Content in the form of short videos appears to be the preferred way to consume information nowadays. Social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook have changed how end consumers like us want to receive and process information. Instagram Reels were introduced three years ago, starting with a duration of only 15 seconds. Now, they can be up to 90 seconds long, and in the future, they might become even longer.According to tipster Alessandro Paluzzi, Instagram is exploring the possibility of creating Reels that are up to 10 minutes long. Currently, these videos have a maximum duration of 90 seconds, with some options to create videos up to 3 minutes long. However, screenshots shared by Paluzzi suggest a potential increase to 10 minutes.
Whether or when this update will be rolled out to users remains unclear for now. According to Engadget, Meta is testing it internally, so we will have to wait and see if it will be released for external testing and eventually rolled out to everyone later.Instagram initially began as a photo-focused app, but with competing platforms like TikTok gaining popularity, it started offering new content-sharing options for users. TikTok currently allows users to share videos up to 10 minutes in length. Therefore, if Instagram aims to stay competitive, this rumored update might eventually become a reality.
With over 2 billion monthly active users, Instagram Reels play a significant role in generating content. Even news outlets and major media organizations are using Reels to share news and connect with a broader audience. Given this context, the potential introduction of 10-minute-long videos would likely be a highly anticipated feature among content creators.
Qakbot (aka QBot, Pinkslipbot) is a sophisticated banking Trojan malware that can spread through various methods. Once installed on a system, Qakbot can collect:-
Login credentials.
Intercept online banking transactions.
Gain remote control over the infected computer.
The FBI, along with the Justice Department, led a multinational operation to dismantle the complete infrastructure of the Qakbot malware and botnet on August 29.
In this joint operation, ransomware and cybercriminal activities were actively targeted across seven countries that we have mentioned below:-
The U.S.
France
Germany
The Netherlands
Romania
Latvia
The United Kingdom
Besides this, the director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, stated:-
“This botnet was actually one of the longest-lasting ones we’ve seen, and its reach spanned across the entire world. Previously, threat actors utilized this botnet to launch ransomware attacks and steal personal data.”
Prominent ransomware groups, including Conti and ProLock, utilized this botnet, resulting in significant losses for businesses. In addition, the operation led to the seizure of millions in cryptocurrency.
Previously, the ransomware actors leveraged this botnet for a 4.9 million dollar ransom from a publishing company. Threat actors have furthermore exploited it to steal terabytes of medical data from a healthcare provider.
Dismantling Qakbot Botnet
The FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed the neutralization of an expansive criminal chain, affecting the following sectors across the US:-
Financial institutions
Infrastructure,
Medical device maker
Government contractors
Qakbot malware was born in 2008, and since then, in the U.S. and globally, it has caused hundreds of millions of dollars in losses through ransomware and cybercrime.
In the operation, the FBI legally accessed Qakbot’s infrastructure and discovered:-
700,000 global infected devices
200,000 in the U.S. (Among the 700,000 global infected devices)
In an effort to stop the botnet from spreading by distributing an uninstaller that would liberate infected devices from the virus and stop new malware from being installed, the FBI diverted the Qakbot traffic to control servers.
Samsung‘s in-house Exynos chipsets are making a return to flagship Galaxy devices next year. The Galaxy S24 series is rumored to be powered by the Exynos 2400, at least in some markets. The rest of the world will get an overclocked version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. However, this split may not work as it did for the Galaxy S22 series last year. A new rumor says Samsung will ship the Galaxy S24 Ultra with the Snapdragon chip globally. The Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ may follow the usual dual-chip strategy.
Galaxy S24 Ultra buyers may get a Snapdragon processor globally
Samsung made its fans happy earlier this year by shipping the Galaxy S23 series with a Snapdragon chip globally. The company’s decision to ditch Exynos chipsets was appreciated by all. This came after a years-long dual-chip strategy where it used Snapdragon in some markets (primarily China and North America) and Exynos in the rest of the world. including Europe.
The problem with this strategy was Exynos. Samsung’s in-house processors had performance, power, and thermal issues. The Snapdragon versions of Galaxy flagships always outperformed their Exynos counterparts. This performance gap widened in recent years, making the Korean firm go all-in with Snapdragon this year. Buyers who previously got Exynos versions could immediately feel the difference.
However, to everyone’s surprise (and disappointment), Samsung is bringing back Exynos next year. The company has reportedly improved its chip fabrication tech and is confident that the Exynos 2400 can give the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 a run for its money. As usual, it was expected to ship the Snapdragon version in the US, China, and a few other markets, while Europe and the rest of the world get the Exynos version.
However, tipster @Tech_Reve claims that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will get a Snapdragon processor in all markets. The priciest 2024 Samsung flagship won’t come in an Exynos version. The source doesn’t say anything about the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+. That likely means the Korean behemoth will follow the usual dual-chip strategy for the two smaller models.
Interestingly, this comes just a day after another noted tipster Ice Universe suggested that the entire Galaxy S24 series will get the Exynos 2400 in Europe. So nothing seems to be set in stone yet. Samsung may still be figuring out what works best for its business. The confusion should settle in the coming months, once the company finalizes everything and the Galaxy S24 series enters the production stage.
Instead of repeating to yourself “Find Your Way!”, maybe instead you should “Food Your Way” – that’s the slogan of Samsung Food, the rebranded popular meal planning and recipes-collecting app Whisk (via 9to5Google).
Anyone who’s into kitchen stuff and has at one point wanted to ease oneself, involving his/hers phone, has probably come across the Whisk app. Samsung is seeing potential in the meal app so it has officially acquired it, now rebranding it as Samsung Food – available for both Android and iOS. There’s an official site as well: samsungfood.com. There’s a blog at the official site, too: useful, if you’ve ever wondered “How Many Sticks Of Butter Are In One Cup?” or if you want to learn more about the smoke points of different types of cooking oils.
What’s it for?
Samsung Food, formerly Whisk, is used for recipe saving, meal planning, grocery shopping, and recipe sharing. In the words of Samsung, “Samsung Food’s wide range of features support users every step of the way during the meal planning and cooking process, spanning four key areas: recipe discovery and personalization, tailored meal planning, connected cooking and social sharing functions.”It’s interesting to note that for the near future, Samsung has AI plans, regarding the Samsung Food app. They should come sometime in 2024 and should turbocharge the app with the ability to recognize food products and meals through a photo and to provide details about what you’re looking at: how many calories are there, whether it’s nutritious, how you can cook it, and more.
Samsung Food also comes with a function called Personalize Recipe, which can change a given recipe to better reflect users’ dietary requirements. For example, users can convert a recipe into a vegan or vegetarian version or make other changes to create a recipe that is more nutritionally balanced or incorporates in-stock ingredients. Users will even be able to create fusion recipes, such as Korean versions of Italian dishes, and adjust the cooking time or skill level of recipes.
“Samsung Food” is rolling out now as an update to the Whisk app on Android (via the Play Store) and iOS.
Multiple vulnerabilities have been identified in ArubaOS-Switch Switches, specifically pertaining to Stored Cross-site Scripting (Stored XSS), Denial of Service (DoS), and Memory corruption.
Aruba has taken measures to mitigate these vulnerabilities and has subsequently published a security advisory.
ArubaOS-Switch is owned by Aruba Networks, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise subsidiary. This allows users to manage their networks from a centralized location. Aruba Networks manufactures several networking products.
This vulnerability exists in the web management interface on ArubaOS-Switch which could allow an unauthenticated threat actor to exploit a Stored XSS attack. This attack can be conducted against a user of the Aruba Web management interface under certain configurations.
If an attacker is able to succeed in exploiting this vulnerability, it can allow a threat actor to execute arbitrary script code on the affected interface. The CVSS score for this vulnerability has been given as 8.3 (High).
CVE-2023-39267: Authenticated Denial of Service Vulnerability
The Command Line Interface (CLI) of ArubaOS-Switch has been identified to be vulnerable to an authenticated remote code execution which can lead to a Denial-of-Service condition. The CVSS Score for this vulnerability has been given as 6.6 (Medium).
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted packets to the ArubaOS-Switch, leading to an unauthenticated remote code execution. This vulnerability arises as a part of a memory corruption vulnerability in the ArubaOS-Switch.
The CVSS score for this vulnerability has been given as 4.5 (Medium).
Affected Products & Fixed in Version
The affected products include HPE Aruba Networking Switch Models,
Aruba 5400R Series Switches
Aruba 3810 Series Switches
Aruba 2920 Series Switches
Aruba 2930F Series Switches
Aruba 2930M Series Switches
Aruba 2530 Series Switches
Aruba 2540 Series Switches
Software Branch Versions
Fixed in Version
ArubaOS-Switch 16.11.xxxx: KB/WC/YA/YB/YC.16.11.0012 and below.ArubaOS-Switch 16.10.xxxx: KB/WC/YA/YB/YC.16.10.0025 and below.ArubaOS-Switch 16.10.xxxx: WB.16.10.23 and below.ArubaOS-Switch 16.09.xxxx: All versions.ArubaOS-Switch 16.08.xxxx: KB/WB/WC/YA/YB/YC.16.08.0026 and below.ArubaOS-Switch 16.07.xxxx: All versions.ArubaOS-Switch 16.06.xxxx: All versions.ArubaOS-Switch 16.05.xxxx: All versions.ArubaOS-Switch 16.04.xxxx: KA/RA.16.04.0026 and below.ArubaOS-Switch 16.03.xxxx: All versions.ArubaOS-Switch 16.02.xxxx: All versions.ArubaOS-Switch 16.01.xxxx: All versions.ArubaOS-Switch 15.xx.xxxx: 15.16.0025 and below.
ArubaOS-Switch 16.11.xxxx: KB/WC/YA/YB/YC.16.11.0013 and above.ArubaOS-Switch 16.10.xxxx: WB.16.10.0024 and above.ArubaOS-Switch 16.08.xxxx: KB/WB/WC/YA/YB/YC.16.08.0027 and above.ArubaOS-Switch 16.04.xxxx: KA/RA.16.04.0027 and above.ArubaOS-Switch 15.xx.xxxx: A.15.16.0026 and above.
“16.10.xxxx:KB/WC/YA/YB/YC will not receive fixes for these vulnerabilities. Upgrading to KB/WC/YA/YB/YC.16.11.0013 and above will address these vulnerabilities.” reads the advisory by Aruba Networks.
Additionally, Aruba also provided workarounds for addressing these vulnerabilities in which they mentioned that “To minimize the likelihood of an attacker exploiting these vulnerabilities, HPE Aruba Networking recommends that the CLI and web-based management interfaces be restricted to a dedicated layer 2 segment/VLAN and/or controlled by firewall policies at layer 3 and above”.
One of these vulnerabilities (CVE-2023-39266) has been publicly disclosed with a Proof-of-concept which can be found here. Users of these products are recommended to upgrade to the latest version to fix these vulnerabilities and prevent them from getting exploited.
Samsung has launched the new Galaxy Z Fold 5, and it once again does not come with a USB-C charger in the box. Which is not a huge surprise, most OEMs ditched that a couple of years ago. Luckily, you can get a decent USB-C wall charger for not a whole lot of money. And since the Galaxy Z Fold 5 does not support anything faster than 25W, you won’t need to spend top-dollar for a much faster charger. Though, it’s a good idea to do that, as you can use it to charge other things like laptops, tablets, etc.
In this list, you’ll find a number of great USB-C wall chargers that you can pick up for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, some of which are as low as $10.
This is the charger that Samsung shipped with the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 series last year. So it’s not necessarily a new charger from Samsung, but one that you might already have in your home. And it works great with the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
This is a USB-C PD charger that can charge up to 25W. Now if you are charging something else that might not charge at up to 25W it will charge at that rate. Basically, it is backwards compatible. Which is a nice addition.
Finally, the Samsung 25W Travel Adapter is available in two colors: White and Black.
This wall charger from Belkin does support up to 25W charging speed, and it uses PPS in addition to Power Delivery. PPS is what Samsung uses for the faster charging speeds. So you will for sure get the full 25W charging out of this one. And it’s the same price as the Samsung charger above.
It will also work with almost any other USB-C device, as this is backwards compatible, even with phones that are not USB-C PD.
Spigen also makes chargers. Yes, the company you know for making great cases for literally every phone ever made. They also make a few chargers that are worth buying, like this one for the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
This is a dual-port USB-C PD charger that can charge at up to 40W. You won’t get 40W out of each port, but rather combined. It will do 25W at most, but if you’re using both ports together, it’ll be closer to 20W each.
Another great option for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, especially if you have other devices you need to charge. The RAVPower 61W charger has a 61W USB-C PD port and a 12W USB-A port. However, if you are using both ports, the USB-C port becomes a 45W port. That’s just how power works.
It is backwards compatible to the 25W charging that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is able to support. But it’ll also work for charging USB-C laptops and even tablets, which is really useful. Making this charger quite versatile.
This is one of our favorite USB-C chargers, because it’s a new GaN charger so it’s much smaller while still boasting 65W of power.
This particular charger has two USB-C ports and a USB-A port. So you’re going to be able to charge multiple devices at the same time. While this will charge at faster speeds than 25W, your Galaxy Z Fold 5 won’t charge faster, as it will only ask for 25W. But this is a good charger to take traveling to charge your laptop, smartphone and maybe a smartwatch too.
Since we are all working from home right now, this charger from RAVPower is a really great one to buy. This is a four-port desktop USB charging station. It has two USB-C PD ports available that can charge at 65W total. So it could charge your laptop and your Galaxy Z Fold 5 at the same time.
It also sports two USB-A ports for charging other devices slower, like a smartwatch or a fitness tracker.
This makes this a must-buy for a home office setup. Especially since we all have plenty of products that we need to charge daily.
Here’s another 20W charger, and as mentioned above, you won’t see much of a difference between 20W and 25W charging. This is a smaller one, so you can still use it to travel with. Toss it in your bag, without it taking up a lot of space.
It is available in both black and white, however for some reason, the black one is actually $2 more expensive.
This 20W charger from UGREEN is also fairly cheap, coming in at under 25W. If you’re wondering why so many chargers are capped at 20W, it’s because of the iPhone. But it’ll still work fine on the Galaxy Z Fold 5. And slower charging is actually better, as your battery will last longer in the long run.
At 20W, you should see about 50% charge on your Galaxy Z Fold 5 in about 30 minutes.
The PowerPort III Duo from Anker is a really good option. This sports two USB-C ports, that support PowerIQ 3.0 (that’s Anker’s proprietary fast charging spec). We’re looking at 36W on this one, so it’s not so much a super fast charger, but it can charge two devices simultaenously.
The plug on the PowerPort III Duo does also fold, making this great for traveling. As you won’t need to worry about the plug getting bent while you have it in your bag.
After completely redesigning the web version of its messaging app, Google announced that Chat is getting one more important feature that won’t really be available for the general public until next year.
Google confirmed it has teamed up with Mio, a well-known provider of interoperability solutions, to provide Chat users with additional messaging options that involve other similar services.
Starting today, beta users will benefit from messaging interoperability between Google Chat and other platforms such as Slack and Teams. Although this is just in beta now, Google says the feature will be generally available in early 2024.
The new interoperability solution is supposed to make the Chat experience much smoother for those who use multiple channels and tools for communication. It reduce the chance of missing messaging and the hassle of having to monitor multiple chat tools.
The downside is that you’ll need Mio licenses for this to be available. Those who wish to request beta access, must reach out to Google’s account rep or submit a dedicated form to contact Mio.
Keep in mind that the new messaging feature is aimed at business, so it’s only available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Essential Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Frontline Starter, Frontline Standard, as well as Nonprofits customers.
Samsung has reportedly sold over 18 million units of the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra combined so far. Compared to the Galaxy S22 series, sales have grown 23 percent in the first six months after launch. The growth over the Galaxy S21 series is close to 30 percent.
Samsung’s Galaxy S23 phones have more demand than the Galaxy S22
According to market research firm Korea Investment & Securities Co. (via @Tech_Reve), the cumulative sales figure of the Galaxy S23 series for six months reached 18.63 million units. As expected, the Ultra model is the most popular of the trio. It accounted for almost half of all sales (8.89 million units). The base Galaxy S23 sold 6.43 million units, while Samsung moved 3.31 million Galaxy S23+ phones off its shelves during this period.
Sales of Samsung’s foldable smartphones, meanwhile, marginally declined over the past year. A year after their launch, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 have cumulatively sold 9.31 million units, the report states. In comparison, the combined sales volume of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 in the first year was 9.65 million. The Flip model outsold the Fold in both generations.
Samsung sold 5.76 million units of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 in the first year, while the Galaxy Z Fold 4 sold 3.55 million units. The sales figures of the third-gen Flip and Fold models were 6.32 million and 3.32 million. This isn’t surprising considering the lower price tag of the Flip, as well as its appealing style statement. The Fold model is more of a multitasking device and costs almost twice as much as the Flip.
Samsung recently launched the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 with a handful of upgrades. Both models feature a redesigned hinge that allows the devices to fold flat without a gap. The Flip model also has a bigger cover display. Early signs have been promising, with shipments growing about 75 percent from the same period last year. Time will tell whether Samsung manages to hit its sales target for the latest foldables.
Samsung may struggle to repeat the feat with the Galaxy S24 next year
Samsung shipping the Galaxy S23 series with a Snapdragon chip globally may have helped boost the sales this year. People who usually got the Exynos processor grabbed the opportunity to upgrade their phones. However, Exynos is making a return on the Galaxy S24 series. Considering its ill reputation, Samsung may struggle to maintain the growth trajectory of its flagship smartphones next year. The Galaxy S24 series will launch in early 2024.
Ohio History Connection acknowledged that in a ransomware attack the attackers may have had access to 7,600 SSNs.
The Ohio History Connection (OHC) has posted a breach notification in which it discloses that a ransomware attack successfully encrypted internal data servers. During the attack, the cybercriminals may have had access to names, addresses, and Social Security Numbers (SSNs) of current and former OHC employees (from 2009 to 2023). Additionally, they may have gained access to W-9 reports and other records revealing the names and personal SSNs of vendors who contracted to provide services to OHC. They also may have gained access to images of checks provided to OHC by some members and donors beginning in 2020.
OHC is a statewide history nonprofit chartered in 1885 that manages more than 50 sites and museums across the state. As the State Archives for the state, OHC preserves the historical records of Ohio’s legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
The ransomware attack took place in early July of 2023, after which OHC notified the FBI and retained forensic IT consulting firms to help it determine the extent of the data breach and to assist in reconstructing its systems and restoring its data.
In total, the information of 7,600 individuals was potentially exposed. Notification letters were mailed on August 23, 2023 to all individuals who were impacted by this data breach.
While OHC hasn’t said which ransomware group was behind the attack, we have information that it was LockBit, although I was unable to locate the OHC data on LockBit’s leak site at the time of writing (it was there earlier this month).
screenshot taken early August 2023
OHC said that it made an offer to the cybercriminals to prevent the release of the data, but the offer was rejected on August 7, 2023. OHC hasn’t disclosed how the attackers got in.
Those impacted may sign up for free credit monitoring for one year and take advantage of their rights to the free fraud alert services offered by the three major credit bureaus. At the time of writing, there is no evidence that there has been any use or attempted use of the information exposed in this incident.
What to do if you’ve been caught in a data breach
There are some actions you can take if you are, or suspect you may have been, the victim of a data breach.
Check the vendor’s advice. Every breach is different, so check with the vendor to find out what’s happened, and follow any specific advice they offer.
Change your password. You can make a stolen password useless to thieves by changing it. Choose a strong password that you don’t use for anything else. Better yet, let a password manager choose one for you.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA). If you can, use a FIDO2-compliant hardware key, laptop or phone as your second factor. Some forms of two-factor authentication (2FA) can be phished just as easily as a password. 2FA that relies on a FIDO2 device can’t be phished.
Watch out for fake vendors. The thieves may contact you posing as the vendor. Check the vendor website to see if they are contacting victims, and verify any contacts using a different communication channel.
Take your time. Phishing attacks often impersonate people or brands you know, and use themes that require urgent attention, such as missed deliveries, account suspensions, and security alerts.
Prevent intrusions. Stop threats early before they can even infiltrate or infect your endpoints. Use endpoint security software that can prevent exploits and malware used to deliver ransomware.
Detect intrusions. Make it harder for intruders to operate inside your organization by segmenting networks and assigning access rights prudently. Use EDR or MDR to detect unusual activity before an attack occurs.
Stop malicious encryption. Deploy Endpoint Detection and Response software like Malwarebytes EDR that uses multiple different detection techniques to identify ransomware, and ransomware rollback to restore damaged system files.
Create offsite, offline backups. Keep backups offsite and offline, beyond the reach of attackers. Test them regularly to make sure you can restore essential business functions swiftly.
Don’t get attacked twice. Once you’ve isolated the outbreak and stopped the first attack, you must remove every trace of the attackers, their malware, their tools, and their methods of entry, to avoid being attacked again.
Malwarebytes EDR and MDR remove all remnants of ransomware and prevents you from getting reinfected. Want to learn more about how we can help protect your business? Get a free trial below.
The Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro have made a stop at the FCC recently according to a new report from 9To5Google. Google’s upcoming smartphones, which are perhaps the least kept secret in the smartphone world at this point (just as they are every year it seems), have leaked in what is really incredible fashion over the last month. A few of those leaks happened early morning on August 30. And one of those leaks comes directly from Google by showing a picture of the upcoming Pixel 8 Pro on a Google Store page.
Now as this is an FCC listing it might not seem like there’s much exciting information to be had. It’s certainly not as exciting as hearing about and seeing all the flashy new features and specs. But there’s still some details worth knowing.
Google has filed for five Pixel 8 models with the FCC
This isn’t entirely informative when it comes to specifics. But it does showcase that Google is looking to secure approval for five different skus of the Pixel 8 series phones. These FCC filings include model numbers GKWS6, G9BQD, GZPF0, GPJ41, and G1MNW. As 9To5Google points out, G1MNW is likely to be the Pixel 8 Pro due to its mention of support for Ultra-wideband wireless technology. The other four models would then be variations of the standard Pixel 8.
In addition to this information the filing also details Bluetooth, mmWave 5G, sub6, and Wi-Fi 6E support. There’s not a whole lot else to gather from these filings. And that’s to be expected as there never really is much detail in them. As far as leaks go FCC filings aren’t generally what hypes people up. But they provide insightful information nonetheless. If nothing else, it shows that Google is fairly close to releasing these devices. And that’s made only more evident with Google’s invites that went out today for the upcoming Fall event. In addition to the other recent leaks.
