Group-IB’s report says fxmsp and his group sold network access to hotel chains, banks and other financial firms, making at least $1.5 million from their operation. As a result of their activities, their victims reportedly lost tens of millions of dollars to malware and network damage. They’ve been inactive since last year after fxmsp made headlines for advertising access to data from popular cybersecurity firms McAfee, Trend Micro and Symantec. However, at least one cybersecurity firm believes they’re still operating under different names.
Turchin has been charged with conspiracy to commit computer hacking, two counts of computer fraud and abuse, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and access device fraud. Law enforcement officials say he’s likely aware of the charges and that extradition to the US is unlikely, because Kazakhstan does not extradite nationals.
As LG prepares to deliver its new range of 4K OLED TVs — including a new 48-inch model — it’s also got a soundbar to match. The GX soundbar is styled with the same aesthetics as LG’s flagship GX OLED TVs this year, with 3.1 channels of audio built-in, as well as support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio.
LG
We saw the GX series 4K TVs at CES, and unlike the “wallpaper thin” WX series OLEDs, they’re not quite paper thin, but contain all of their necessary processing equipment inside a frame that’s only 20mm thick, including an indent for cabling so it can hang on your wall like a picture frame. LG is selling 55-, 65- and 77-inch versions, and while it has other soundbars for sale as well, this one is obviously intended for people who take matching to an extreme level.
We’re also expecting to see Samsung continue to improve its S Pen, which is the hallmark of the Note line. There’s a lot we don’t yet know about the upcoming flagships, as well as what other devices might be announced beyond a note that this event will feature “our latest ecosystem of Galaxy devices designed to empower your life.” The good news, dear Samsung fans, is there’s barely a month left to wait.
It’s been almost a decade since Test Drive Unlimited 2came out on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but, after a long wait, fans got a first look at the sequel to the massively online racing pioneer. French publisher Nacon shared a teaser for Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown on Tuesday.
We didn’t see much in the way gameplay. However, several people who worked on the previous two games are contributing to the new entry, so it seems it’s in good hands. The game will feature cars from automakers like Ferrari and Lamborghini. According to Eurogamer, it will borrow WRC 8’s handling system, which suggests players may be able to drive off-road. Additionally, it looks like some of the fashion elements from the previous two games will make a return.
Facebook says its Menlo Park headquarters is 100 percent supported by renewable energy, and it diverts 90 percent of its waste away from landfills through recycling and composting. Four of Facebook’s US data center buildings earned LEED Gold certification, and one building in Sweden earned LEED Platinum certification, the highest rating possible.
In the sustainability report, Facebook claims it’s committed to giving back to the communities where its facilities are located. For instance, it plans to recover heat generated by its servers in Odense, Denmark, and donate it to a local district heating company. Facebook hopes to provide 100,000 MWh of energy annually. That’s enough to warm 6,900 homes in the nearby city, and it will help Odense phase out of coal by mid-2022.
Facebook is trying to improve its water usage, too. In 2019, the company saved over three billion gallons of water, and it invested in watershed restoration projects in Oregon and New Mexico. A pilot project at a data center in New Mexico reduced the water used for cooling by about 40 percent. This year, Facebook plans to expand that tech to other data centers. Facebook expects its water projects to restore about 206,000 cubic meters of water annually.
“All that said, we know there is more work to be done. Now more than ever, businesses need to think not only about managing their operational impact but about working with others to leverage their technical strengths and address sustainability challenges,” Rachel Peterson, Facebook’s vice president of infrastructure, wrote in the report.
ARM plans to transfer two of its internet of things (IoT) businesses to Softbank (via TechCrunch). If the company’s board of directors approves the move, Softbank would then directly oversee those divisions. The Japanese company bought the chip designer in 2016 as part of a blockbuster deal worth £24.3 billion at the time. ARM says the goal of the move is to narrow its focus on its core semiconductor intellectual property business, which should in turn improve growth and profitability.
“Softbank’s experience in managing fast-growing, early-stage businesses would enable [the IoT Services Group] to maximize its value in capturing the data opportunity,” said ARM CEO Simon Segars. “ARM would be in a stronger position to innovate in our core IP roadmap and provide our partners with greater support to capture the expanding opportunities for compute solutions across a range of markets.”
.@JGo4Justice: “Instead of committing to a timeline to root out hate and disinformation on Facebook, the company’s leaders delivered the same old talking points to try to placate us without meeting our demands.”
Color of Change President Rashad Robinson, who was also at the meeting, described it as a disappointment. “It is abundantly clear that they are not yet ready to address the vitriolic hate on their platform,” he said.
“Zuckerberg offered the same old defense of white supremacist, antisemitic, islamophobic and other hateful groups on Facebook that the Stop Hate For Profit Coalitions, advertisers and society at large have heard too many times before,” boycott organizers, which also include the NAACP andCommon Sense Media, wrote in a statement. “Instead of actually responding to the demands of dozens of the platform’s largest advertisers that have joined the #StopHateForProfit ad boycott during the month of July, Facebook wants us to accept the same old rhetoric, repackaged as a fresh response.”
Met with Mark Zuckerberg and @Facebook leadership today. It was a disappointment. They have had our demands for years and yet it is abundantly clear that they are not yet ready to address the vitriolic hate on their platform.
In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said the meeting “was an opportunity for us to hear from the campaign organizers and reaffirm our commitment to combating hate on our platform.”
We have invested billions in people and technology to keep hate off of our platform. We have created new policies to prohibit voter and census interference and have launched the largest voting information campaign in American history. We have banned more than 250 white supremacist organizations and are holding ourselves accountable by producing regular reports about our content moderation efforts. We know we will be judged by our actions not by our words and are grateful to these groups and many others for their continued engagement.
Earlier in the day, Sandberg said Facebook was “making changes,” but didn’t directly address the demands of the boycott organizers.
“We meet in the context of what may be the largest social movement in US history, and our nation’s best and latest chance to act against the racism that has pervaded our country since before our independence,” she wrote in a Facebook post ahead of the meeting. “We are making changes – not for financial reasons or advertiser pressure, but because it is the right thing to do.”
Sandberg also said Facebook plans on Wednesday to release the final report from a two-year civil rights audit of the company’s policies. Robinson criticized the timing of the audit’s release, calling it a “a transparent effort to change the narrative.”
Facebook and Zuckerberg have p[previously indicated they were reluctant to make concessions. While Zuckerberg announced some changes — including an expansion of Facebook’s hate speech policy for ads and labels on some future posts from politicians — he stopped well short of the boycott organizers’ ten recommendations. The groups behind the boycott have asked for stricter moderation of hate speech and extremism in private Facebook groups, and more support for users who face harassment. They also want the social network to appoint a high-level executive to oversee civil rights issues at the company.
Facebook shouldn’t just consider civil rights once a month or when advertisers pull funding. We will know that they have taken our concerns seriously if their audit announcement includes the creation of a highest level decision-making position that is focused on civil rights.
“The only recommendation they even attempted to address is hiring a civil rights position but were unable to commit to the crucial piece of the position being at the C-suite level or what the requirements for the position will be,” Stop Hate for Profit said following the meeting. “They offered no attempt to respond to the other nine recommendations.”
In private, Zuckerberg and other executives have been even more defiant: one of Facebook’s top business executives, reportedly told advertisers that the company does not “make policy changes tied to revenue pressure.” And last week, Zuckerberg told employees that he would not change Facebook’s rules over what amounts to “a small percent of our revenue.”
“We’re not gonna change our policies or approach on anything because of a threat to a small percent of our revenue, or to any percent of our revenue,” he said. according toThe Information. He also predicted the advertisers would come back to Facebook “soon enough.”
Update 7/7 5:47pm ET: Updated to add Facebook’s statement on the meeting.
For the first time in two-year history, PUBG Mobile is getting an exclusive map. Android and iOS users can check out the battle royale’s new Livik battleground starting today. With a playspace limited to about four square kilometers, Tencent says most matches on the Nordic-themed level should take about 15 minutes, making it perfect for short play sessions.
Players will find new weapons and vehicles that are only available on Livik. For a limited time, there will also be special “experimental” firearms scattered across the level. These will fit into archetypes players are already familiar with, but they’ll feature modified names, icons and finishes. They’ll also do more damage than their regular counterparts, so finding one early could give you an edge through the rest of a match.
The Ubisoft Forward showcase that’s taking place this Sunday will offer more details on the likes of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Hyper Scape, as well as some other upcoming Ubisoft titles. While you might be content to catch up with all of the news after the fact, Ubisoft is sweetening the pot for those who watch the event as it happens — live viewers can claim a free PC copy of Watch Dogs 2.
If you log in with your Uplay account during the main Ubisoft Forward stream, which gets under way at 3PM ET, the hacking-centered game is yours to keep. Ubisoft is also giving away goodies for other games to some folks who answer trivia questions correctly during the event. There’s also a 90-minute pre-show, which starts at 1:30PM.
For $150, you get great sound, booming bass (they are Beats, after all) and 15 hours of battery life. Apple’s H1 chip on the inside ensures lightning-fast pairing and a rock-solid connection to your phone, too. These are the best sports headphones for working out, especially if you’re keeping an eye on your spending.
Sony’s awful naming scheme means that it’s not clear which pair of its true wireless headphones we’re recommending. The WP-SP800N is the company’s not-quite-flagship true wireless earbuds which pack in the bulk of what you need and cost $200. For that, you get earbuds with fantastic sound, with rich bass and just as much love given to the mids and highs.
One of the standout features is Adaptive Smart Control, which is essentially smart active noise cancellation. Rather than a blanket deadening of ambient noise, it’ll pick out the level of intrusion based on what you’re doing: you may want more isolation when writing a paper than when you’re running, since you want to be alert to hazards while doing the latter.
Times are tough and not everyone can afford to blow hundreds of dollars on new headphones or earbuds. Thankfully, it’s possible to get into the true wireless game for just $30 with JLab’s new Go Air earbuds. Naturally, there are compromises (and nobody would ditch their AirPods Pro for a pair), but they are a good budget option.
They’re not the greatest-sounding, with tinny, overly-compressed audio that lacks proper bass and midrange tone. But if you want to cut the cord while saving money, then you probably won’t be getting too sniffy about the audio quality. You’ll get five hours of life on a charge, with three additional charges stored in the Go Air’s magnetic tray. There’s no automatic pausing when removing a bud from your ear, EQ customization or much else. But for $30, can you really complain?
It’s the Activity rings which do it, really. The red, green and blue lines that snake around in a circle as you move each day. It’s a simple little graphic that tells you so much about how long you’ve been standing, how much exercise you do and how much activity you’ve clocked. That’s the real secret to beating the freshman fifteen: getting into good habits and sticking with them.
We’re five generations into the Apple Watch now, and you know the pros and cons of owning one. It’s got good activity tracking and a built-in ECG, while the newest model is the first to pack an always-on display. If you have $400 and want a buy-one, do-everything watch, there are few alternatives that are this easy to recommend — especially if you’re already a Mac user.
That said, a lot of tech-company smartwatches, including the Apple Watch, sacrifice strength for versatility, and you can see why. No matter how sturdy they appear to be, I’d think twice about taking a Series 5 on a Tough Mudder. That’s why I have such a soft spot for Garmin’s wearables which trade elegance for durability.
The best of the bunch is the Forerunner 645 Music, which works great as a dedicated running and multisport watch. There’s 3.5GB of storage, letting you store up to 500 songs from your music service of choice, and a week’s worth of battery life under normal use. If you want a watch that really can help you focus on your fitness goals, and can take some real punishment, give this one a go.
Withings makes stylish analog watches with hidden fitness trackers that always promise more than you may expect. Its hybrid activity trackers are a great and subtle way of keeping track of what you do every day, and they are backed by the world-class Health Mate app and Withings’ ecosystem of products. The Move is a smart, stylish and affordable way of doing so without blowing big on a smartwatch.
For $70, the Withings Move offers activity and sleep tracking, a smart alarm and automatic workout tracking. That includes swim tracking, and the company says it’s waterproof to depths of up to 50 meters. Even more incredibly, it’ll last for up to a year and a half on a single watch battery, meaning that there’s no need to hunt for a charger every day.
Some people want a smartwatch, some an analog timepiece, and there’s a whole other group who want something in between. Fitbit’s Charge 4 is the company’s latest activity tracker, and the first in this series to offer built-in GPS. For $150, you get an activity tracker with a built-in heart rate sensor, Spotify integration and payments. And if you’re worried about sleep apnea — disrupted breathing when you sleep — then Fitbit’s work studying oxygen saturation will come in useful if you don’t mind wearing the device overnight. If you don’t use the GPS too often, the company says it’ll last you up to seven days on a single charge, too.
Remember those heady days before 2020, when we were (mostly) allowed outside to enjoy the fresh air in peace? Nike’s Run Club is an app designed to help you stay in shape by tracking your jaunts outside, and encouraging you to do more. It uses GPS to track your runs, and once it has a picture of your habits, can extrapolate a customized plan to help you improve. There are various goals, including community challenges, to help get you pounding the sidewalk more than you would otherwise.
There’s also a social component that helps you find a local running club, as well as audio-runs with guides prepared by Nike athletes. And, of course, there’s the ever-present offer to buy new kicks and get tickets to sporting events if you spend more and more time in the app. If you don’t mind being advertised to, then you may find Nike+ Run Club a great fitness app to start with.
MyFitnessPal is one of the best and most reliable fitness and food tracking apps that you can get. The Under Armor-owned platform is designed to make logging your calorie intake as easy as scanning a barcode, and its vast user base means most meal options have already been listed. There is a premium option, for $10 a month, which removes ads and lets you access even more data — but the free edition is so good, it’s not worth bothering with the premium plan immediately. If you’re looking to keep an eye on your food intake, this is the best place to start.
There are plenty of reasons to stress out, especially now, which is why it’s more important than ever to keep an eye on your mental health. One such way is with an app like Headspace, which makes the intimidating business of meditation seem friendly, and simple. Armed with cute animations and easy explainers, Headspace guides you through your journey towards meditative focus.
Once you’ve gotten the knack, the app will help you with guided meditations focusing on specific issues you may have. That includes creativity, motivation, improving self-esteem or dealing with the dreaded hand of anxiety. And the deal for students is pretty great: If you go to a qualifying school, then you can get a year’s subscription for just $10.
College can be a tough time for a lot of people and it’s important to have a support network of friends, family and professionals. It’s also vital to be able to identify your own mood and feelings to better help you understand where these things come from. Apps like MoodKit promise to help by using the techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you deal with low mood.
Users start by journaling their experiences and how they feel and track that to see what helps make things better, or worse. Then, the app will offer tactics to help you feel better, using clinically-proven methods, as well as advice on how to avoid distorted thinking. It’s no substitute for professional psychotherapy, but it could help you get through each day.
If you’ve ever read Henry Rollins’ essay on The Iron, you’ll know there’s a seductive quality to just giving yourself over to heavy chunks of metal. A scrawny kid, Rollins was co-opted by a teacher who taught him some basic workouts with a weight set bought at Sears. It’s not a fun way to spend your time, but as Rollins’ says: “Pain is not my enemy; it is my call to greatness.”
You can answer the call yourself with this set of adjustable barbells that’ll set you back $52 from Amazon. For that, you get a 38-pound set with two three-pound barbells, four 2.5-pound plates, four 5-pound plates and a quartet of retaining bolts, each weighing half a pound. There are plenty of fixed-weight bells you could buy, but an adjustable set gives you so much more freedom. And, as Rollins’ says: “The iron never lies to you.”
There are plenty of ways that you can build strength without spending much money or leaving your doom room. One such way is by buying a set of resistance bands that can be put to use in a number of different ways. This versatile swiss-army-knife of latex bands can be used for strength and resistance training, cardio, yoga or pilates.
Each band has a different resistance level, meaning that you can work your way up from the easiest setting to the hardest over time. Not to mention that, if you do it right, a latex band workout can be tougher than the equivalent just using barbells. Oh, and they fold to the size of a wallet, so you can take them anywhere you want to go.
