Crucial is slashing prices on storage and RAM products for the labor day weekend, and you’re not going to want to miss these deals. Whether you’re in need of a storage and/or RAM upgrade or you have just been considering adding more of either because you want to. These prices definitely warrant a look. Especially for Crucial, which makes great storage and RAM and products.
There are a few different deals going on here. But one of the best ones is on Crucial’s 4TB X9 Pro portable SSD storage drive. Normally this costs $290 but you can currently pick it up for $216. That’s a savings of $94 and you now have a whopping 4TB of extra space for anything you need to store. Since this is a portable drive it’s great for keeping your photos, videos, and other files nice and secure and backed up. It plugs into your laptop or desktop easily with the included USB cable. It’s also dust and splash proof.
Additionally, there’s also a really good deal on the Crucial Pro RAM 64GB kit. That’s two sticks of 32GB DDR5 RAM (total 64GB), for almost $100 off. These are usually priced at $241.39 and they’re down to $148.49 right now. They also have a memory speed of 5600Mhz. Another really good deal is the Crucial 2TB P3 Plus NVMe M.2 SSD. This is a PCIe Gen4 SSD and it’s normally $190. But you can pick it up for $110 off with the current sale price being $80. These deals won’t last long so if you’re considering them, you can grab them at the link below.
In case you haven’t noticed, AI (Artificial Intelligence) is kind of a big thing in tech. It’s one of Google’s main focuses, as just about every one of its services employs some next-level AI. One creation benefiting from Google’s big generative AI push is Google Docs with its Help Me Write feature.
What’s this feature, how can it help you, and how do you use it? These are questions that we’re going to answer in this piece. We’ll go through setting it up, using it, and things you should keep in mind before and when you start using it.
What is the Google Docs Help Me Write feature?
As stated before, this is a generative AI tool. Thus, it uses text that’s created completely from artificial intelligence. So, if it types anything down for you, it’s all being developed from Google’s LLM (Large Language Model). Think of it like having Bard helping you with your writing.
So, say you want to write a pitch for an idea. Well, Help Me Write will actually be able to generate a pitch for you. If that sounds familiar, then you’ve used Google Bard, ChatGPT, Bing AI, Snapchat AI, or any of the other AI chatbots saturating the internet. All you have to do is tell the feature what you want it to write, and it will be produced in a matter of seconds.
You can get as granular as you want. The experience shouldn’t be too different from using Bard. However, there’s no telling if Google specialized Help Me Write in any way.
So, this is the type of tool you could use if you need some inspiration for a written project. Also, if you just need to quickly jot something down, you could use this tool to do it for you. As always, it’s always recommended to write it yourself first before turning to AI.
Before you start
Now, Help Me Write sounds like an exciting and useful tool, and you’re probably ready to start using it. But, hold your horses! There are a few things that you’ll want to know before you use this tool.
This is in testing
Right now, the majority of Google’s ambitious AI projects are still in testing. The company is giving its products a proper workout before making them publicly available. This makes sense, as AI is still rather shaky ground.
Since it’s in testing, you’ll need to sign up to be a tester. Google has its Labs program that will grant you access to new AI products that the company pops out. You’re able to try them out and give the company your feedback. You can sign up for the program here.
A few more things: While this is a Google Workspace program, you don’t need a paid plan to use it. Also, this is only available for the desktop version of Docs. You can’t use it in the mobile app just yet.
Don’t give away personal details or company secrets
This is a useful tool that you could use for your work life. However, you’ll want to keep an eye on the stuff that you type down. Don’t include sensitive company secrets, addresses, banking information, or anything you don’t want to leave your grasp. AI is a huge data vacuum, as companies are scooping up a ton of data to train their models. When you sign up for this program, you give Google the right to use the data that you input.
Now, Google isn’t going to use that information to hack your company or poke fun at you because of your medical history. However, you just don’t want that information uploaded to Google’s servers where it could be leaked.
Remember, this is AI, and that comes with hallucinations
Generative AI is scary good at this point, but it’s not perfect. There’s a chance that the results you get back are littered with completely made-up information. Don’t take all of the information you receive to heart.
How to use Help Me Write for Google Docs
Now, with all of the warnings and red flags out of the way, let’s get into how to actually use this tool. When you sign up for the Labs program, go ahead and open a document.
Doing it the first time will bring up a little text bubble telling you about the feature. After you close it, you’ll notice a little icon on the far left of your document. It’s a pencil icon. This is how you’re going to access the tool.
After you click on it, you’ll see a blue text box appear in the text. This is where you’re going to put in your prompt. Now, pretend that there’s another human being on the other side of your screen who’s going to write down everything you say. Type out what you want it to jot down for you.
Just like other chatbots, your answers will depend on how specific you are. If you give a vague prompt, then you will get a more general and generic response. However, if you go into the nitty-gritty with your prompt, then you should expect a much more specialized answer.
If you’re happy with what Docs gave you, then you can click on the insert button. This will paste the text into the doc where the cursor is.
Editing
Say, Docs generated a response that you didn’t want. Well, you can make adjustments before you insert it. After you generate a response, you’ll see the pencil icon on the top of the box with your prompt right next to it. Click on that, and you’ll be able to edit your original prompt.
After you make the edits to your prompt, you can click the Update button on the right of the text field. Help Me Write will then regenerate the response to reflect your changes.
Making refinements
If you don’t want to change your prompt, but you want to make some refinements, then look for the Refine button on the bottom of the box. This will summon a dropdown button with some options that you can adjust.
You can change the Tone to make it either casual or formal. Next, the Summarize button will give you a summary of the text that it just generated. The Bulletize button will add bullet points to your document where necessary.
If you have an issue with the length of the response, then you can adjust it. The Elaborate button will make the response longer with more details. The Shorten option will do the opposite.
The Retry button will have the bot regenerate the response. It will give you the same information, only it will be reworded.
The final option is the Custom option. Here, you’ll be able to make some short suggestions. This is easier than rewriting the prompt. Say, you just want Docs to turn the response into a poem, you can just type “make it a poem”.
Don’t forget to give feedback
An important part of using any AI tool is leaving useful feedback. Above the Refine button, you’ll see a thumbs-up and thumbs-down icon. If you feel particularly positive or negative about the response, don’t be afraid to let the company know. Google is extremely open to feedback regarding its AI products. Use those buttons to let Google know where it’s doing great and where it needs to improve.
Now, you’re ready to get going
With all that said, you’re now ready to go and start writing with Help Me Write. There’s no telling what kind of things you’ll be able to do with Google’s AI by your side.
New Intel Processor Vulnerability “Downfall” Discovered: Threats to Data Security Amplify
‘Downfall’ Attack Unveiled: Google researchers reveal a new side-channel attack called “Downfall” targeting Intel processors, exposing a memory optimization vulnerability (CVE-2022-40982).
Cloud Impact: The attack extends into cloud environments, enabling attackers to extract data from shared cloud computers, intensifying data breach risks.
Memory Optimization Flaw: The vulnerability originates from Intel processors’ memory optimization features, inadvertently revealing internal hardware registers to software.
Attack Techniques: The attack employs Gather Data Sampling (GDS) and Gather Value Injection (GVI) to steal CPU data and manipulate microarchitectural data injections.
Mitigations and Implications: Intel responds with firmware updates to address the vulnerability, but performance overhead concerns remain. ‘Downfall’ underlines the vulnerability of modern microprocessors, resonating with industry-wide concerns.
Google researchers have uncovered a new side-channel attack known as “Downfall” targeting Intel processors. This attack, discovered by Google senior research scientist Daniel Moghimi, exposes a vulnerability tracked as CVE-2022-40982, exploiting a memory optimization feature in Intel processors.
Downfall joins the league of attacks that can be exploited by local attackers or malware to access sensitive information, including passwords and encryption keys, of affected device users.
Moghimi’s findings unveil a disconcerting aspect of Intel processors, revealing that transient execution attacks like Downfall extend their reach even into cloud environments. This enables malicious actors to pilfer data from other users sharing the same cloud computer, significantly raising the stakes of data breaches.
The underlying flaw stems from memory optimization features inherent in Intel processors, inadvertently disclosing internal hardware registers to software. This exposure facilitates unauthorized software access to data that should remain shielded from such access.
The pivotal culprit in this scenario is the “Gather” instruction, intended to expedite the retrieval of scattered memory data. However, Moghimi ingeniously demonstrated how this instruction leaks the contents of the internal vector register file during speculative execution, thereby opening up avenues for cybercriminals.
Two specific attack techniques were developed as part of the Downfall (research paper PDF) exploit – Gather Data Sampling (GDS) and Gather Value Injection (GVI). The former method facilitates the theft of data from CPU components, while the latter manipulates the data leaks for microarchitectural data injections. The practicality of GDS is underscored by Moghimi’s creation of a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit, capable of pilfering encryption keys from OpenSSL.
This clip shows how attacks can steal 128-bit and 256-bit AES keys from another user:
Notably, the Downfall attack doesn’t discriminate between endpoint devices and cloud infrastructure. While cloud environments provide a broader landscape for potential attacks, Moghimi emphasized the significant threat Downfall poses to personal computers. Theoretically, the exploit could even be executed via a web browser, although this possibility necessitates further research and validation.
To counteract the impending threats posed by Downfall, Intel has swiftly responded by publishing a security advisory and releasing firmware updates. These mitigations come as microcode updates designed to address CVE-2022-40982, which Intel has classified as having “medium severity.”
The updates intend to thwart the data leakage intrinsic to the Gather instruction, although they come with a trade-off of potential performance overhead, which could be as high as 50% in some workloads. Despite this drawback, experts unanimously advocate for the implementation of these fixes to safeguard against potential breaches.
Intel’s recent woes are not exclusive, as the Downfall attack highlights the vulnerability of modern microprocessors. Notably, Google researchers also unveiled “Zenbleed,” a vulnerability afflicting AMD Zen 2 processors, reiterating the broader implications of such vulnerabilities across the industry.
The disclosure of Downfall coincides with the revelation of another processor vulnerability named “Inception” by researchers at ETH Zurich. Inception targets devices powered by AMD Zen processors, allowing attackers to manipulate the CPU’s predictive algorithms to access sensitive data.
Roborock has not only announced a new all-in-one washer dryer at IFA, but also two new robot vacuums and a new wet-dry vac.
Let’s start off with the new robot vacuums. Roborock is introducing the new Q5 Pro and Q8 Max. These are the latest in the Q-series for Roborock. While the Q5 Pro is an entry-level option, the Q8 Max offers advanced intelligence like the obstacle avoidance system.
Both of these robot vacuums come with Roborock’s new DuoRoller Brush system. This debuted on the S8 series earlier this year. That combines with 5,500Pa suction power, giving users a top-tier cleaning performance.
Roborock has also include LiDAR on both models, for a great navigation experience. And they have proven mopping systems, giving you simultaenous vacuum and mopping compatibility. Both models are also available with a plus counterpart – Q5 Pro+ and Q8 Max+. Which includes the RockDock Plus auto-emptying dock.
Both models will be available starting in early October. The Q5 Pro will be $429, while the Q5 Pro+ will be $699. The Q8 Max will cost you $599, and the Q8 Max+ is going to be $819.
Roborock Q5 Pro
Roborock Q8 Max
A convertible wet-dry vac
Roborock also showed up in Berlin for IFA with a convertible wet-dry vac – Dyad Pro Combo. This is like the Dyad Pro that Roborock announced earlier this year, but this is a convertible unit. So it can convert into a handheld vacuum – like the H7.
With the Dyad Pro Combo, Roborock includes four additional attachments, so that it can be converted from a wet-dry vacuum to a cordless handheld vacuum for different cleaning scenarios. It also boasts about 17,000Pa of suction power here, and can clean as close to 1mm from edges and corners. It allows it to clean on all surfaces.
Like with the other Dyad models, it does have easy maintenance and a self-cleaning system. Which is going to clean its roller brushes with water and it will also dry it, to help combat the spread of bacteria. It has a prolonged runtime of about 43 minutes as a wet-dry vac or 60 minutes as a handheld vacuum.
The Dyad Pro Combo will be available in early October, and will cost $659.
Lately, there’s been a lot of leaks and rumors about the colors for the new iPhone 15 as well as the colors for the iPhone 15 Pro. Of course, this isn’t that surprising since invites for the iPhone event went out yesterday.
However, earlier this week, the colors for the iPhone 15 completely changed. Now this is quite common as we get closer to the phone actually being announced. And this year, it looks like both lines of iPhones are getting more muted colors. The iPhone 15 is getting more pastel colors, versus more vibrant colors like we’ve seen in the past couple of cycles.
While we don’t know the official names yet, it looks like Apple is doing a black, yellow, white, pink and blue color for the iPhone 15. But they aren’t as vibrant as we’ve seen in the past. So it’s unclear if people are going to like these or not. But, given the fact that most people will stick a case on their iPhone and likely never take it off, does it really matter?
iPhone 15 colors
Three of these colors will likely look the same, depending on the light. That’s the white, blue and yellow. The blue and yellow are very pastely so they are very light, and barely look blue or yellow. It’s an interesting change for Apple this year, as they have been going for brighter colors on these non-Pro iPhones.
This does all come from leaker Sonny Dickson who has been leaking Apple stuff for quite literally years. He has a pretty good track record, so it’s definitely likely that these are accurate. However, there is always the off chance that these could be some prototypes that were made for the iPhone 15, and may not be the final colors. Of course, we’ll see in just a couple of weeks when Tim Cook hits the stage in Apple Park.
Google Files is one of the apps that comes pre-installed in most of the best phones on the market. But how many of you actually use it? Sure, you can find a lost file on your Android phone with it and it does some minor system maintenance… But that’s about it.
The real question then becomes: what must the app offer as a feature in order to become a more popular choice for users? Well, for starters: a feature that we couldn’t get anywhere else… Like for example, the ability to hold official documents.
Which is something that could very well happen rather soon in India. This one comes from AssembleDebug on Twitter-er… I mean X and showcases the feature. And while it doesn’t mean that it will actually become available, it does kind of sound hype, right? Now, again, I must highlight this: the feature is related to DigiLocker, which is an official tool from the Indian government that you can have for digital copies of your official documents such as IDs, medical IDs, driver licenses, etc. And the gist of it is as follows: DigiLocker may get integrated into Google Files, so that users can have an easier time accessing their IDs. Not only that, but this actually fulfills my aforementioned gripe and provides Google Files with a real unique selling point.
Truth be told, this doesn’t mean that Google will actually pull the trigger and enable this, but it would be neat. And what would be even more neat is if the Big G figures out a way for people all over the world to start doing this, because while I still love the tactile sensation of a book, I’m certainly not going to miss having a physical passport or driver’s license.
Digital documents sound like a thing of the future that should’ve happened about a decade ago, but thanks to Apple — who basically led the charge — and Google, we may actually get there soon. I hope.
There were multiple vulnerabilities in the Juniper SRX and EX Series, which were reported previously.
These vulnerabilities have a medium severity if they are separated. However, combining them together results in a pre-auth RCE, which is a critical vulnerability.
Following their report earlier this month, a PoC (Proof-of-concept) has been released, which provides details on the function flaw, exploitation, and its impact on businesses.
Nevertheless, reports have stated that several attempts were made to exploit Juniper J-Web ever since the PoC was publicly released.
Juniper has released patches for fixing these vulnerabilities and also recommended its users patch their devices accordingly in order to prevent external threat actors.
Since 25th August we are seeing exploitation attempts from multiple IPs for Juniper J-Web CVE-2023-36844 (& friends) targeting /webauth_operation.php endpoint. Same day an exploit POC was published. This involves combining lower severity CVEs to achieve pre-auth RCE. pic.twitter.com/qq0f3oWdnD
Juniper released a security advisory for the critical pre-auth RCE in mid-August, which security researchers analyzed at Watchtower Labs.
In addition to that, they conducted thorough research, which provided a complete insight about the exploitation of this vulnerability and its related vulnerabilities.
As part of the research, researchers took two specific vulnerabilities (CVE-2023-36846, CVE-2023-36845) that were mentioned in the security bulletin in Juniper. They both relate to a Missing authentication for critical functions and PHP External Variable Modification vulnerability.
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Further analysis revealed that the J-Web was entirely written in PHP, and a user class manages the authentication. Additionally, a PHP file webauth_operation.php was discovered.
Furthermore, a total of 150 individual functions were discovered that were used for multiple purposes like simple helpers, formatting IP addresses, and going up to complex functions. All of these functions had interaction with the appliance’s CLI.
A complete report was published by Watchtwr researchers, which provides detailed information about these vulnerabilities and their exploitation methods.
A GitHub repository consisting of the Proof-of-concept for this vulnerability has been released, which can be used by security personnel to test and patch their vulnerable environments.
It seems like the Pixel 8 Pro could borrow colors from the Pixel Fold. Based on some new info by 9to5Google, the three color options for the Pixel 8 Pro are actually quite similar to what the Pixel Fold offers.
The Pixel 8 Pro will actually borrow some colors from its foldable sibling, the Pixel Fold
One of the Pixel 8 Pro colors will resemble the Porcelain tone of the Pixel Fold. That’s actually the variant that Google leaked itself quite recently. The camera visor will also have a different tone to match that design.
The Pixel 8 Pro will also come in a black color. That color variant will be very similar to the Pixel Fold’s Obsidian variant. That includes the camera bar, by the way, it will also be quite dark.
The third color of the ‘Pro’ model will be a sky blue color, which leaked previously. That color will be a mix between a blue color, and a bit of silver thrown in there. That color will be similar to the Pixel Fold case, actually, to a degree. The case we’re talking about is the ‘Bay’ one.
It’s not exactly surprising that the Pixel 8 Pro will have similar colors as the Pixel Fold. Those two phones will stand as Google’s flagship offerings.
The Google Pixel 8 series is expected to arrive in October
The Pixel 8 series, including the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, is set to launch in October. We still don’t have the official launch date or anything of the sort, though.
Both smartphones will resemble their predecessors, but the Pixel 8 will be smaller than the Pixel 7. That way, the difference between the vanilla and ‘Pro’ phones will be more noticeable, size-wise.
The Pixel 8 Pro will offer an extra camera on the back, in comparison, and have some other advantages. Both phones will be fueled by the upcoming Google Tensor G3 processor, and both will support wireless charging. These two phones will also be the very first devices to ship with Android 14 out of the box.
AI-generated images have always been a major cause of concern for experts and governments due to the potential for threat actors to exploit them to disseminate misinformation and hatred. However, Google might have found a solution, as the company has announced a new system called SynthID, which automatically adds a digital watermark to AI-generated images.
Developed by Google’s subsidiary DeepMind, the SynthID tool’s primary function is to embed an invisible watermark into images generated by Imagen, Google’s text-to-image model. Additionally, DeepMind explains that it leverages two AI models, one for watermarking and another for identification, both trained on a diverse dataset of images. Moreover, when talking about functionality, the tool employs a tiered classification approach based on three levels of digital watermark confidence: detected, not detected, and possibly detected.
However, it is important to note that the system is not 100% accurate, but it can effectively differentiate between images that likely contain watermarks and those that do not.
“While generative AI can unlock huge creative potential, it also presents new risks, like enabling creators to spread false information — both intentionally or unintentionally. Being able to identify AI-generated content is critical to empowering people with knowledge of when they’re interacting with generated media and for helping prevent the spread of misinformation,” reads DeepMind’s blog post.
A step in the right direction
This announcement of this tool follows a White House meeting in July, during which the US government underscored the need for “watermarking audio and visual content to help make it clear that content is AI-generated.” Additionally, governments around the globe have started implementing similar measures, including China, which recently issued regulations mandating generative AI vendors to label their output, encompassing both textual and visual content.
Furthermore, similar to Google’s approach, several other influential companies within the AI industry have committed to watermarking AI-generated content. Microsoft, for instance, has pledged to watermark AI-generated images and videos utilising cryptographic techniques. Additionally, Midjourney has established guidelines that incorporate indicators denoting content produced through AI generative tools.
After launching its own AI chatbot that’s now open to all Snapchat users, not just those paying for the company’s premium service, Snap continues to build its portfolio of AI-powered features.
Today, Snap announced a brand-new AI-powered feature that allows Snapchat users to transform their look through augmented reality. Starting this week, a new Gen AI powered feature called Dreams will be available for Snapchatters.
With Dream, users can create fantastical images that let them try on new identities. At the moment, the new feature only allows Snapchatters to use their own face to create up to eight Generated AI selfies, but Snap revealed plans to add the option to add friends into these images.
Snapchat users who want to start using the new AI-powered features must head to Memories, where they will find a new tab specifically created for Dreams. Keep in mind that you’ll have to capture a few selfies before you can actually create a personalized Generative AI model.
However, it looks like Snap is determined to monetize this feature, so only the first eight Dreams will be available for free. If you want to make more, you’ll have to pay money.
Currently, the new Dreams feature is available in Australia and New Zealand, but Snap says it will be rolled out globally over the next few weeks, so be patient if you’re not living in one of the two countries.
