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30-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgage Moves Up: Current Mortgage Rates on Jan. 8, 2025

CNET News - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 05:15
Mortgage rates were varied, but one benchmark rate saw an increase. Here's what experts want you to know.
Categories: Technology

Denon's 22-speaker EV audio system promises hearing tests to make sure each speaker is tailored to you

TechRadar News - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 05:08
  • 22 speakers and 1,800W of amplification
  • Personalized audio for each individual passenger
  • A full Dolby Atmos experience inside your EV

Don't let Denon's slightly bland PR photos fool you: its new in-car audio system is seriously exciting, but all the best bits are invisible.

The new Denon Car Audio Concept System for EVs packs a whopping 22 speakers and 1,800W of amplification into your vehicle, and that's not even the most interesting bit.

The concept also brings similar personalization tech to the system in Denon's PerL headphones to each passenger, tailoring the audio to each person's hearing profile. Denon's going big on it too, offering demos at CES and calling it "a glimpse into the future of personalized in-vehicle audio".

If you're not familiar with the PerL Pro headphones, they use a range of tests to analyze your ears and optimize the audio accordingly. We've experienced the results (which deploy exciting otoacoustic tech found initially in the NuraTrue Pro) and we were very impressed, so it'll be really interesting to see – or rather, hear – how well the tech works for optimizing in-car audio.

Denon has helpfully provided an image of a speaker grille, if you weren't sure what one of those looked like (Image credit: Denon) Smarter sound for every EV

There are a lot of big ideas here, including hidden audio exciters from Sonified. Exciters make audio tracks sound more expansive and lively, and in the concept Denon has hidden a whole bunch of Sonified's mid-range exciter speakers in the trim materials and headrests. Other speakers are by high-end audio designers Tymphany.

The concept also ensures that most of your audio stays in the car, which is bad news for boy racers and great news for everybody else. It's been designed to minimize external sound radiation to keep your neighbors sweet.

The heart of the concept system is a 1,800W Dirac-optimized Dolby Atmos system with up-firing speakers and headrest-integrated channels too. Despite that massive potential power output Denon promises "efficient power usage" as well as a relatively small footprint for the system.

If you're lucky enough to be at CES the demo car is in the west hall until January 11, but we'd expect it to go on tour after CES is done.

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

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

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Categories: Technology

Smart-lighting brand Nanoleaf unveils LED Light Therapy Face Mask, and it's surprisingly cheap

TechRadar News - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 05:07
  • Nanoleaf is turning its hand to health and wellness
  • The smart-lighting maker has unveiled a new LED Light Therapy Face Mask
  • It features seven treatment modes that can help heal your skin, targeting conditions like acne and uneven tones

Nanoleaf, maker of some of the best smart lights in the business, has unveiled a LED Light Therapy Face Mask at CES 2025, which promises seven treatment modes to target a variety of skin conditions.

Nanoleaf's LED Light Therapy Face Mask has been certified by the FDA, which regulates medical devices in the US, and the company says it heralds an "exciting evolution and expansion into the wellness industry."

It features Nanoleaf's own LED technology to provide seven different treatments, using both red and near-infrared light (NIR). Studies from as early as 2014 have found that red light can aid "skin rejuvenation and intradermal collagen increase." More recently, a 2021 study noted "A reasonable body of clinical trial evidence exists to support the role of low-energy red/near-infrared light as a safe and effective method of skin rejuvenation, treatment of acne vulgaris and alopecia."

Nanoleaf says its face mask features "exceptional irradiance" (the power density of the LEDs), and offers lower treatment times for optimal results. As noted, there are seven different treatment modes to target specific skin concerns.

Nanoleaf enters the LED therapy market

(Image credit: Nanoleaf)

To address the elephant in the room, the Nanoleaf LED Light Therapy Face Mask does look ever-so-slightly nightmarish. However, a quick Google search will show you that there are no good answers when it comes to styling a glowing face mask made of medical-grade materials. Therabody's rival TheraFace Mask, for instance, looks like something you'd wear to storm a medieval castle at the behest of your liege lord.

Styling aside, the Nanoleaf LED Light Therapy face Mask has one surprising trick up its sleeve, and that's a very attractive price. The Nanoleaf mask is available to pre-order now in the US, where it costs $149.99, and there's a 10% discount coupon available at launch. There's no word on UK pricing yet, and the mask doesn't appear to be available in Australia, but UK customers can probably expect to pay no more than £150.

By contrast, the TheraFace Mask is £499 / $599 / $899, so the Nanoleaf is vastly cheaper. While it doesn't offer Therabody's massaging vibration therapy, it does have more lighting modes. Not only is the Nanoleaf cheaper than TheraFace, but it's also cheaper than pretty much every LED face mask from a reputable brand on the market, including Shark and CurrentBody.

On price point alone you can color us pretty impressed, and we're adding this one to our list of the best wearable and fitness tech of CES 2025.

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Categories: Technology

Best Collagen Powders for 2025

CNET News - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 04:42
Upgrade your health routine with our picks for the best collagen powders of 2025.
Categories: Technology

Don't Sleep on APYs up to 4.65%. Today's CD Rates, Jan. 8, 2025

CNET News - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 04:30
Want to maximize your earnings? Open one of these CDs ASAP.
Categories: Technology

NASA Wants to Explore the Icy Moons of Jupiter and Saturn With Autonomous Robots

WIRED Top Stories - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 04:30
Research and development is underway to create robots that can hunt for signs of life in the vast oceans that exist under the thick ice shells of bodies like Europa.
Categories: Technology

There's Still Time to Earn Savings on APYs Over 4%. Today's Savings Rates for Jan. 8, 2025

CNET News - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 04:00
Moving your hard-earned savings to this interest-earning account can help you put more toward your goal.
Categories: Technology

'Don't be boring!' How to cope with the social pressure to drink during Dry January

NPR News Headlines - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 04:00

What do you say to people when they ask you why you aren't drinking? How do you get your friends to hang out in places other than bars? We tackle the social conundrums of sober socializing.

(Image credit: Beck Harlan/NPR)

Categories: News

Bezos' Blue Origin is nearing liftoff on the 1st flight of its newest, biggest rocket

NPR News Headlines - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 04:00

New Glenn, developed by the private space firm founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, is on the pad at Cape Canaveral, Fla., and could launch on its maiden flight as early as Friday.

(Image credit: Blue Origin/Cover Images via Reuters Connect)

Categories: News

As winter storms strike, airlines scramble to de-ice planes and keep them flying

NPR News Headlines - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 04:00

A pair of powerful major winter storms is disrupting the U.S. air travel system this week. That leaves airlines no choice but to de-ice their planes before takeoff to keep them in the air.

(Image credit: Rick Bowmer)

Categories: News

Winter illnesses return with a vengeance

NPR News Headlines - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 04:00

The annual winter respiratory virus season is in full force. The number of people catching the flu is skyrocketing, while COVID-19, RSV and other respiratory viral illnesses are also rising.

(Image credit: Nam Y. Huh)

Categories: News

A looming 'demographic cliff': Fewer college students and ultimately fewer graduates

NPR News Headlines - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 04:00

The long-predicted downturn in the number of 18-year-olds is almost here. And it isn't just a problem for higher education. It's a looming crisis for the economy.

(Image credit: Photo illustration by Camilla Forte)

Categories: News

A wage hike for home health care workers in Nevada is proving game-changing

NPR News Headlines - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 03:31

After Nevada gave home health care workers a huge raise, from about $11 to $16 an hour, turnover in the industry fell sharply. Now, caregivers are preparing to lobby for another wage hike.

Categories: News

Alien: Romulus finally gets a Disney Plus release date three months after it landed on Hulu, and it'll be with us very soon

TechRadar News - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 03:28
  • Alien: Romulus will be released on Disney Plus on January 15
  • The survival horror film's launch comes three months after its initial release on Hulu
  • It's the third highest-rated Alien movie, beaten only by the first two movies

Alien: Romulus is finally coming to Disney Plus, and that's a great way to start 2025 if you ask me.

The sci-fi horror movie, which holds a 79% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes – a score beaten only by Alien and Aliens – initially debuted in theaters last August and, after a solid run at the box office, made its way to Hulu last November. Unfortunately, that meant it was only available to stream in the US, so it's hardly surprising we've been begging for an Alien: Romulus Disney Plus release in the weeks and months since.

Thankfully, we'll be able to watch Alien: Romulus from January 15 onwards. Given its largely positive reception, you can bet it'll earn a spot on our best Disney Plus movies when it arrives, too.

Alright, Alien: Romulus got a VHS release before it landed on one of the best streaming services, so it's technically been available to watch at home in non-US territories for a while. Nevertheless, I'm pleased it's finally coming to Disney's primary streaming platform.

What is Alien: Romulus about?

(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

Alien: Romulus follows six downtrodden space colonists who encounter hostile creatures while scavenging a derelict space station. It was directed by Fede Álvarez, who you might recognize as the filmmaker behind horror hits like Evil Dead and Don't Breathe.

The movie was mildly successful and, just yesterday (January 7), secured a BAFTA Rising Star nomination for David Jonsson, who plays Andy in one of the best horror movies of 2024. With a mostly imaginative plot, talented cast at the top of their game, and some fascinating and divisive call-backs to previous Alien films, I think fans new and old will get a kick out of it.

If you need more sci-fi horror recommendations, check out our guide on seven sci-fi horror movies on Hulu, Prime Video, and more that went live ahead of Halloween 2024. Hey, you can watch horror films all the year round!

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Categories: Technology

What to know about the wildfires spreading through Southern California

NPR News Headlines - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 03:27

Three wildfires are currently impacting Los Angeles and Ventura counties, prompting thousands of people to evacuate, schools to close and power lines to be shut off.

(Image credit: Etienne Laurent)

Categories: News

Don’t Count Out Human Writers in the Age of AI

WIRED Top Stories - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 03:00
The appetite for AI-derived drivel isn’t as strong as many publishers would have you believe, and demand for quality content is growing.
Categories: Technology

I tried Govee’s new AI-powered gaming pixel light, and I finally see a reason to bring generative AI into my home

TechRadar News - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 02:49

(Image credit: Future)

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

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

Govee has come out swinging at CES this year, launching a litany of exciting new products - including some of the industry’s first AI-powered smart pixel lights.

In addition to its new Mini Panel lights and the Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL, Govee also unveiled its new AI-powered Gaming Pixel Light, and I’m obsessed.

From real-time weather updates and time displays to AI-generated images, the Gaming Pixel Light brings all the retro fun of pixel lighting to the modern age, and it’ll even accompany its pixel art with 8-bit music for the ultimate retro experience.

By design, it leans heavily on the gamer aesthetic; the light slate is surrounded by a metallic frame that nods to gaming component design and will look right at home on one of the best gaming desks or next to the best consoles on a TV stand.

It also offers design parity with some of Govee’s other recently released products, including the Gaming Wall Light and the upcoming Gaming Light Bar Pro, which might be a little offputting for some. Still, it’s right up my alley as a gamer.

@techradar

♬ Retro Games - FASSounds

Using the Govee app, you can interact with the brand’s AI chatbot and give it prompts, which will be applied to the Gaming Pixel Light for a personalized lighting touch. Plus, you can layer up to ten images on your original prompt, allowing you to create your own customized masterpieces.

It works in both wall-mounted and tabletop modes, and through Govee’s DreamView technology, you can also synchronize it with your wider smart lighting ecosystem.

Most exciting of all for me, however, was its Gaming Sync Box integration, which a Govee representative told me will allow for reactive displays that will respond to in-game events for up to 40 games at launch, and it’s easy to imagine that list will grow.

Govee had one of my all-time favorite video games hooked up to the Gaming Pixel Light: Mario Kart 8. As the karts whipped around the track at PG-13 speeds, the Pixel Light showed various in-game items like banana skins and red shells as the player collected them.

Is it gimmicky? Absolutely, but it’s the kind of joyful tech nonsense I’m all for integrating into my gamer set-up, and I’m fairly confident that I’m not alone in my tolerance for fun-first tech.

The Govee Gaming Pixel Light and Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL will be available in late Q2 2025, while the Govee Mini Panel Lights are currently available on the Govee website and Amazon, retailing for $99.99.

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Categories: Technology

How smart cities leverage AI to integrate services and improve efficiency

TechRadar News - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 02:48

The concept of a smart city has been around for a long time, but many cities end up providing only isolated services, such as bike-sharing schemes or smart bins. In reality, a truly smart city involves much more. It requires a well-designed IT infrastructure capable of managing a range of functions—from traffic management and water services to administrative tasks. For a city to be genuinely smart, its infrastructure must be built to deliver these services effectively and leverage AI to enhance collaboration among various departments within the city government.

Achieving this vision is not always straightforward. It necessitates careful consideration of residents' actual needs and the technology required to fulfill those needs. A successful smart city relies on having a clear, forward-thinking plan and establishing the appropriate technological infrastructure from the outset.

A unified strategy

What is stopping cities adopting ‘smart’ technology? Funding and co-operation are often an all-too-familiar problem. It takes many different departments working together, sometimes in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. For example, if local governments want to improve its transport network, it might also need to look at power and internet connections to handle the new city infrastructure. These all typically fall into different domains. However, if cities adopt the right infrastructure, AI has the potential to integrate information from siloed departments and foster cooperation, empowering cities with the technological coherence needed to drive innovation.

Dubai’s smart city project is using AI to break down the barriers between departments, and between citizens and government services. The team is taking the right approach when it comes to urban development, with more than 130 smart projects and 1,000 smart services, including eliminating paper from Government altogether, and aiming to build ‘the happiest city on Earth.’ Dubai’s authorities have implemented AI effectively to allow these departments to integrate and restructure, and cleverly deploy applications to remove paper forms and long-winded manual processes.

In this example of Dubai, it isn’t about the city being smart, it’s about making the processes smart. Taking this approach delivers efficiency whether you are using the functions of the city as a tourist or a resident. If you’re processing your visa, paying your water bill or moving your phone contract, it’s all much easier than before. Dubai is now looking for a generative AI assistant to help people find the government services they need in real-time, delivering a personalized touch for citizens.

Contrary to the AI scaremongering, breaking down these barriers doesn’t take away people’s jobs, rather it allows their time to be used more efficiently. In Abu Dhabi, sensors are used to monitor the level of water stored in tanks around the city. This IoT implementation already replaces a previously manual process where inspectors were sent to make a visual assessment. Utilizing the data collected from tanks city-wide, AI algorithms can automatically trigger a service team to be on site to refill it via real-time readings, as well as suggesting when maintenance of the tanks may be necessary. This has meant that inspectors who previously had to spend time checking tanks can focus on affecting change and working on other important jobs, such as assessing water quality or enacting regulations.

Nurturing trust in AI innovation

AI can deliver public safety, but it is key to build trust around this technology, highlight important benefits and ensure residents and visitors don’t feel like they are being ‘watched’. With traditional surveillance cameras, there’s a huge amount of data that remains unused and is never analyzed. Applying AI to this mass of data, in a privacy-minded way, has helped cities make people safer and even saves lives. In fact, half of government officials say that public safety is the main reason for the adoption of smart city technology, according to 451 Research.

Denmark’s railway authorities have carried out research using AI and machine learning to watch station platforms and alert station staff if someone is about to get onto the train tracks. For example, people who have dropped their phones on the line are often so fixed on getting it back that they forget the risks involved and put themselves in grave danger. The AI ‘learns’ the patterns that show when someone might be about to put themselves at risk, and would trigger an alert. With such technology, people need to be assured that their privacy rights are being respected, and when it’s demonstrated that AI can boost safety, without being intrusive, people are happier with the idea. Smart cities can find a balance of delivering services without feeling like ‘Big Brother’, communicating that when using computer vision systems, privacy is always respected, and people’s safety is paramount.

Data in the streets

In a smart city, street cabinets and street lights become edge data centers that process everything from whether a parking space is empty to when there are dangerous levels of pollutants in the air. But the secret sauce is the overall design and deploying computer to where the data is generated. Cities can then capture data at street level, whether it’s a car moving from a space to a traffic jam forming. Using AI and machine learning, they can filter what is relevant and what is not at that street level, discarding irrelevant information and creating very strong and clean data pipes.

The key is orchestration. With traditional compute, where one application is on a single node, a ‘smart parking’ system would require many, many nodes, making it inefficient and expensive. But if you use more modern techniques for containerization, you can deploy multiple applications to each compute node, by virtualising them. Where orchestration comes in is how to enable that to scale so you can push applications across the city, manage, monitor and secure them. Once those components are properly planned, you’re able to put applications on top and put them into those cabinets on the street. This infrastructure, this technological coherence, is fundamental to building an effective smart city.

Cities of the future

Success in any smart city depends on several key factors. First and foremost, it requires a clear vision and a commitment to providing services that genuinely enhance residents' quality of life—whether through streamlining government operations, improving safety, or maintaining a strong emphasis on privacy. Departments must collaborate effectively to serve citizens, a task where AI can play a crucial role by breaking down barriers and facilitating data sharing across various departments. Most importantly, a smart city needs a robust and cohesive technological infrastructure that allows city leaders to deliver and continually refine services for their residents. This demands careful planning and consideration from the very start.

We've compiled together the best AI tools.

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

Categories: Technology

I've been smart home hunting at CES 2025, and these are the coolest gadgets I found

TechRadar News - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 02:00

It wouldn't be far-reaching to call the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) the nexus of modern smart home technology. While early attempts were made before the turn of the century, the halls of CES have progressively welcomed more and more connected devices into the fold since the early 2000s, and CES 2025 is no different.

This year, I've been trawling the show floor to find the best of the best smart home devices, from the weird and wonderful to the more practical inventions that will shape the next few years of connected home technology.

Keen to make your home start working for you? Here's my pick of CES 2025's best smart home offerings so far.

Robot vacuums get futuristic

(Image credit: Dreame)

Some of the biggest smart home news at CES so far has surrounded robot vacuums, with fierce competition across the board from some of the biggest names in robot-assisted living.

This year, things are hotting up; finally, some major disruption happening in the space that might actually come to market. This year, it's in the form of often-bizarre but exciting hardware adaptations like Roborock's robot vacuum with its sock-collecting arm, but more exciting than that is Dreame's new robovac that can climb over obstacles up to 4.2cm in a single step, or 6cm tall in two steps, using what Dreame is calling its 'ProLeap System'. It's one small step for Dreame, one giant leap for robovac kind.

Elsewhere, software once more takes the fore with robot vacuums like the Eureka J15 Max Ultra, which uses AI to detect even hard-to-spot clear spillages.

Smart beauty devices come to market

(Image credit: Future)

Beauty tech is on the rise, and CES 2025 is ready to deliver some of the coolest new frontiers in skincare technology.

Easily my favorite thus far has been Samsung's AI-powered micro-LED mirror, which scans your face to assess your pores, pigmentation, wrinkles, and any redness and recommends a skincare regimen off the back of it. Samsung claims in the future, SmartThings-enabled beauty gadgets may also be compatible with the mirror, allowing for even greater insights and recommendations.

However, there's an honorable mention to L'Oreal's new tabletop skin analyzer too, which the brand claims will tell you everything about the past, present and future of your skin with a simple five-minute scan process. Wild.

Smart lighting and switches get smarter

(Image credit: Future)

Smart lighting seems set to get a whole lot smarter, judging by some of the biggest announcements from this year's CES. In particular, I was drawn to one of Govee's newest smart lights; a pixel panel (suitably named Govee Pixel Light) that can use generative AI within the Govee app to create illuminated images. That's not all, though; you can also connect it to Govee's sync boxes for enhanced immersive gaming. With compatible games, the Pixel Light will display game-related imagery, as demonstrated at CES with Mario Kart 8.

While it wasn't a CES announcement, Philips Hue's new generative AI assistant has also made waves in the news cycle this week, though details remain scant; and Nanoleaf unveiled its subscription service, Nanoleaf Premium, which features its new Orchestrator tool and Scenescapes.

Smart security for all

(Image credit: SwitchBot)

Smart locks haven't quite had the landmark developments we've seen in some years prior, but that's not to say it's been a boring year. I particularly enjoy SwitchBot's newest renter-friendly retrofit smart lock solutions, which improves upon the first-generation smart lock I reviewed a few years ago. The newer model is a lot more slick in design, and its more streamlined design means you don't sacrifice style for smart security.

Elsewhere, Phillips has announced its first smart lock compatible with Matter and Ultraloq's new smart lock was revealed to take advantage of iOS 18's UWB, showing continued focus on creating solutions that work for a wider variety of consumers.

Home robots are ready to land

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

Odd robots are a mainstay at CES, but this year we've actually had a glimpse at some devices that will be commercially available.

Chief among these exciting developments is Samsung's Ballie, which, after years of wishy-washy details and slight adjustments to hardware and software, is set to come to market in 2025. It'll be armed with a Full HD triple-laser switchable lens projector, a 2K camera on the rear and a 4K camera on the front, as well as LiDAR and Time of Flight (ToF) sensors.

Another frequent face at CES deserving of an honorable mention is Yukai Engineering, with its bizarre array of robot companions like the Mirumi bag bot and Nekojita FuFu, the latter of which delighted my laryngitis-infected self with its ability to cool down my tea.

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

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

Categories: Technology

How cybersecurity jargon creates barriers and wastes resources

TechRadar News - Wed, 01/08/2025 - 01:49

Acronyms aren’t unique to cybersecurity, but they’ve become a hallmark of how we communicate with each other. Do we really need to be adding this layer of complexity to an industry which is already complex? Or are they just making our devs more depressed? Let's make security accessible and actionable.

The cybersecurity industry is seeing record growth, growing 20% YoY, and built on the promise of increased productivity. And yet developers often struggle to focus on what matters. Instead, they are met with another new acronym that has them reaching for that dictionary every time they want to get something done. We’ve developed something unique in the cybersecurity industry - a language that no-one natively speaks.

The power of a common language

The root cause of all of our communication problems is that we describe security tools by what they are and not by what they do.

Take “static application security testing” as an example - that doesn't really mean anything to people that don't know what it is already. But what it actually does is try to secure our code. With that knowledge we can then immediately try to understand what “dynamic application security testing” is. It’s semantics, not guess work. (p.s. The latter is like a hacker trying to find vulnerabilities in our applications.)

My main frustration is that I can’t understand why we actually even need an acronym for those things when we could simply describe what they do. When we're building security tools, we should be able to easily describe what they do in non-technical terms, instead of trying to describe what they are.

As this communication barrier moves up the chain and crosses the technical divide, these problems become even more amplified. At the board level, security teams are completely against the wall in terms of funding. We have this catch-22 situation where security teams aren't getting enough funding, or at least they believe they're not, and we're also suffering way more from security attacks. One of the biggest issues is that at the board level, the decision makers don't understand a lot of what's needed. Because they don’t understand what things actually do. You can’t walk into the boardroom and ask the CEO to part with some cash for a CNAPP.

The cynic in me also sees a lot of these acronyms as money-printing machines. When we create new acronyms that replace the old ones and say we need new tools for them, it just looks like an upsell. And, even when something might be needed, it’s difficult to separate the necessities from the snake oil.

The value of clarity

There’s a sense of disbelief that I’m still beating this drum in 2024, but we need to approach cybersecurity more holistically. We have a tendency to secure entire applications or entire software development in separate stages. They are in silos. What if we could harness all this innovation to create a security approach that feels like a natural part of development? Here are the four key areas we need to focus on. In plain English, naturally:

Securing our source code - This covers everything written in code, including infrastructure as code. It's about writing secure code from the start.

Securing our runtime application - This is about protecting our application while it's running. Can an attacker find vulnerabilities? This includes fuzzing tools (tools that try to break your application by throwing unexpected data at it), API testing, and what we typically call "dynamic testing."

Securing our cloud environments - This means protecting the infrastructure that everything runs on.

Securing our supply chain - This covers dependencies, open source components, and third-party elements.

Four areas. Clearly explained. And so much easier for developers to understand because, rather than being hit with an acronym that does something slightly different, or that combines two different functions, the priorities are clearly laid out.

As Jason Haddix, the former CISO at Ubisoft, told me on my old Security Repo podcast, "being able to break down technical terms into non-technical terms really got me to where I did." It confirmed to me that this is the skill you need to succeed - and acronyms absolutely don't help. Even if we discard the acronyms, there’s still a way to go. If you're talking about "we need a static application security testing tool" or "we need an infrastructure as code testing tool," what we should be saying in the boardroom is "we need these tools to protect our source code" and "we need these tools to protect our application”.

Here's the reality: acronyms are designed to be understood by a small subset of people. Yet, we have (at the last count) more than 300 of them. We need to move from a culture of complexity and exclusivity to one of clarity and inclusivity. When we communicate effectively about security, we do more than transfer information: smart communication respects developers' time and cognitive load. It also allows communication to move effectively up the chain, meaning it is no longer a misunderstood and underfunded part of the organization.

We've rated the best endpoint protection software.

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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