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The Samsung Galaxy S25 could get a handy Google Pixel tool to improve your videos' sound quality

TechRadar News - Mon, 12/09/2024 - 05:07
  • Leak teases Samsung's version of Google's Audio Magic Editor
  • Would make it easier to clean up noise in your video's audio
  • Could launch with the Galaxy S25 early next year

We've seen a barrage of AI tools and features arrive on our phones this year, with one of the coolest being an upgrade to a standout Pixel 8 feature, Audio Magic Eraser, debuting on the Google Pixel 9 – and now it seems that Samsung wants to copy Google’s homework.

Audio Magic Eraser is an AI tool which, as the name suggests, is an audio version of Google’s Magic Eraser for photos. Instead of removing or moving elements of your picture, it allows you to adjust the audio track of a recorded video by modulating the volume of speech from different subjects, wind noise, and background noise.

Now prolific Samsung leaker Ice Universe has posted to Weibo (spotted by Android Authority, and translated from Chinese) saying that the next version of One UI 7 will include Samsung’s version of Google’s Audio Eraser – sharing a screenshot which shows how you can adjust the audio of a video shot at a concert.

As with all leaks we should take this one with a pinch of salt, not least because Ice Universe doesn’t share precisely where their knowledge and access to the feature comes from, explaining in their post that there’s “No need to look for it in Beta1, it's not there. Only I have it.”

What else do the Galaxy S25s have in store for us?

The Galaxy S24 Ultra's sucessor might get a new name (Image credit: Samsung)

Though if Audio Eraser is indeed on the way, the big question is when will we get the next version of Samsung’s One UI? Ideally the Audio Magic Eraser would drop when the Samsung Galaxy S25 flagships debut early next year, with rumors and Samsung’s traditional release schedule suggesting a launch in January.

However, as has been the case with phone releases, it’s possible that new tools will first be S25-exclusive before making their way to older compatible devices – so those of you rocking a Samsung Galaxy S24 or Galaxy Z Flip 6 might need to hold out for Samsung’s Audio Eraser appear on your device.

Beyond an AI Audio Editor, leaks tease a few other updates for the soon-to-launch phones: the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra could instead launch as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Note, the new phones might each use a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and the base S25 model could have 12GB of RAM to facilitate more and better onboard AI features.

As soon as we know more about the new Samsung handsets we’ll be sure to update you with all the latest info, and once they’ve launched we'll be posting our in-depth reviews, to help you decide whether any of the S25 phones are the next best smartphone for you.

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Categories: Technology

Here’s our first official look at a phone believed to be the OnePlus 13R

TechRadar News - Mon, 12/09/2024 - 05:06
  • OnePlus has shared two photos showing the front of the OnePlus Ace 5
  • This is expected to launch as the OnePlus 13R outside China
  • It looks almost identical to the OnePlus 13

OnePlus loves to show off its devices before fully announcing them, and the upcoming OnePlus 13R is no exception, as the company has just posted photos showing the front of the phone.

Or rather, a OnePlus exec has posted photos of the OnePlus Ace 5 on Weibo (via NotebookCheck), but based on past form, it’s expected that the Ace 5 will launch outside China as the OnePlus 13R.

In any case, the images – one of which you can see above, and another below – were accompanied by text noting that this phone has a metal frame and slim bezels. You can also see that it has a flat screen, a punch-hole selfie camera, what appear to be power and volume buttons on the right edge, and an alert slider on the left edge.

(Image credit: OnePlus) High-end design paired with a mid-range chipset

In all, this phone looks exactly like the device we previously saw in a leaked OnePlus 13R image, and it looks very much like the standard OnePlus 13, too.

Visually, then, it might be hard to tell that this isn’t a high-end phone, but in fact, the OnePlus 13R will be a mid-range alternative to the flagship OnePlus 13.

For one thing, we’re hearing that it will be powered by the year-old (but still powerful) Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, previously found in the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and OnePlus 12. The OnePlus 13, meanwhile, has the latest model – the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

That could be one of the very few spec compromises here, though, with previous leaks suggesting the OnePlus 13R will also have a 6.78-inch 1264 x 2780 AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 6,000mAh battery with 80W charging, 12GB of RAM, and a triple-lens rear camera, with two 50MP sensors and an 8MP one.

Most of that sounds quite impressive, so if the price is right, then the OnePlus 13R could give the likes of the iPhone SE 4 and Google Pixel 9a – both of which are also expected next year – a run for their money.

We should find out exactly how good the OnePlus 13R is soon, as it will probably launch in January or February based on past form, and knowing OnePlus, the company will likely reveal more details about it before then.

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Categories: Technology

Refi Rates Dip Since Last Week: Mortgage Refinance Rates for Dec. 9, 2024

CNET News - Mon, 12/09/2024 - 04:52
Multiple key refinance rates are trending down. Refinance rates change daily, but experts say rates will slowly fall in the coming months.
Categories: Technology

Rates Decline for Prospective Buyers: Mortgage Interest Rates Today for Dec. 9, 2024

CNET News - Mon, 12/09/2024 - 04:50
A couple of key mortgage rates moved down. Here's where experts say rates might be headed this year.
Categories: Technology

Could the Best CD Rates Drop Below 4% After the Next Fed Meeting? Today's CD Rates. Dec. 9, 2024

CNET News - Mon, 12/09/2024 - 04:30
With the Fed poised to cut rates again this month, waiting to open a CD could mean you'll miss out on interest in the new year.
Categories: Technology

Savings Rates Dropped Last Week, but You Can Still Find APYs Up to 5%. Today's Savings Rates, Dec. 9, 2024

CNET News - Mon, 12/09/2024 - 04:00
You can still earn more with a HYSA than you can with a traditional savings account.
Categories: Technology

Taking on the Tyranny of the Tech Bros

WIRED Top Stories - Mon, 12/09/2024 - 03:00
Coalitions between feminist movements, minorities, and labor activists will help keep the Silicon Valley moguls in check.
Categories: Technology

Today's NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, Dec. 9

CNET News - Sun, 12/08/2024 - 22:00
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 9.
Categories: Technology

Today's NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Dec. 9, #281

CNET News - Sun, 12/08/2024 - 22:00
Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the Dec. 9 Strands puzzle, No. 281.
Categories: Technology

Today's NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Dec. 9, #547

CNET News - Sun, 12/08/2024 - 22:00
Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 547 for Dec. 9.
Categories: Technology

Today's Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Dec. 9, #1269

CNET News - Sun, 12/08/2024 - 22:00
Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,269 for Monday, Dec. 9.
Categories: Technology

Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Dec. 9, #77

CNET News - Sun, 12/08/2024 - 21:59
Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections: Sports Edition No. 77 for Dec. 9.
Categories: Technology

To Build Electric Cars, Jaguar Land Rover Had to Redesign the Factory

WIRED Top Stories - Sun, 12/08/2024 - 20:00
At Jaguar Land Rover’s historic Halewood factory in Merseyside, England, state-of-the art assembly robots are now building the cars of the future.
Categories: Technology

Quordle today – hints and answers for Monday, December 9 (game #1050)

TechRadar News - Sun, 12/08/2024 - 18:02

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1050) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1050) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 3.

Quordle today (game #1050) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1050) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1050) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• T

• F

• S

• B

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1050) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1050, are…

  • TITAN
  • FORTE
  • SPEED
  • BRIAR

Quordleheads who look at my guesses today will immediately ascertain that I did not have a clue what I was doing and wasted turns without a clear goal or strategy.

I knew that my last word couldn’t begin with an F, but I couldn’t think of any other words that ended in IAR, which had to be my last three letters.

Somehow I got there, scraped through, and claimed victory from the jaws of defeat through sheer dint off just carrying on, but it hardly warrants a victory lap of the office, the brushing of imaginary dust from one's shoulders, and fist bump explosions with my imaginary friends.

In brief, this is not my FORTE, but I got there, somehow.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1050) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1050, are…

  • POSIT
  • FELON
  • BOOST
  • CROCK
Quordle answers: The past 20
  • Quordle #1049, Sunday 8 December: BUNCH, SHINY, MOULT, INTRO
  • Quordle #1048, Saturday 7 December: SHAKY, CROOK, GHOUL, VERSE
  • Quordle #1047, Friday 6 December: BRAWL, UNTIL, DOWRY, STING
  • Quordle #1046, Thursday 5 December: AGING, BICEP, CLOVE, SPILL
  • Quordle #1045, Wednesday 4 December: JUDGE, GIVER, GNASH, CLOAK
  • Quordle #1044, Tuesday 3 December: FUDGE, THICK, CRANK, STASH
  • Quordle #1043, Monday 2 December: TROPE, HOVER, SAUNA, SHAPE
  • Quordle #1042, Sunday 1 December: NAIVE, CIRCA, STEAD, MICRO
  • Quordle #1041, Saturday 30 November: MAMMA, SNUCK, CRYPT, TAROT
  • Quordle #1040, Friday 29 November: JOIST, DROOL, DUSKY, GLIDE
  • Quordle #1039, Thursday 28 November: GRADE, WORRY, NOISE, DAISY
  • Quordle #1038, Wednesday 27 November: HEART, ROGUE, INEPT, UTILE
  • Quordle #1037, Tuesday 26 November: PRIED, FAINT, HURRY, WOOER
  • Quordle #1036, Monday 25 November: NUDGE, SNOOP, SHACK, DRYLY
  • Quordle #1035, Sunday 24 November: CLOTH, CLAMP, PETTY, CHEST
  • Quordle #1034, Saturday 23 November: AVOID, PLANT, FILET, TWIRL
  • Quordle #1033, Friday 22 November: CUTIE, ALOOF, ETUDE, SILLY
  • Quordle #1032, Thursday 21 November: RABBI, EAGER, COUGH, BRASH
  • Quordle #1031, Wednesday 20 November: MINTY, TOPAZ, BRUSH, LAPEL
  • Quordle #1030, Tuesday 19 November: NINJA, PENCE, PAINT, FOIST
Categories: Technology

NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Monday, December 9 (game #547)

TechRadar News - Sun, 12/08/2024 - 18:02

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #547) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

  • RAY
  • FACTOR
  • LIGHTER
  • STAIN
  • MICROSCOPE
  • GAMES
  • CONSIDERATION
  • MAGNIFYING GLASS
  • REFLECTION
  • MATCHES
  • SLIDE
  • THOUGHT
  • FLINT
  • FILES
  • SCRUTINY
  • SPECIMEN
NYT Connections today (game #547) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: Ponder this 
  • GREEN: It’s going to burn
  • BLUE: In the lab
  • PURPLE: The truth is out there

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #547) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: DELIBERATION 
  • GREEN: USED IN STARTING A FIRE 
  • BLUE: USED TO VIEW A BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE 
  • PURPLE: WORDS AFTER "X" 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #547) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #547, are…

  • YELLOW: DELIBERATION CONSIDERATION, REFLECTION, SCRUTINY, THOUGHT
  • GREEN: USED IN STARTING A FIRE FLINT, LIGHTER, MAGNIFYING GLASS, MATCHES
  • BLUE: USED TO VIEW A BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE MICROSCOPE, SLIDE, SPECIMEN, STAIN
  • PURPLE: WORDS AFTER "X" FACTOR, FILES, GAMES, RAY
  • My rating: Easy
  • My score: Perfect

It’s getting near that Christmas family quiz time again, so here’s a quick 1980s pop trivia question for you inspired by today’s Connections: How many people can you name who are mentioned in Billy Joel’s hit We Didn’t Start The Fire?

I’ll leave that with you.

Before you look it up: Bonus self-satisfaction points if you get any in the correct order.

USED TO START A FIRE was the first thing to leap out from the grid, although I did initially think MAGNIFYING GLASS and MICROSCOPE belonged together.

Of the WORDS AFTER X it was FILES that I saw first, ahead of the more obvious RAY. Possibly, because I'm still holding a candle (or should that be lighter) for Scully. Surely, the easiest Purple group seen for a couple of weeks. DELIBERATION didn’t take much THOUGHT either – well not as much as trying to remember what Billy rhymed with Charles de Gaulle.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, 8 December, game #546)
  • YELLOW: PUNCH BELT, BLOW, SLUG, SOCK
  • GREEN: CRAM SANDWICH, SHOEHORN, SQUEEZE, WEDGE
  • BLUE: COMPANIES NAMED AFTER ANIMALS CATERPILLAR, DOVE, GREYHOUND, PUMA
  • PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF MUSIC GENRES INDY, METTLE, SEOUL, WRAP
What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Categories: Technology

NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Monday, December 9 (game #281)

TechRadar News - Sun, 12/08/2024 - 18:02

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #281) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

Today's NYT Strands theme is… Quiet at first

NYT Strands today (game #281) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

  • SLAP
  • POEM
  • NOISEY
  • MILE
  • SMELT
  • PONY
NYT Strands today (game #281) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

What’s an aphthong?

NYT Strands today (game #281) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 4th row

Second: right, 3rd row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #281) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #281, are…

  • WRAP
  • PSALM
  • GNOME
  • HONESTY
  • MNEMONIC
  • KNUCKLE
  • SPANGRAM: SILENT LETTER
  • My rating: Hard
  • My score: 2 hints

After seeing the clue and spotting the word Noisey in the grid, it appeared that today’s Strands was about sounds; instead Noisey and Noise just helped get closer to a hint – something that was much needed with today's SILENT LETTER theme.

Even after working out the connecting theme once I'd been gifted WRAP, I still struggled to find these dreaded aphthongs – you could say it gnawed at me and momentarily turned me into a psycho ready to wreak havoc on the pseudo Strands setters, pterodactyl style – but then I connected the Spangram snake, untwisted my knickers and all was good with the world.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, 8 December, game #280)
  • FACE
  • HANDS
  • BEZEL
  • CROWN
  • LUXURY
  • DIGITAL
  • ANALOG
  • SPANGRAM: WATCHWORDS
What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Categories: Technology

Get the best tech gifts for less at Back Market

TechRadar News - Sun, 12/08/2024 - 18:00

What's better than giving great gifts? Giving great gifts that you got for a great price. And that's what Back Market brings you this festive season. Whether you're looking for a stunning smartphone, a set of headphones, a PlayStation, a PC, a Nintendo Switch or a smartwatch, you can get them all for exceptionally low prices at Back Market.

How low? Up to 50% off new prices in the UK, and up to 70% in the US. So whether you're buying for friends, family or for yourself, there's never been a better way to fill up Santa's sleigh with gifts – and prices – that slay.

Serious savings on tempting tech gifts

If you're buying for young family or the young at heart, Nintendo's Switch is guaranteed to delight gamers of every stripe. It's down to just $157.24 in the US and £157 in the UK, with the standard Switch down to just $239 in the US and £249.98 in the UK.

The Switch OLED 64GB is just $270 compared to $349 new; in the UK it's down from £314.99 to just £252. And there are some fantastic deals on consoles too. The PlayStation 5 is down from £479.99 to just £350 in the UK, and in the US it's down to $419.

If you're buying for a student, for your own studies or for your creative projects you probably know that Macs are brilliant buys – but they're usually very expensive too. Not at Back Market. The astonishingly fast M2 MacBook Air 13" with a massive 1TB of storage is just $965, down from $1,899. And the M3 13" is down from $1,299 to just $999. In the UK, the M1 MacBook Air 13" is down from £999 to an incredible £496.65.

There's more good news. Those prices don't include trade-ins, which are available on many items and which bring the price you pay down even more.

(Image credit: Back Market) Big bass for low, low prices

If you're looking for the perfect present for a music fan, nothing beats Beats headphones – and nothing beats Back Market's prices on Beats headphones such as the brilliant Beats Studio3 wireless headphones. They're down from $349 to $147.49. In the UK, where they cost even more to buy new, the discount is bigger still: instead of £599 new, you can pick up a pair of Studio 3 for just £199.99. And there are lots more headphone and earbuds deals where they came from, for customers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Beautiful prices on beauty and grooming gadgets

Back Market has some brilliant beauty buys, such as the Wazor professional 1875W hair dryer; that's reduced from £99 to a much happier £25. The Remington AS7051 Styling Brush is down from £69.99 to just £22. And there are great deals on a wide range of hair dryers and styling tools, such as the Shark HD440 Curling Iron – down from £289 to £230 – and the GHD Helios hair dryer, £145 compared to £170 new.

There are plenty of grooming tools for beards and stubble too. Remington electric shavers are down from £60 to £29.99, Panasonic's smart ER-GB42 electronic shaver is just £31 compared to £99 new, and the Remington HC4255 shaver is down from £91.06 to just £38.99. And if you want to cleanly and effectively remove body hair there are tons of options including Braun's clever Silk-épil 5 5-820 epilator, shaver and bikini line kit. That's usually £156.04 but at Back Market it's just £85 – and once again you can trade in existing health and beauty products to get the price down even further.

(Image credit: Back Market) Home is where the heart is

For UK shoppers, Back Market also delivers great deals on practical presents. There are some absolutely eye-popping discounts on coffee machines such as the fantastic Sage The Barista Express Impress, winner of multiple rave reviews: that's down from £729.95 to just £469.99.

And if you fancy treating yourself to the gift of time you can get great prices on powerful, speedy vacuum cleaners such as the Henry HVR2000-11, down from £154 to £114, and the Shark cordless stick IZ202U, with a whopping £250 off the new price. That's down to just £250.

We're barely scratching the surface of the deals you can find on Back Market for everything from air fryers to hair dryers. It's a fantastic place to shop this festive season, and all year round.

Why Back Market is better

Back Market is the leading global marketplace for refurbished electronics, devices and accessories. And it doesn't just save you money. It helps cut your environmental footprint too. When you buy refurbished tech, you're massively reducing the amount of water, energy and raw materials needed to deliver your new-to-you device.

If you haven't bought refurbished before, we think you'll be impressed. Refurbished gives you all the benefits of buying pre-loved – but without the risks of receiving a locked phone, a dead battery or a dodgy history. Any faults have already been spotted and sorted, with the device getting a full inspection by industry professionals before it's sent on to you. Not only that, but you also get a 30-day return policy and a year's warranty for extra piece of mind.

When you see the huge savings you can get on Back Market we think you'll be an instant fan. And there's another reason to love buying refurbished: you can buy with a clean conscience. When you buy refurbished, you're getting a device with up to 92% fewer CO2 emissions than the same product sold new.

(Image credit: Back Market) Save serious sums on great gifts

Whether you're looking for a phone, a PlayStation, headphones or hair clippers, simply browse the Back Market listings until you find the product you'd like for the price you'd like to pay.

Back Market products are classed into categories: Fair, Good, Excellent or for phones, Premium.

No matter what category you choose, every gadget Back Market sells is fully guaranteed and 100% functional. But if you're not too fussed about getting a gadget with a pristine appearance you can save even more cash by opting for Good or Fair. Items marked as Fair may have a few minor cosmetic imperfections and signs of use but the savings are massive. Good ones cost a little more but look great, while Excellent are even better. And if you'd rather get a phone that looks factory-fresh, Premium is the tag for you.

When it comes to making serious savings this festive season, there's only one place to go-ho-ho for great gifts at great prices. Click here to visit Back Market for US shoppers, and click here for Back Market UK.

Categories: Technology

North Korean hackers target South Korea with Internet Explorer vulnerabilities to deploy RokRAT malware

TechRadar News - Sun, 12/08/2024 - 16:12
  • South Korean citizens were hit with a zero-click malware from the North
  • The malware used pop-up ads to install payloads
  • Keyloggers and other malicious surveillance software was also installed

North Korean state-linked hacker ScarCruft recently conducted a large-scale cyber-espionage campaign using an Internet Explorer zero-day flaw to deploy RokRAT malware, experts have warned.

The group, also known as APT37 or RedEyes, is a North Korean state-sponsored hacking group known for cyber-espionage activities.

This group typically focuses on South Korean human rights activists, defectors, and political entities in Europe.

Internet Explorer Zero-Day flaw exploited

Over the years, ScarCruft has developed a reputation for using advanced techniques such as phishing, watering hole attacks, and exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities in software to infiltrate systems and steal sensitive information.

Their latest campaign, dubbed "Code on Toast," was revealed in a joint report by South Korea's National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) and AhnLab (ASEC). This campaign used a unique method involving toast pop-up ads to deliver zero-click malware infections.

The innovative aspect of this campaign lies in how ScarCruft used toast notifications - small pop-up ads displayed by antivirus software or free utility programs - to spread their malware.

ScarCruft compromised a domestic advertising agency’s server in South Korea to push malicious "Toast ads" through a popular but unnamed free software used by many South Koreans.

These malicious ads included a specially crafted iframe that triggered a JavaScript file named ‘ad_toast,’ which executed the Internet Explorer zero-day exploit. By using this zero-click method, ScarCruft was able to silently infect systems without user interaction.

The high-severity vulnerability in Internet Explorer used in this attack is tracked as CVE-2024-38178 and has been given a severity score of 7.5. The flaw exists in Internet Explorer’s JScript9.dll file, part of its Chakra engine, and allows remote code execution if exploited. Despite Internet Explorer’s official retirement in 2022, many of its components remain embedded in Windows or third-party software, making them ripe targets for exploitation.

ScarCruft’s use of the CVE-2024-38178 vulnerability in this campaign is particularly alarming because it closely resembles a previous exploit they used in 2022 for CVE-2022-41128. The only difference in the new attack is an additional three lines of code designed to bypass Microsoft’s earlier security patches.

Once the vulnerability is exploited, ScarCruft delivers RokRAT malware to the infected systems. RokRAT is primarily used to exfiltrate sensitive data with the malware targeting files with specific extensions like .doc, .xls, .ppt, and others, sending them to a Yandex cloud every 30 minutes. In addition to file exfiltration, RokRAT has surveillance capabilities, including keylogging, clipboard monitoring, and screenshot capture every three minutes.

The infection process consists of four stages, with each payload injected into the ‘explorer.exe’ process to evade detection. If popular antivirus tools like Avast or Symantec are found on the system, the malware is instead injected into a random executable from the C:\Windows\system32 folder. Persistence is maintained by placing a final payload, ‘rubyw.exe,’ in the Windows startup and scheduling it to run every four minutes.

Via BleepingComputer

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