage, you’ll want to change that option.
However, I’ve usually had more than 10GB of RAM available, so the extend RAM hasn’t really been a must-have feature for the way I use and test phones. But I could see it being needed in six months or even longer. When more apps are installed, more games are installed and played, etc.
With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 inside, I have not had any issues with the phone slowing down, nor have I had issues with the phone getting warm. Really, the only time it got warm was while running our benchmarks or while using the camera for a good bit. Both of which are expected.
Benchmarks
Now let’s talk benchmarks. We run a variety of benchmarks on each phone that we review. This includes Geekbench 6, 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test, as well as a Capcut test that will test the speed of exporting a minute-long video, and a few thermal tests.
First up is Geekbench 6. This test is used to measure the raw speed of the CPU and the GPU. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra scored 2,146 in the single-core test, 6,641 in the multi-score test, and finally, for the GPU test, it scored 13,848. As you can see in the graph below, it performed pretty similarly to the HONOR Magic6 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which both use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It really outperformed the Pixel 8 Pro in the multi-core and GPU tests, which uses the Tensor G3 SoC.
Next up is the 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test, which is actually used to see how far the device can be pushed. This test runs the same minute-long benchmark twenty times in a row. It provides us with the best loop score, the lowest loop score, and then a stability score. Obviously, you want a higher stability score, as that means the phone can perform better and longer while gaming. We also use this test as a thermal test since it really pushes the phone to its limits. For 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra scored a Best Loop score of 4,717, a Lowest Loop score of 3,617, which resulted in a Stability score of 76.7%. That puts it right on par with a lot of other Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 devices.
Finally, for performance, we have one more test that we do here. Which we call the “Capcut Test”. Basically, we use Capcut, which is an easy-to-use video editor, and we import the same 60-second video on every phone and then export it at the default settings of 1080p at 30fps. We then time how long the export takes to complete.
For this test, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra scored just 7.96 seconds. That’s not the absolute best score we’ve seen, but it does put it on par with every other Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered device. The HONOR Magic6 Pro scored 8.75 seconds, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra scored 7.75 seconds. All three of which absolutely demolished the Pixel 8 Pro which was over 40 seconds.
Thermal testing
Now let’s talk about the thermals. This is a pretty important aspect for smartphones these days, and it’s important for us to test these and compare them to other phones we also test. For thermals, we run three (technically four) tests. The first is 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress test, after we run that benchmark, we break out the temperature gun to see the temperature and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra 111.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Again, we’re comparing this to the HONOR Magic6 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Google Pixel 8 Pro. All four had relatively the same temperature, within about five degrees of each other.
The next test involves Genshin Impact, which is one of the most popular and most demanding games on mobile right now. Basically, what we do here is max out the graphics settings, max out the brightness, and play the game for an hour. Then, measure the temperature. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra scored 94.2, which is one of the lowest temperatures we’ve recorded in this test.
Finally, we tested the thermals by recording a video at 4K60 for 5 minutes and then re-recording the temperature at 10 minutes. Video recording, especially at 4K, can really heat up the phone. The temperatures were a bit warmer than other phones, but not by much. At five minutes in, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra was 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and at ten minutes in, it was 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit.
So, the thermals look pretty good here on all of the tests that we’ve performed. Good job to Xiaomi on that front.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra Review: Battery Life and Charging
Xiaomi is actually one of the few smartphone makers that stuck to 5,000mAh capacity in their batteries this year. At the same time, many of their competitors have finally crossed that 5,000mAh threshold like the HONOR Magic6 Pro at 5,600mAh and the OnePlus 12 at 5,400mAh. But that doesn’t really mean that the battery life is bad. Quite the contrary, actually.
Admittedly, I’ve been using the camera a lot on this phone since receiving it, and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra lasts me a full day. Now, unfortunately, HyperOS does not allow me to see the screen on time. I can say that I typically unplug around 7 AM, and by 11 PM when I’m about to go to bed, I typically have around 30% left. So that’s pretty good and pretty much on par with other big, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 smartphones I’ve used lately.
But luckily, we have another test for battery life. Essentially, what we do is we run the same 24-hour-long YouTube video on the phone at full screen and maximum brightness. Starting at 100% and going down to around 1% so we can record the time before it dies. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra scored just under 20 hours, with a time of 19 hours and 54 minutes. That puts it in seventh place on phones we’ve tested in the past year or so. Interestingly, that puts it above the OnePlus 12, one of those phones that did get a larger battery this year.
Now, let’s talk about charging. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra can charge at up to 90W, using the included charger. Yes, Xiaomi is still including the charger in the box; who would have thought that? The charger is an EU charger, so using a converter, I was able to conduct a charging test of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. In our benchmark test, it scored just above 35 minutes. That’s just two minutes longer than Xiaomi’s stated charging time. That is quite good, and not to mention crazy fast.
I’ve often times charged it with a USB-C to USB-C cable, which means that I can’t use the charger in the box because its a USB-A charger. Even with a USB-C, it charges quite quickly. Using a cable that shows the charging speed, I was able to see that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra still charges at above 40W on a USB-C charger. So, it’s still easy to top off.
Wireless charging
Lastly, we can’t forget about wireless charging. Xiaomi claims that this phone can wirelessly charge at 80W. Xiaomi did not send over their 80W wireless charger, so I was not able to test out that speed. However, the OnePlus wireless charger defaults to a much slower speed. That’s the same case with MagSafe wireless chargers. Now, if you’re like me and only use wireless charging at night to charge your phone, then the speed really doesn’t matter. As long as the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is fully charged when I wake up, that’s all that matters.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra Review: Software
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra runs on Android 14 with HyperOS 1.0.4 installed. The company is promising four years of OS updates and five years of security patches. It’s not quite as good as what Samsung and Google are offering, but it’s in line with most other smartphone makers these days. That means that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra should get Android 18, which isn’t too shabby.
Having said that, this is HyperOS, a relatively new skin from Xiaomi, which was announced last October. The Xiaomi 14 series is actually the first to launch with HyperOS. It’s pretty similar to MIUI, so if you’re a long-time Xiaomi user, you won’t notice a huge difference here. You still get the option of having an app drawer with different categories at the top to quickly swap to other types of apps. This is actually really useful if you have a lot of apps installed on your phone.
Swiping down on the left side, you get your notifications, while a swipe on the right gets your quick settings. It definitely has that feel of a phone from the east, which is fine. I actually like HyperOS, though it’s not my absolute favorite Android skin – Pixel Experience or OxygenOS is still the best in my experience. But for those who like those types of features, HyperOS will feel right at home for you.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra Review: Camera
Now, let’s talk about the camera. By far, this is my favorite aspect of this phone and the main reason why I wanted to check it out. On the back of the phone, there’s a pretty large camera module, including a 1-inch sensor, which is a 50-megapixel Sony LYT-900 sensor with an f/1.65 aperture. That’s not all, as Xiaomi has also equipped the 14 Ultra with a 75mm “floating telephoto” camera, which is also a 50-megapixel sensor. There’s a 120mm periscope 50-megapixel camera that can do 5x optical zoom, and finally, a 12mm ultrawide camera. Of course, we can’t forget about that 32-megapixel front-facing sensor.
Now that we have gotten the specs out of the way let’s talk about the actual cameras. They are pretty incredible. Let’s start with Leica Vibrant vs Leica Authentic. These are two options that you can shoot on all five cameras on the phone. Leica Authentic provides a more authentic look and feel to your images. They are going to look more true-to-life but perhaps a bit flat. At the same time, Leica Vibrant does add some vibrancy to the picture. I shot a number of photos in both modes and looked at them side by side. Most of them had very subtle differences. At the same time, others had a few more differences.
One example that made a huge difference for Leica Vibrant vs Authentic was a macro shot of the side of a brick building. The Leica Vibrant mode did indeed add a bit more color and made it brighter. Making the picture look much better overall. Another example is of the gates at Michigan Stadium. You can really only see the differences in the “Maize” color that spells out “Michigan Stadium”. The concrete also looks more vibrant, and just provides a better overall picture. There are a few more examples in the gallery below. The first picture is in Leica Authentic, and the second is in Leica Vibrant for each set of pictures.
Xiaomi has a ton of different features with this camera, and one that I thought for sure was going to be a gimmick was Super Macro. I thought for sure, this was just going to be a gimmick and not that good. Boy, was I wrong. I took a ton of super macro shots with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and almost always was amazed at how good they came out. Basically, Super Macro uses the 75mm lens, so you’re actually shooting at 3.2x zoom. I prefer this because it means you don’t need to get as close to the subject as you would with Macro on most other phones. This is because most other devices use the ultrawide lens for macro shots.
Above, you can see a number of Super Macro shots that I took with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. None of these were edited, and the only changes I made besides turning on the Super Macro mode was to tap to focus. These are almost as good as what I’d be able to get out of my Sony ZV-E10 mirrorless camera with the 30mm f/1.4 lens, which is saying quite a bit since it was all done on a camera that can fit in my pocket.
Now, let’s move on to night photography. With a 1-inch sensor, you’d expect that you wouldn’t need to use any type of night photography mode or to stand still so it can take multiple shots. And that’s pretty true. I took the Xiaomi 14 Ultra to Los Angeles for a work event, and during a gathering at night on the rooftop of a hotel, I got some pretty amazing night shots with some harsh lighting and some rather interesting colors. Environments that most other smartphone cameras would really struggle with. But the Xiaomi 14 Ultra did a fantastic job here.
The first picture in the gallery below is of the rooftop pool of the hotel where I was staying. It was at night, with some lights on around the pool, and the picture came out exactly how it looked in real life. It didn’t use a night mode to make it look way brighter than it actually was. The pool was the right color, blue, while the lights were not blown out either. I’ll tell you, when I took this photo and looked at it in the gallery, my first thought was, “It’s basically perfect!” and that’s because it is. The next picture is of a building that was lit up at night. These are typically tough to take photos of with phones because they are bright and dark at the same time. But the Xiaomi 14 Ultra did really well here, too. It really only blew out one light that was the closest to the camera. Everything else in the photo looks almost exactly as it did in real life.
Another thing we need to talk about here is the coloring of these photos. Some phones will turn up the vibrancy and make it pretty saturated so greens are really green. But the colors on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra are about as accurate as I’ve ever seen from a phone. So, in the gallery below are a few samples taken with the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. In each one, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra performed better with better HDR and better true-to-life colors.
Finally, as an added bonus, I was able to take some photos of a SpaceX rocket as it launched across Los Angeles with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. I have to say, these photos came out great. You can check out the zoom level on each one at the bottom of the picture.
The Photography Kit
Finally, let’s talk about the photography kit. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra also includes its photography kit. This kit is not included for the €1499 price and is sold separately for around €150. So, what do you get in this kit? Well, you get a nice nylon braided case for the phone, as well as the grip that attaches via USB-C and also has a lock, so it can stay in place. The grip includes a scroll wheel that you can use for different settings (I have it set to aperture), as well as a zoom wheel, record button, and shutter button. It also has a built-in battery, which will charge your Xiaomi 14 Ultra a bit. Of course, we can’t forget about the different rings you can put on the case. There is even a ring that will allow you to put on a 67mm filter. I’ve used this a bit with an ND filter, and it’s such an incredible experience.
The photography kit is by far my favorite feature of this phone. It really makes it feel like you have a real camera in your hands versus just a phone. The grip does make it feel more ergonomic to hold versus just holding a phone to take photos. If you’re buying the Xiaomi 14 Ultra to use a camera first, then you definitely want to splurge and get the photography kit, it’s definitely worth it in my opinion.
Should you buy the Xiaomi 14 Ultra?
This is always a tricky question with phone reviews: should you actually buy it? For the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, that would be a resounding yes if it was available worldwide. But as you might have expected, it’s not coming to the US. However, it is available across Asia and Europe. So it’s not one of those China-only type releases, thankfully. Here in the US, it does work on AT&T and T-Mobile, but not entirely. I’ve been using it on Google Fi for the past few weeks, and it’s working pretty well. Not perfectly, but pretty close. So if that’s good enough for you in the US, then yes, you should buy it.
For those in Europe, however, pricing might make this less of an absolute must-buy. This is a €1500 smartphone. That translates to about $1,628 USD, which is only about $100 less than a folding phone, which the Xiaomi 14 Ultra doesn’t do. So what it really comes down to is, do you want the best camera you can get that can also make phone calls? If you do, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a good pick-up. And that’s absolutely why I wanted to check out the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. It won’t completely replace a mirrorless or DSLR camera, but it will get very close in a lot of circumstances.
You should buy the Xiaomi 14 Ultra if:
You want the best camera that fits in your pocket.
You want the best Xiaomi phone ever made.
You want a powerful smartphone that can do just about anything.
Political parties are often targeted by hackers since they want to achieve various goals.
This is because hackers may attempt to access confidential data like campaign strategies, opposition research, or even personal communications, which helps them interfere with election processes and get an upper hand in the matter.
Besides this, hackers could try to break into party systems to interfere with operations that would affect the outcome of elections and undermine democracy through any means, such as disinformation campaigns and ransom demands.
Recently, cybersecurity researchers at Mandiant discovered that Russian hackers are actively attacking political parties in recent cyber attacks.
Hackers Attacking Political Parties
A Russian state-sponsored hacking group, APT29, targeted German political parties using a phishing campaign in late February 2024.
This operation was different from their normal targets such as governments and embassies since it used German-language baits imitating a major political party.
The threat actors used a new backdoor variant, among other malware payloads, to facilitate gaining entry into the systems so that they could potentially disrupt activities or even spread fake news ahead of elections.
This clearly indicates how the type of threat actors increasingly change and subsequently influence political organizations in democratic processes.
Lure document (Source – Mandiant)
The Russian hacking group APT29 continues to rely heavily on ROOTSAW malware for initial access and intelligence gathering on foreign political affairs.
It shows that Russia has an interest in trying to control Western politics, especially when it comes to issues such as Ukraine.
This is an adaptable threat that will probably see APT29 targeting political parties throughout the West via multiple attack vectors for initial intrusion like phishing attacks, cloud authentication vulnerabilities, and password spraying.
Given ongoing geopolitical tensions, political organizations must be watchful of these mutating cyber espionage campaigns aimed at shaping narratives and outcomes.
APT29 started spreading phishing emails that contained malware attachments in late February 2024, reads Mandiant report.
These attachments had a link to an infected web page owned by criminals who redirected victims to download the ROOTSAW malware dropper.
ROOTSAW then fetched and executed the WINELOADER backdoor from the same malicious server.
The multi-step infection procedure comprised obfuscated JavaScript, file extraction via such utilities as CertUtil, and inappropriate use of legitimate applications like SQLDumper for delivering malware.
This intricate attack chain clearly demonstrates APT29’s advanced techniques for achieving persistent access through their tailored malware.
WINELOADER is a new, highly customized backdoor used by the Russian state-sponsored hacking group APT29.
While sharing similarities with APT29’s previous BURNTBATTER and MUSKYBEAT malware families, WINELOADER implements unique anti-analysis techniques, avoids public loaders, and uses a novel command-and-control mechanism.
It employs side-loading, process injection, and encrypted payloads to maintain stealth and persistence on compromised systems.
The sophistication of WINELOADER demonstrates APT29’s continued efforts to retool their malware arsenal for stealthy espionage operations against targets of strategic interest.
As geopolitical tensions drive nation-state cyber threats, defenders must stay vigilant against these constantly evolving attack vectors.
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Few words apply as broadly to the public—yet mean as little—as “home network security.”
For many, a “home network” is an amorphous thing. It exists somewhere between a router, a modem, an outlet, and whatever cable it is that plugs into the wall. But the idea of a “home network” doesn’t need to intimidate, and securing that home network could be simpler than many folks realize.
For starters, a home network can be simply understood as a router—which is the device that provides access to the internet in a home—and the other devices that connect to that router. That includes obvious devices like phones, laptops, and tablets, and it includes “Internet of Things” devices, like a Ring doorbell, a Nest thermostat, and any Amazon Echo device that come pre-packaged with the company’s voice assistant, Alexa. There are also myriad “smart” devices to consider: smartwatches, smart speakers, smart light bulbs, don’t forget the smart fridges.
If it sounds like we’re describing a home network as nothing more than a “list,” that’s because a home network is pretty much just a list. But where securing that list becomes complicated is in all the updates, hardware issues, settings changes, and even scandals that relate to every single device on that list.
Routers, for instance, provide their own security, but over many years, they can lose the support of their manufacturers. IoT devices, depending on the brand, can be made from cheap parts with little concern for user security or privacy. And some devices have scandals plaguing their past—smart doorbells have been hacked and fitness trackers have revealed running routes to the public online.
This shouldn’t be cause for fear. Instead, it should help prove why home network security is so important.
Today, on the Lock and Code podcast with host David Ruiz, we’re speaking with cybersecurity and privacy advocate Carey Parker about securing your home network.
Author of the book Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons and host to the podcast of the same name, Parker chronicled the typical home network security journey last year and distilled the long process into four simple categories: Scan, simplify, assess, remediate.
In joining the Lock and Code podcast yet again, Parker explains how everyone can begin their home network security path—where to start, what to prioritize, and the risks of putting this work off, while also emphasizing the importance of every home’s router:
Your router is kind of the threshold that protects all the devices inside your house. But, like a vampire, once you invite the vampire across the threshold, all the things inside the house are now up for grabs.
The HONOR Pad 9 was originally announced back in December last year. It first launched in China, and HONOR decided to bring it to global markets during MWC 2024. Having said that, I’ve been using the HONOR Pad 9 for a while now, and this is our review of the device. I’ve used it for over a month at this point, and I have to say… it’s a really nice tablet. Considering that there are considerably fewer tablets out there these days, this one may be able to stick out.
Before we dive in, let me just say that this is a mid-range tablet. Don’t expect high-end specifications or anything like that. Still, it definitely didn’t feel like I was using a mid-range tablet, which is a good thing. With that being said, let’s jump straight in, starting with the device’s design.
Table of contents
HONOR Pad 9 Review: Hardware / Design
The HONOR Pad 9 features a metal unibody design. That design is more common in tablets these days than in phones, but it’s nice to see, to be quite honest. I’m quite fed up with glass backs on devices. The HONOR Pad 9 is extremely thin too, which only improves the overall feel. It measures 278.27 x 180.11 x 6.9mm, while it weighs 555 grams. The device comes in Space Gray and Cyan Lake colors. As you can see in the provided images, I’ve had the chance to check out the Space Gray model.
This is a 12.1-inch tablet, by the way. That’s why the dimensions may seem a bit bigger to you than usual. That size makes all the sense in the world considering how large smartphones are these days. I’ve actually enjoyed the size, to be quite honest. The HONOR Pad 9 feels quite sturdy in the hand, though it is quite slippery. I’ve tried holding it with one hand on a number of occasions, but this is a two-hand device. That is perfectly logical considering its size and build materials, though, of course.
The HONOR Pad 9 includes eight speakers
There are eight speakers included on the HONOR Pad 9, they’re looking at three different sides of the device. There is a single camera on the back, though the camera island design is quite different. HONOR’s logo is in the usual place on the back. There is no audio jack included on the HONOR Pad 9, unfortunately. Overall, the build quality seems to be really good, and I don’t have any complaints in regards to it. This is a budget tablet that actually feels like a flagship tablet to use.
The metal unibody design both looks and feels great. One complaint that I do have has to do with the camera placement. If you’re a rightie, the camera will be on the right side of the backplate when you’re holding it in portrait orientation. That’s the proper way to hold it as the buttons are in the right place that way. I did notice that I touched that camera island on the back way to often because of its placement. That’s just a small complaint, but there you go. HONOR did a great job here, build-wise.
A fingerprint scanner is not included
One thing to note, though, is that there is no fingerprint scanner included. It’s not in the power/lock button, on the back, or under the display. HONOR opted not to offer it for whatever reason. I did miss it, to be quite honest. I hate leaving my devices unprotected, and typing in a PIN every time or using a pattern is not an ideal solution.
Accessories
When it comes to accessories, do note that the case is not included in the box. In some of the provided images in the article you will see a keyboard case, but it doesn’t come with the device. It’s a separate purchase, even though you may find it as part of a bundle as part of a sale or something. I highly recommend getting that case, however. It not only protects the tablet when you’re not using it, but it’s also giving you a very useful keyboard to use. The key travel is actually good enough considering how thin this case is, HONOR did a very good job here. The case itself has a rubbery plastic feel, which is not a bad thing at all.
HONOR Pad 9 Review: Display
The HONOR Pad 9 includes a 12.1-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) display. This is an LCD display, and the tablet has a screen-to-body ratio of 88%. That’s not bad at all considering this is a tablet, in fact, it’s excellent. HONOR also refers to this display as the ‘Eye Protection Display’. It’s an Anti-glare display, and it offers a 120Hz refresh rate. This panel can also project up to 1 billion colors. It does get bright enough. HONOR laid a claim of a 500 nits typical brightness, while we were able to push it past the 600 nits level. Considering the anti-glare screen, visibility outdoors is not really an issue. Don’t expect this display to compete with flagship smartphone displays in terms of brightness, though.
The display is quite good, especially for the price
During my usage, I did not really have any complaints on this display. The visibility was good, the colors were vivid, and the touch response was not an issue either. The fact it has a 120Hz refresh rate definitely helped it feel extra smooth. You can, of course, push down the refresh rate to 60Hz if you choose to do so, though there’s really no benefit to that. I’ve tried it on a specific day, and it didn’t really make any difference battery-wise, at least not that I was able to notice. Holding the tablet was not an issue either, despite the fact its bezels are not that thick. I don’t really like it when tablets have thinner bezels than this, as it really can be a chore to hold them without touching the display. That especially goes for larger tablets like this one.
HONOR Pad 9 Review: Performance
The HONOR Pad 9 is not the most powerful device out there, not at all. It’s not supposed to be, this is a mid-range tablet, or a budget one, whatever you want to call it. The HONOR Pad 9 is fueled by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC. It’s a chip from 2022, so it’s not the most powerful nor the most current one. You can check out some benchmarking results at the very end of this chapter, but it’s pretty much what we expected. Benchmarks aside, however, let’s talk about what I experienced when it comes to actual performance.
The HONOR Pad 9 is very well-optimized
HONOR is well-known for its ability to optimize its devices. That’s not really a secret. I’ve had great experiences with budget HONOR smartphones for quite some time now. The same was the case with the HONOR Pad 9, actually. This tablet did everything I needed it to do, and I never actually felt like I needed anything more powerful / expensive. Well, aside from gaming, as I’m a stickler when it comes to gaming, even though I’m not much of a gamer. We’ll talk more about that soon. Let’s first touch upon regular, everyday performance.
The device handles multitasking really well
Everything from firing up apps, using them, to jumping between them felt really smooth. Even when I tried to put some pressure on the HONOR Pad 9, by using split screen etc., it did a great job. I really have no complaints in that regard. The animations are also smooth as butter, everything ran great. The same actually goes for gaming, but only if you won’t play truly graphically-demanding games. Which brings me to Genshin Impact.
Genshin Impact is our go-to game to push devices when we review them. The same was the case with the HONOR Pad 9. This tablet can run the game, but you won’t be able to enjoy it as you would on a more powerful setup. Genshin Impact is resource-heavy, and especially if you want to play on better settings, this tablet will show its spec weaknesses. The vast majority of games, however, work perfectly. So, in regards to performance, as long as you don’t play the most graphically intensive games out there, you should be good to go.
Benchmarks
With every one of our reviews, we’re running a set of benchmarks. When it comes to performance-focused benchmarks, well, we have two. Geekbench 6 and 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test. The former basically tells you how powerful is the hardware on the inside, as it shows both single-core and multi-core performance, in addition to benchmark results for the GPU. The 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test puts a huge strain on the device, pushing it through 20 cycles of intense performance. That test is very stressful for higher-end devices, while mid-range ones don’t really bother all that much, as they’re not made for such scenarios, but the results are still interesting to see. You can see both of those tests below, in addition to a video export test via Capcut.
Geekbench 6
3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test
Video export test
HONOR Pad 9 Review: Battery
HONOR included an 8,300mAh battery here, which may seem large, but keep in mind the size of this tablet’s display. If you add its rather sharp display to the equation, things do balance out. With that being said, the battery life is not great, but it’s good enough. Compared to a smartphone, it is, but we’ve seen better battery life on tablets, considerably better. Still, that’s not something that should deter you from getting this tablet. Why? Well, because the battery life is good enough, and it got us through 2 days of use, around 3 hours of use per day, on most days. I tried using it as a productivity device on a couple of occasions, and it didn’t really last throughout the day. The point is, if you’re using it sparingly, for a TV show here and there, or something like that, you’ll be just fine. If you’ll actually push it harder with productivity, use it for longer, or play games… don’t expect great battery life. Also, MagicOS 8.0 could end up improving things in that regard. I’ve also noticed that after two weeks of use the battery life was better than it was at first, so… it’s good.
Charging
The good news is that HONOR included a charger in the box here. You do get both a charging brick and a charging cable here. That’s a Type-A to Type-C cable, and the included charger is rated at 35W. That’s the maximum charge speed this tablet can handle. That charger utilizes HONOR’s SuperCharge tech, and it’s not particularly fast. That is to be expected as you’re charging an 8,300mAh battery here. It’ll take you almost two hours to fully charge this tablet. It charged fully in an hour and 57 minutes when we tested it. It can, however, cross the 30% charge mark in half an hour. Wireless charging is not supported, of course.
HONOR Pad 9 Review: Camera
The HONOR Pad 9 has two cameras overall. It has a 13-megapixel snapper on the back, with an f/2.0 aperture. On the front, you’ll find an 8-megapixel shooter with an f/2.2 aperture lens. When it comes to cameras on tablets, my expectations are always quite low, for a good reason. I always say that people shouldn’t take pictures with tablets. Not only because the cameras are usually bad, but because it both looks and feels weird. Whenever I see it I can’t not cringe. There’s a reason why companies don’t really care about rear-facing cameras on tablets. There are a couple of exceptions where the cameras are actually passable, but those are rare. Those are also usually higher-end tablets, and the cameras are okay at best.
The cameras are mediocre, but usable in good lighting
The rear-facing camera on the HONOR Pad 9 is not particularly good. It’s below both high-end and mid-range smartphone cameras. That is not surprising at all, this is a budget tablet after all. It may even be best not to include cameras on the back of tablets at all, especially cheaper ones. Sure, it can take an image if you need it to, but you shouldn’t do that. Chances are that your phone can take a better image in both daylight and nighttime conditions. The lack of detail from the main camera is immediately apparent, and the colors are also lackluster. Even images that were purposely taken for their colors tend to look washed out. Things look even worse in low light, where a lot of noise creeps into images, and if you’re taking images with a lot of light sources, things completely fall apart. The camera performance is about on par with other tablets in this price bracket, though. It is to be expected.
The front-facing camera is nothing to write home about either. Yes, it’ll do the job for video calls and an occasional selfie if you really need to take pictures with it, but that’s it. This is also per course, nothing odd here, or wrong with it. Keep in mind the price here, and keep in mind it’s a tablet, not a phone. The selfie camera quality is more than enough for video calls, that’s for sure, unless you’re a stickler for details.
Camera samples:
HONOR Pad 9 Review: Software
The HONOR Pad 9 comes with Android 13 out of the box and HONOR’s MagicOS 7.2 on top of it. It doesn’t ship with Android 14 and MagicOS 8.0, unfortunately. We realized that MagicOS 8.0 brought a number of likable improvements to the HONOR Magic6 Pro, so it would be nice to see what will HONOR do with it in a tablet format. As things stand, the software is good, but not great. From the performance standpoint, everything is outstanding. it runs very smoothly, even on this hardware. The animations are also spot on, and based on the performance itself, you would have probably guessed this tablet costs a lot more than it does. HONOR usually does a fantastic job with the overall feel while you’re using their devices, even with cheaper models.
HONOR’s MagicOS 7.2 is obviously inspired by iOS
From the design standpoint, however, MagicOS 7.2 could use some work. A number of its aspects are influenced by iOS, while others are inspired by Android. The thing is, those aspects do not align visually, that’s something that MagicOS 8.0 improved. Some UI sections do seem a bit cartoonish still, while others look really nice. HONOR also insists on separate notification shade and quick toggles sections, which makes even less sense on a tablet, but there you go. You’ll also get that semi-transparent background on UI elements from iOS, whether you like it or not. The notification shade could also be more functional, and it could look a bit better in all honesty. You don’t get separate titles for emails, for example, while the font choice and that semi-transparent look are not all that flattering. Some of you may like it, though, of course.
There are a number of customizations at your disposal
There are some customization options available here. If you’ve used this version of MagicOS on one of the company’s smartphones, or one of the previous versions in the last couple of years, you’ll be right at home here. It does feel like a phone UI ported to a tablet. You do have some home and lock screen options on offer, and the same goes for themes. There’s no double tap to lock option, but you do get Magazine Unlock for the lock screen. The phone can shift wallpapers on your lock screen on its own. You can alter the icons a bit, though third-party icon support is not on offer.
You do get access to a smart sidebar, split-screen & more features
A split screen feature is on offer too, of course, and it works really well. You do also get access to a three-finger swipe gesture, which works well, and HONOR’s well-known knuckle gestures for partial screenshots, and so on. MagicOS 7.2 also comes with a sidebar which you can call upon by swiping from the right and waiting a second before lifting your finger. That will launch a customizable sidebar, from which you can launch apps in mini windows, and jump into a split screen. That’s a very useful feature that I found myself using far more on this tablet than I did on the company’s smartphones, to be quite honest.
MagicOS 8.0 will likely improve things even more
The bottom line is, MagicOS 7.2 works well, but the tablet will become even better once MagicOS 8.0 lands on it. MagicOS 7.2 may not look like many other Android UIs, but it has proven to be immensely reliable to me, time and time again. It has been that way for years, so I really don’t think many people will have issues with it… as long as you like its design.
HONOR Pad 9 Review: Audio
The HONOR Pad 9 comes with eight speakers. They are more than loud enough, and they do provide a rather pleasant sound. We have our own audio samples for testing the audio of devices, and I really enjoyed these speakers in every way except one. I’ve noticed the lack of bass. That may be an issue for some of you. I mean, there is some bass, but I’ve expected a bit more in that regard. We have to keep in mind that this is not a flagship product. Every other aspect was quite good. The audio was good across the spectrum. The speakers provided clear audio, and the distortion was barely noticeable at the highest of volumes.
There is no audio jack here
What I found a bit disappointing considering the size of this device is the lack of an audio jack. That’s something we usually see far more often on tablets than on phones, at least nowadays. Still, if you want to connect your headphones via a wired, you can do that, all you have to do is get a dongle and utilize a Type-C port on the tablet. The HONOR Pad 9 is also equipped with Bluetooth, of course, just not the most modern version. Bluetooth 5.1 comes included here when Bluetooth 5.4 is used on flagship-grade devices these days. That Bluetooth version will serve you just fine, though. It worked great for us.
HONOR Pad 9: Should you buy it?
Should you get the HONOR Pad 9? In all honesty, if you want to get a tablet for multimedia consumption and general tablet use, and you don’t have the budget for a flagship, or don’t feel the need for it… this is a great option. Why? Well, even at its original price tag of €349.90 I’d argue it’s worth it, but at the time of writing this article, it’s available for €314, plus you get a keyboard case I mentioned for free. That’s the promo that HONOR runs through its official HiHONOR website in parts of Europe. That’s a great deal, to say the least. At that price tag, with the accessory, this tablet is very easy to recommend.
You should buy the HONOR Pad 9 if you:
…want a large tablet without breaking the bank …need a reliable tablet for basic use …appreciate good build quality …want to get a keyboard accessory too (some markets only) …don’t want to buy a charger separately
You shouldn’t buy the HONOR Pad 9 if you:
…prefer using a fingerprint scanner …play graphically-intensive games …like stock Android
Ring is one of the most popular brands when it comes to video doorbells. Although they were not the first to introduce video doorbells, they have gained immense popularity over time. One of the reasons for this is that Ring is owned by Amazon, which has a vested interest in ensuring that everyone has a video doorbell to deter porch pirates. Stolen packages can cost Amazon a lot of money.
Nowadays, Ring offers much more than just video doorbells. They also provide security cameras, lighting, security systems, and more. In this article, we will provide you with all the information you need to know about Ring, and whether its products are worth buying for your home.
What is Ring?
In 2012, Jamie Siminoff created a video doorbell called Ring. Six years later, Amazon purchased the company for around $1 billion. It wasn’t all easy going for Ring, though. The company actually went on Shark Tank in 2013 and was ultimately rejected. Of course, they got redemption when Amazon came calling around 2018. And since then, Ring has become one of the biggest names in the smart home industry.
Doorbot (Now, Ring) on Shark Tank in 2013
Ring started out by making a video doorbell. The thought here was security. Seeing what’s going on outside of your home, when packages are delivered, and such. However, since then, Ring has evolved to do a lot more than just video doorbells. As mentioned before, Ring now has a bevy of security cameras for inside and outside of your home. It also has a DIY security system, and some smart lights (some that rely on solar) for your home too.
Shortly after Amazon bought the company in 2018, Ring launched Neighbors. It’s a neighborhood app that can be used to post criminal activity and keep your neighbors aware of what’s going on. You are able to post footage straight from your cameras and warn people. You don’t need to have Ring devices in (or outside) of your home to use the app though.
Do they partner with law enforcement?
Over the years, there’s been a lot of talk about Ring providing footage from its cameras to law enforcement without the consent of the user. So why does this happen? Well, because Ring does have partnerships with law enforcement agencies.
These partnerships happen in an exchange. Here’s how it works:
Law enforcement gets access to Ring’s “Law Enforcement Neighborhoods Portal”. This portal is an interactive map that shows the approximate location of all Ring devices in a given area. Police can then request footage from camera owners directly from the portal. They don’t need a warrant to request this footage, but camera owners have to give police permission to view their footage. Ring also coaches Police on how to convince people to give their camera footage to Police.
Ring, in turn, gets to have its cameras and Neighbors app promoted and advertised by local police. This happens with explicit promotion and implicit promotion. Basically, police have to encourage the community to adopt the platform and products.
It sounds a bit sketchy, however, this does help to keep your community safe. If you’re worried about police having access to your camera feeds, just keep your cameras outside of your home. Since that is public area (and shown on Google Maps, among other things), it’s not as big of a deal if the Police are seeing this footage, versus footage from inside your home.
How many Police Partnerships does Ring have?
Ring doesn’t keep this information updated, but the last known info we have is that there are at least 405 law enforcement agencies that have partnered with Ring. That’s still a pretty low number, given the amount of law enforcement agencies in the country.
Ring and Amazon help conduct package “sting operations”
As mentioned before, package thieves are a big deal for Amazon and costs them a lot of money each year. So Amazon and Ring have teamed up with local police to catch package thieves in different sting operations.
Basically, they create dummy Amazon packages (with the packages and tape provided by Amazon) and putting these packages on doorsteps equipped with doorbell cameras. The explicit goal here is to catch someone stealing a package on a Ring doorbell camera and arrest them.
These stings have occurred in a few cities. These include Hayward, CA; Aurora, CO; Albuquerque, NM; and Jersey City, NJ.
What products does Ring currently have?
Ring’s current products basically slot into four categories: Doorbells, cameras, alarms and smart lighting. They are constantly putting out new hardware, that is better and with more features. You know, like every tech company does. These products all work together quite well, within the Ring app. And also with Alexa. Since Amazon owns Ring, its products really only work with Alexa. Though there is some talk about it working with Google Assistant and the “At A Glance” widget on Android phones in the near future.
Here are the best products that Ring currently has.
Ring Battery Doorbell Plus
The Ring Battery Doorbell Plus is the newest doorbell from Ring, which offers HD+ detail, and better recognition of people and objects in the view of the doorbell. The camera is now larger, so you can see from head to toe, this also means that you can see packages that right up against your door.
Of course, all of the usual features are available here like Quick Replies, Package Detection and Alerts, as well as easy setup. It also has the quick release battery system from Ring, making it super easy to charge the battery.
This camera from Ring is really impressive, because it is like a smaller floodlight that’s wireless. It’s not quite as bright as a floodlight, but those lights on either side of the camera can get super bright. They will activate when the camera sees motion. There’s also two-way talk included here, and a siren alarm to scare people off.
The Ring Alarm Pro is one of the best DIY security systems you can get, and you don’t have to pay for monitoring either. The kit includes the base station, a keypad, contact sensors for windows and doors, and a motion detector. Ring sells this in a 8-pack, 12-pack, and a 14-pack. Which varies how many motion detectors and contact sensors you get. You can also buy these separately. The Pro alarm also has an eero 6 WiFi router built into the base station for improved connectivity.
Speaking of floodlights, there is a Ring floodlight here without a camera. This is a smart floodlight and will only turn on when it senses motion. It does require the Ring bridge however, which is an additional cost.
Once you set up your Ring products, you don’t actually need the Ring app anymore as you can do everything in the Ring app, through the Alexa app. Which might make things easier for those who are older. So you can just stick with one app.
In addition to that, you can bring up your camera feeds from different Ring cameras on your Fire TV, Echo Show or any other Alexa-enabled device. You can even get notifications on your TV, if you are using Fire TV, when someone is at the door. Which is super useful.
Can I share my Cameras with other family members?
Yes, you can easily share your Ring products with other family members, within the Ring app. Just add their email address and they’ll get a link to join your “home”.
Ring also gives you the option to choose which cameras you share with them. So you can stick to just providing them with your doorbell, or a camera, or everything that you have in your home.
This is a much better way to do it, rather than sharing a login for your Ring account. As that would make it more likely that your stuff could get hacked and stolen.
How do I know when the camera is recording?
Ring makes it easy to tell when it is recording you. It’ll show a red light on the camera when it is recording. This is necessary, as people need to know they are being recorded, even if they are at your home for a valid reason – and not stealing your packages.
Most video doorbells do something similar, Nest will flash the white light around the button on the doorbell, which is a bit more obvious that it is recording.
Keep in mind that Ring is not recording 24/7, unless you set it that way. Ring only records when it sees motion or people in its zone. This way you’re not getting hours and hours of empty footage where maybe the trees moved from the wind. It also conserves battery life on your camera. Allowing it to last months on a charge instead of a mere days.
What is Ring Protect?
Like a lot of its competitors, Ring also has a paid subscription that you can subscribe to. It’s called Ring Protect, and there are three versions of this plan: Basic, Plus, and Pro. Basic will cost you $4.99/month or $49.99/year, Plus is $10/month or $100/year, and the Pro plan is $20/month or $200/year.
So what’s the difference between these three plans? Let’s go over them.
Ring Protect: Basic
The Basic plan is basically meant for just a single doorbell or camera, and it’ll be fine for most people. It’ll give you access to video history for up to 180 days. It allows you to save and share videos, get personal alerts and rich notifications, and download up to 50 videos at once.
Ring Protect: Plus
The “Plus” plan is geared more towards those who are using more than one Ring device. Say a doorbell and a Spotlight Camera. It includes everything in the Basic plan but across multiple cameras. And it also adds an extended warranty for all your devices.
Ring Protect: Pro
Finally, the Ring Protect Pro plan is made for all of your cameras, and the Ring Alarm with professional monitoring. So you get everything included in Ring Protect Plus along with many features that come with professional monitoring of the alarm system. That includes Alarm Cellular Backup, Alexa Guard Plus, Digital Security by Eero Plus, and you can even save up to $100 or more per year on your home insurance with this.
Should I use Ring to protect my home?
The partnerships with law enforcement that Ring has is a big deal, which is why we dedicated a big part of this article to that. Ring providing your footage without your consent is reason for alarm. But as long as you’re using the cameras outside of your home, I don’t think this is a big deal. That’s a public space that police can see anyway, with the many cameras around town.
Ring is typically cheaper than Nest and has many more features than Nest. So, it is likely the better option for most people.
Softline Group, a major IT solutions provider, has confirmed the suspension of access to cloud products offered by Microsoft, Amazon, and Google for Russian customers.
Microsoft Corporation has recently announced the suspension of new sales in Russia.
This disruption is effective March 20, 2024, and applies to a wide range of cloud-based software, including:
Power BI (business intelligence)
Dynamics CRM (customer relationship management)
(and potentially others)
The Cause:
These restrictions stem from the European Union’s “12th package of sanctions” implemented in December 2023.
Alert Fatigue that helps no one as security teams need to triage 100s of vulnerabilities.:
The problem of vulnerability fatigue today
Difference between CVSS-specific vulnerability vs risk-based vulnerability
Evaluating vulnerabilities based on the business impact/risk
Automation to reduce alert fatigue and enhance security posture significantly
AcuRisQ, which helps you to quantify risk accurately:
These sanctions limit the supply of specific software categories, including business intelligence and customer relationship management (CRM) tools, to Russia.
The list of products to be banned includes a wide range of corporate applications, such as those for business process management, corporate accounting, automation, business analysis, project management, IT environment management, collaboration, and applications for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Notably, the ban will also affect software development tools, including the popular Visual Studio development environment, and applications connected with databases like Access DBMS and SQL Server, Russian media Outlet reports.
The Impact:
As of March 20th, Russian companies will no longer be able to:
Use the affected cloud products.
Access data stored within these products.
The specific regulation cited (EU Regulation 833/2014) restricts the supply of various software types to Russia.
This will likely cause significant disruption to Russian businesses and organizations that rely on these Microsoft products for their daily operations.
The ban extends to applications that are integral to various business functions, from accounting and resource planning to data analysis and software development.
Softline Group emphasizes that the suspension could potentially encompass all cloud products from Microsoft, Amazon, and Google that fall under these restrictions.
Softline has been advising Russian companies to back up their data and transition to domestically made alternatives.
The Russian government has also been promoting local alternatives to ensure the continued operations of private companies and organizations.
Microsoft’s ban on its cloud products in Russia is a clear indication of the tech industry’s alignment with international sanctions policies.
The move underscores the challenges that Russian businesses face as they navigate an increasingly isolated technological landscape.
As the situation develops, it will be crucial for affected organizations to find viable alternatives to maintain their operations.
Stay updated on Cybersecurity news, Whitepapers, and Infographics. Follow us on LinkedIn & Twitter.
Samsung is probably the biggest player in the Android tablet market. It has a huge market share and a strong product portfolio in this category. Its Tab S8 series is also a dominant player. And more importantly, it provides well-optimized software support for the devices as well. In a recent turn of events, Samsung has finally started rolling out the Android 14 update for their Galaxy Tab A9+ and the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite devices. Its software department had previously released the March update for the Galaxy A55 and other devices.
The first major Android update for the Galaxy Tab A9+ is here!
The Galaxy Tab A9 and A9+ were launched in a few select countries a couple of months ago. They were released running Android 13-powered OneUI 5.1.1 out of the box. And now, the brand has started rolling out the first major Android and OneUI update for the Galaxy Tab A9+ devices. The latest update brings Android 14-powered OneUI 6.0 to the device.
As of right now, only the selected countries such as the Caucasus countries, Indonesia, the Philippines, and India are getting the update. The build version of the update for Caucasus, Indonesia, and Philippines devices is X216BXXU1BXA7, and for Indian devices, it is X216BXXU1BXA9.
Apart from all the major changes related to OneUI 6.0 and Android 14, the update brings a ton of bug fixes and optimizations to the gadget. They have added the December 2023 security patch as well.
Galaxy Tab A7 Lite in the USA gets Android 14 update
Just like the Tab A9 series, the Tab A7 Lite also has limited availability across the globe. Nevertheless, the firm had initially started pushing the Android 14 update for their home-land South Korean variant of the Tab A7 Lite. Now the USA-based variants of the tablet have also started grabbing the Android 14 update in the region.
The Android 14 update for Tab A7 Lite in the USA region comes with the update build number T227USQU8DXB4. The carrier-locked variant of the devices is getting the update for now. As per the changelog, the newer update brings the updated December 2023 security patch. It further brings a bunch of bug fixes and software optimizations.
If you’ve been using Windows recently, then you’ve probably had Copilot shoved down your throat at some point. Microsoft went all-in on AI recently, and Copilot is the company’s AI platform. Well, according to Microsoft, Copilot is making it to more Windows 11 and Windows 10 computers soon.
Microsoft has been putting a lot of work into tightly integrating Copilot into the Windows operating system. It’s looking to have the same sort of integration that Google Assistant has with Android. Well, some people using Windows 11 have been able to access Copilot and see what it’s all about, and many more users are still waiting for that chance.
Copilot is rolling out to more Windows 11 and Windows 10 computers
In order to enable Copilot on your computer, you need to be running the latest version of Windows 11. This is version 23H2. When enabled, you will see the Copilot logo at the bottom right of the screen. This will bring out a side panel that you can use to interact with Copilot.
If you don’t have the latest version of Windows 11, then your wait will soon come to an end. The company just announced that it’s beginning an extended rollout of Copilot. So, it’s going to make it to more Windows 11 devices over the coming weeks. Copilot will enable itself on Windows 11 version 23H2, however, it will not if you’re running Windows 11 version 22H2.
If you are using Windows 10, then you’re going to have to wait just a bit longer. According to the report, “Eligible devices running Home and Pro editions of Windows 10 version 22H2, and are not managed by an organization, will start to receive Copilot in Windows later this month.” The company plans on finishing up this latest rollout by the end of May. So, at the latest, you will have two months to wait to receive Copilot.
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