Technology

Start Christmas morning off on the right foot with these excellent, tiny gifts.

• Courts across Washington state forced to shut down IT infrastructure
• There is no word on the attackers, or type of cyberattack
• Not all courts were affected in the same way

Unnamed hackers have attacked court systems across the US state of Washington, forcing the judicial organization to shut down parts of its infrastructure to prevent further damage.

"In an abundance of caution, we proactively took down our systems to secure them and are working around the clock with leading experts to restore services as quickly as possible," AOC associate director Wendy Ferrell told local media.

Washington’s court systems include multiple municipal and district courts, and it seems that not all have been affected in the same manner, or to the same extent. For example, courts in Bainbridge Island, Monroe, Puyallup, Milton, and Thurston County, are operating with limited services.

Limited operation

Pierce County Superior Court Clerk's Office still offers online access, saying the impact on its systems and operations was limited.

"The Pierce County Clerk of Superior Court's Office is experiencing service interruptions due to unauthorized activity detected on the Washington Courts network," the Pierce County Clerk of Superior Court said.

"The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has taken immediate action to secure critical systems and is actively working to safely restore services."

Speaking to the Seattle Times via phone, King County District Court Chief Presiding Judge Rebecca C. Robertson said superior and district courts in King’s County weren’t significantly affected since they operate a separate case management system.

“We are prepared for at least a week,” Robertson said. “To protect the extremely sensitive data, (state officials) decided to shut everything down and rebuild it.”

There is no word on who the attackers are, or what kind of attack this was, however judicial organizations are no strangers to ransomware attacks.

In summer 2024, the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, the largest in the United States, suffered a ransomware attack which forced it to close down its entire operation for a day.

Via Seattle Times

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Password-sharing crackdowns – they're the three words that users of the best streaming services dread, as such crackdowns mean they can’t as cheaply or easily share their account with friends or family. Disney and Netflix have already launched their password restrictions – much to everyone’s annoyance – and now Max is preparing to clamp down too.

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) confirmed its password crackdown intentions back in March this year, but at the time WBD's streaming head J.B. Perrette only vaguely said it was going to start the process “later this year.” Now Gunnar Wiedenfels, CFO of WBD, has said the process will begin with “very soft messaging” this year, which he described as “asking members who have not signed up, or multi-household members to pay a little bit more.”

This softball start – which was discussed on the company’s recent Q3 earnings call (via The Verge) – follows in the footsteps of the approach Netflix and Disney originally took. They began by nudging people to sign up for their own accounts in a few regions at first, before rolling out tighter restrictions everywhere as time passed.

While there’s no confirmation as to what the final stages of Max’s password crackdown will look like, we expect Max will continue to follow Disney and Netflix until users are left with three options – leave the streamer, pay for their own account, or pay to be an additional user on another account.

Will The Penguin convince you to stay with Max? (Image credit: HBO) Price rises coming too

Account-sharing restrictions like these are the carrot-and-stick approach without the carrot – and Max might be serving up extra stick, as despite Wiedenfels describing this crackdown as “a form of price rises” he later added that there’s still “a fair amount of room to continue to push a price we’ve been judicious about.”

So not only might you soon have to pay for your own Max account, you’ll have to pay extra for the privilege too.

As always, we’re left asking when or if the camel’s back will break. When Netflix announced password-sharing plans we thought it might be the end of the streamer, but it’s now doing better than ever financially speaking – so it's no surprise that Disney and now Max would follow suit after threats of mass cancellations rang hollow.

It feels like there will still come a point where users say enough is enough, but until then expect password-sharing crackdowns and price rises to continue. And if you are thinking of saying goodbye to Max, you'll want to check out our list of the best Max shows to watch before you unsubscribe.

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Ruud van Nistelrooy's Red Devils take on Thessaloniki's finest at Old Trafford.

There are board games and then there's Trivial Pursuit. You can save as much as 34% on several editions, dropping them under $20.

The model isn't expected now until 2028.

• Nvidia GeForce Now Priority membership is now ‘Performance’
• Price will remain the same, with 1440p resolution and ultrawide support additions
• The playtime limit will come into effect on January 1, 2025

Nvidia’s GeForce Now has been an inexpensive cloud gaming alternative for PC gamers out for a high-end experience, and now its ‘Priority’ membership tier has been upgraded to ‘Performance’ with a host of upgrades.

Previously, the Priority membership’s resolution was limited to 1080p while lacking support for ultrawide resolutions (21:9 or 32:9 aspect ratios) and was priced at $9.99 (£9.99 / AU$19.99). Nvidia will change this by adding a 1440p resolution and ultrawide support (previously exclusive to Ultimate members), and the good news is that the new Performance membership will not change from the $9.99 price despite the improvements made (which we love to see from Nvidia).

Starting January 1, 2025, both Performance and Ultimate members will have a monthly playtime limit of 100 hours, which will help shorten queue times - this includes the option of saving your in-game graphics settings, which will go a long way to help you pick up where you left off without tinkering for better performance or visual quality.

While the playtime limit won’t come into effect until January 1, 2025, all active paid memberships will maintain unlimited playtime until January 1, 2026. The new tier is active now, and Nvidia is letting you test the new benefits with a Day Pass which is 25% off on both Performance and Ultimate, in a limited special time offer until November 22, 2024.

(Image credit: Nvidia) A positive step in the right direction for Nvidia

This is a move from Nvidia that I’m pleased to see - not all PC gamers have the opportunity to get their hands on the best graphics cards on the market, and GeForce Now has always been a great alternative. While cloud gaming has its cons, Team Green has taken the right steps to ensure quality and connection speeds are high.

It’s also worth noting that up to 15 hours of unused playtime will be carried into the next month - you can always keep your eye on the number of hours played via the ‘Account Portal’.

I believe this is a prelude to the long-awaited GeForce RTX 5000 series reveal, and if recent rumors are true, we could be seeing Nvidia’s new GPUs within a matter of weeks…

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The proposed ban comes after a panel of experts in the country urged the government to take action.

• Researchers have spotted a very specific SEO poisoning campaign
• The campaign is dropping a decade-old malware framework
• The end result is either a Cobalt Strike beacon, or ransomware

If you’re an Australian interested in Bengal cats, be very careful when researching the topic online, because you might get hacked.

That’s what cybersecurity researchers from Sophos said in a new report concerning a new SEO poisoning campaign that targets people searching for Bengal cats in Australia.

SEO poisoning is a malicious technique in which cybercriminals manipulate search engine results to push websites under their control to the top of search engine page results. When users open these websites, they are offered malware downloads, or phished for sensitive data.

Limited operation

In this campaign, the crooks were deploying Gootloader, a malware delivery framework used primarily to distribute various types of malware, such as ransomware and information-stealing trojans (like the Gootkit banking trojan). Sophos said they observed Cobalt Strike beacons being dropped, as well as different ransomware strains.

Gootloader has been around for a decade, and so has SEO poisoning. There is nothing out of the ordinary in the method of compromise, or the tools being deployed by the hackers. What stands out is the topic the crooks chose for their distribution - Bengal cats in Australia.

Usually, the crooks would either try to compromise as many computers as possible, or they would go for a specific high-value target, such as a financial institution, or a hospital. SEO poisoning is usually used in the former, to attack a larger cohort such as software developers, cryptocurrency users, or something similar.

In this scenario, the only people who would possibly get infected would be the ones searching “Are Bengal Cats illegal in Australia?”.

One potential reason could be that the crooks were trying to test their SEO poisoning strategies out without drawing too much attention to themselves, therefore choosing the most niche thing they could possibly find.

Via The Register

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The fraud landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by rising cyber-attacks, advancements in artificial intelligence, and increasingly sophisticated scams. In fact, our latest Experian UK Fraud and Fincrime Report 2024 shows that in 2023, fraud volumes surged by 9.3% in the UK, with third-party fraud being the most prevalent. Over half of businesses also reported increased fraud losses, and seven out of ten businesses anticipate their fraud management budgets will grow.

This situation underscores the relentless pressure on fraud teams within businesses and highlights the urgent need for robust fraud prevention strategies. A proactive and adaptive approach to fighting fraud is essential. So, what can businesses do to stay ahead in this challenging environment?

1. Adapting strategies to increased digital adoption by consumers

Recent Experian research highlights that digital transformation is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, with mobile wallet usage surging from 54% to 77%, retail app usage climbing from 36% to 76%, and over 80% of shoppers now using peer-to-peer payment apps. However, despite this shift towards digital convenience, concerns about online fraud remain significant. Identity theft, phishing scams, and stolen credit card information are among the top worries. Alarmingly, 66% of respondents are now concerned about identity theft, up from 58% in 2022.

To address these concerns, businesses should enhance security measures with multi-factor authentication, encryption, and regular audits. Educating consumers on recognizing and avoiding common fraud tactics is vital. Leveraging AI and machine learning can help detect and prevent fraudulent activities in real-time, while improving user experience ensures that security measures do not compromise convenience. Additionally, businesses should continuously monitor and adapt to the latest fraud trends and technologies to stay ahead of fraudsters, ensuring robust protection for their consumers.

2. Continue to invest and leverage AI for fraud prevention

AI technologies are becoming indispensable in modern fraud prevention. While investment in AI-powered measures is on the rise, our fraud report shows that the adoption of machine learning and generative AI tools remains modest. However, this trend is expected to shift soon, as businesses recognize the imperative to outpace fraudsters employing advanced AI techniques into 2025.

In addition, businesses recognize the impact on overall growth and innovation with our latest report, Experian TechUK GenAI Rating Momentum report highlighting that generative AI specifically could add up to £120 billion to the UK economy annually over the next decade. Interestingly, when looking at specific technologies, physical biometrics are gaining traction, with 84% of businesses in our research preferring methods such as facial recognition and fingerprint scans. Yet, behavioral biometrics, which analyze patterns like typing speed and touch pressure, are underutilized despite their proven effectiveness. Currently, only 25% of businesses invest in behavioral biometrics, though 79% express high confidence in its potential.

We believe integrating behavioral biometrics can significantly reduce false positives and enhance the accuracy of fraud detection systems. Therefore, businesses should consider making it a crucial investment for future-proofing security measures as soon as possible.

3. Address money mules and money laundering

Money muling and laundering remain considerable challenges. Money mules, who transfer illegally obtained money, are critical in financial crime networks. Our report shows that 42% of first-party current account fraud involves money muling, often perpetrated by younger adults with poor credit scores who may be the complicit victims of mule herders. Money laundering losses are rising, with nearly two-thirds of retail banks and 52% of businesses reporting increases. Over 53% of businesses plan to boost their Anti-Money Laundering (AML) budgets in 2024, driven by regulatory changes and the need for stronger anti-fraud measures.

To tackle money muling and laundering, businesses should enhance employee training, strengthen customer due diligence, and invest in advanced technology to detect suspicious activities. Collaborating with law enforcement and increasing AML budgets are also crucial. Regular audits and public awareness campaigns can further mitigate risks. These strategies will help businesses comply with regulations and protect their financial integrity.

4. Future-proof fraud strategies

A unified approach is fundamental in the fight against fraud. Integrating fraud and AML teams can enhance efficiency and effectiveness. Sharing data and coordinating responses across units can significantly improve an organization's ability to tackle financial crime. Strengthening partnerships with industry stakeholders is key to achieving this. Consumer education is also vital; raising awareness about fraud types can empower people to protect themselves.

Ultimately it is crystal clear that as fraud tactics evolve, businesses need to be proactive, vigilant and to adapt their fraud strategies as well. This includes investing in advanced technologies, educating consumers, and fostering collaboration among fraud prevention units to help safeguard and navigate the ever-changing landscape of financial crime. There is no time to lose, so businesses should act without delay.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• Security researchers spot new malware framework called Winos4.0
• It is capable of monitoring the clipboard, gathering system information, and more
• The attackers seem to be targeting the educational sector

Experts have detected a new malicious software framework targeting Windows users by hiding in games and game-related software.

A report from cybersecurity researchers FortiGuard Labs, which named the framework “Winos4.0”, claims hackers have been advertising different installation tools, performance boosters, optimizers, and similar fake software that actually infects the targets with Winos4.0, an advanced version of Gh0strat.

Winos4.0 is capable of monitoring the clipboard, gathering system information, checking for antivirus software, grabbing information from cryptocurrency wallet extensions, and more.

Winos4.0 attacks

Usually, software frameworks such as this one are capable of causing plenty of damage. Compared to “simple” malware, a framework provides an environment for deploying, managing, and controlling different malware tools and modules, as part of a coordinated attack. Frameworks are modular and allow attackers to tailor and control attacks based on their objectives and responses from target systems.

When it comes to the campaign’s success, and potential victims, FortiGuard Labs does not go into much detail, aside that the victims were most likely in the education industry: “Analysis of the decoded DLL file reveals a potential targeting of the education sector, as indicated by its file description, “校园政务” (Campus Administration),” the researchers said at one point of the report.

In another, they described a DLL file named “学籍系统,” meaning “Student Registration System,” - another piece of evidence suggesting that the attackers could be targeting educational organizations.

“Winos4.0 is a powerful framework, similar to Cobalt Strike and Sliver, that can support multiple functions and easily control compromised systems. Threat campaigns leverage Game-related applications to lure a victim to download and execute the malware without caution and successfully deploy deep control of the system,” the researchers warned. “The entire attack chain involves multiple encrypted data and lots of C2 communication to complete the injection. Users should be aware of any new application's source and only download the software from qualified sources.”

Via Infosecurity Magazine

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Today, digital commerce is a primary business driver for retailers, brands, and distributors. According to an analysis of US Census Bureau data by research firm Stratably, 2024 revenue from digital is projected to grow 8.4% in the U.S. market compared to in-store growth of 1.2%.

As digital commerce has grown in importance there has been a corresponding explosion of downstream channels where brand manufacturers must send content, from retail stores to marketplaces to social shopping and direct-to-consumer websites. Each of these channels has distinct rules for the product data they will accept and these rules change often; Target, Walmart and Amazon changed their data ingestion requirements nearly 1,000 times combined in 2023. The reasons for these changes vary: differing regional regulatory requirements, unique merchandising opportunities the channel requires, or varying rates of digital maturity between the channels.

These constant changes make it exceedingly difficult for business teams to keep their data organized and optimized for each destination. It's equally difficult for IT teams to maintain data governance and traceability of the enterprise’s product data as its sent so frequently to so many different channels. To achieve success, many organizations use a Product Information Management (PIM) system to centralize and store product data, but the architecture of a classic stand-alone PIM solution isn’t designed to support digital commerce. In fact, it may impede success.

Product experience management (PXM) solutions, on the other hand, were built for digital commerce and are already seeing widespread adoption by brands, retailers, and distributors looking to centralize, connect, and automate the product data that powers digital, omnichannel commerce.

How do PIM and PXM solutions compare, and which is best enabled to help your team win in digital commerce?

Features of a Classic PIM

Classic PIMs were created to manage internal data against an internal data schema. IT teams define the schema’s attributes and properties across relational databases, cleanse their data, and then load that data into the PIM to create a single “golden record” for each product.

Key Classic PIM use cases include:

The “Golden Record”: The PIM category emerged when the critical need for IT leaders was to centralize disparate product information, creating a single “golden record” for each product via relational databases based on an internal data schema. However, the golden record has lost relevance as business teams must now store, manage, optimize, and deliver hundreds or even thousands of continually optimizable golden records based on external schemas and requirements. Failing to do so could result in product data never being published, lost search rank and ultimately, and lost sales.

Rigid Data Management: Classic PIMs effectively aim to prevent changes once the data has been entered into the predetermined schema, creating a rigid data management process that makes it both difficult and expensive to update data; business teams rarely have access to change any of the data or attributes in the PIM and doing so requires going through IT or a third party PIM vendor. However, with endpoints changing their requirements so frequently, a system that will enable success in commerce must actively enable, not prevent, revisions to data as business teams optimize product information for delivery to each endpoint.

The PXM Use Case

PXMs are a blend of PIM back-office data management functionality with front-office, market-facing capability. They incorporate PIM features like hierarchy, taxonomy, and governance while adding on additional major capability areas to support digital commerce, including:

Multichannel data management: Management of channel-specific data schemas, values, and validation, allowing users to store a golden record while simultaneously storing versions of the product record that meet the requirements of each data destination.

Channel connectivity: Connectivity to channel destinations, such as Amazon and Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN), to get information to market faster, often via different mechanisms tailored to each destination.

Collaborative workflows: Workflows that typically involve people in other businesses, such as third-party agencies, distribution partners, or downstream retail customers.

Enhanced content: More types of data and attributes, including assets to support content like videos, comparison charts, and lifestyle imagery.

Enterprise-wide user access: Administrative features to enable many users to access and use the product data for their own workstreams (e.g., legal, retail media, service, and support teams).

Automation: Automation to drive cross-team collaboration; proactive alerts about content gaps and errors; AI-driven content generation and recommendations; and more.

PXM solutions were designed to be a flexible (not rigid) system of record that can store a core product record just like a PIM, while still allowing transformations of that record to meet each endpoint’s unique requirements. These key features of PXMs allow teams to collaborate to keep up with the pace of digital commerce, driving success for their organizations.

An Expansion of the PIM Category

PXM solutions were initially worse at product information management than PIM solutions but better at syndication, connecting product information to various destinations on the digital shelf to drive sales for the enterprise.

Today, PXM solutions actually provide better data management than classic PIM solutions. They’re designed to create and manage the golden record, which is the primary goal of a PIM solution, and connect this information to the digital shelf to drive enterprise sales — all while maintaining adaptability to constantly changing market requirements.

PXM solutions can do everything PIM solutions can, but PIM solutions can’t do everything PXM solutions can. This represents a fundamental expansion of the definition of the product information management category, which has created a new category altogether.

PIM for commerce will cease to exist

The product information management category is one in transition, with PXM solutions driving a fundamental expansion of the basic use case for systems that store product information.

Anyone buying a classic PIM solution for commerce will have to either replace it or add a PXM solution sooner rather than later and eventually, PIM-only software solutions will become obsolete.

On the other hand, innovation and investment in PXM is advancing rapidly. It’s an exciting space that will continue revolutionizing shopper experiences to drive significant value to the enterprise.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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• No Man’s Sky PS5 Pro enhancements are available now
• This includes PSSR support and improved visuals
• An 8K 30fps mode has also been added

Developer Hello Games has revealed some new details about the PlayStation 5 Pro enhancements available for No Man’s Sky. The patch was secretly shipped as part of the recent 'The Cursed' update, meaning that those who placed a PS5 Pro pre-order will be able to play it right away if the console arrives today.

First and foremost, the implementation of PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) now allows the game to run at a 4K resolution at 60 fps with much smoother performance than on the base PS5 console. No Man’s Sky will also be one of the few titles to support an 8K resolution, though the frame rate will understandably be capped at 30fps in this display mode.

The PS5 Pro version of the game will also feature dramatically improved visual quality across the board, including improved lighting, ultra quality reflections, and better ambient occlusion. The developer says that this will allow players to “explore the most beautiful and detailed alien worlds No Man's Sky has to offer, for the first time on console”.

It's coming to PSVR 2, too

Judging by some early 8K screenshots, the game does look pretty impressive overall. Surprisingly, these improvements will also be coming to PSVR 2 - which has been rather neglected by a lot of developers of late. This could be a huge bonus for owners of the pricey VR hardware who otherwise might not have too much to play.

No Man’s Sky first launched for PS4 back in 2016 to a lukewarm reception. It has since received a series of content-rich free updates that have helped turn it into one of the most expansive and detailed space exploration games on the market.

It is one of 50 games that have been confirmed to be PS5 Pro enhanced at launch. Other supported titles include Alan Wake 2, Demon’s Souls, Dead Island 2, and Lies of P.

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