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MFA is vital to protecting against compromised user and admin passwords, but Microsoft has found that 78% of organizations using Azure Active Directory don’t enable MFA. LockBit 2.0 targets Windows PCs and now Linux servers too via bugs in VMWare’s ESXi virtual machines, and has hit tech consulting and services giant Accenture and France’s Ministry of Justice among others. SEE: Cybersecurity: Let’s get tactical (ZDNet special report) LockBit’s operators use any method available to compromise a network, as long as it works....

“Yandex and Mail.ru have been removed as optional search providers in the drop-down search menu in Firefox,” Mozilla said. “If you previously installed a customized version of Firefox with Yandex or Mail.ru, offered through partner distribution channels, this release removes those customizations, including add-ons and default bookmarks. Where applicable, your browser will revert back to default settings, as offered by Mozilla. “All other releases of Firefox remain unaffected by the change....

As expected CES 2023 has given us a peak into what the future of smart vehicles looks like, but Aska’s prototype of its A5 electric drive and fly Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVOTL) vehicle may soar above the rest. Also: Best of CES 2023: 6 innovations that will shape the future Powered by electric batteries and a supporting small gas engine, the Aska A5 has the capability to both drive on the road and up to 250 miles by air with just one charge, which could cut time on multi-mile trips in half....

The most important trend I’ve written about, perhaps my biggest obsession, has been the disruption of the media industry business model using the technologies of the Internet. I’ve long recognized that the emergence of the web is a powerful publishing technology; the development of what was called Web 2.0, coupled with the explosive use of blogging technologies, added a powerful additional feature. There is a double use -– the computer screen is both the publication and printing press — in that screen can also publish back....

The ROG Zephyrus brings a 14-inch, 120Hz screen that offers 500 nits of brightness so you can game in both brightly lit settings and dedicated, darkened gaming spaces. It’s only 3.64 pounds and is only .73-inches thin. Under the lightweight chassis, the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS processor will keep you gaming, working, and streaming with ease. Like the AMD Ryzen CPU, the laptop also uses an AMD Radeon RX 6700S graphics card that features SmartShift Max technology....

Using code ZDVD20 you can score the Inspire 3 and the Charge 5 smartwatches. The Inspire 3 comes in three colors and thanks to this code you can save $20 on the smartwatch and get it for only $80. With a 10-day battery life, it offers Sleep Tracking, All-Day Activity Tracking, and Guided Breathing Sessions. The Charge 5 will be discounted by $20 as well, so you can pick it up for $130....

Refurbished products make for great bargains, and this refurbished Vivitar VTI Phoenix drone has a grade “A” rating. So it will arrive in near-mint condition, and the case will have zero to very minimal scuffing. The Phoenix’s camera provides a 180 degrees articulated view with 2048x1152p video resolution. And the drone comes with two batteries so that you can have a combined flight time of more than 32 minutes. It has three distinct speeds, a 2,000-foot flight range, and real-time Wi-Fi transmission capability....

Whether you are working remotely, doing online schooling, multitasking through your to-do list, or planning your next vacation, adding an extra display to your laptop setup can help you work much more efficiently. So having a third will send your productivity skyrocketing, and that’s precisely what you can do with a Mobile Pixels TRIO MAX. Use coupon code JULY20 during our 4th of July Sale to get the Mobile Pixels TRIO MAX for just $247....

Audio is naturally the primary consideration, and the MX-T70 provides wall-to-wall sound with bi-directional speakers that are uniquely designed to fill a room. It also has a 10-inch woofer built-in, delivering dynamic bass that you can adjust with the press of a button. So when the bass drops, you’ll feel it as much as hear it. The Samsung Sound Tower was made with connectivity in mind. A Bluetooth multi-connection allows two friends to simultaneously pair their mobile devices, alternating between the two playlists without disconnecting....

Summer is here, with all the outdoor joys it brings. However, it can also bring some very uncomfortable temperatures indoors. Unfortunately, installing central air isn’t always an option, but portable AC units can be an excellent solution. There are essential factors to consider before choosing one. It has to be capable of cooling the entire area where you’ll place it. Being easy to move around and dehumidifying your living space would be valuable as well....

In a blog post, Google said an increasing number of cyberattacks targeted high profile individuals and groups, forcing them to take extra measures and create a team “dedicated to detecting and stopping the world’s most sophisticated cybercriminals.” “We’re excited to be working with these leading organizations to protect high-risk user groups and earn more about the needs of at-risk users and organizations. These collaborations help us make the world’s most advanced security even stronger, more inclusive and easier to use – helping everyone stay safer with Google,” the company explained....

The new services are Filestore Enterprise and Backup for Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). Cloud Storage is being updated to let users select the regions of their choice for dual-region buckets. Google is also offering a new 15-minute Recovery Point Objective (RPO) in Cloud Storage. “We need to make sure that, as more and more data comes to the cloud, we provide customers seamless availability and protection,” Guru Pangal, Google GM of storage, said to ZDNet....

Quick Builder adds a new thread to Google’s low-code or no-code story, which is headed up by its recently acquired AppSheet platform that integrates with Gmail and Workspace apps. Utilizing Google Maps, Quick Builder is a desktop tool that helps businesses discover and deploy recommended application programming interfaces (APIs) for mapping and location-based solutions in various sectors, from retail to e-commerce and travel. It lowers the bar for businesses that want to use the Google Maps Platform to build location-based solutions....

Google said its new Nest security practices include adopting standards Google has long held as well as implementing new updates that are specific to Nest’s connected home devices and services. Specifically, Google will begin certifying Nest devices sold in 2019 or later using an independent security standard, including those developed by the Internet of Secure Things Alliance (ioXt). The company will also publish the validation results that explain how its products hold up to those standards, and will assess new products against the standards prior to launch....

Google’s idea is to offer open-source projects by startups, academics and lower-cost options for manufacturing custom silicon with semiconductor foundries, with the aim of building a thriving ecosystem around open-source hardware. “We cannot understate the milestone that this new partnership represents in the foundry ecosystem market,” said Google’s Johan Euphrosine and Ethan Mahintorabi from the Hardware Toolchains Team. SEE: Hands on: Putting Ubuntu Linux on my Microsoft Surface Go Google and GF have released Process Design Kit for the GF 180nm process MCU platform “GF180MCU” under the Apache 2....

Typically, Google employees have been compensated according to where the office they work out of is based. For instance, an employee who works from Google’s New York office would be paid the same as someone who commuted into New York every day from outside the city. But Google workers who choose to work from home permanently could see reductions in their pay if they live in less expensive areas than those where the company’s offices are located....

The wildly popular program has been cited as offering textual responses that are “disturbing,” but on the horizon is an ability to take action with outside databases or online services, according to a risks paper published Tuesday by artificial intelligence startup OpenAI. OpenAI created ChatGPT, and on Tuesday, it unveiled the latest version of the natural language processing program that underlies ChatGPT’s capabilities, called GPT-4. GPT-4 is the fourth version in a series of programs from OpenAI known as “generative pre-trained transformers,” programs that build on years of language processing in the field of deep learning....

Avanan’s Jeremy Fuchs said that in December, the company saw cyberattackers using the comment feature in Google Docs and Google Slides to leverage attacks against Outlook users. “In this attack, hackers are adding a comment to a Google Doc. The comment mentions the target with an @. By doing so, an email is automatically sent to that person’s inbox. In that email, which comes from Google, the full comment, including the bad links and text, is included....

The Embody eschews the mesh-based support of the Aeron in favor of a design that supports the human body by using its own anatomy as inspiration. The result is an unusual-looking model with unique support characteristics and ample adjustability. Its futuristic aesthetics likely also played a part in Herman Miller’s subsequent decision to bring its Embody chair into the gaming space. Designed in collaboration with gaming and PC peripheral maker Logitech, the Herman Miller Embody Gaming chair mirrors the design and structure of the original, adding a unique color scheme and additional padding....

Facebook had hoped to create a head-worn device that could capture language, translating electrical signals from the brain into digital information. Despite the fascinating premise of a social media company developing potentially the first consumer BCI for language use, the company decided to step back from the project last year, open sourcing its existing language research and concentrating on BCIs that captured nerve signals-related movement, rather than language, instead. But while Facebook stepped back, a number of labs are stepping forward, making breakthroughs in turning language into text or spoken word....