Technology

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• Chinese firm develops new compact radiation detection chip
• The chip measures just 15mm x 15mm x 3mm and consumes 1 milliwatt in operation
• The chip could be planted in phones and drones for every

Amid escalating efforts to boost its national semiconductor self-reliance, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), a state-owned nuclear enterprise, has revealed the development of a groundbreaking radiation detection chip.

According to CNNC’s official statement on its WeChat channel, the chip can monitor radiation doses across a wide range of environments and adapt to multiple settings including nuclear workplaces, personnel monitoring, and environmental safety inspections.

This chip measures dose rates from 100 nanoSievert (nSv) per hour to 10 milliSievert (mSv) per hour, allowing it to cover various use cases, from monitoring natural background radiation (typically 60–200 nSv/h) to more specific industrial scenarios.

Versatile applications and high-sensitivity

The chip can also detect radiation energies between 50 kiloelectron volts (keV) and 2 mega-electron volts (MeV). This range covers both X-rays and gamma rays, making it useful for industries such as healthcare, nuclear energy, and environmental monitoring.

The chip measures only 15mm x 15mm x 3mm and its energy consumption to operate is just 1 milliwatt. Despite its miniature form, the chip offers sensitivity comparable to traditional Geiger-Muller counters, which are widely used for environmental radiation measurement.

The company announced mass production of the chip has now begun, marking a significant milestone in China's technological push in radiation sensing applications.

This achievement is seen as part of the broader strategy to overcome trade and technology restrictions imposed by the United States, particularly in the semiconductor sector.

Speaking to Chinese state news agency, Xinhua, during his visit to the southeastern high-tech hub of Hefei, Chinese President Xi Jinping said, “High-tech development cannot be begged for; we must accelerate the realisation of high-level technological self-reliance and self-improvement.”

CNNC envisions broader applications beyond industrial use, stating that the chip can be integrated into consumer devices such as smartphones and drones. This could enable smart devices to offer real-time radiation detection, opening up new possibilities for consumer and environmental safety applications.

The development of this chip involved the full cycle of semiconductor production, including chip design, tape-out, packaging, and testing. The mass production was outsourced to "authorized factories," though details about these partners were not disclosed.

Via SCMP

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• Deepfake selfies can now bypass traditional verification systems
• Fraudsters are exploiting AI for synthetic identity creation
• Organizations must adopt advanced behavior-based detection methods

The latest Global Identity Fraud Report by AU10TIX reveals a new wave in identity fraud, largely driven by the industrialization of AI-based attacks.

With millions of transactions analyzed from July through September 2024, the report reveals how digital platforms across sectors, particularly social media, payments, and crypto, are facing unprecedented challenges.

Fraud tactics have evolved from simple document forgeries to sophisticated synthetic identities, deepfake images, and automated bots that can bypass conventional verification systems.

Election-driven surge in social media bot attacks

Social media platforms experienced a dramatic escalation in automated bot attacks in the lead-up to the 2024 US presidential election. The report reveals that social media attacks accounted for 28% of all fraud attempts in Q3 2024, a notable jump from only 3% in Q1.

These attacks focus on disinformation and the manipulation of public opinion on a large scale. AU10TIX says these bot-driven disinformation campaigns employ advanced Generative AI (GenAI) elements to avoid detection, an innovation that has enabled attackers to scale their operations while evading traditional verification systems.

The GenAI-powered attacks began escalating in March 2024 and peaked in September and are believed to influence public perception by spreading false narratives and inflammatory content.

One of the most striking discoveries in the report involves the emergence of 100% deepfake synthetic selfies - hyper-realistic images created to mimic authentic facial features with the intention of bypassing verification systems.

Traditionally, selfies were considered a reliable method for biometric authentication, as the technology needed to convincingly fake a facial image was beyond the reach of most fraudsters.

AU10TIX highlights these synthetic selfies pose a unique challenge to traditional KYC (Know Your Customer) procedures. The shift suggests that moving forward, organizations relying solely on facial matching technology may need to re-evaluate and bolster their detection methods.

Furthermore, fraudsters are increasingly using AI to generate variations of synthetic identities with the help of “image template” attacks. These involve manipulating a single ID template to create multiple unique identities, complete with randomized photo elements, document numbers, and other personal identifiers, allowing attackers to quickly create fraudulent accounts across platforms by leveraging AI to scale synthetic identity creation.

In the payment sector, the fraud rate saw a decline in Q3, from 52% in Q2 to 39%. AU10TIX credits this progress to increased regulatory oversight and law enforcement interventions. However, despite the reduction in direct attacks, the payments industry remains the most frequently targeted sector with many fraudsters, deterred by heightened security, redirecting their efforts toward the crypto market, which accounted for 31% of all attacks in Q3.

AU10TIX recommends that organizations move beyond traditional document-based verification methods. One critical recommendation is adopting behaviour-based detection systems that go deeper than standard identity checks. By analyzing patterns in user behaviour such as login routines, traffic sources, and other unique behavioural cues, companies can identify anomalies that indicate potentially fraudulent activity.

“Fraudsters are evolving faster than ever, leveraging AI to scale and execute their attacks, especially in the social media and payments sectors,” said Dan Yerushalmi, CEO of AU10TIX.

“While companies are using AI to bolster security, criminals are weaponizing the same technology to create synthetic selfies and fake documents, making detection almost impossible."

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• iPhone 17 price increases are expected
• As yet we haven't seen many price leaks
• A new model is expected to appear in 2025

It's a pretty safe bet that the iPhone 17 is going to break cover at some point during September 2025, but how much is it going to cost? Well, more than the iPhone 16, if recent comments from an industry analyst are to be believed.

Commenting at a guest lecture (via @Jukanlosreve), Samsung Securities Research Center senior researcher Jong Wook Lee has gone on record as saying "iPhone prices are expected to increase next year" – after no price increase in 2024.

iPhone 16 pricing currently starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399, which matches the launch pricing of the iPhone 15 (though that phone is now available for less) – in fact, the 2024 model was AU$100 cheaper than the 2023 model was in Australia.

According to Lee, that means Apple is set to hike prices this time around, though we don't know how much they might go up. In fact, we haven't heard much in the way of iPhone 17 price leaks at all, up to this point.

The price is right?

At a guest lecture, Jong Wook Lee, a senior researcher at Samsung Securities Research Center, stated, “Although there were initial expectations that Apple’s iPhone prices would rise this year, prices were unusually not increased. As a result, profit margins have declined since…December 14, 2024

While we don't know how much the iPhone 17 will cost, we can look at current pricing. We've already mentioned the iPhone 16, and the iPhone 16 Plus starts at $899 / £899 / AU$1,599 for the lowest amount of storage.

The iPhone 16 Pro will set you back $999 / £999 / AU$1,799 and up, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at a considerable $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149. We'll have to wait and see whether price hikes hit some or all of the iPhone 17 models.

And there's rumored to be a new model arriving in place of the iPhone 16 Plus: the iPhone 17 Air. That phone is apparently going to set you back $1,299 (around £1,030 / AU$2,045), which would be a considerable jump over the handset it's replacing.

With sales of the iPhone 16 Plus reportedly not what they could be, perhaps a change in design can help – and of course a higher price will often mean more money per device for Apple. We can expect a few more price leaks to appear between now in September.

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