Meta introduces ad-free subscription plans in European countries

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Meta introduces ad-free subscription plans in European countries
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As reported back in September, Meta introduced a new subscription option for Facebook and Instagram users in European countries. The option was demanded by the EU as an alternative to those who don’t want to see the company’s ads on their feeds.

In a statement released earlier today, Meta said that in order to “comply with evolving European regulations,” it decided to launch a new subscription option in the EU, EEA and Switzerland.

Facebook and Instagram users will be able to subscribe to avoid seeing ads in November. While subscribed, their information will not be used for ads. As far as the price goes, Meta announced the depending on where the subscription is purchased the cost could be higher or lower.

For example, an ad-free Facebook/Instagram subscription will cost €9.99 per month on the web, but iOS and Android users will have to come up with €12.99 per month for the same type of subscription. According to Meta, once a subscription is acquired, it will apply to all linked Facebook and Instagram accounts in a user’s Accounts Center.

The bad news is that this will only be available until next year, so starting March 1, 2024, an additional fee of €6 per month on the web and €8 per month on iOS and Android will apply for each additional account listed in a user’s Account Center.

If you don’t mind seeing ads on your Facebook and Instagram feeds, this change will not affect you in any way. The subscription is only meant to provide users with an option in case they don’t want any kind of advertising to be seen on their pages.


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Canada Bans WeChat and Kaspersky Due to Spying Concerns

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Canada Bans WeChat and Kaspersky Due to Spying Concerns
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The Government of Canada has instructed government employees to immediately uninstall WeChat and Kaspersky apps from their smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

Canada has banned the Chinese messaging app WeChat and the Russian antivirus software Kaspersky from government devices, citing privacy and security concerns. The ban, which took effect on October 30, 2023, applies to all government-issued mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

The Canadian government said that its decision was based on an assessment by Canada’s chief information officer that found that WeChat and Kaspersky “present an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.”

The assessment found that both apps collect a wide range of data from users, including their contacts, location, and financial information. It also found that both apps could be used to plant malware on devices or to track communications.

The Chinese government has criticized Canada’s ban, calling it “unreasonable and discriminatory.” Tencent, the company that owns WeChat, has said that the app is “committed to protecting the privacy and security of its users.” Kaspersky has also denied any wrongdoing.

Canada’s ban on WeChat and Kaspersky is part of a broader trend of Western governments taking a more cautious approach to Chinese and Russian technology companies. In recent years, there have been growing concerns that these companies could be used by their governments to spy on users or to interfere in foreign elections.

In addition to Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand have also banned Kaspersky and WeChat from government devices. The United States has also gone further, imposing sanctions on several Chinese technology companies, including Huawei and ZTE.

The ban is likely to have a significant impact on the Chinese and Russian technology industries. WeChat is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 1.2 billion active users. Kaspersky is also one of the most popular antivirus software companies in the world, with over 400 million active users.

In a press release published on October 30th, 2023, Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board, stated that,

“We are taking a risk-based approach to cyber security by removing access to these applications on government mobile devices. The Government of Canada continuously works to safeguard our information systems and networks to ensure the privacy and protection of government information. We will continue to regularly monitor potential cyber threats and take immediate action when needed.”

Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board

The ban is also likely to send a message to other Western governments that they should be more cautious about using technology from China and Russia. It could also lead to other Western governments imposing similar bans on Chinese and Russian technology companies.

Overall, Canada’s ban on WeChat and Kaspersky is a significant step that is likely to have a major impact on the global technology industry. It is also a sign that Western governments are becoming increasingly concerned about the potential for Chinese and Russian technology companies to be used for malicious purposes.

  1. Kaspersky spots CIA malware with backdoor capabilities
  2. Kaspersky Reveals iPhones of Employees Infected with Spyware
  3. Kaspersky tipped off US about the contractor who stole NSA data
  4. Israel hacked Kaspersky to inform US about Russia stealing NSA exploits
  5. Passwords by Kaspersky Password Manager exposed to brute-force attack

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Samsung may soon bring us foldable tablets & laptops

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Samsung may soon bring us foldable tablets & laptops
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Foldable Samsung laptops and tablets may not be too far away in the future. The Korean firm recently confirmed that it is open to developing such products. It may be evaluating the market for folding laptops and tablets and could decide on a production plan according to the demand.

Samsung is open to making foldable laptops and tablets

It has been widely reported that Samsung plans to launch foldable laptops and tablets. The earliest reports date back to several years. After all, the company has been selling foldable phones for five years now. It can be accredited with single-handedly creating a sizable market for this device category. As many as ten companies are now vying for a piece of this market, which is growing rapidly.

Along with foldable phones, Samsung has showcased various other unconventional display solutions over the years. The company has been teasing a 17.3-inch foldable OLED panel for at least the past couple of years. It folds from the middle to give you two screens of 13.3 inches diagonal each. The device can be a monitor, a tablet, and many more things. The Korean firm has also filed design patents for many unique foldable devices.

However, we have yet to see a foldable laptop or tablet come out through Samsung’s doors. Some rival firms have already released such products but the Korean behemoth hasn’t rushed to it. Company executives have publicly discussed the products several times but nothing has come out. Samsung reaffirmed the plans during its Q3 2023 earnings call earlier today.

“We are leaving open the possibility of foldables spreading to other product lines such as laptops and tablets,” the company said during the conference call. This suggests Samsung has such devices on the back of its mind. It might still be skeptical about the market demand and could be taking its time to see how things pan out in the coming years. Considering Samsung’s expertise in the foldable industry, it may not be a difficult task to pull off.

The foldable smartphone market is growing globally

As the competition grows, foldable smartphones have become cheaper. Effectively, the market is growing globally. Samsung plans to remain a frontrunner in this race with new products and solutions in the coming years. “As foldable technology becomes widely available in the mass market, demand patterns are expected to become polarized,” the company said. “We plan to develop foldables as a key driver of flagship growth.”


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Nvidia’s LLM is trained on chip design

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Nvidia’s LLM is trained on chip design
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We’re seeing the term LLM (large language model) being tossed around a lot nowadays, and it’s because of the AI explosion. Several companies like Google, Meta, OpenAI, Anthropic, etc. have one or multiple LLMs. Well, GPU maker Nvidia is one of them, and it trains its LLM on chip design.

Nvidia’s LLM isn’t particularly new, and the company has been hard at work training it on trillions of words. It has to learn just like all other models, but this one sits apart from other models on the market. Several other companies train their models to eventually be used by the general public to learn general information. This is what we’re seeing with chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard.

But, Nvidia is training its LLM on chip design

Nvidia, on the other hand, has a more specialized vision for its LLM. Its primary foundation model is named NeMo, and the company has been training it on internal information for a while.

The company’s Bill Dally introduced the latest evolution of NeMo called ChipNeMo, and it’s a version of Nvidia’s LLM trained specifically on chip design. So, while other models are designed to tell you more about the world, ChipNeMo is made to tell you more about chip design.

If you’re waiting for Nvidia to release this as a public tool for you to learn about chip design, you’re going to be disappointed. Nvidia built this LLM for internal use. One way that AI can positively impact business is that it can automate and expedite tedious or unnecessary tasks.

As per the report, Dally stated that this could help junior designers get assistance. Usually, senior designers need to help the junior designers with their questions. That costs the senior designers time that they could use for work. Well, ChipNeMo could provide information to the junior designers.

Another area where ChipNeMo has the potential to help is in the bug department. Documentation explaining bugs tends to be extremely long. People have to read these documents just to know the inner workings of the bug, which takes time. Well, ChipNeMo could summarize the bug in just a few paragraphs and tell the designers how to fix the issue.

This is a business tool at the end of the day, and it could Nvidis speed up productivity. As Dally puts it, “If we even got a couple percent improvement in productivity, this would be worth it. And our goals are actually to do quite a bit better than that.”


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Patch now! BIG-IP Configuration utility is vulnerable for an authentication bypass

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Patch now! BIG-IP Configuration utility is vulnerable for an authentication bypass
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Tech company F5 has warned customers about a critical authentication bypass vulnerability impacting its BIG-IP product line that could result in unauthenticated remote code execution.

F5 provides services focused on security, reliability, and performance. BIG-IP is a collection of hardware platforms and software solutions that provides a wide range of services, including load balancing, web application firewall, access control, and DDoS protection.

Two security researchers found a critical vulnerability in the configuration utility of several versions of BIG-IP:

  • 17.1.0 (Fixed in 17.1.0.3 + Hotfix-BIGIP-17.1.0.3.0.75.4-ENG)
  • 16.1.0 – 16.1.4 (Fixed in 16.1.4.1 + Hotfix-BIGIP-16.1.4.1.0.50.5-ENG)
  • 15.1.0 – 15.1.10 (Fixed in 15.1.10.2 + Hotfix-BIGIP-15.1.10.2.0.44.2-ENG)
  • 14.1.0 – 14.1.5 (Fixed in 14.1.5.6 + Hotfix-BIGIP-14.1.5.6.0.10.6-ENG)
  • 13.1.0 – 13.1.5 (Fixed in 13.1.5.1 + Hotfix-BIGIP-13.1.5.1.0.20.2-ENG)

In a post, F5 said:

“This vulnerability may allow an unauthenticated attacker with network access to the BIG-IP system through the management port and/or self IP addresses to execute arbitrary system commands.”

F5 also said customers can also use iHealth to check if they are vulnerable.

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database lists publicly disclosed computer security flaws. This CVEs is listed as:

CVE-2023-46747 (CVSS score 9.8 out of 10): Undisclosed requests may bypass configuration utility authentication, allowing an attacker with network access to the BIG-IP system through the management port and/or self IP addresses to execute arbitrary system commands.  Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.

BIG-IP defines a self IP address as an IP address on the BIG-IP system that you associate with a virtual local area network (VLAN), to access hosts in that VLAN. A  customer normally assigns self IP addresses to a VLAN when they initially run the Setup utility on a BIG-IP system.

An authentication bypass happens when someone claims to have a given identity, but the software does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.

Remote code execution (RCE) is when an attacker accesses a target computing device and makes changes remotely, no matter where the device is located.

In general you can say that if the BIG-IP Traffic Management User Interface is exposed to the internet, then the system in question is impacted. It’s estimated that there are over 6,000 external-facing instances of the application.

The researchers say exploitation of the vulnerability could lead to a total compromise of the F5 system by executing arbitrary commands as root on the target system.

“A seemingly low impact request smuggling bug can become a serious issue when two different services offload authentication responsibilities onto each other.”

Actions

If you are running a vulnerable version, F5 has a list of updates here.

If you can’t install a fixed version for any reason, then F5 advises you can block Configuration utility access through self IP addresses or block Configuration utility access through the management interface.

We don’t just report on vulnerabilities—we identify them, and prioritize action.

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep vulnerabilities in tow by using Malwarebytes Vulnerability and Patch Management.


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Apple’s brand new USB-C AirPods Pro 2 are now $189

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Apple’s brand new USB-C AirPods Pro 2 are now $189
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Amazon is keeping the deals rolling for Prime Big Deal Days here, with a new all-time low for the USB-C AirPods Pro 2nd Generation. Which were just announced last month, and have been discounted by $50 pretty much ever since. But now, Amazon has taken another $10 off. Making them just $189. So if you’ve been thinking about replacing your AirPods Pro and going USB-C, now is the time.

These new AirPods Pro 2 don’t bring a lot of changes over the original second generation model. The biggest change is Lightning to USB-C, to match the iPhone 15. But it also brings lossless audio, which is really impressive, but you’ll really only be able to use it on the Vision Pro.

When it comes to battery life here, Apple is claiming about six hours of listening time. That’s on a single charge, with the case, they are touting about 30 hours. So these should be able to get you through a good solid listening session. And even for a flight from New York to San Francisco. There’s also a LED on the front of the case to indicate charging, and pairing. As well as a speaker there for Find My.

You can pick up the new USB-C AirPods Pro 2 from Amazon at the link below. Remember this deal is available during Prime Big Deal Days only, ending on October 11, at 11:59PM PT. You also need to be a Prime member to get this deal, which you can sign up for a free trial here.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C) – Amazon


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Google wanted the Search app pre-loaded on iOS

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Google wanted the Search app pre-loaded on iOS
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The earth-shaking antitrust lawsuit against Google is still ongoing. During the court battle, a ton of tea has been spilled about the inner workings of Google and how it stays at the top of the search market. Among the revelations, we found out that Google had once suggested pre-loading Search on iOS.

We already know about Google’s and Apple’s close partnership. A partnership mostly held behind closed doors, it sees Google paying Apple $18 billion each year to make Google the default search engine on iOS. In fact, each respective company’s CEO (Google’s Sundar Pichai and Apple’s Tim Cook) meets each year to talk about the deal.

Google wanted to pre-install Search on iOS

This is a tight-knit deal, and it’s been going on for some time, as the case revealed. Well, in 2018, Pichai suggested to Cook that Google Search be pre-installed on iOS devices. Also, the company would support the app for – get this- 20 years. Cook declined the offer, as iPhones don’t come with third-party applications built-in.

Had this deal gone through, it would have meant a ton of revenue for Google. Most people go onto the web to search for something. Well, instead of going to Safari or any other browser, people’s first destination would be the Google app. So, more people would have navigated right to the Google app and cut out the middleman; they wouldn’t go to the browser where they could possibly use any other search engine.

During the case, as you can imagine, this didn’t sit well with folks. Many could see it as an anti-competitive move. Cementing Google Search inside of the most popular series of phones on the planet would mean that other search engines just wouldn’t have a chance.

Right now, Google is in hot water as it is, so it’s fortunate for the company that this didn’t go through. However, it’s still interesting to imagine how things would have been.


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WhatsApp is rolling out a feature to initiate group calls with up to 31 participants

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WhatsApp is rolling out a feature to initiate group calls with up to 31 participants
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WhatsApp is once again introducing a new feature to enhance the user experience for its 2.7 billion global users, or at least for now, those on iOS.

The go-to source for WhatsApp news and updates, WABetaInfo reports that the Meta-owned app is rolling out an improved calling feature that allows users to kick off calls with up to 31 participants. So, by installing the latest 23.21.72 update for iOS on the App Store, you can include up to 31 people before initiating a group call.

Image Credit–WABetaInfo - WhatsApp is rolling out a feature to initiate group calls with up to 31 participants

Image Credit–WABetaInfo

In the past, WhatsApp let you have group calls with up to 32 participants, but there was a catch—you could only pick 15 contacts at the start. Now, with the latest updates, you can dive into group calls with the full 32 participants right from the get-go. It’s all about making the calling experience smoother and better.

For those who haven’t received this feature yet, it’s recommended to check for updates regularly on the App Store and the TestFlight app. Although the official changelog doesn’t specify the timeline for distribution, some accounts may receive the feature in the upcoming weeks.

The group call feature initially popped up in the WhatsApp for Android beta. So, it’s likely to roll out to Android users in the next few days as well.

WhatsApp is continuously working on offering new features to its users. Just recently, WhatsApp rolled out the ability to have two accounts logged in simultaneously within the official app. The company also announced that it will start passkeys support for Android users.

But that is not all, as last month, the Meta family, including WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, welcomed a new AI Assistant that promises to provide users with real-time info and give them the ability to generate images from their text prompts in seconds.


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Hacker Jailed for Stealing $1 Million Via SIM Swapping Attacks

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Hacker Jailed for Stealing $1 Million Via SIM Swapping Attacks
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A young man from Orlando, Florida, has been handed a 30-month prison sentence for his role in a cybercrime scheme that stole nearly $1 million in cryptocurrency from unsuspecting victims. 

As part of a group of hackers, Jordan Dave Persad, a 20-year-old, admitted to conspiring to commit computer fraud.

Their method of operation involved using a technique known as “SIM swapping” to gain unauthorized access to people’s email accounts and subsequently take control of their online cryptocurrency wallets.

Persad’s participation in this scheme resulted in the charge of Conspiracy to Commit Computer Fraud.

The cyberattacks took place between March 2021 and September 2022, targeting several individuals across the country, including one from Arizona who lost about $30,000. 

Persad and his co-conspirators split the loot among themselves, with Persad receiving about $475,000.

SIM Swapping Attacks

Despite their attempts to remain under the radar, the group’s illicit operations were eventually discovered by law enforcement officials.

As a result, a thorough investigation was launched, culminating in a raid on Persad’s residence in Orlando. During the operation, authorities were successful in recovering a portion of the stolen funds.

Persad will now have to spend 30 months in jail, followed by three years of supervised release. He will also have to pay back $945,833 to the victims of his crimes. 

The investigation, in this case, was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was managed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Chang and Bridget Minder from the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

Protect yourself from vulnerabilities using Patch Manager Plus to patch over 850 third-party applications quickly. Try a free trial to ensure 100% security.


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Samsung will update these Galaxy devices to Android 14

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Samsung will update these Galaxy devices to Android 14
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On Monday, Samsung officially began its Android 14 rollout for Galaxy devices. As expected, the Galaxy S23 series received the big update first. Other eligible models will follow in the coming weeks. The company has now released a list of devices confirmed to get Android 14 and One UI 6.0.

Samsung confirms Android 14 for over 20 Galaxy devices

Shortly after rolling out the Android 14-based One UI 6.0 update for the Galaxy S23 series, Samsung published an article detailing how the big update will improve your Galaxy camera experience. The company says it has improved the Galaxy Enhance-X app to give you more camera features.

In the footnotes of the article, Samsung provided a list of devices that will get the updated app and new features following the One UI 6.0 update. This confirms that the listed devices are eligible for Android 14. Well, we already knew that, but it’s an official confirmation now.

According to Samsung, all S-series flagships launched in 2020 and beyond with get Android 14. That means the Galaxy S20 series, Galaxy S21 series, and Galaxy S22 series are eligible for the latest version of Android OS. The Galaxy Note 20 series, which arrived in the second half of 2020, will get it too.

Additionally, One UI 6.0 will reach all Z-series foldables Samsung has launched since 2020. The list includes the Galaxy Z Flip (LTE), Galaxy Z Flip 5G, Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy Z Flip 3, Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Flip 5, and Galaxy Z Fold 5. Other Galaxy phones confirmed to get the big Android OS upgrade are Galaxy A54 and Galaxy A53.

Interestingly, Samsung has mentioned the Galaxy S20, Galaxy Note 20 series, Galaxy Z Flip (LTE), Galaxy Z Flip 5G, and Galaxy Z Fold 2 in this list. These devices were originally promised only three major Android OS updates, which they have already picked up. It’s unclear if Samsung has changed its mind or if it mistakenly added them to the list. Maybe they will get the updated Galaxy Enhance-X app but not Android 14.

Many other Samsung phones will get the big Android update

Samsung has only named the phones that will support the improved Galaxy Enhance-X app following the One UI 6.0 update in this article. The company will also push the new One UI version to many other devices that don’t support the camera app.

For example, the Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy A05, Galaxy A05s, Galaxy F34, Galaxy M34, Galaxy F54, Galaxy A24, Galaxy F14, Galaxy M54, Galaxy A34, Galaxy M14, Galaxy A14, and Galaxy A14 5G all debuted in 2023 with Android 13 onboard. All of these devices are eligible for Android 14 and Android 15, with some of them getting Android 16 and Android 17 as well.

Samsung will also update many other A, M, and F-series devices from the past couple of years to Android 14. Some models are sold globally, while others are only available in select markets. Like last year, the company should release a One UI 6.0 roadmap for each market in the coming weeks. It mostly pushes the update according to the roadmap.

If you’re using a Samsung phone, check the roadmap for your region to see if your model is eligible for Android 14. The Korean firm publishes the list on the Samsung Members app. As usual, you can check for new updates on your Galaxy device from the Settings app. Go to the Software update menu and tap on Download and install.


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