Intel becomes the world’s biggest semiconductor chip maker

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Intel becomes the world’s biggest semiconductor chip maker
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Intel has surpassed Samsung to become the world’s biggest semiconductor chip maker. According to Counterpoint Research, the global semiconductor space experienced a revenue decline of 8.8%. Notably, the world’s biggest semiconductor chip maker, Samsung Electronics, suffered heavily. This means the Korean major earned $26.8 billion less than it did last year. 2022’s $70.2 billion fell to $43.4 billion in 2023; a big 38% drop. And it’s believed that it happened because the market for memory chips was not doing well. Subsequently, Samsung also struggled to find clients. Well, it doesn’t come unsurprising as Samsung had pointed out something similar last year.

Intel becomes the world’s biggest semiconductor chip maker

There’s an age-old adage, “One man’s loss is another man’s gain.” Similarly, Intel capitalized on Samsung’s setback to secure a leading position, notwithstanding the slightly sluggish market conditions. It’s worth noting that Intel, too, experienced a negative year-on-year growth, with a reported 16% decline. However, despite the downturn in revenue, it successfully emerged as the top earner in the semiconductor industry.

As per the report, NVIDIA is the clear winner among the ten biggest semiconductor chip makers. The report shows 86% year-on-year growth for the company and its revenue jumping from 16.3 billion to 30.3 billion. The list’s other biggest semiconductor chip makers include Qualcomm, Broadcom, SK Hynix, AMD, TI, Infineon, and STM.

Is AI making the waves?

The influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on the semiconductor industry is an undeniable statement. According to Counterpoint Research, William Li imagines artificial intelligence as “a major organic growth driver in the semiconductor industry in 2024.” Notably, NVIDIA and AMD stand out among the companies that experienced increased sales of computer chips, attributed to the rising demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and powerful components in cloud servers. Nvidia, in particular, reaped substantial benefits. Both companies have strategic plans to expand their AI-related ventures in the future, seizing the current opportunity and positioning themselves for sustained growth in the years ahead.


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Bruce Schneier predicts a future of AI-powered mass spying: Lock and Code S05E03

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Bruce Schneier predicts a future of AI-powered mass spying: Lock and Code S05E03
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This week on the Lock and Code podcast…

If the internet helped create the era of mass surveillance, then artificial intelligence will bring about an era of mass spying.

That’s the latest prediction from noted cryptographer and computer security professional Bruce Schneier, who, in December, shared a vision of the near future where artificial intelligence—AI—will be able to comb through reams of surveillance data to answer the types of questions that, previously, only humans could.  

“Spying is limited by the need for human labor,” Schneier wrote. “AI is about to change that.”

As theorized by Schneier, if fed enough conversations, AI tools could spot who first started a rumor online, identify who is planning to attend a political protest (or unionize a workforce), and even who is plotting a crime.

But “there’s so much more,” Schneier said.

“To uncover an organizational structure, look for someone who gives similar instructions to a group of people, then all the people they have relayed those instructions to. To find people’s confidants, look at whom they tell secrets to. You can track friendships and alliances as they form and break, in minute detail. In short, you can know everything about what everybody is talking about.”

Today, on the Lock and Code podcast with host David Ruiz, we speak with Bruce Schneier about artificial intelligence, Soviet era government surveillance, personal spyware, and why companies will likely leap at the opportunity to use AI on their customers.

“Surveillance-based manipulation is the business model [of the internet] and anything that gives a company an advantage, they’re going to do.”

Tune in today to listen to the full conversation.

Show notes and credits:

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

Listen up—Malwarebytes doesn’t just talk cybersecurity, we provide it.

Protect yourself from online attacks that threaten your identity, your files, your system, and your financial well-being with our exclusive offer for Malwarebytes Premium for Lock and Code listeners.


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Galaxy S22 gets camera enhancements with a new update

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Galaxy S22 gets camera enhancements with a new update
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Samsung is pushing a new update to the Galaxy S22 series. Currently rolling out to users in Europe, the update brings unspecified camera enhancements. A wider rollout should follow soon. The 2022 flagship lineup has already received the January security patch globally.

Samsung rolls out a new update to the Galaxy S22 series

The latest update for the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with the firmware build number S90*BXXU7DXA6. Users in Europe are receiving it with an OTA (over the air) download size of around 250MB. The update doesn’t bring a new security patch or One UI version—the devices remain on the January 2024 patch and One UI 6.0.

However, the official changelog states that the Galaxy S22 series is getting some improvements to the camera performance with this update. Samsung doesn’t go into detail, so it is unclear what has been improved. But we don’t expect any major functional changes or new features as the devices will soon get the One UI 6.1 update.

This update also contains some bug fixes and system stability improvements for the Galaxy S22 trio. If you missed installing the January security update earlier this month, you will get several dozen vulnerability fixes too. The latest SMR (Security Maintenance Release) patches 80 security flaws across the Galaxy family, including smartphones and tablets.

As usual, you can check for new updates from the Software update menu in the Settings app. Then, tap on Download and install to see if an OTA update is available for your Galaxy devices. If you find an update, follow the on-screen instructions to install it. If there is no pending update, wait a few days and check again following the same steps.

One UI 6.1 is on the way to Galaxy devices

One UI 6.1 is the latest iteration of Samsung’s custom Android skin for Galaxy devices. Based on Android 14, the new version debuted with the Galaxy S24 series, which goes on sale globally later this week. It brings new camera features and AI tools, among other things.

Samsung has already announced that most new features introduced with the Galaxy S24 lineup will make it into older models. The availability of features may vary depending on hardware capabilities, though. The Galaxy S22 series should get a handful of additions with One UI 6.1 in a few weeks. We will let you know when the rollout begins. You can also follow the steps provided above to check for updates manually.


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First Apple car tipped to launch in 2028 with downgraded features

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First Apple car tipped to launch in 2028 with downgraded features
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Autonomous vehicles are not a new trend among tech companies. We have constantly heard that a big tech firm wants to launch an autonomous EV with some magical technology. However, if you’re an Apple fan waiting to see an i-branded EV from the Cupertino company, we have bad news for you.

According to Mark Gurman on Bloomberg, Apple had decided to push back its car launch to 2028. The initial time frame for launching the Apple EV was 2026. Yet, the company has stayed tight-lipped about the reasons behind the delay. Meanwhile, that’s not the only disappointing news about the Apple EV. The report continues that the promised vehicle was downgraded to Level 2+ autonomy after the board meetings.

Apple delays its EV launch until 2028

For those unfamiliar with the term, Level 2+ is considered a semi-automated driving system that uses advanced sensors to enhance safety. Given that the current most advanced autonomous car level is Level 5, Apple’s EV is far behind modern tech, and it’ll have a hard time convincing potential buyers in 2028. In comparison, Tesla’s Autopilot is rated at Level 2. Mercedes also relies on Level 3 for its EVs in the US market.

While initial reports claimed Apple’s EV would be launched with Level 5 autonomous driving, further reports stated Apple has lowered its bar and will incorporate Level 4 autonomous driving in its vehicle. Meanwhile, today’s report insists on Level 2+ autonomous driving. Let’s hope Apple doesn’t cancel the project at all after multiple downgrades. As Gurman says, “Either the company is finally able to deliver this product with reduced expectations, or top executives may seriously reconsider the project’s existence.”

Apple EV has reportedly been under development since 2014. The tech firm has also invested piles of money into the project. If Apple cancels the entire project, hundreds of millions of dollars will go down the drain. Meanwhile, launching an EV with outdated autonomous levels gives Apple no chance to compete against Tesla, Mercedes, Rivian, and others.


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Instagram’s Flipside feature wants you to be yourself around your close friends

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Instagram’s Flipside feature wants you to be yourself around your close friends
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This is a common conundrum for social media accounts; your posts appeal to very different sets of people. Well, there’s a way for you to reserve certain posts only for people you choose to see them. Instagram is rolling out the ability for people to create a Flipside profile.

You have an Instagram account that you mostly use to post your light-hearted and cheerful art. However, you also enjoy making images that are dark and macabre. Rather than creating an entirely different Instagram account, you may want to consider just making a Flipside profile. It might actually be the best option for you.

Instagram is rolling out the Flipside profile feature

Right now, there are two options for Instagram profiles. You have your public and private profiles. However, there hasn’t been an option to only share posts with your closest friends. The company was working on a feature called Spaces that would let you do just that. You would be able to make a profile that only your closest friends could see.

Well, Instagram is working on that feature, but it recently changed the name to Flipside. So, it will work the same way. Once you gain access to this feature, you’ll be able to create an alternate profile. Here, your posts will only be seen by the accounts you designate.

X User and reverse engineer, Alessandro Paluzzi discovered this feature and posted a screenshot of it. When you set up your Flipside profile, you’ll have the option to send posts to your Flipside profile right from your regular profile. So, when you are making a new Instagram post, one of the sharing options will be to share it straight to your Flipside profile. Another screenshot shows the splash screen people see when they gain access to the feature.

According to reports, this feature is currently rolling out, but we’re not sure about the company’s rollout schedule, so we’re not sure when it will hit everyone. We installed the latest beta version of the app, and we’ve yet to see it.


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Get ready for OLED iPad Pros and new Macs in March!

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Get ready for OLED iPad Pros and new Macs in March!
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Apple is reportedly gearing up to launch new iPads and Macs in March. This comes from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter. Who says that production is already underway for the new iPad Pro models, as well as a new 13-inch MacBook Air. And there could be other products already in production for that launch event.

Gurman reiterates that there will be several new iPads launching alongside the next batch of M3 Macs. He also notes that we should expect the biggest revamp ever for the iPad Pro, along with a refreshed iPad Air and a larger iPad Air. There are also refreshed MacBook Airs in both 13- and 15-inch sizes coming with the new M3 chipset.

The new iPad Pro models are expected to be the first to come with OLED displays. Now, we’ve reported before that these OLED displays are going to result in a pretty massive price bump for both the 11-inch and soon-to-be 13-inch sizes. We’re looking at $1,500 and $1,800 respectively. Those are big price increases, hopefully the refresh is more than just a fresh screen technology.

Meanwhile, the iPad Air is set to get an additional size soon. Apple has always sold the iPad Air in a 9.7-inch and then an 11-inch size after the redesign with USB-C. Now, Apple is reportedly planning to add a 13-inch size to the lineup. This means that both the iPad Air and Pro would come in 11- and 13-inch sizes. The big difference between the two is the display technology – OLED vs LCD.

Expect these all to be announced at an event in March

Apple is expected to announce these new iPads and Macs at an event in March. Now while this could be another press release announcement, it seems unlikely. Since March is generally when Apple will unveil the new Spring color for the iPhone, combine that with a pretty large refresh for the iPad Pro, new iPad Airs, and refreshed MacBook Airs, and it definitely sounds like more than enough for an actual event.

Gurman also mentioned that we are set for new iPad accessories at this event. This includes fresh Magic Keyboards and Apple Pencils. It’s also possible that we could be seeing a new position for the Face ID camera, with Apple finally moving it to the landscape side. That’s something that most other tablets have done already; we’re just waiting on Apple.


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Benchmark for Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, Dimensity 9400 surface early

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Benchmark for Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, Dimensity 9400 surface early
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Qualcomm and MediaTek are hard at work on their next-gen flagship smartphone chipsets, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and Dimensity 9400. While the two processors are still several months away, a new leak has given us a fair idea of what to expect. If the leaked benchmark scores are accurate, both chips will bring a massive performance boost over their respective predecessors.

Leak reveals benchmark scores of Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and Dimensity 9400

X user @negativeonehero recently posted a couple of images allegedly showing the Geekbench 6 and AnTuTu scores of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and Dimensity 9400. The former scored 2,845 and 10,628 on the single-core and multi-core CPU tests on Geekbench, respectively. It scored 3,133,570 on the AnTuTu benchmark test, making it the first chipset ever to cross the three million mark.

The Dimensity 9400 trumped it with a score of 3,449,366. The MediaTek processor also outscored the Snapdragon on the multi-core CPU test on Geekbench, scoring 11,739. Its single-core score was 2,776. All of these scores are massive improvements over the current solutions from both chip giants. We are now looking at a CPU performance comparable to Apple’s M3 chips for Macbooks.

However, before you get too excited, note that there’s no way to verify the legitimacy of these benchmark scores. The images could have been forged. We know Qualcomm is switching from ARM’s Cortex CPU cores to its custom Nuvia cores this year. There are also rumors of a peak CPU speed of 4.00GHz, which is a massive jump from the Gen 3’s 3.30GHz.

Moreover, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is doing away with efficiency cores, with Qualcomm equipping it with two prime cores and six performance cores. But, despite all of these changes, a 25% boost in single-core CPU performance and over 50% boost in multi-core CPU performance is suspiciously high. The same goes for the AnTuTu score. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 just about surpassed two million.

The use of “Lahaina” for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4’s AnTuTu scores is another indication that it is potentially fake. Lahaina is the codename for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888. The upcoming chipset is known internally as “Pakala”. This is not to say it won’t bring major upgrades over the current solution. However, until we have more concrete evidence, we advise you to take these benchmark scores with some caution.

Qualcomm might launch the new Snapdragon early

Qualcomm is reportedly planning to launch the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 a few weeks earlier than the 2023 model. It is rumored to go official as early as September 2024. The Gen 3 debuted on October 24, 2023, while the Gen 2 arrived in November 2022. It is unclear why the company is gradually bringing its flagship launch forward. We will let you know as soon as we have more information.


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Amazon and iRobot just terminated their $1.7 billion acquisition deal

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Amazon and iRobot just terminated their $1.7 billion acquisition deal
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Back in August 2022, the largest e-commerce company in the world moved to acquire the largest robot vacuum company in the world. Amazon attempted to acquire iRobot, the company that manufactures Roomba vacuums. While some entities didn’t see much of an issue with this, The EU was different. According to the company, Amazon and iRobot agreed to terminate the acquisition deal.

In a recent press release, Amazon stated that the deal has “no pathway to regulatory approval in the European Union.” So, the hefty $1.7 billion deal will not see the light of day. Obviously, this news disappointed both companies. iRobot would have gotten nearly $2 billion in its pocket, and who knows how much money iRobot was going to make for Amazon in the long run? However, these are the types of deals that really make regulatory bodies blow steam from their ears.

Amazon and iRobot terminate their acquisition deal

This deal faced the usual scrutiny from my regulatory bodies. The EU investigated the deal along with the United States FTC and British regulators. Throughout the deal’s path to regulatory approval, it didn’t seem to have too much friction. A report by Reuters back in November also pointed to the EU approving the deal.

However, shortly after, the EU laid down a list of objections to this deal. One objection is that the deal could give Amazon the “ability and the incentive to foreclose iRobot’s rivals.” Basically, it could give Amazon the ability to vigorously push iRobot’s products to the top of search results and prioritize those devices over other robot vacuums. The company has been in hot water for allegedly performing actions like these with its own Amazon products.

So, the EU fears that Amazon might boost iRobot’s vacuums and bury its competition. This is something similar to what the FTC accused Amazon of doing in its massive anti-competitive lawsuit that it launched against the company.

This objection makes sense

Let’s face it, Amazon is a major company, and it did not get that way by being a patron saint. Big companies have to pull big (and sometimes illegal) moves to stay at the top of the game. We’re not saying that Amazon was going to unlawfully boost iRobot’s ranking. However, the deal, unfortunately, creates a pathway to doing so.

Also, when large companies buy other large companies, many regulatory bodies view that as anti-competitive. Amazon is the largest e-commerce company in the world, and it tried to buy the largest robot vacuum company in the world. That spells bad news for competition, as smaller companies and startups would then have to compete with iRobot supercharged by Amazon’s monumental reservoir of funds. Not only that, but Amazon has sway over the digital marketplace. So, that would, ostensibly, stifle competition and keep these two companies at the top.

So, the deal didn’t go through, and this might actually be for the better.


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Critical Authentication Bypass Flaw Patched In GoAnywhere MFT

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Critical Authentication Bypass Flaw Patched In GoAnywhere MFT
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A severe authentication bypass security flaw riddled the GoAnywhere MFT that could allow creating rogue admin accounts. While the developers patched the vulnerability already, researchers could still develop a working exploit for it, urging users to update to the latest versions.

Fortra Patched The GoAnywhere MFT Authentication Bypass Flaw

According to a recent advisory, Fortra released a security update to GoAnywhere MFT, addressing a critical security flaw. As described, the vulnerability could let an attacker create admin accounts without authentication.

The advisory didn’t explain much detail about the vulnerability (CVE-2024-0204 (CVSS 9.8)). Yet, it did state that the issue affects the Fortra GoAnywhere MFT 6.x from 6.0.1, and Fortra GoAnywhere MFT 7.x before 7.4.1. Consequently, the firm patched the vulnerability with the GoAnywhere MFT version 7.4.1, urging users to update to this release.

Alongside releasing the patch, Fortra also suggested mitigations for the vulnerability. Specifically, they recommended deleting the InitialAccountSetup.xhtml file in the install directory and restarting the services for non-container deployments. Whereas, for container deployments, users may simply replace the file with an empty file and restart the services.

Exploit Developed For The GoAnywhere Auth Bypass

Shortly after Fortra’s advisory, security researchers from the Horizon3.ai could still develop a PoC for it.

Briefly, the researchers leveraged the known path traversal issue with Tomcat-based apps that allows access to restricted pages. This issue arises when the request includes /..;/. Hence, they exploited this vulnerability, sending the request https://192.168.1.1:8001/goanywhere/images/..;/wizard/InitialAccountSetup.xhtml to the vulnerable InitialAccountSetup.xhtml endpoint, gaining access to the setup page. Next, submitting the account creation form including the path traversal let them create the new admin account.

The researchers have shared their detailed analysis in their post, sharing the PoC exploit on GitHub. For the users, the researchers advise scanning the existing Admin accounts on the GoAnywhere administrator portal to detect potential rogue accounts. Finding such accounts could also help the users determine the timeline of the breach. Besides, users may also look for any new account entries in the database logs at \GoAnywhere\userdata\database\goanywhere\log\*.log.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.


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Nothing Phone (2a) charging speed confirmed ahead of launch

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Nothing Phone (2a) charging speed confirmed ahead of launch
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The Nothing Phone (2a) is coming, and the phone’s charging speed has just been confirmed. The phone appeared over at the TUV certification website, and now we know it will support 45W wired charging. That’s the same charging speed the Nothing Phone 2 offers.

The Nothing Phone (2a) charging speed has been confirmed

The phone appeared with a model number ‘A142’, and this charging speed is the same as what the Nothing Phone 2 offers. That’s everything TUV confirmed, however, no additional details were shared.

IMAGE

This handset has surfaced a number of times thus far. Some of its specs got shared, while its name got confirmed too. The device is expected to arrive in February, and the design language will remain the same.

We still don’t know when will the device launch, but it could arrive as part of MWC 2024 in Barcelona, as that is also taking place in February. This will become the company’s third phone, following the Nothing Phone and Nothing Phone 2.

This will be a mid-range phone, and it’s tipped to utilize the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 SoC

The Nothing Phone (2a) is expected to be a mid-range device. Some rumors are hinting that it will use a Snapdragon 7 series chip, while others claim Nothing will utilize the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 processor.

The phone is expected to feature a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Two variants are tipped, 8GB and 12GB RAM models. Those two phones will include 128GB and 256GB of storage, respectively.

Two 50-megapixel cameras are expected to be included

On the back, a 50-megapixel main camera (Samsung’s ISOCELL S5KGN9) is expected, along with a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit (ISOCELL JN1). On the front, you’ll likely be able to find a 16-megapixel selfie unit.

Android 14 is expected to come out of the box, along with Nothing OS 2.5. A 4,290mAh battery could also be included in the package.

The Nothing Phone (2a) will likely arrive in both black and white models, but nothing has been confirmed just yet.


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