ID verification could be added to X for one specific reason

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ID verification could be added to X for one specific reason
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Elon Musk made a lot of changes to Twitter since he took over, including rebranding it to X. More changes keep on coming, and the next one could see ID verification added to X.

X will get ID verification feature soon in order to battle impersonation

There is a specific reason why this may be happening… to prevent impersonation. Impersonation actually managed to create problems for X on a number of occasions, it even postponed some paid verification plans.

In order to battle that, X could ask you to submit a copy of your government-issued ID and snap a selfie in addition to that. A researcher, Nima Owji, shared a screenshot to prove that the feature is coming.

X Twitter verification coming

In the image shown above you can clearly see an ID verification popup on the desktop version of X. The steps to achieve ID verification are clearly highlighted here. X also lets you know that the entire process will take you about 5 minutes.

X plans to partner up with Au10tix

If you check out the small letter at the bottom, you’ll notice that X plans to partner up with Au10tix in order to make this happen. It is said that ID images, including biometric data, will be kept up for 30 days.

It is also highlighted that such info will be used “for the purposes of safety and security, including preventing impersonation”.

We’re not really sure when will this feature go live, but it seems to be coming. The partnership seems to be in place, and even the UI seems to be about ready to go. So, if we had to guess, we’d say that the change will happen really soon.

This is not exactly surprising, as such a change has been rumored for quite some time now. More changes are coming to the platform, of course, and chances are we’ll see quite a few of them by the end of this year.


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Google Maps just added a highly-requested feature for EV Drivers

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Google Maps just added a highly-requested feature for EV Drivers
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Google Maps, which is probably everyone’s preferring mapping app these days, is continuing to add new features. And the latest feature is a big one for EV drivers. You know how when you open the Google Maps app, it will have options of things to look for, like restaurants, coffee, gas stations, among other things? Well, now if you have your vehicle set as an EV, you’ll see chargers instead of gas stations.

Since gas stations aren’t very useful for EVs, this makes a lot of sense. Drivers will likely want to find charging stops on the way to where they are going. EV drivers do tend to plan trips around charging stops, depending on how far the trip is. So adding this feature is a really nice option. But Google still has a lot to do, for EV drivers.

This feature, currently, appears to be exclusive to the Android Auto version of Google Maps. But it will likely be coming to the regular Google Maps app on Android and iOS in the very near future.

Google Maps needs to work better on non-Android Automotive EVs

Google Maps works pretty well on Android Automotive, which is available in cars like the Polestar 2, Volvo XC40 Recharge, and even the Hummer EV. Since Android Automotive is more closely tied into the vehicle, it is able to do things like, tell you how much charge you’ll have left when you get to your destination. Or tell you when you need to stop to charge and how long you need to charge.

These are features that Tesla has built-in as well. And it would be great to see Google Maps do this on EVs without Android Automotive. However, a lot of EVs are moving to the Android Automotive OS, including GM who is using it in the Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq as well as the new Chevy EVs like the Silverado, Equinox and Blazer. Which is also why they are ditching Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in the future.


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YouTube Shorts will soon have tappable stickers on mobile

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YouTube Shorts will soon have tappable stickers on mobile
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YouTube is not just testing new features all the time, but it shares that information with everyone quite often. If you’re a YouTube Shorts fan, you’ll be pleased to know that tappable stickers are in the pipeline for your favorite app.

In a post on its support page, YouTube confirmed that it has already started to test Q&A stickers for Shorts on mobile. This is supposed to make it easier for Shorts creators to expand their reach and build communities with their audiences.

The test involves creators asking questions and viewers responding to them via comments. Their responses will be visible to other viewers who can see them when reading comments posted on the Short where the sticker was used.

According to YouTube, the new feature is being tested with a small percentage of creators, who will be able to use Q&A stickers when creating Shorts on mobile devices. And no, these stickers aren’t tappable on desktop or TV, but they can be viewed across all devices.

In addition to tappable stickers, YouTube is also testing automatic “key concepts” for learning-related videos. It’s a new system that identifies key concepts covered in academic learning videos and provides details about them in the form of images and short text snippets in real-time on the video’s watch page.

The new feature is tested on a very small subset of English-language learning videos. If you’re a creator participating in the beta testing, you should see an opt-out checkbox, marked as an “Experiment” in the desktop Studio. Make sure that you check that box if you don’t want to take part in this experiment.

As per YouTube’s statement, this is only available on mobile for a limited number of people watching YouTube. Also, only a small set of English-language videos related to educational topics taught in schools will benefit from the new system for the moment.


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Samsung could launch a bonkers 440MP camera next year

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Samsung could launch a bonkers 440MP camera next year
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In April 2020, Samsung announced its long-term vision of making a camera surpassing the resolution of a human eye. The Korean firm is pursuing the development of a 600MP camera, or at least a 576MP camera, with plans to release it in 2025. It may take a huge step towards that goal next year. A fresh rumor has it that Samsung will launch a 440MP camera in 2024.

It has already been two years since Samsung launched the world’s first 200MP smartphone camera. The company has followed up with a couple of revisions since then but hasn’t upped the resolution. It appears the Korean giant has been silently working on revolutionizing the camera industry next year. With a 440MP sensor, it would be much closer to achieving its goal of surpassing human eyes, which are said to match a resolution of around 500MP.

The rumor passed along on X (formerly Twitter) by tipster @Tech_Reve states that Samsung will name the sensor ISOCELL HU1. It will enter mass production in the second half of 2024. Unfortunately, the tipster didn’t share further information. We have no word on its pixel size, and that means the sensor size is unknown too. However, considering that we are talking about 440 million pixels here, the sensor could be quite huge.

It could be so big that we won’t see it on smartphones. Samsung has previously suggested that its planned 600MP camera would be used on cars. The Korean firm already supplies cameras to various automotive companies. Next year’s 440MP camera could also go to one or more of them. Samsung may not be ready yet to cram 440 million tiny pixels in a sensor small enough to fit inside smartphones without affecting the image quality.

Samsung may debut its first 1-inch type smartphone camera in 2024

The ISOCELL HU1 may be much larger than 1-inch in size but it’s unlikely to be used on smartphones. However, Samsung may still debut its first 1-inch type smartphone camera next year. The company is reportedly working on two more sensors, namely ISOCELL HP7 and ISOCELL GN6. These will also enter mass production in the second half of 2024.

The former is a 200MP camera with 0.6μm pixels. That’s seemingly an upgrade to the ISOCELL HP2 200MP camera found on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which also has 0.6μm pixels. So it should measure the same too (1/1.3-inch). Samsung might be planning to use it on the Galaxy S25 Ultra in early 2025.

However, the ISOCELL GN6 is reportedly a 50MP camera featuring 1.6μm pixels. The pixels are quite bigger than the 1.4μm pixels found on Samsung’s ISOCELL GN2 50MP camera. The latter measures 1/1.12-inch. Going by these calculations, the ISOCELL GN6 could be the Korean firm’s first 1-inch type camera sensor for smartphones. You can expect to hear more about these upcoming Samsung cameras over the next few months.


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Google Maps will no longer show gas stations for EV drivers

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Google Maps will no longer show gas stations for EV drivers
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Google makes changes to its apps all the time and Maps is no exception to what seems to be an unwritten rule. Whether these changes are good or not for users, it remains to be determined. We can only hope that any anti-consumer decision will be rectified by the companies providing many of the services that we use.One of the important changes that will affect Google Maps for Android Auto in the not-so-distant future involves gas stations, which apparently will be removed for those who drive electric vehicles.

The information has already been confirmed by Google to The Verge, so expect this to be reflected in your Maps for Android Auto very soon. According to Google spokesperson Pearl Xu, “to help people get the most relevant information when navigating, last year we added the ability for EV drivers to see a shortcut for charging stations instead of gas stations on Google Maps for Android Auto.”

The ability to see gas stations for EV drivers can be disabled in favor of the option to see charging stations since last year, but with the new change, Google Maps will no longer show gas stations as a category while navigating in an EV using Android Auto.

If you’re using Google Maps for navigation purposes while driving an electric vehicle, you’ll soon notice that the top item will now show EV charging stations. In any case, here are some of the EV-specific features offered by the app, as highlighted by Google:

  • Real-time charging port availability: Just search for “ev charging stations” in Google Maps and you’ll see the real time availability of charging ports at nearby stations so you don’t have to wait in line.
  • Charging speed filters: The ‘very fast’ charging filter will help you easily find stations that have chargers of 150 kilowatts or higher. For many cars, this can give you enough power to fill up and get back on the road in less than 40 minutes. You can also use the “fast” chargers which will show you stations with chargers 50kW or higher.
  • Plug type filters: You can also filter for stations that offer your EV’s plug type so you only see stations with plugs that are compatible with your car.
  • Adding charging stops to trips: On any trip that’ll require a charging stop, Maps will suggest the best stop based on factors like current traffic, your charge level and expected energy consumption.
  • Charging stations in search results: We’ll also show you in search results when places like a supermarket have charging stations on-site. So, if you’re on your way to pick up groceries, you can more easily choose a store that also lets you charge your car there.

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Exchange Server security updates updated

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Exchange Server security updates updated
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Microsoft Exchange Server administrators may have to install a re-released security patch

Microsoft has re-released the August 2023 Security Updates (SUs) for Exchange Server. The original release of the SUs, from August 8 2023, had a localization issue with Exchange Server running on a non-English Operating Systems (OSes) that caused Setup to stop unexpectedly, leaving Exchange services in a disabled state.

Exchange Online users are already protected from the vulnerabilities addressed by these Security Updates and do not need to take any action other than updating any Exchange servers or Exchange Management tools workstations in their environment.

This patch comes with a complicated table of recommended actions, in which version 1 is the original August 2023 SU and version 2 is the re-released August 2023 SU. Microsoft says:

  • If you successfully installed version 1 without problems, no further action is needed.
  • If you installed version 1 automatically without any problems or issues, version 2 will be downloaded automatically.
  • If the installation of version 1 failed, leaving Exchange services disabled, and you restarted the Exchange services without installing version 1 again, you should install version 2.
  • If the installation of version 1 failed, leaving Exchange services disabled, you restarted the Exchange services, and you used the workaround to manually create a “Network Service” account and then installed version 1, you should:
    • Uninstall version 1 and reboot.
    • Remove the manually created “Network Service” account (if it still exists).
    • Install version 2.

If version 1 was never installed, you can skip straight to version 2. Although there is no reason to suspect there are active exploits in the wild, we still recommend to do this as soon as possible to protect your environment. Exchange Servers are attractive targets for cybercriminals.

The vulnerability fixed by the security update, listed as CVE-2023-21709, required users to run a script in addition to installing the update. If you took the extra steps needed to address CVE-2023-21709 none of the actions above will undo them, so you do not have to repeat or undo them at any point. But again, if you haven’t done it yet, you should do so as soon as possible.

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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Text Formatting for Google Keep Notes is rolling out

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Text Formatting for Google Keep Notes is rolling out
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Last year, we got the news that Google was looking to add some text formatting to its notetaking app Keep Notes. Not too long ago, we saw a leak of this functionality showing us that it’s pretty basic but useful. Now, according to Mishaal Rahman, the text formatting for Google Keep Notes is finally rolling out.

Google Keep Notes is a great notetaking platform if you want an integrated experience. You’re able to make text-based notes, but you’re also able to make hand-written notes and audio notes along with uploading pictures.

Since Keep Notes is tied to your Google account, you know that you’ll be able to access your notes from any device logged in with your Google account. If you’re an avid notetaker, then you should give this app a try.

Download Google Keep Notes

Text formatting is rolling you for Google Keep Notes

The text formatting is pretty basic with this app, but that shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Notetaking doesn’t really require complex formatting. You’re able to use two heading sizes if you want to have titles and sub-headings.

As for the paragraph text, you can use the basic formatting that you’d see in any word processor. You have the bold, italics, and underline options. In order to access the formatting, you’ll need to tap on the formatting button on the toolbar right above the keyboard.

All of the options will be laid out on the toolbar so you’ll be able to quickly access them. On the right side of the toolbar, you’ll see the “X” to close it.

So, if you need to take more in-depth notes using the app, you’ll have some formatting to make the experience better. Right now, this feature is still rolling out, so you might not see it right away. Make sure that your app is fully updated.


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Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 6E vs Wi-Fi 7: Detailed comparison

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Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 6E vs Wi-Fi 7: Detailed comparison
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Just as Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E become more prevalent, there’s already a new Wi-Fi standard on the horizon. The final Wi-Fi 7 standard should be official in early 2024. In fact, devices with Wi-Fi 7 have already started hitting the market. You can buy a few routers with the latest Wi-Fi version today, and your options will grow exponentially next year. This puts many in a dilemma: whether to grab a router with Wi-Fi 6/6E or wait for Wi-Fi 7.

It’s a genuine concern for anyone looking to buy a new router over the next few months. Like all previous major upgrades, Wi-Fi 7 also brings faster data rates, lower latency, higher bandwidth for more simultaneous connections, improved security, and more improvements. However, all of this comes at a price. Routers with Wi-Fi 7 will naturally cost more than those with older Wi-Fi standards. Such routers are likely to see a price drop as well.

So is Wi-Fi 7 worth the extra money? How big of a difference does Wi-Fi 7 bring to your home internet experience over Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E? Let’s have a detailed look at the specifications, features, and speeds of the three Wi-Fi standards and find out.

Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E share most of the specifications

You might be aware that Wi-Fi standards have historically had rather confusing and complex technical names. While the industry has now settled on these simpler names, the classic technobabble is still around. Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E share the same name (802.11ax), while Wi-Fi 7 is 802.11be.

If you’re wondering why Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E have the same technical name, that’s because there aren’t many differences between the two. The latter is an extension of the former with support for a third 6GHz frequency band along with the existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies. It offers all the features of Wi-Fi 6 over this third band as well. The benefit is less congestion in crowded networks.

Everything else remains unchanged. Both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E offer a 160MHz channel width to give you a maximum speed of 9.6Gbps. The addition of a 6GHz frequency to Wi-Fi 6E improves the speed of short-range connections. The peak theoretical speed is the same, though. They also boast the same 1024-QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation), which determines how data is packed and transmitted over these radio frequencies.

Higher QAM allows a higher amount of data to be transmitted wirelessly. Wi-Fi 5 operates at 256-QAM (6.9Gbps of peak speed). It struggles to stream higher-quality content such as 4K videos, which require quick transmission of a large amount of data. Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E also doubled spatial streams to 8 from 4 on Wi-Fi 5. This means you can simultaneously connect up to eight 8 devices on the same network without losing the speed.

However, you still only get a single access point. In other words, your device can only transmit data over one frequency (2.4/5/6GHz). Some devices offer a smart connection feature that automatically switches transmission to the best available frequency. Last but not least, both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E offer WPA3 security, which is the latest Wi-Fi security standard.

Wi-Fi 7 upgrades almost everything

While Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E bring a few notable upgrades over Wi-Fi 5, the upcoming Wi-Fi standard changes the game at almost every level. Wi-Fi 7 upgrades almost everything over the current standards. Despite keeping the same three frequencies (higher frequency has a shorter range), the throughput speed increases several times over the previous generation.

The final Wi-Fi 7 standard is not official yet, so we don’t have a precise number. But the word is that we will get a theoretical peak speed to the north of 30Gbps, potentially topping 40Gbps. This is thanks to improvements in QAM, bandwidth, and more. Wi-Fi 7 quadruples amplitude modulation to 4096-QAM, so you can stream the highest-quality video without buffering.

Wi-Fi 7 also doubles the bandwidth to 320MHz for better efficiency. Spatial streams have been doubled as well (16), allowing more devices to enjoy the same Wi-Fi speed simultaneously. As we move to smart homes where everything is connected, this improvement will deliver high-speed connection to all of those devices. And should there be network congestion or latency, Wi-Fi 7 offers MLO (Multi-Link Operation).

In simpler terms, MLO means multiple access points. It enables connected devices to simultaneously send and receive data across different bands and channels, avoiding potential interference with other connections on the network. All of these improvements are enough to elevate your wireless internet experience to a new level. Whatever might be your need, Wi-Fi 7 will do a better job than Wi-Fi 6.

This is essentially why Wi-Fi 7 is also called 802.11be EHT, where EHT stands for Extremely High Throughput. The new Wi-Fi standard is touted to deliver lightning-fast speeds while simultaneously upgrading almost every other aspect of your wireless internet connection. You get reduced latency and lesser network congestion than before. All of this while improving the security of your connection and connected devices. Wi-Fi 7 is expected to bring WPA4 security.

So should you get a Wi-Fi 7 router?

The answer to this question isn’t a simple yes or no. While Wi-Fi 7 is a massive upgrade over Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, you might be surprised to learn that most electronic devices in use today are limited to Wi-Fi 5. Some of the latest gadgets boast Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E, while there are very few with Wi-Fi 7.

Of course, Wi-Fi 7 is backward compatible, so your Wi-Fi 5 device will still connect to a Wi-Fi 7 router. However, you won’t get the benefits of the new standard. Wi-Fi 6E is already capable of delivering reliable internet connection to an average household with around 40 devices, including smartphones, TVs, watches, smart refrigerators, security cameras, doorbells, and other IoT (Internet of Things) gadgets.

Wi-Fi 7, on the other hand, is best-suitable for commercial spaces. Our never-ending quest for higher-quality content, digitalization, and more smart devices may eventually make Wi-Fi 6E incapable of handling it all, but as things stand, Wi-Fi 7 is a little overkill for an average household. If you need to buy a router right now, you can check out these best Wi-Fi routers.


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Musk’s brilliant new idea for X could get it kicked out of the App Store by Apple

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Musk’s brilliant new idea for X could get it kicked out of the App Store by Apple
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For some subscribers to X, the social media platform that used to be known as Twitter, there was something satisfying in blocking someone who was radically opposed to your way of thinking from showing up in your feed. For example, you might have felt compelled to block that one X subscriber who kept sending you a clip of the late Steve Jobs saying “Who wants a stylus? You have to get ’em, put ’em away, you lose ’em. Yuck! Nobody wants a stylus.”

Musk wants to prevent X users from blocking users from appearing on their timelines

Jobs made that comment to show the advantages of having a touchscreen display when he unveiled the first iPhone in 2007. And the guy who keeps sending you the clip only does so in response to your positive comments about the Moto G Stylus 5G which is your current daily driver. You’re tired of having this guy show up on your X feed every day so you block him.



Actually, I’m using this completely ridiculous example instead of the obvious political one so this doesn’t become a messy argument. The point I’m trying to make (and maybe I’m just treading water here), is that being able to block certain X users that you don’t want to hear from, while possibly close-minded, is still as American as apple pie. So what are we to make of the tweet that X owner Elon Musk posted today. Elon wrote that “Block is going to be removed as a ‘feature,’ except for DMs. It makes no sense.”

How Musk works is that he throws out a trial balloon on a tweet and checks the users’ pulse rates with their feedback before changing his mind. When he originally floated the idea of a low cap on the number of messages users would be allowed to read every day (unless they became a paid subscriber), Musk received negative feedback from X subscribers and then adjusted the numbers. Musk must love the idea of using crowdsourced data to run X.
But using crowdsourced data to run a company is not a sign of anything positive. If anything, it reveals that a weak and timid executive is running the show. The X News Daily tweeted, “OPINION: Removing Blocking altogether is going too far. While it can be used for purposes such as cutting off people who disagree with you politically, it has an important role to combat harassment, trolls and spam which are a significant problem for many users on the platform.”

App Store Guidelines might prevent Musk from disallowing X users to block others from their timelines

And already, X users are not happy with Musk’s new edict which means that the owner of X could be singing a new tune tomorrow. After all, at times, he has supported blocking other X users from his personal X account.

Interestingly, Apple’s App Store Guidelines might force Musk to stop his new plan to prevent users from blocking accounts. If X doesn’t follow Apple’s guidelines, X could be removed from the App Store. The App Store guidelines say that apps that offer “user-generated content” must have:


  • A method for filtering objectionable material from being posted to the app.
  • A mechanism to report offensive content and timely responses to concerns.
  • The ability to block abusive users from the service.
  • Published contact information so users can easily reach you.

Most likely Musk didn’t bother checking out what the App Store’s position would be on stripping X users of the current power they have to block others from their timelines. He is about to find out.


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hackers Exploit Google Drive, OneDrive to Hide Malicious Traffic

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hackers Exploit Google Drive, OneDrive to Hide Malicious Traffic
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Cyber Criminals hide malicious traffic

Threat actors are actively modifying their TTPs to counter the advanced security mechanisms and tools to accomplish their illicit goals for several malicious purposes.

Hiding malicious traffic on cloud storage platforms is not an entirely new concept, and threat actors are shifting toward this concept.

Security researchers at Insikt recently identified that hackers actively exploit popular and trusted cloud platforms to hide malicious traffic.

Hiding Malicious Traffic

This strategy boosts data theft efficiency and weakens the security mechanisms and defense implemented. In the case of exploitation of this approach, the APT groups take the lead, and the less advanced groups take the second lead.

This type of exploitation by hackers shows how robust, adaptable defense strategies and security mechanisms are needed to mitigate such evolving attacks.

C2 infrastructure setup (Source – Insikt)

In the report shared with Cyber Security News, researchers noted that limited reporting delays the exact trend analysis. However, the following key things suggest a rising trend in LIS abuse:-

  • Well-known malware’s LIS (Legitimate Internet Services) abuse
  • New strain adoption
  • APT innovation

Besides this, shifting threat tactics reduce the IOC blocking and efficacy of the basic detections. But, the solution for an effective defense system, the following things have to be performed:-

  • Multi-method approach (network, file, log detection)
  • Proactive Internet service assessment
  • Attack simulations

Security analysts analyzed more than 400 malware families, and they identified the following data:- 

  • Use of LIS (25%)
  • Use of multiple LIS (68.5%)
  • Use of Infostealers (37%)

Most abused cloud platforms:-

Most abused messaging apps:-

For robust defense, properly learning about all the legitimate and malicious service usage is one of the key factors for comprehensive detection and security.

Recommendations

Here below, we have mentioned all the provided recommendations:-

  • Properly understand service contexts for lasting security.
  • Make sure to enhance nuanced detection. 
  • Implement TLS interception for visibility.
  • Make sure to flag the malicious LIS usage.
  • Deploy proactive threat-hunting techniques.

Keep informed about the latest Cyber Security News by following us on Google News, Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook.


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