Current Final

Category: Tech

  • Hackers put 200 million Twitter users’ private information for sale on dark web

    Hackers put 200 million Twitter users’ private information for sale on dark web

    Anyone can now download the data of more than 200 million Twitter users for free.

    According to Privacy Affairs‘ security researchers, who confirmed the database that’s currently posted on a hacker forum, this most recent data dump, which contains account names, handles, creation dates, follower counts, and email addresses, turns out to be the same — albeit cleaned up — leak reported last month that affected more than 400 million Twitter accounts.

    According to Privacy Affairs CEO and founder Miklos Zoltan, the removal of duplicate accounts is what caused the number of accounts to be cut in half. But this time, he added, “the data is available for download by anyone for free, as opposed to being marketed for sale at $200,000, as it was in December.”

    According to Zoltan’s blog article detailing the breach, some of the well-known individuals and companies in the new 63GB database leak include Donald Trump Jr., Google CEO Sundar Pichai, SpaceX, the US National Basketball Association, CBS Media, and the World Health Organization.

    There is no information on whether the Christmas Day Twitter account hack of British Education Secretary Gillian Keegan is connected. Miscreants hijacked Keegan’s account in that instance, altered her profile photo to one of Elon Musk, and sent out a string of tweets endorsing cryptocurrency.

    The exposed account owners are still at risk even if the disclosed data does not contain users’ phone numbers, physical addresses, or passwords, according to Zoltan.

    “Privacy Affairs cybersecurity experts reviewed the published data and believe this latest leak could lead to social engineering attacks and doxxing.”

    The genuine names and locations of individuals can be ascertained by combining the hacked email addresses connected to Twitter accounts with other publicly accessible data. Additionally, nation state goons and criminals continue to use phishing emails as a successful entry point for social engineering attacks.

    Of course, spammers or con artists can also utilise the listed email addresses; all they need to do is persuade one victim to click on a harmful link.

    Researchers cautioned that despite this week’s data leak having fewer accounts, it may be more dangerous because the thieves are giving away the entire information for free.

    “It is not certain at this moment how exactly this data was obtained,” Zoltan noted. “The most likely method used could have been the abuse of an application programming interface (API) vulnerability.”

    The data was allegedly hacked in 2021 due to a security flaw that Twitter claimed to have closed last year.

  • ZETA Technologies achieves LDI License to enhance Pakistan’s Call and Internet Connectivity

    ZETA Technologies achieves LDI License to enhance Pakistan’s Call and Internet Connectivity

    Zeta Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd. gained another landmark by receiving an LDI License, awarded by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) at the license awarding ceremony. The LDI license allows massive headway into Pakistan’s global connectivity. A company must have financial standing and compliance with telecom regulator before the license is granted.

    After years of arduous work and fulfillment of professional responsibilities, Zeta Technologies has secured this prestigious milestone. Zeta Technologies will undertake international/national telecommunication services using LDI license according to its terms and conditions.

    Mr. Baleegh Afridi, CEO of Zeta Technologies, attended the signing ceremony at PTA Headquarters. While making his statement, Mr. Baleegh Afridi said, “Getting this LDI license allows us to venture into other opportunities, including fiber deployment and landing station. Along the way, we will be able to create job opportunities for citizens of Pakistan in the current uncertain economic situation.” He also added, “I would like to thank my entire team for their persistent efforts and hard work, which has helped us in acquiring the license”.

    Today is a proud day for Zeta Technologies!

    This is a sponsored article.

  • Amazon to cut over 18,000 jobs citing economic uncertainty

    Amazon to cut over 18,000 jobs citing economic uncertainty

    Amazon has announced it will cut more than 18,000 jobs from its workforce, the largest set of layoffs in the US company’s history, as it battles to save costs.

    The company’s e-commerce and human resources departments will be primarily impacted by the layoff decisions, which Amazon will announce on January 18.

    The layoffs represent 6 per cent of Amazon’s almost 300,000 corporate employees and are a striking turnabout for a business that just tripled its base pay level in an effort to compete more fiercely for talent, according to BBC.

    With around 1.5 million employees overall, including warehouse workers, Amazon is the second-largest private employer in the United States (US), after Walmart Inc.

    CEO Andy Jassy claimed in the message that the unstable economy and the increased hiring over the last few years have made this year’s annual planning more difficult.

    Amazon, whose stock price has more than halved in the past year, has prepared for slower growth as rising inflation has led both businesses and consumers to reduce spending. The company’s financial situation has drastically declined. It changed from a delivery service that was deemed essential during the epidemic to one that was overbuilt in comparison to overall demand.

    Jassy’s statement was published after the Wall Street Journal reported that over 17,000 staff would be let go. He claimed that as a result of a leak, Amazon decided to break the news without first informing worried staff.

    Amazon plans to pay severance and is still required to submit some legal notices regarding significant layoffs. Jassy claims that Amazon has survived unstable and difficult economic times in the past and will do so in the future.

  • Samsung Galaxy S23 series to launch with 256 GB minimum storage option

    Samsung Galaxy S23 series to launch with 256 GB minimum storage option

    The tipster Ahmed Qwaider says that Samsung has listened to its customers and is bringing a significant upgrade. The 128GB base storage for the Galaxy S23 series may no longer be offered by the South Korean company.

    The Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra base models all seem to include 256GB of internal storage. There will also be 512GB and 1TB storage options for the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

    The South Korean tech giant used to give free upgrades to 256GB models of its phones to anyone who pre-ordered or purchased them during a sale, but these deals were only available in the US and a very small number of other countries. Therefore, this year will be happier for everyone in the world. The Galaxy S23 Ultra will have 12GB RAM, whereas the Galaxy S23 and S23+ appear to have 8GB RAM.

    The tipster further believes that the Galaxy S23 Ultra will have a display that is significantly flatter than that of its predecessor. This modification ought to enhance the S Pen’s ability to write and draw on the screen. One UI 5.1, which is based on Android 13, will come preinstalled on all Galaxy S23 units.

    There may be more choices for customising the lock screen with this more recent software version.

  • Samsung introduces AI-powered fridge with 32-inch smart touchscreen

    Samsung introduces AI-powered fridge with 32-inch smart touchscreen

    Samsung has launched the “Bespoke Refrigerator Family Hub Plus,” its latest fridge with a built-in 32-inch HD touchscreen display.

    Its display, which can be used to watch films, prepare digital shopping lists for Amazon delivery, and operate SmartThings-compatible smart home gadgets, is substantially bigger at 32 inches than the 21.5-inch screen featured on earlier versions of Samsung Family Hub refrigerators.

    The Family Hub Plus, which was unveiled in a press release in Korean, comes with the free Samsung TV Plus service, which enables customers to view 190 TV channels in the US or about 80 stations in South Korea via the Samsung TV Plus app.

    The vertical orientation of the display also makes it ideal for viewing social media content like TikTok videos and YouTube Shorts. It also has a picture-in-picture (PIP) mode that allows you to watch films in a floating window while using the rest of the screen for other purposes.

    Along with the OneDrive integration that was previously present on Samsung’s Family Hub refrigerators, Google Photos users may now share material made on the Family Hub to any mobile device thanks to Samsung’s addition of support for the Google Photos cloud.

    The Family Hub Plus allows for the download and display of images from Google Photos. If you prefer to exhibit artwork and paintings rather than family photos, the Family Hub Plus now supports Samsung’s Bespoke Atelier app.

    The integrated SmartThings hub offers six SmartThings Home Life services: Air Care, Home Care, Pet Care, Clothing Care, Energy, and Cooking. It may be used to control and monitor various SmartThings devices.

    Other details (such the display refresh rate or resolution) as well as the cost and release date of Samsung’s new Family Hub refrigerator have not been made public.

  • Twitter sued for failing to pay San Francisco office rent

    Twitter sued for failing to pay San Francisco office rent

    Elon Musk’s social media company is being sued by California Property Trust, the owner of the building where Twitter’s headquarters are located, for failing to pay $136,250 in rent.

    Bloomberg reports (via The Verge) that on December 16th, the company informed Twitter that it would be in breach of its contract for the 30th floor of the Hartford Building in San Francisco if it did not make the unpaid rent payment within four days.

    Twitter was said to have disobeyed the order by California Property Trust in a complaint submitted this week to the San Francisco County Superior Court.

    The New York Times reported on December 13 that Twitter had just stopped paying rent on all of its international locations to reduce costs. In addition, the business is being sued for failing to reimburse Musk for $197,725 in charter flights he took during his first week working for Twitter. In the same time frame, Musk is said to have bolstered Twitter’s legal team with “more than half a dozen” attorneys from SpaceX.

  • WhatsApp will stop working on older smartphones after December 31

    WhatsApp will stop working on older smartphones after December 31

    Every year, WhatsApp discontinues support for specific devices that are considered obsolete. After December 31, the Meta-owned messaging platform will no longer be available on more than 40 smartphones, including two older iPhones.

    WhatsApp is discontinuing support for devices and operating systems that are rarely used and quite old. The messenger currently supports Android 4.1 and higher, iOS 12 and higher, and KaiOS 2.5.0 and higher.

    GizChina has compiled a list of 49 phones that will no longer be able to operate WhatsApp after December 31.

    Apple: iPhone 5, iPhone 5c

    Samsung: Galaxy Ace 2, Galaxy Core, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S3 mini, Galaxy Trend II, Galaxy Trend Lite, Galaxy Xcover 2

    LG: LG Enact, Lucid 2, Optimus 4X HD, Optimus F3, Optimus F3Q, Optimus F5, Optimus F6, Optimus F7, Optimus L2 II, Optimus L3 II, Optimus L3 II Dual, Optimus L4 II, Optimus L4 II Dual, Optimus L5, Optimus L5 Dual, Optimus L5 II, Optimus L7, Optimus L7 II, Optimus L7 II Dual, Optimus Nitro HD

    Sony: Xperia Arc S, Xperia miro, Xperia Neo L

    Huawei: Ascend D, Ascend D1, Ascend D2, Ascend G740, Ascend Mate, Ascend P1

    Given that the majority of individuals use the latest recent smartphones, very few people may be impacted by WhatsApp’s expiration. However, it’s time to upgrade if your phone is on the aforementioned list.

  • Twitter back online following major outage that logged out thousands of users

    Twitter back online following major outage that logged out thousands of users

    According to tracking sites Downdetector and Netblocks, thousands of Twitter users reported an outage on Wednesday, but the problem seemed to be resolved with lost tweets reappearing.

    At the peak of the downtime, around 0035 GMT, DownDetector said that over 10,000 users had reported issues with the site, which is now controlled by the controversial billionaire Elon Musk.

    AFP journalists in the United States and Asia were among those impacted.

    However, less than an hour later, the number of reported problems had reduced to slightly more than 3,700.

    “Twitter is experiencing international outages affecting the mobile app and features including notifications; incident not related to country-level internet disruptions or filtering,” Netblocks said in a tweet.

    Under Musk’s leadership, Twitter has been troubled by chaos, with major job cuts, the restoration of banned accounts, and the banning of journalists critical of the South African-born entrepreneur.

    In response to a user’s tweet questioning if Twitter was “broken,” Musk answered, “Works for me.”

  • Indian call centre scammers looted $10 billion from Americans in 2021

    Indian call centre scammers looted $10 billion from Americans in 2021

    According to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data, US citizens lost more than $10 billion in 2022 as a result of phishing calls made by illegal Indian call centres.

    The Times Of India stated citing FBI data that the majority of the victims of these fraud calls from Indian phishing gangs were senior US nationals over the age of 60 who lost more than $3 billion.

    The FBI has now sent a permanent representative to the US embassy in New Delhi following many incidences that were reported in 2022. To bust these gangs that have threatened to make India the hub of such illegal call centres, the representative will work closely with the CBI, Interpol, and the Delhi Police.

    So far in 2022, Americans have lost a total of $10.2 billion to such hoax calls, a 47 per cent increase over the $6.9 billion lost in 2021.

    Suhel Daud, the FBI’s South Asia director, told the publication that “romance-related” scams totaled INR 8,000 crore (PKR 217.7 billion) in 2021 and INR 8,000 crore (PKR 217.7 billion) in the final 11 months of 2022. Losses from “tech support” fraud have topped $3 billion in the last two years, with $347 million in 2021 and $781 million in 2022 so far.

    “It may not be a national security concern yet, but the reputation (of a country) is involved, and we don’t want India to suffer on that count,” Daud told the publication.

    He also stated that the FBI received 850,000 complaints regarding cyber crimes in 2021 and over 780,000 lakh complaints so far in 2022. Investment-related cybercrime ($3 billion), corporate email compromise ($2.4 billion), personal data breach ($1.2 billion), romance ($1 billion), and tech support ($781 million) were among the concerns.

  • McDonald’s opens first ‘mostly automated’ outlet and foodies are ‘not lovin’ it’

    McDonald’s opens first ‘mostly automated’ outlet and foodies are ‘not lovin’ it’

    The renowned fast food chain McDonald’s has opened an automated outlet in Texas, which is a first of its kind. The restaurant allows customers to order food without requiring a kiosk or a smartphone app.

    Without any human interaction, customers will get their orders on the conveyor belt. The restaurant lacks any seating or set-ups for eating inside since it is meant to be a “grab and go” outlet.

    This unique McDonald’s is smaller than other McDonald’s, and the restaurant’s primary objectives are to improve accuracy and order speed. Instead of waiting and ordering at the restaurant, guests can place their orders before they arrive.

    The business claimed to be creating fresh approaches to provide clients with faster, more effective service.

    Although there are still people working in the restaurant to prepare the food, the new approach only eliminates client interaction. According to the restaurant’s franchisor, Keith Vanecek, the new strategy enables the restaurant team to focus more on order speed, enhancing the effectiveness and enjoyment of both the customer and employee experiences.

    The food chain has, however, come under heavy fire for automating the process since it would harm people’s jobs. At $7.25 per hour, Texas’ minimum wage is one of the lowest in the country. Additionally, reducing employment in such a situation scares those who are already wary of automation and robots taking jobs away from people.

    Many individuals opposed the plan and posted their opinions and personal experiences on social media.

    https://twitter.com/parismarx/status/1606290843144376320
    https://twitter.com/SparkDreamers/status/1606147148499849216

    A Twitter user said that it would result in the elimination of jobs for restaurant employees. Another user said that after speaking with Google and Siri, he now needs to communicate with yet another robot.

    While McDonald’s believes that the strategy will improve the consumer experience.