Technology

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• The US Treasury has sanctioned Integrity Technology Group
• It claims the company was used in attacks on Western entities
• Both Integrity and the Chinese government criticize the decision

A Chinese technology company allegedly tied to the notorious state-sponsored threat actor known as Flax Typhoon has been placed on the US blacklist.

In a press release, the US Department of Treasury said it issued sanctions against Integrity Technology Group, “for its role in multiple computer intrusion incidents against U.S. victims.”

Integrity Technology Group is also known as Yongxin Zhicheng Technology Group. It is described as a cybersecurity company based in Beijing, China, specializing in producing and selling cybersecurity products. That includes network shooting range platforms, security control and honeypot products, security tools, and security protection solutions.

"Smear campaign"

According to the Treasury Department, between the summer of 2022 and fall 2023, Flax Typhoon actors used Integrity Tech’s infrastructure during their computer network exploitation activities against “multiple victims”.

“During that time, Flax Typhoon routinely sent and received information from Integrity Tech infrastructure,” the press release notes.

The Chinese government has slammed the decision, calling it a smear campaign. Commenting on the news, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the country has cracked down on cyber attacks and that Washington was using the issue to “defame and smear China,” AP reports.

“For some time now, the U.S. side has been playing up so-called Chinese cyber attacks and has even initiated illegal unilateral sanctions against China,” Guo said. “China firmly opposes this and will take necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”

At the same time, Integrity Technology Group said the sanctions were not based on facts: “The company firmly opposes the U.S. Treasury Department’s unwarranted accusations and Illegal unilateral sanctions on the company,” the company said in a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Flax Typhoon is known for conducting cyber espionage campaigns targeting critical infrastructure, government entities, and private organizations, primarily in the United States. The group employs stealthy tactics to maintain long-term access to networks, often exploiting vulnerabilities and using compromised credentials to avoid detection.

Via SiliconANGLE

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• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman admitted the company is losing money on its $200-per-month ChatGPT Pro plan.
• A significant price increase could make users question its affordability.
• OpenAI’s pricing strategy may push users toward competitors.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has shared on X that that the company is losing money on the $200-per-month ChatGPT Pro plan. He didn't elaborate on if or how OpenAI might address that issue, but raising the price seems like an obvious option. Will that drive people away from the premium service? More importantly, will that trickle down to a higher price tag for ChatGPT Plus, which is currently $20?

I've subscribed to ChatGPT Plus since it became available. I use it to experiment and test features for work, but I've also enjoyed playing with it in my own life to come up with dinner ideas, entertain children, and brainstorm gift ideas, among other tasks. Paying $20 a month for faster responses, better AI models, and early access to new features like the Sora AI video creator is a good deal.

ChatGPT Pro scales up those benefits enormously, with access to the o1 pro mode model, along with unlimited use of Sora and higher rate limits on API calls. If you’re a power user, a video content creator, or a software developer cranking out AI-driven projects, I'm sure the $200 a month might seem like a good deal, too.

Altman’s admission that Pro isn’t covering its costs raises a big red flag. If Pro users are pushing the limits of what OpenAI’s infrastructure can handle, and the company needs “more capital than it imagined,” where does that leave the rest of us? If Pro’s financial strain means OpenAI might bump up the price for Plus as well, I’ll have to reassess whether I’m getting enough bang for my buck.

insane thing: we are currently losing money on openai pro subscriptions!people use it much more than we expected.January 6, 2025

ChatGPT$$$

Altman’s comments also reminded me that it was rumored ChatGPT Plus would cost $42 per month before it came out. It’s a number that feels absurd now, but if OpenAI had gone that route, I probably wouldn’t have signed up, or at least not as readily. If Plus prices creep upwards to maybe $30, I might keep up my subscription, but I'd have to consider seriously if it's worth it. As much fun as Sora can be, I’m not editing blockbuster movies here.

Plus, it’s not like OpenAI’s competitors are sitting still. Google Gemini and other competitors are offering bundles of bonuses for subscribers to premium features, often linked to other products like Google One. And OpenAI isn’t exactly running on fumes. The company has raised billions in funding and expects to hit $11.6 billion in revenue this year. If it can’t make its products sustainable without constantly squeezing its subscribers, that suggests deeper issues.

One option sometimes floated is usage-based pricing, but that sounds like a logistical nightmare. Imagine being charged by the question or the word count when you use ChatGPT as an individual and not under a business account. Suddenly, you’re overthinking every query: “Do I really need to ask GPT for help with this?”

I’m sticking with ChatGPT Plus for now but keeping a finger over the metaphorical cancel button in case of major price increases. It's already annoying seeing the subscription prices rise unexpectedly for Netflix or Spotify, but I'd put up with more hassle to keep those services than I would ChatGPT Plus. I enjoy ChatGPT, but it's not $50 a month enjoyment.

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• Intrusions have been detected in Guam's power infrastructure
• The moves have all the markers of a Volt Typhoon campaign
• However not everyone in Guam is convinced of the threat

New reports have claimed notorious Chinese hacking group Volt Typhoon is targeting the critical infrastructure of small island nation Guam, looking to disrupt and sabotage services in the region.

The findings from Bloomberg say hackers are reportedly targeting the GPA (Guam Power Authority) in particular, in order to wreak havoc.

Guam is a small island with a population under 200,00, but is also home to a large US military base. The base takes up just over a third of the island, and provides a strategically significant foothold in the region - with geographical proximity to China undoubtedly a factor in its operations and vulnerability.

Everything, everywhere, all at once

The report uncovered incredibly discreet infiltration, so much so that detection was only made through small anomalies like irregular login patterns, with Volt Typhoon the top suspect.

The GPA is the island's only power utility, but the US Navy is its biggest customer, consuming 20% of the power it generated in 2023.

Critical infrastructure on the island is mostly run by private companies, so investigating and dealing with intrusions isn't always straight forward.

Not everyone on the island is convinced of the threat either, with the Chief Technical Officer for around 40 of Guam's government agencies, Frank Lujan, denying having seen any evidence of compromise, calling it the 'illusion of Volt Typhoon'.

In early 2024, Jen Easterly, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) told congress that Chinese hackers are evolving their attacks on US infrastructure - in order to enable ‘destructive attacks’ on US citizens in the event of a major conflict.

This is ‘not theoretical’, Easterly says, and Chinese threat actors such as Volt Typhoon are building the capacity to cut off telecommunications, disrupt pipelines, pollute water facilities, and cripple transportation - all to incite ‘societal chaos’ and endanger American lives. The aim of these attacks would be to take down ‘everything, everywhere, all at once.’

China has always vehemently denied these claims, calling them baseless, and even going so far as to accuse Volt Typhoon of being a CIA asset.

This isn’t the first campaign by Volt Typhoon uncovered recently, with reports early in 2024 confirming the group had compromised the networks of US critical infrastructure and had maintained access for at least five years, in a huge cyber espionage campaign.

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• Balanced armatures, dynamic drivers and AI translation
• $99.99, available in the US from May 2025
• USB-C Auracast transmitter for $19.99, also in May

EarFun has announced a new version of its Air Pro 4 earbuds: the EarFun Air Pro 4+. They're very slightly more expensive than the current model, but if their AI features are as good as EarFun says, they could be well worth the upgrade – and they're still considerably cheaper than some of their big-name rivals.

The Air Pro 4+ aren't the only new products EarFun are unveiling this CES. In addition to multiple new headphones there's also a brand new Auracast wireless transmitter that can stream to your headphones from pretty much anything.

(Image credit: EarFun) EarFun Air Pro 4+ and Auracast dongle: key features, price and availability

The Air Pro 4+ are based around a Qualcomm SoC with aptX Lossless and QuietSmart 3.0 active noise cancelling plus a six-microphone noise-cancelling system for phone calls.

The earbuds come with AI-powered language translation which EarFun says makes them "ideal for global travelers and professionals", although as we haven't used the feature yet, we'll have to take EarFun's word for that.

The earbuds boast balanced armatures with 10mm composite dynamic drivers. Battery life is a promised 54 hours of total play time with fast charging, and the Bluetooth has multipoint pairing and a low-latency mode for video and gaming.

The price is a bit higher than the Air Pro 4, but we're still in affordable-earbud territory: when the Air Pro 4+ launch in May 2025 they'll be available on Amazon for $99.99 (about £79 / AU$159).

When we reviewed the EarFun Air Pro 4 we liked their low price and battery life, but we felt they were a little overcomplicated and presented far too many configuration options. Hopefully the 4+ will be a little more focused.

EarFun's other really interesting announcement is the EarFun UD100, which is an Auracast USB dongle with a price tag of just $19.99 (about £16 / AU$32). It connects to USB-C to transmit your PC, tablet or phone's audio output via Auracast over Bluetooth 5.4 to as many compatible devices as you want. Other supported codecs include aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX LL, SBC and LC3, and it's capable of transmitting at up to 96kHz/24-bit with 20ms latency – a very useful little addition, potentially.

The UD100 will be available in the US in May 2025.

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TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2025 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

• Philips has announced its first smart lock compatible with Matter
• It also revealed a smart lock with both palm recognition and video
• Both locks will be available to buy in the second half of 2025

CES 2025

We’re covering all of the latest CES news from the show as it happens. Stick with us for the big stories on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok for the latest from the CES show floor!

Philips has launched a pair of new smart locks at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, including one compatible with the Matter smart home standard, meaning it should work seamlessly with your existing smart home devices including hubs and lights.

There are lots of excellent smart locks already on the market but, at the moment, relatively few support Matter, which could be a problem if you want to mix and match devices from different brands. The Philips 4000 Series Matter-Compatible Smart Deadbolt avoids that problem and, according to Philips, it'll play nicely with Apple HomeKit, Google Nest, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings, to name just a few.

The company says it will also be particularly easy to set up and pair, which should make it more appealing if you've been intimidated by the prospect of replacing your lock until now.

Contactless entry

(Image credit: Philips)

Philips also took the opportunity to show off its new 5000 Series Video Palm Recognition Smart Lock, which can recognize the unique pattern of blood vessels in your hand (something that's virtually impossible to fake) and capture video footage of visitors so you don't need to buy an extra video doorbell.

The original 5000 Series lock launched last year - the company's first lock with contactless palm-scanning - but the new model also offers 1080p HD video, so you can decide whether or not to open the door when someone approaches.

Wi-Fi is built in so, unlike some smart locks, the new 5000 Series doesn't require an extra hub. Instead, everything can be operated through the Philips Home Access App and, just like the original 5000 Series, the new iteration accepts voice commands via Alexa or Google Assistant.

Prices are yet to be announced, but both locks will be available to buy in the second half of 2025. We're hoping to put them to the test to see whether they earn a place in our roundup of the best smart locks.

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At CES 2025, chipmaker AMD reveals its all-new gaming processors, including the Ryzen 9 99950X3D. Watch a recap of the big event in 7 minutes.