November 9th, 2024

Console yourself; it’s game over: Malware called Winos4.0 is targeting Windows gamers. It sneaks in through infected third-party game mods. Once it’s on your system, cybercriminals play their own games, looking for crypto and taking screenshots of what you do so they can blackmail you. PSA: Skip the mods.

Manufactured by Anova, it uses an internal camera to recognize your food and tell you how to cook it. It uses both wet and dry heat, like ovens in restaurants. In the future, the Precision Oven 2.0 will spot cooking mistakes before a dish is ruined.

📩 Email espionage: Hackers are using compromised government emails to steal business info. Here’s how it works: You get an email about an emergency data request from the “federal government,” and the email address looks legit. It’s not. If you open the attachment or click a link, you’ve just landed a one-way ticket to malware. This kind of request will never come in the form of an email, folks.

😲 The No. 1 show on Netflix right now: “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” dives into the true story of two brothers convicted of murdering their parents in 1996. The newly elected Los Angeles District Attorney says, “I will have to review the confidential prison files for each brother, the transcripts from both trials, and speak to the prosecutors, law enforcement, defense counsel and the victims’ family members. Only then can I make a decision.” I don’t think much will happen at their resentencing hearing on Dec. 11. 

Microsoft Paint and Notepad are getting AI features: Rewrite in Notepad will rephrase sentences, adjust tone and tweak content. Paint will feature a generative fill option to add an image with a prompt, while a new generative erase tool removes parts of a picture and blends the space left behind. That’s kinda like putting high-octane gas in a Mini Cooper.

Speaking of energy: AT&T and Voltpost are turning lampposts into internet-connected EV chargers across Michigan. Since they’re using existing streetlights, they can get ‘em up and running in under two hours. The downside? Slow charging speeds. Still, not bad if you’re parked at the office all day.

😅 6G could be 9,000 times faster than 5G: But it’ll need tons of power. Some suggest visible light communication may be the solution, though it leaks tons of energy. Enter Bracelet+, a mini antenna that captures lost power. Researchers tried it on walls and phones, but guess what worked best? The human body. 

What the big print giveth, the small print taketh away: Big companies like Walmart are using bots to handle contract negotiations with suppliers. These bots analyze a contract’s terms based on company data and market trends, then they submit their findings to a human or reply with a counteroffer.

🗳️ Did you vote? In many states, that’s public information, but you have to file a request or pay a fee to obtain it. A new website, VoteRef, allows anyone to look up your name, address, age, party affiliation and whether you voted. Not all state info is there … yet. This feels like harassment just waiting to happen.

Not exactly brag-worthy: The federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is tooting its own horn for no successful hacks during the U.S. election. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t interference. Russia ramped up its disinformation campaigns on social media, and several bogus bomb threats made at polling stations were traced back to them. And don’t forget China hacked phones belonging to President-elect Trump and JD Vance.