TechRadar News

• Malicious commits found in Exo Labs' GitHub account
• They were submitted, and pointed to, a Texas-based security researcher
• The malware does not exist, and the researcher claims someone is impersonating him

Someone has been breaking into GitHub projects, injecting malicious code, and seemingly trying to discredit a researcher by accusing them of the hack.

Executives from AI and machine learning startup Exo Labs have warned someone tried to submit new changes to the code in the company’s GitHub repository.

The added code was “innocent looking”, and was titled “clarify mlx requirement for deepseek models”, and in order to hide the code from scrutiny, the attacker converted it to a number equivalent. However, the submission was analyzed before being pushed to the repository, and it was quickly discovered that it tried to connect to the evildojo[dot]com, to download the stage one payload. The researchers determined that there was no payload on the server and that it simply returned a 404 error.

Hidden Risk

Drilling deeper into the attack, the researchers discovered that the evildojo domain, as well as the GitHub accounts associated with the attack, all pointed to a researcher named Mike Bell - a security researcher and a white-hat hacker from Texas. He denies any involvement with the attack and claims it was all an attempt to ruin his good name.

"Not me, an impersonator. Notice account deleted. Very sorry people are being dragged into some skid's beef w/ me," BleepingComputer cited Bell saying about the attacks. “There was never any payload...why do people keep assuming there was?,” he added.

When questioned about the incident on X, Bell clarified that whoever was behind the attack never got access to his domain, never got the payload on his site, and that all Bell did was “piss someone off, apparently.”

Given that anyone can create a GitHub account impersonating someone else, and since there was no malicious payload or harm caused, the idea of a smear campaign seems plausible—especially since Bell is actively involved in the cybersecurity community, albeit from the opposing side.

Via BleepingComputer

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• A new report says to expect the AirTag 2 in 2025
• Apple is said to be focusing on improving privacy and connectivity
• Don't expect any major design changes, though

Rumors of an Apple AirTag successor began to circulate shortly after the launch of the original. Considering that Apple's original tracker has been around for nearly four years now, having been unveiled in May 2020, we’ve been hearing about the AirTag 2 for a while, and now a new report is shedding more light on what we can expect.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that a new AirTag, codenamed B589, is in development and that “Apple is getting ready to bring it to market,” likely by the middle of 2025. It’s likely not going to be a redesign, even though we all wish the AirTag had a loop for the easy attachment of keys, but it’s not all bad news.

The report notes that the AirTag 2 will “offer better range, bolster the onboard wireless chip, and improve privacy” compared to the first generation. Seemingly, Apple wants to make privacy front and center and continue to prevent unwanted tracking – the first generation already has additional security features. These features include alerts sent to your iPhone if an AirTag is spotted traveling with you and the ability to play a sound on it to find it.

(Image credit: TechRadar)

One change Apple is likely to implement in the AirTag 2 is making it more difficult to remove the speaker, making it harder for thieves to render it untraceable.

Beyond privacy improvements, Gurman notes that the next AirTag will get improvements to the overall range and the onboard chip. The latter is said to be “bolstered,” so that could mean a new chip or improvements to the current one.

Improved connectivity, improved finding, and more privacy features certainly sound like a winning feature set on paper. We also hope Apple sticks with a user-replaceable, standard battery that can last for a year, a water-resistant design, and easy pairing with the rest of its ecosystem. And, of course, we’re hoping there’s no hike from the current price of $29 / £29 / AU$45 for one AirTag.

Beyond the AirTag, Apple seems to be preparing to launch a number of new products in 2025 – we’re expecting a next-generation iPhone SE, a new entry-level iPad, and a new MacBook Air. Gurman also reported that Apple’s long-rumored smart home display might see the light of day.

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If you watched the Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul match on Netflix last week, you know disappointment. I don't mean the fight. Sure, that was a snoozefest preceded by some truly compelling undercard fights. No, the disappointment was in Netflix, one of the best streaming services, which serves hundreds of millions of people every day but somehow succumbed to 65 million concurrent viewers with a deeply pixellated action, a frustrating spinning wheel, and sometimes no video service at all.

For those unaware, Netflix tried its hand at live sports last Friday, broadcasting a full card of pro-level fights over three hours and culminating in the highly anticipated bout between the 26-year-old Paul and the 58-year-old former champ Tyson. The fight went about how you would expect between someone in the prime of their youth and a boxer who retired almost 20 years ago. However, throughout the evening, Netflix became wildly unstable. I watched a good part of all the action and experienced numerous outages, as well as a fair amount of videos that looked like graphics from Mike Tyson's 1987 PunchOut! game for NES. At times, the throughput devolved into dial-up at best.

I'm describing my experience, but I was far from alone. Social Media was flooded with reports, and site and service performance tracking service Downdetector reported tens of thousands of service issues. Reuters termed it an "outage."

Netflix succumbing pic.twitter.com/aPIWpKlqkENovember 16, 2024

Netflix has yet to comment publicly on the performance issues, but it did tout the audience numbers, claiming that 60 million households tuned in for the Tyson vs. Paul match. Even some of the undercards, like the women's boxing rematch between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor, drew 50 million. I can confirm that the video performance on that compelling match was at least as bad as what I experienced in the title match.

It's not a good look for a streaming platform that's set to aggressively enter the live sporting event space with the WWE and the NFL. And it may be quite alarming for Beyoncé fans, which are legion.

The music icon just signed up to perform as the Christmas Day half-time show for Netflix's first NFL game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens.

A live football game on Christmas is sure to draw millions of viewers. It might not be Tyson vs. Paul levels, at least not until Beyoncé takes the stage. Many people who don't care a whit about the pigskin sport will tune in to see Beyoncé's first live performance of tunes from her Grammy-nominated country album, Cowboy Carter.

If Netflix thinks boxing fans are vocal, wait until they get an earful of the Beyhive.

(Image credit: A.RICARDO)

It's possible, though, that Netflix learned a thing or two from the Tyson vs. Paul bout and is now shoring up its backbone in anticipation of this Dec. 25 mega event. Maybe, but without another comparable live event in between, how will Netflix test an upgraded system? As I see it, Netflix will be flying without a net.

If Netflix wants to avoid Beyonce and her fans', it better pony up with some servers and as much backbone support as possible – maybe 16 Carriages worth – as it can muster. Netflix must understand this is not Just For Fun. It won't be enough for Netflix to respond "Ya Ya" or play Texas Hold 'Em with resources. No crying Alligator Tears that you couldn't get it done. This isn't your, Smoke Hour, Netflix. It's essentially your Super Bowl, so do all you can so you can be Livin' the Dream with Beyonce' and her fans.

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Google might be resurrecting its Pixel laptop, a fresh rumor insists, getting plenty of hopes up with high-end Chromebook fans.

This comes from Android Headlines which cites an internal email that was leaked as mentioning Google’s new project for a premium laptop under the Pixel branding (which is now used for its smartphones and watches).

Way back in the mists of time, there used to be a Chromebook Pixel laptop, and the new version is apparently codenamed ‘Snowy.’ We aren’t told anything about it, though, save that it’s still in the early stages, and that Google intends it to be a rival for the likes of the MacBook Pro, Microsoft Surface Laptop and Dell XPS – a seriously premium effort by the sound of things.

The laptop will surely run ChromeOS, and likely be among our rankings of the best Chromebooks, if it does end up coming to fruition, although nothing is confirmed at this stage.

What we are told is that the project is greenlit and underway, so it’s progressing from the concept phase, and apparently a dedicated team has been formed to develop the laptop.

This is one to keep an eye out for future rumors around, certainly, though we need to take this report with a good deal of caution at this stage. We’ll be happier when we have the contention made here corroborated by other tech sites.

(Image credit: Future) Analysis: Pixel perfect? Here’s hoping

The original Chromebook Pixel was a gorgeous creation in some ways, but deeply flawed in others, when it came to light over a decade ago. Google switched to make the Pixelbook (and Pixelbook Go) towards the end of the decade, which were superb notebooks (the latter especially). However, sadly the whole laptop line-up came off the rails eventually, and indeed the whole team behind the Pixelbook was dissolved in 2022 – which seemed a pretty bold line drawn to close the entire affair.

Apparently, though, a team is now back together, and Google is rethinking the possibilities behind another Chromebook Pixel, or maybe even a Pixelbook if it keeps the more recent (and successful) branding.

We hope this is true, but at the same time, we’ve got to acknowledge that we’ve heard buzz from the rumor mill about a Chromebook Pixel resurrection in the past that resulted in nothing. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this rumor is on the money, and Google’s development team manages to generate enough interest from the powers-that-be and various bean counters to allow new Pixel hardware to emerge in notebook form.

There’s no shortage of enthusiasm around a new Pixel laptop, that’s for sure, but hopefully as well as premium portables, there’ll be room for an affordable option in the mix, too. We’ll likely be in for a fair old wait for these creations to come to market, mind you.

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• Vaio SX14-R is a new lightweight 14-inch laptop with advanced connectivity options
• Powered by Intel Core Ultra H-series, up to 64GB memory
• Elegant color options: Deep Emerald, Urban Bronze, Fine Black, Bright Silver

Vaio has launched the SX14-R, an upgraded, higher-end model of its popular 14-inch business notebook.

Aimed at professionals, the new device weighs just under 1kg (2.2 pounds), 100g heavier than the smaller SX12 laptop.

The SX14-R is powered by Intel’s Core Ultra H-series processors (Ultra 5 125H or Ultra 7 155H). While the newer Series 2 Lunar Lake architecture would have been preferable to the previous generation Meteor Lake, the SX14-R - paired with up to 64GB of LPDDR5X memory and up to 2TB of PCIe 4.0 NVMe storage - is still highly capable.

Striking color options

The laptop includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports for high-speed data transfer, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, and an HDMI port. Additionally, a Gigabit Ethernet port provides a reliable wired internet connection, ideal for stable networking in office environments.

On the wireless side, the SX14-R supports both 5G and Wi-Fi 7. Like the recent SX12 model, it can take a SIM and an eSIM simultaneously, allowing users to seamlessly switch between networks - a welcome feature for frequent travelers and remote workers alike.

It comes with stereo front-facing speakers, an optional 9.2MP webcam with HDR video support, and a sensing feature which can automatically turn off the display when you step away from the screen. There's a choice of two battery options: a high-capacity model that provides up to 16 hours of video playback or 38 hours of standby, and a standard battery that lasts up to 11/27 hours. The actual capacity of both isn't known.

Probably the most striking aspect of the Vaio SX14-R is the choice of colors it comes in. The laptop is available in attractive Deep Emerald and Urban Bronze hues, as well as the classic Fine Black and Bright Silver.

For now, the SX14-R is available exclusively in Japan, with pricing starting at 259,800 yen (approximately $1,730), although we wouldn't be surprised to see it become available globally in 2025.

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• El Capitan is the new world leader in raw computing power
• It is situated at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
• El Capitan is powered by AMD instinct MI300A APUs

The global supercomputing leaderboard has a new presence at top spot, as the AMD-powered El Capitan takes over prime position to become the world's most powerful setup.

With a sustained compute power of 1.7 exaflops and a peak of over 2.7 exaflops, El Capitan knocks previous leader Frontier to second on the list of the most powerful supercomputers in the world.

El Capitan was built by HPE for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to simulate nuclear weapons tests. It is powered by AMD instinct MI300A APUs and is not only the fastest but also in the top 20 of the greenest computers too.

Computations reduced from months to weeks

For perspective, El Capitan can achieve a task in less than one second that requires one human to do one calculation every second since the earth formed and then again for nine more earths.

The supercomputer will enable LLNL to significantly improve the ability to predict and model nuclear weapon performance as the stockpile gets older and new systems are introduced.

This will help LLNL to better understand and make informed decisions for safety. It will also be leveraged for a range of other missions to help understand emergencies such as natural disasters and manmade crises.

It does this by providing higher resolutions in 3D modelling that were either not possible with previous machines or too computationally expensive to regularly run.

More accurate replication of physics allows the analysis of components to be of higher quality, helping scientists incorporate more real-world factors such as material and manufacturing imperfections and environmental conditions.

Previously these calculations were either impossible or would take weeks or months on LLNLs current systems - which has now been reduced down to days or even hours.

"Leveraging the AMD Instinct MI300A APUs, we've built a system that was once unimaginable, pushing the absolute boundaries of computational performance while maintaining exceptional energy efficiency," noted Bronis R. de Supinski, LLNL’s chief technology officer for Livermore Computing.

“With AI becoming increasingly prevalent in our field, El Capitan allows us to integrate AI with our traditional simulation and modeling workloads, opening new avenues for discovery across various scientific disciplines."

AMD now powers both of the two most powerful supercomputers in the world, with a combined power of over 3 exaflops totalling 61% of the performance of the entire top 10.

Of the top 10, AMD now powers five devices, including El Capitan, Frontier, HPC6 from ENI, LUMI, and Tuolumne.

“We are thrilled to see El Capitan become the second AMD powered supercomputer to break the exaflop barrier and become the fastest supercomputer in the world. Showcasing the incredible performance and efficiency of the AMD Instinct MI300 APUs, this groundbreaking machine is a testament to the dedicated work between AMD, LLNL and HPE,” said Forrest Norrod, executive vice president and general manager, AMD.

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• Google has announced the best 10 apps of 2024
• There's a mixture of free and paid-for services
• Some of the streaming services aren't what we'd pick

Google has crowned its best apps of 2024 – the Android apps it believes are the crème de la crème of the Play Store's software catalog.

They cover a wide range of use cases (though there are three streaming services) and are worth checking out if you're looking for tools to make your life a little easier in areas ranging from managing your health to finding new friends.

Without further ado, these are Google's favorite apps of the year.

1. Best app overall: Partiful

Partiful is the self described “ultimate tool to create, manage, and share events.” You can use it to create engaging event pages and invites as you’d expect, but guests can use the app not only to RSVP but to add comments and photos from the event.

With extra added tools like the ability to make polls, send party-wide messages, and ask guests to help chip in to cover costs it looks like a one-stop shop for your party planning needs – and just the sort of thing my partner and I have been looking for to help with our wedding planning.

2. Best multi-device app: Max

Clearly the folks at Google are fans of The Penguin, as the Max streaming service has been labelled as the best multi-device app.

Whether you're streaming on a phone tablet or Google TV, the best Max shows and best Max movies are all fantastic, even if for us it isn't the best streaming service of 2024 – Netflix takes that crown.

3. Best for Personal Growth: UpStudy – Camera Math Solver

AI tools can now scan your math equations and help you solve them, and while it makes your homework a breeze you won’t understand the subject any better than you did before. That’s where UpStudy hopes to come in.

Rather than telling you the solution, UpStudy will give you a step-by-step explanation so that you can actually understand the problems. What’s more you can firm up your knowledge with quizzes on topics across mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology.

4. Best for Fun: Mila by Camilla Lorentzen

(Image credit: Mila)

This fitness app looks to offer an engaging accessible workouts, letting you choose a routine to suit your mood and ability across yoga, HIIT, strength, cardio and more. If you’ve been struggling to stay motivated with other workout programs this could be the one you’ve been looking for

The only thing to note is while there is a 7-day free trial you'll need to pay to keep using Mila after that, with a subscription costing $9.99 / £7.99 a month or $99.99 / £79.99 a year.

5. Best Everyday Essential: MacroFactor – Macro Tracker

Tracking food, be it for calorie counting or when you’re trying to gain muscle, can be a challenge. MacroFactor aims to make this easier with easy food scanning, weekly check-ins to help you stay on track, and a “unique coaching algorithm” which apparently adapts to your metabolism to offer you a personalized macro program.

Like Mila above this tool offers a short free trial, but then it’s a paid service at $11.99 / £9.49 per month or $71.99 / £71.99 per year.

6. Best Hidden Gem: Timeleft

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Ground Picture)

Timeleft looks like an interesting one for people who are new to a city and want to build a group of friends, or who want to expand their social circle where they already live. Timeleft sorts its users into weekly six person groups who meet up each Wednesday at 8pm at a random restaurant for dinner. When you sign up you complete a personality test, with the app then promising to book you a table with people it thinks you’ll click with.

You’ll be served information on the group before you arrive, and a batch of ice-breakers to help you settle in for an evening together, and when you leave you can rate your guests to judge the apps’ matches and reach out the people for 1:1 chats if you’d like to organize a non-Timeleft dinner.

Just note that it’s not available in every city, and it's also not for picky eaters, as you can't choose your restaurant.

7. Best for Large Screens: Infinite Painter

Whether you’ve got a tablet or foldable phone – like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold – Google thinks the best Android app for you will be Infinite Paper – a robust drawing tool for digital artists.

It features on our best drawing apps of 2024, so we agree that it’s a solid pick for mobile creatives. It has free and paid tiers too, so you can try it before you commit to paying for it.

8. Best for Watches: Baby Daybook – Newborn Tracker

(Image credit: Baby Daybook)

If you’re stressed about tracking your new baby’s schedule – when they sleep and eat, outdoors time, and everything else a baby needs – Baby Daybook pitches itself as your perfect tracker. There's a free version, though if you pay to go premium you unlock useful tools like the ability to share your schedule with other users.

9. Best for Google TV: Peacock TV: Stream TV & Movies

Another streaming service has made it onto the list with Peacock TV. Amid the noise of the best streaming services it’s easy to miss a few, but Peacock is home to several gems like horror series Hysteria and mystery thriller Found, as well as better-known NBCUniversal content like Parks and Recreation, Ted, and The Traitors.

Again, it’s not among our picks for the best streaming services out there, but Peacock’s selection of shows and films could make it a great pick for you.

10. Best for Cars: PBS KIDS Video

(Image credit: PBS)

The last app of the list, and the last streaming service. This safe, educational platform is jam- packed with PBS content for children, including over 600 full episodes that you can watch whenever you want – you can even download them to view offline – including fan favorites like Sesame Street and Curious George.

Content can be viewed in English or Spanish, but this app is unfortunately only available in the US due to licensing restrictions.

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• Samsung has announced a new kind of telephoto camera design
• It helps telephoto cameras combine bright apertures with slim designs
• This is particularly beneficial for low-light portrait photos

The world's best camera phones have improved their telephoto cameras greatly in the past few years, but Samsung has just revealed a new technology that could boost their performance while keeping its phones acceptably slim.

Announced in a blog post on Samsung's Semiconductor website (spotted by Android Authority), the so-called 'ALoP' technology reshuffles the layout of Samsung's current periscope camera design.

The main benefit is creating space for lenses with brighter maximum apertures (which theoretically means less noise in low light) without increasing the size of the camera bump. Currently, the lenses inside Samsung's 'folded' telephoto camera module sit vertically in line with the phone's body. The downside of this setup is that adding a wider lens makes the camera bump thicker.

Instead, the 'ALoP' (or 'All Lenses on Prism') system places the lenses horizontally (much like a traditional camera lens) to the rear of the phone, with the prism then reflecting that light up to the camera sensor. This means a wider, brighter lens could be added without making the phone feel like a ridiculous Energizer phone.

Still, while that is a promising development, we shouldn't expect physics-busting miracles. Samsung says the 'ALoP' system creates enough room for an f/2.58 aperture at a focal length of 80mm.

That's a 3x telephoto camera and a fairly bright one at that, beating the f/2.8 aperture of Apple's 77mm telephoto in the iPhone 15, but still well short of the finest f/1.2 portrait lenses seen on the best professional cameras. Still, as Samsung says, the system would still promise "low-noise portrait images in night shots", which is one of the most popular photographic genres for smartphones.

Room for two periscopes?

Samsung's new 'ALoP' system promises to take up much less space inside a smartphone, leaving room for other camera optics or components. (Image credit: Samsung)

Given the apparent space savings of Samsung's 'ALoP' design, a more radical improvement could be the inclusion of two periscope telephoto cameras in a future Galaxy phone.

Earlier this year, the Oppo Find X7 Ultra became the first phone to offer dual periscope cameras – and while the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is expected to pack in both a 3x telephoto and 5x telephoto, this new design could create enough space for some even more impressive optics.

There's a strong argument that a good 3x telephoto camera is more useful for most people than the 5x or 10x options we've seen in recent years. A 3x lens has a focal length that's somewhere in the 75mm-80mm range, which is where a lot of pros shoot portraits – the focal length creates natural bokeh while still being relatively flattering to subjects.

So if Samsung can improve the quality of its 3x periscope systems with this new 'ALoP' system, while leaving enough room for the inclusion of those longer 5x or 10x telephoto cameras, it could create a well-rounded camera phone with few weaknesses.

Samsung calls ALoP a "future telephoto camera solution" with no hints of an expected launch date, but the publication of the info suggests we could see it in a 2025 phone.

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• Jen Easterly will vacate her post as Director of CISA before Trump comes into office
• The future of CISA is uncertain under Trump, who has criticized the department in the past
• There's no news yet on Easterly's successor

The Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Jen Easterly, is set to vacate her post before President Trump returns to office on January 20 2025, throwing the future of the agency into doubt.

CISA is responsible for critical infrastructure protection and improving the US government’s protections against cybercriminals and state actors, who are increasingly targeting American agencies in order to exfiltrate data and disrupt services.

Easterly held a number of security positions before taking the post as Director of CISA, such as senior director for counterterrorism on the National Security Council and Global Head of Cybersecurity for Morgan Stanley. Her departure leaves the fate of the agency uncertain.

Slash and burn

Given the number of eyebrow-raising proposed cabinet appointees by the Ppresident-elect, it's difficult to predict who might fill the position in 2025 and beyond.

CISA was created during Trump’s first term, but his consistent commitment to deregulation could limit the agency’s ability to enforce compliance with cybersecurity standards.

Following the narrow senate election win for the Republican party, senator Rand Paul is set to take over as chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee, which will oversee CISA. Paul, a staunch libertarian and critic of CISA, previously accused the agency of infringing on free speech as part of its effort to counter digital disinformation.

Trump is likely to boost military spending in his second term, but most other agencies face seriously slashed budgets in the coming years. Although under the defense umbrella, cybersecurity will likely be amongst those to lose out on funding.

Governments across the globe are facing a dramatic surge in cyberattacks, with Government organizations seeing a 236% increase in malware attacks, so cybersecurity will be a key consideration for the foreseeable future.

Via NextGov

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• Some users have spotted YouTube Music's 2024 Recap in the streaming service
• A user shared screenshots to Reddit, suggesting that this year's music roundup could come earlier
• There's still been no word from Spotify on when Wrapped 2024 will drop

It’s getting to that time of year when music enthusiasts are patiently waiting for their yearly roundups from the best music streaming services and, as usual, details of Spotify Wrapped 2024 are very much hush-hush. However a few lucky YouTube Music subscribers have already spotted its 2024 music recap, which could point to an early release date and beat Spotify to the punch.

While YouTube and Google have yet to make an official announcement, Android Authority first reported that YouTube Music’s 2024 Recap seems to have been rolled out to very few lucky users - one of whom shared with the YouTube Music subreddit. In the Reddit post, the user attached two images (see below) with one showing their top five artists and tracks of the year, as well as their total minutes listened, and the other with their top five albums of the year.

Got my yearly recap from r/YoutubeMusic

Since YouTube Music took a different approach with its yearly recaps in 2022, the music streaming service has always looked to the end of November for its official launch date, landing on November 29 in 2022 and November 30 in 2023. Therefore, we’re still about a week and a half off, but by the looks of its early drop for some subscribers it could be that YouTube Music will treat us to an early annual music roundup.

What does this mean for Spotify Wrapped 2024?

There’s no doubt that Spotify Wrapped is one of the most recognized yearly recaps out of Apple Music, Tidal, and YouTube Music. But as far as its launch date goes, or even the features it may include, Spotify thrives off of the ambiguity and speculation about Wrapped. We still don’t know exactly when it will drop (my guess is the first week of December), but hopefully Spotify has seen that YouTube Music is teasing its yearly recap and will start to drop more hints.

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Listening to your own voice saying words you’ve never said before is an unsettling experience, but in the AI future which we’re living through right now in 2024, it’s almost unsurprising. Of course, AI can now clone your voice and make it sound just like you! It’s almost expected, isn’t it?

What is surprising, to me at least, is how easy it is to do. You can access an AI voice cloner for free online, and clone your voice, then get it to say anything you want in just a few minutes. The training takes just 30 seconds, then you’re good to go. There are no real security checks or restrictions on what you can do with that voice once you’ve trained it either. So, you could make it swear, or threaten somebody. There seem to be hardly any guardrails.

Who's that voice?

If you type in ‘AI Voice Cloner’ into a Google search bar you’ll be spoiled for choice. A lot of the voice cloners require you to sign up for a monthly fee before they will clone your voice, but quite a few of them have a free option. I tried a few of the free choices and some of them, despite promising unparalleled accuracy, produced a robotic version of my voice that was going to fool nobody. No, I had a higher goal in mind: I wanted to produce a clone of my voice that would fool my wife.

I eventually settled on Speechify to clone my voice, since it combined ease of use, full access to the voice cloner, and a 30-second training time. Once you’ve made a free account on Speechify you simply talk to your microphone for 30 seconds or longer to train your AI voice. Once you’ve done that you can type in some text and hit the Generate button to hear the words spoken back to you in your own voice.

If you're concerned about security, Speechify has a pretty detailed privacy statement, and it does say that it will never sell your information and is committed to protecting the privacy of your data. So, your uploaded voice should be for only you to use.

I thought what I created was pretty convincing, but I needed to see what my wife thought. I crept up behind her and played a sample clip of ‘me’ and… well ok, she laughed because she could tell it was coming out of my MacBook’s speakers, but she was impressed. "Actually”, she said, “I think it sounds like you, but better”.

And that is the benefit of cloning your voice. It doesn’t make mistakes when it talks. There are no ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ and it gets everything right the first time. If I think about how many times I’ve had to record and re-record the intros to my podcasts because I couldn’t get it quite right, I can see an obvious application for an AI voice cloner. But that’s also a danger in AI voice cloning because you can get the fake voice to say just about anything.

Daisy, the AI granny, was an AI voice created to trap scammers into long and fruitless phone calls. (Image credit: O2 Virgin Media) Voices from the beyond

While scams that involve stealing your voice are one level of concern, the security implications have ramifications that go even beyond the grave. Recently the legendary late British talk show host, Michael Parkinson, surprised everybody by announcing that he was launching a new podcast called Virtually Parkinson. Thanks to the miracles of AI his voice would be interviewing people in real time once again. In Parkinson’s case, his estate is fully behind the podcast, but what if permission has not been given?

David Attenborough, the grandfather of the BBC’s natural history programming recently expressed unease at an AI version of his voice, describing it as "disturbing". We live in an age where AI can create podcasts without any human interaction and even AI sports presenters are starting to appear. So, in a way, we shouldn’t be surprised that it’s so easy for AI to clone our voices, but the implications could be profound.

With AI giving celebrities (or rather, their estates) the option to continue working long after they have shuffled off this mortal coil, the future for both celebrities and individuals suddenly seems very uncertain.

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• Software was advertised as an AI-powered photo and video editor
• In reality, it was distributing the AMOS and Lumma Stealer malware

Hackers are hiding infostealers and other malware behind fake AI-powered photo and video editors, experts have claimed.

A cybersecurity researcher alias g0njxa found a socail media advertising campaign promoting the malware, posing as a fake editor called EditPro, and propped up an accompanying website editproai[dot]pro.

Then, they created deepfake videos of Presidents Trump and Biden enjoying ice cream together, and used them in ads posted on social media sites such as X. The fake editors were built for both Windows and macOS, but anyone who falls for the trick and downloads the program, will end up installing either Lumma Stealer or AMOS.

Lumma and AMOS

Lumma Stealer is a malware-as-a-service (MaaS) tool designed to steal sensitive information, including login credentials, cookies, browsing history, credit card data, and cryptocurrency wallet details.

The malware employs sophisticated techniques like process injection and encrypted communications with command-and-control servers, making it challenging to detect and mitigate. It has been active since 2022, with frequent updates enhancing its evasion and data theft strategies.

AMOS, short for Attack Management and Operations System, is a platform that enables threat actors to manage malware campaigns with minimal technical skills. It acts as a command-and-control (C2) system, and provides tools for deploying malware, managing infected systems, and exfiltrating stolen data.

It is typically used to coordinate large-scale attacks, automating many aspects of the cybercriminal workflow.

If you downloaded the fake EditPro software, assume that all of your passwords, and sensitive information stored on the device, are compromised. As such, make sure to first remove any traces of the malware from the computer, before updating all passwords and other sensitive data. Enable 2FA wherever possible, and move your cryptos and NFTs to a new wallet with a new seed phrase.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Equinix Metal will no longer be sold from June 30, 2026
• Performance, security and stability updates will be prioritized until then
• Market dominance by established hyperscalers makes it hard to compete

Equinix has confirmed it will discontinue its bare-metal infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) platform from June 2026.

The decision to ax Equinix Metal was communicated to customers in a letter from Chief Business Officer Jon Lin and Chief Sales Officer Mike Campbell, giving a warning period of more than 18 months.

New features are no longer being prioritized for Equinix Metal, however the company promises to continue delivering performance, security and stability features until it is sunsetted.

Equinix Metal given 2026 end-of-life date

Equinix’s bare-metal service is a fairly recent addition to the company’s portfolio. It came about after the company acquired hosting company packet for $100 million, but will have only been available for a period of around six years once it gets discontinued on June 30, 2026.

Besides continuing to offer the relevant updates, Equinix is also offering to support customers in transitioning to alternative solutions, including collocation, managed and third-party services.

The service has been launched to allow businesses to deploy x86 and Arm servers within Equinix’s data centers, however CFO Keith Taylor suggested that Metal accounts for just 1.25% of the company’s revenue, which ultimately led to the decision to end support for the product.

The company confirmed: “Equinix is moving towards the end-of-life for our bare metal as a service product as we focus on the growth and acceleration of parts of our business, like colocation, interconnection, and hyperscale.”

More broadly, in October 2024 Equinix signed a joint venture deal to raise $15 billion to build xScale data centers for hyperscaler clients in a nod to the surging demand for AI-driven workloads.

The decision to retreat from the market is also a reflection of the highly competitive landscape, dominated primarily by hyperscalers like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

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• T-Mobile has joined the list of Salt Typhoon victims
• Salt Typhoon has been heavily targeting the telecommunications sector
• No evidence has been found to suggest customer data access

T-Mobile has joined the growing list of US telecom operators who have been breached by Salt Typhoon.

The company confirmed in a statement to the Wall Street Journal that while a breach had occurred, there was no evidence to suggest the attackers had accessed or exfiltrated any customer data.

“T-Mobile is closely monitoring this industry-wide attack, and at this time, T-Mobile systems and data have not been impacted in any significant way, and we have no evidence of impacts to customer information. We will continue to monitor this closely, working with industry peers and the relevant authorities,” the company said in its statement.

Salt Typhoon continues attack

Salt Typhoon has been conducting a broad attack against US and Canadian telecommunications companies and internet service providers in what is thought to be a critical infrastructure mapping and espionage campaign.

The FBI recently confirmed the group had successfully gained access to networks and private communications of members of the US government.

The US government has also issued a warning through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for its workers to avoid using personal cell phones for work purposes, stating, “While there is no evidence that CFPB has been targeted by this unauthorized access, I ask for your compliance with these directives so we reduce the risk that we will be compromised.”

In a further statement to BleepingComputer, T-Mobile added, “Due to our security controls, network structure and diligent monitoring and response we have seen no significant impacts to T-Mobile systems or data. We have no evidence of access or exfiltration of any customer or other sensitive information as other companies may have experienced.”

The group is widely recognized as a Chinese state-sponsored threat actor and the campaign is thought to be a mapping and vulnerability hunting campaign for future attacks.

Other telecommunications companies affected by the same campaign include AT&T, Lumen Technologies, and Verizon, with the attackers potentially having access to customer data and networks for several months. A network used by US authorities to submit requests pursuant to court orders was also breached.

A roundup of T-Mobile breaches by BleepingComputer puts this as the ninth since 2019, with the company suffering a number of data leaks, attacks and extortion attempts.

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"We have a problem here..." said the voice on the phone. Our customer hired us to test their computer systems for vulnerabilities…and we had just found a big one.

Our testing had uncovered a serious bug in the customer's firewall. This bug crashed the network, knocking the whole company offline. The bug was similar to the recent CrowdStrike flaw, but on a vastly smaller scale.

After a tense 30 minutes, we got the customer’s network back online. Our customer was appalled that in years testing, nobody thought to attack the firewall protecting the network. We did. Because that is what a black hat hacker might do.

Penetration testing, or "white hat” hacking, attempts to exploit weaknesses in systems, applications, or networks to determine how vulnerable the organization is to a data breach. The idea is for the “white hat” hackers (good guys) to find the flaws before “black hat” hackers (bad guys) do. For our customer, the test revealed a serious flaw in their network that they patched quickly, preventing another disaster.

Penetration testing is a vital part of building a secure environment, but it is not without risks. I did “white hat hacking” for years. Before you hire a penetration tester, here are some important issues to consider.

Risk is unavoidable

It is impossible to predict how systems may react to penetration testing. As was the case with our customer, an unknow flaw or misconfiguration can lead to catastrophic results.

Skilled penetration testers usually can anticipate such issues. However, even the best white hats are imperfect. It is better to discover these flaws during a controlled test, then during a data breach. While performing tests, keep IT support staff available to respond to disruptions. Furthermore, do not be alarmed if your penetration testing provider asks you to sign an agreement that releases them from any liability due to testing. The whole point of a test is to see what breaks. It is unreasonable to expect a penetration testing provider to shoulder the expense and liability of an outage or data loss due to testing.

Hacking the void

Black hat hackers will attack anything and everything they can. Consequently, penetration tests must test everything. If parts of your network are excluded or systems are turned off, testers cannot assess their security. If you cannot test everything, then define a generous sample set that encompasses every possible type of system, application, and network you control. Likewise, testers cannot test something they cannot access. Testers will need access to all parts of the network to make the tests valid.

Path of least resistance

Black hats will generally follow the path of least resistance to break into systems. This means they will use well-known vulnerabilities they are confident they can exploit. Some hackers are still using ancient vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection, which date back to 1995. They use these because they work. It is uncommon for black hats to use unknown or “zero-day” exploits. These are reserved for high-value targets, such as government, military, or critical infrastructure.

It is not feasible for white hats to test every possible way to exploit a system. Rather, they should focus on a broad set of commonly used exploits. Lastly, not every vulnerability is dangerous. A good white hat hacker will rank vulnerabilities based on how easily they are to exploit. Exotic or complex attacks may be interesting, but they consume time and can distract your team from the more mundane, and more likely to be exploited, vulnerabilities.

Skill matters

Most white hats use a broad set of tools for testing. While automated and AI tools can speed up the process, they are no replacement for skilled hackers with extensive IT knowledge and an understanding of human behavior. Before hiring a penetration testing company, validate the team's experience, ensuring senior members have at least five years of specific penetration testing experience. Be careful with testing providers that assign only junior or contracted testers.

Change testers regularly

While it is good to build relationships with testing providers, change companies annually to avoid complacency. Use a pool of three to five companies and rotate among them. Different companies have different skill sets. For example, my company was exceptionally skilled with attacking infrastructure, which is how we found the firewall bug mentioned at the beginning of this article.

Beware of "gotcha” testing

A "gotcha test" focuses exclusively on breaking into the environment rather than assessing overall security. These tests will focus on a single exploit path and can miss many other exploitable avenues. A good testing company will conduct both a systemic assessment and a focused "black hat" style break-in.

Third party traps

One of the most significant areas of weakness is third party applications or systems. Wordpress servers, for example, tend to be full of vulnerabilities due to the widespread use of third party plugins that do not undergo rigorous security testing.

Unfortunately, some vendors may specifically prohibit you from testing their systems. This can present a massive set vulnerabilities you cannot detect or defend against. Require third party vendors to either provide you with proof that they conducted their own independent penetration tests or permit you to perform testing with your own vendor(s).

Social engineering has limitations

Social engineering tests trick employees into divulging confidential information through fake phone calls or phishing emails. These tests are overwhelmingly successful, because people are inherently trusting.

Rather than random tests, perform targeted phishing tests to evaluate if employees follow security policies. If users fail a social engineering test, focus on education not admonishment.

Time is the enemy

Time is the ultimate constraint for any penetration tester. There are only so many hours in an engagement. Consequently, testers must use their time efficiently. This means automating as much as possible, so they can focus their attention on the more nuanced vulnerabilities. Black hats, on the other hand, do not have time restrictions. They can take weeks, months, or even years to break in. This inherently creates an unequal arrangement. It is unreasonable to expect penetration testers to devote unlimited time or effort into a test. This would make the testing outlandishly expensive.

Fixing falls on you

Penetration tests do not typically fix discovered vulnerabilities; that task falls to your internal teams or a contractor. Allocate resources to address issues after the test.

Think systemically

Avoid fixing vulnerabilities individually. Implement systemic improvements across the organization. Most vulnerabilities can be remediated through automated software and OS patching. For misconfigurations, standardize system deployment and management. For mission critical systems, you may want to consider emerging technologies like Moving Target Defense, which creates a dynamic, constantly updating environment that is extremely difficult to exploit.

Conclusion

Penetration testing is essential for any organization. It is better to have an white hat hacker find a vulnerability before black hat does. However, no security control or technology is perfect. Flaws are inherent in any complex system. Even the best security products, practices, and people can fail. The technologies you use are not as important as how you manage, monitor, and test those technologies.

Lastly, it is important to remember that black hats do not follow rules, policies, or org charts. They will break anything to get your data. For security to be effective, you need to think like a black hat hacker, and test everything. Especially the systems you believe are safe.

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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

We’re almost at the point where AI can no longer be simply defined as an emerging technology. It’s here, and it’s booming. According to McKinsey, more than 70% of companies worldwide have either already deployed AI-based technology, or are seriously exploring its capabilities. That’s up from just 20% in 2017. In the past year alone we’ve seen incredible advancements in the AI space, particularly when it comes to generative AI and the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) to compute, make predictions, generate content, and analyze large sets of data in real-time for a plethora of applications.

Studies by the likes of HubSpot and IBM reveal that AI can save employees roughly 2.5 hours per day, and businesses can cut their overall costs by almost a third. An entire ecosystem of partners and complementary services is now being formed around AI, and its reach isn’t just confined to business. ChatGPT users can now have live conversations with AI; Meta’s Llama 3.2 update allows its AI assistant to read and comment on images, and Apple Intelligence is about to leave beta and allow users to do everything from generate code to create new graphics, all with technology they can carry in their pockets.

The technology is soaring, but like a busy road with too much traffic, there’s always a bottleneck. AI adoption is off the charts, business ambition is strong, but do we have the connectivity infrastructure to meet the low-latency needs of new AI applications? The traffic is coming; perhaps it’s time to turn our attention to the roads.

The invisible hurdle

Attitudes to AI are largely positive, but part of that is down to novelty. One metric that truly matters, return on investment (ROI), is still proving elusive for most business AI deployments. Three-quarters of enterprises have not moved beyond “baby steps”, that is one or two pilot projects (MIT Technology Review). And, although 50% of those surveyed expect to deploy AI at scale across all business functions within two years, they reported implementation challenges and bottlenecks – not due to capital, culture or lack of expertise, but in the infrastructure carrying their data.

Let’s be clear. These aren’t just teething troubles. Short-term hiccups at the start of the project are to be expected, but the underlying implementation challenges enterprises have highlighted point to a more fundamental, structural issue with the feasibility of AI roll-outs.

Underperforming AI is bad for business, and not just in the sense that it won’t realize its ROI, but because its insights and other outputs are limited. This happens when AI systems struggle to access and interpret data across the organization in real-time. The full potential of AI can only be realized when organizations have the right infrastructure in place to support its implementation. One critical aspect often overlooked is the importance of network interconnection. Here’s how this plays out within a typical enterprise.

Cloud and AI – a winning combination

Cloud computing plays a crucial role in AI implementation. Partly in response to the accelerating pace of data generation meaning that on-premise data storage is becoming unviable and partly because of the many accessibility benefits of storing raw and structured data in the cloud, businesses are increasingly migrating data lakes and warehouses to the cloud, enabling scalability and access to vast computing power. The AI Infrastructure Alliance showed that 38% of organizations had their AI infrastructure fully set up in the cloud, while 29% operate a hybrid environment.

These organizations rated the availability of cost and computing power as the number one challenge when scaling AI and their number one computing concern was latency (28%). A similar picture emerges across different territories, too. For example, a joint survey of European organizations by DE-CIX and IDC highlighted network performance and latency (22%) as the main concern, especially when AI use cases require real-time data.

The connectivity conundrum

Let’s consider how organizations typically use AI. Firstly, they need to train AI models, either first-time development or the periodic retraining that models need from time to time. For this, latency is not such a big issue, but high bandwidth connectivity is critical. In the cloud, it is best to use the cloud provider’s own connectivity solution (such as Microsoft ExpressRoute or AWS Direct Connect), accessible from a range of cloud exchanges, to avoid costly overheads for data egress. Secondly, they need AI to work in real-time, which is where latency does matter. Many use cases fall into this category, from customer services bots to product support where real-time interaction is desirable right through to where it is critical, such as autonomous vehicles, healthcare, and some financial services use cases. Here, the AI models need real-time access to data sources, as well as to the intended users of the insights and AI agents for different services and workloads.

In short, AI needs both high bandwidth and low latency network performance. Oh, and did we mention this all needs to be seamless?

The missing link is interconnection

Here is when the network performance bottleneck becomes apparent. Too many enterprises still rely on public internet or third-party transit for connecting data and AI systems. This creates considerable performance and security issues, with enterprises having little or no control over data pathways, network bandwidth and latency, and the security of critical company data in transit.

To control data flows, enterprises need to control how networks interconnect with each other. That’s why increasingly organizations are choosing network interconnection solutions, which provide secure, dedicated connections between on-premise systems and cloud-based AI services. By establishing direct, high-performance links, businesses ensure control over performance, security, and data routing. In practice, this network interconnection creates responsive, interoperable environments for cloud and multi-cloud scenarios, enabling low-latency access to AI-as-a-service offerings and real-time data analysis. It assures secure data exchange within partner ecosystems and improves the overall resilience of the cloud infrastructure environment, enabling business to roll out AI implementations at scale that deliver their intended ROI.

Enterprises need AI-ready infrastructure

AI offers organizations unprecedented opportunities to transform their operations and revenue generation. The awe-inspiring capabilities of AI models and data analytics tools naturally enough garner much attention, but organizations need to ensure that the underlying infrastructure supporting AI implementations is equally scalable and resilient for AI to live up to its potential. Investing in a robust interconnection strategy alongside cloud migration is critical for businesses to overcome AI connectivity bottlenecks and truly unlock its transformative potential.

Partnering with high-performance interconnection providers can help in the design of a secure, scalable network tailored to specific AI needs. The future of AI has already arrived; we just need to make sure we’re ready for it.

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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

What is a TV? Does it have to be a giant panel that commands your attention in the living room, something attached to a wall, or nestled between wall-filling bookshelves? Not necessarily and if Apple is truly reconsidering making its own TV set, it may want to take a long hard look at its surging iPad Pro 13-inch.

Apple's interest in TV sets and television in general, goes back at least 15 years, and was solidified in some ways when Apple CEO Tim Cook told interviewers that Apple considered TVs "an area of incredible interest." He also noted that there was a grand vision for TV at the Cupertino tech company. In hindsight, Cook may have been describing Apple's work on its Apple TV 4K streaming box, which was followed by the TV app (which replaced Video and the iTunes video library and store) and even Apple TV Plus, which introduced the world to Apple's vision for streaming content. All in all, that does add up to something of a grand vision.

We find ourselves turning back the channel to talk yet again about the possibility of an Apple TV set because of a short item in Bloomberg's Power On newsletter that indicates building an "Apple" branded TV set is "something it’s evaluating." I know, it's not a lot to go on and I've long been skeptical of the concept of an Apple Television, a seemingly unnecessary piece of Apple hardware.

I'm not denying the market allure. Statista puts the worldwide TV set revenue opportunity at nearly $100b. On the other hand, the market is anticipated to have less than 1% annual growth over the next five years. That might be because people buy these big TV sets and then hold onto them for at least 5 years. Apple likes markets that either promise annuities like its services – including Apple TV Plus – and ones that have built-in upgrade cycles like the best iPhones. TV sets by themselves provide neither.

It's been the iPad all along

Let's say, for argument's sake, Apple is back on the TV hunt. It might be doing so not only because an Apple TV is the perfect delivery system for its own streaming service but also because of the obvious in-home branding opportunity: a big TV set with a visible Apple logo on the chin base. I believe, though, that the real reason Apple might be considering making a TV set is because it's been selling millions of small TV screens to Apple fans for years.

Going all the way back to 2013, a survey found that more than 50% of respondents were watching TV on an iPad. At the time, the entertainment was squeezed into a 9.7-inch LCD. As I write this, my TV is playing next to me. It's a 13-inch iPad Pro with a fantastic Ultra Retina XDR Tandem OLED (two stacked OLED panels) with clear and quite loud four-speaker audio that even supports spatial audio.

With my iPad, I have access to Apple TV Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Max, and my new live-broadcast favorite Sling TV. Obviously, this is an able TV set and, if the rumors are true, larger tandem OLED displays are coming. Near term they might still top out at 30 inches, so Apple will probably stick to the tech currently used in the best OLED TVs for… oh let's call it the 65-inch iPad Pro Max.

The limits

My iPad Pro 13, which is outselling all other iPads, is not a perfect TV. It lacks a remote (it's a touchscreen!) and HDMI ports for, say, attaching a gaming console. On an actual Apple TV in the form of a giant iPad, perhaps Apple should still avoid HDMI ports, bringing us fully into the cable-free streaming future – but it could add a separate connections box for anyone who needs them. This could even be wireless, like LG M-series OLED TVs, so you can keep a clean space around your TV. And you could use your iPhone as the remote by default. Admit it, you're already watching TV with your iPhone in your hand.

The benefit of the iPad Pro Max 65 inch as a TV set is that all the smarts are built in. It's already a gaming platform and, with support for all your key productivity apps, could also double as a giant workspace. It's already a smart home hub and might finally help people, if not fall in love with it, at least start adopting Apple Home in significant numbers. I even think the touchscreen TV could come in handy when you can't locate the remote, but I would recommend adding the ability to turn off the touchscreen.

Apple isn't, as I see it, far from building a TV set because it's been selling them for 13 years. The iPad is a TV and it's time for it to glow all the way up.

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Anker is well-known for making some of the world's best fast chargers, power banks, and docks. Having sold over 200 million products worldwide, they certainly know what they're doing and can be trusted to keep your devices up-and-running as well as connected.

With the number of electronic devices we own growing all the time, we need products that can charge them and connect them to one another. They must also be well-made and trustworthy so our phones and laptops are always ready-to-go. Anker delivers on all these fronts.

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• Microsoft gave the US government $150 million in cybersecurity tools
• The deal included the pricey Microsoft 365 Government G5
• Consultants accused of increasing dependency on Microsoft

As Microsoft looks to confront European antitrust regulator scrutiny, the company is also facing investigations over alleged business practices over the pond in the US.

It has been suggested Microsoft offered one of its most important customers, the US government, free services in order to keep it as a customer and stamp out competition.

A ProPublica report found the company pledged $150 million in cybersecurity services to the federal government during a 2021 White House summit led by President Joe Biden. Rumored to be internally known as the ‘White House Offer,’ Microsoft’s pledge would see federal agencies gain access to the Microsoft 365 Government G5 security suite, which includes security, compliance and collaboration features. G5 costs around 60% more than G3.

Microsoft accused of monopolizing US government contracts

Furthermore, Microsoft consultants working within the government’s agencies to assist with the implementation of the company’s tools reportedly created a dependency on its services, effectively making it more difficult for the US government to switch providers.

The White House Offer benefited Microsoft beyond the cybersecurity space, as well. By boosting adoption of its Azure cloud platform, Microsoft would be able to intensify its competition against Amazon Web Services, which accounts for the largest portion of the cloud pie.

Steve Faehl, Federal Security CTO for Microsoft, stated the company’s “sole goal during this period was to support an urgent request by the Administration to enhance the security posture of federal agencies who were continuously being targeted by sophisticated nation-state threat actors.”

A White House spokesperson sought to distance the government from Microsoft’s conduct: “This was a voluntary commitment made by Microsoft… and Microsoft alone was responsible for it.”

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• 2021 Twitch breach exposed sensitive data on thousands of users
• An investigation by the Turkish data protection watchdog concluded the company was to blame
• Twitch has to pay $58,000

Türkiye has fined Amazon $58,000 for the Twitch data breach in 2021 which affected thousands of Turkish nationals.

An anonymous hacker leaked the entirety of popular video game live streaming service Twitch, including its source code and personally identifiable information (PII) of its users. The leaked data was rolled into a 125 GB torrent, and its link was posted to the popular 4chan imageboard.

Since the breach was said to have affected Turkish citizens, the country’s Personal Data Protection Board (KVKK) opened up an investigation soon after the attack. In total, 35,274 Turkish nationals were affected, so KVKK imposed a 1.75 million lira fine for inadequate security and 250,000 lira for failing to report the breach.

Lumma and AMOS

The results of the investigation showed that the company, which was acquired by Amazon back in 2014 for $970 million in cash, “failed to take adequate security measures beforehand, addressing the issue only afterward.” What’s more, KVKK concluded that the company’s risk and threat assessment were “insufficient.”

At press time, Twitch was not commenting on the incident, however it did, at the time, downplay the importance of the breach, saying the attackers didn’t get their hands on the login credentials of users, suggesting that the threat was somewhat limited.

“Twitch passwords have not been exposed. We are also confident that systems that store Twitch login credentials, which are hashed with bcrypt, were not accessed, nor were full credit card numbers or ACH / bank information,” Twitch said.

At the time, it was reported the hacker wasn’t pleased with the community that had built around the service. and leaked the data in a bid to “foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space.”

Soon afterward, Twitch confirmed the breach, saying its team was “working with urgency” to understand the extent of the incident.

Via Reuters

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