Tech News Weekly: Issue 45
Microsoft security updates, Google switching to weekly Chrome updates, and goodbye Cortana!
News
Operating Systems
The Cortana application is being deprecated later this year. Microsoft has deprecated the app in Insider builds already and stable versions of Windows 10 and 11 will follow later this year.
Microsoft removed more than 40 Intel CPUs from Windows 11’s compatibility listing. While the removal won’t affect user devices, it affects use of these processors by OEMs.
Microsoft has released the security updates for August 2023. All client and server versions of Windows are affected by three critical vulnerabilities and more than two dozen non-critical vulnerabilities. It is recommended to update the system, and to create a system backup before doing so.
Mobile
Google announced that it is adding new suggestive features to Chrome for Android. The features have in common that they pull rather generic data from Google’s vast pool of knowledge to display to users. Most are linked to the address bar and display common searches to the user.
The ones that could be of help to users, like the one displaying related searches based on the actual webpage, are too generic in what they return at the time to be useful.
Google redesigned its Arts & Culture application and has released it for Android (iOS coming soon). The major new feature is that users may now send others an AI-generated postcard using the new Poem Postcards feature.
Meta’s Messenger application won’t support SMS anymore starting September 28th on Android. Users who use Messenger as the default SMS app on Android need to switch to another app, for instance Google Messages.
Browser
Mozilla released two Firefox 116 point updates this week that address single issues in the browser. The first fixed a chart display issue that affects Firefox users on Windows only, the second an issue for users who have ZoneAlarm’s Anti-Keylogger software installed on their devices.
Google plans to release weekly security updates for its Chrome web browser going forward instead of bi-weekly security updates. This, according to Google, reduces the window that malicious users and groups have to exploit known security issues in the browser. The change may also impact other Chromium-based browsers and their releases.
Google has released a point update for Chrome 115 that fixes 17 security issues. While none is rated critical, users of the browser and administrators may still want to update the browser asap.
Google is moving downloads from the bottom of the browser window to an icon at the top. Users still have options to reverse the change, which has been rolling out for some time.
Last but not least, Google has started to enable sidebar listings for right-click searches in Google Chrome. Chrome users who don’t want this can turn this off by switching search engines and using other means, at least for now.
Privacy and Security
Google announced a number of new “privacy tools” for its customers:
An improved “Results about you” tool that may now monitor search for personal information and notify the user about new locations the information is available on.
Explicit imagery is now blurred automatically on Search. Users may turn off the behavior by selecting SafeSearch on a search results page and unchecking “Blur explicit images”.
Improved options to request the removal of “personal, explicit images” from Search.
Security researchers have discovered a new spying method using audio feeds. This one uses trained AI models to detect the typed keys. Downside currently is that the AI needs to be trained for specific keyboards, but the effectiveness is up to 95% according to the researchers.
Downfall is the name of a new security issue in “billions of modern processors” by Intel. Identified as CVE-2022-40982, it may be used to access and steal data in local and cloud environments. A malicious app could steal passwords, emails and other data on affected devices.
Software Releases and Updates
The latest Intel beta driver for the company’s graphics cards includes Telemetry. Intel claims that this component, called Intel Computing Improvement Program, is opt-in. Users may want to check the custom installation option nevertheless to make sure it is disabled. Intel published a dedicated support page here.
Gaming and Entertainment
Valve is offering certified refurbished Steam Decks now that are about 20% cheaper than new Steam Deck devices.
Google plans to turn off recommendations for YouTube users who don’t allow the site to keep a record of the watch history. Previously, YouTube used other data points, such as likes and dislikes, to power recommendations for those users.
Hardware
Other
Brave Search has enabled native image and video search functionality, removing the last reliance on third-party search engines in the process. Both rely on Brave Search’s own index to return these results. It is still a work in progress, as some features, such as advanced image search filters, are still missing.
Kagi, an alternative search engine that is available as a limited free and paid version, is revealing the top domains that users blocked, lowered, raised and pinned. Kagi users may block domains from appearing in their search results, and they may prioritize them by lowering or raising their visibility.
The top 6 domains blocked are all owned by Pinterest. What follows is facebook, w3schools, another pinterest domain, quora and foxnews.
As far as raised domains are concerned, they are developer-centric. Stackoverflow is first, followed by GitHub, Wikipedia, Reddit and Hacker News.
PayPal has launched its own U.S. Dollar Stablecoin (see the article below for information on what Stablecoins are) called PayPal USD (PYUSD), which, the company claims, is “fully backed by U.S. dollar deposits, short-term U.S. treasuries and similar cash equivalents, and can be redeemed 1:1 for U.S. dollars”.
Software Updates
Disc burning software BurnAware 16.9 improves audio encoding and tags reading, 64-bit CPU usage, and file processing of the Span Disc tool.
Caesium 2.5.0, an update for the image compression software, adds a preview shortcut, Hindi translation, and compressing images by setting a maximum file size.
Imagine 1.16, an update for the media viewer, adds support for SVG and SVGZ file formats.
Paint 5.09 is a small bug fix update that fixes several crashes among other things.
Third-party YouTube frontend NewPipe 0.25.2 was released. It fixes a number of playback issues on YouTube, as well as crashes and black screens that some users reported.
Article(s)
Google is hardening network security on Android
Android 14, which will be released later this year, will ship with cellular connectivity security features. It makes Android the first mobile operating system with “advanced cellular security mitigations” according to Google.
One of the main new features in Android 14 is the ability to limit a device’s ability to downgrade to 2G connectivity. While only available for Enterprise customers at the time, it adds to the already existing capability of Android 12 and up to disable 2G at the modem level.
2G is an insecure standard that has been implemented in 1991. All phones support it and connect to it, especially if there is no better option available. There are ways to get devices to downgrade their connections to 2G, and 2G is commonly used by FBSs, IMSI catchers and Stingrays.
Google explains that 2G lacks mutual authentication, which makes attacks such as Person-in-the-Middle attacks trivial.
Starting in Android 14, IT administrators may configure managed Android devices so that 2G is turned off on these devices.
All Android 14 users benefit from a new control to disable support for null-ciphered connections. Basically, what this does is protect Voice and SMS traffic against spying networks. The use of these null ciphers allow commercial networks as well as Stingray operations to read the transferred data; this includes verification codes and one-time passwords that some services send via SMS or Voice.
The feature requires the latest radio hardware abstraction layer (HAL) and Google expects the feature to be made available by Android OEMs over the coming years to users.
Google devices will be among the first to get these new security features.
Stablecoins is in the news, but what exactly are they?
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital currencies, stablecoins have emerged as a development. While the world of cryptocurrencies is often associated with extreme volatility and rapid price fluctuations, stablecoins offer a bridge between the potential of blockchain technology and the stability that traditional fiat currencies provide.
Stablecoins are a type of digital currency designed to minimize the price volatility that is inherent in many cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Unlike these volatile counterparts, stablecoins are pegged to a stable asset, often a traditional fiat currency such as the US Dollar, Euro, or Japanese Yen. They may also be pegged to commodities, such as gold or silver.
This pegging ensures that the value of a stablecoin remains relatively stable and predictable, making it a more practical medium of exchange and store of value for everyday transactions.
The underlying technology behind stablecoins can be broken down to the following: each stablecoin in existence is pegged to a corresponding fiat currency value held in reserve by the issuer. A 1 Dollar stablecoin that goes by the fictional name StableDollar would have 1 Dollar in fiat money linked to it at all times. This reserve is often held in a secure bank account or backed by other assets, such as treasuries.
The purchase of StableDollar would then require the exchange of fiat money for the digital currently, or vice versa. A user paying the issuer $100 U.S. would receive 100 StableDollars in return. Similarly, the user would be able to exchange the 100 StableDollars at any time to get the $100 U.S. back.
The Pros of Stablecoins: Stability and Accessibility
Stablecoins offer a range of benefits that may make them appealing to both crypto enthusiasts and those unfamiliar with the world of cryptocurrencies:
Lower Volatility: The primary advantage of stablecoins is their stability. Traditional cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are known for their extreme price fluctuations, which can make them unsuitable for everyday transactions and a store of value. Stablecoins, on the other hand, maintain a relatively constant value, making them more reliable for day-to-day use.
Cross-Border Transactions: Traditional cross-border transactions can be slow, expensive, and subject to currency exchange rate fluctuations. Stablecoins enable quick and cost-effective cross-border transfers, allowing individuals and businesses to transact globally without the complexities of currency conversion.
Financial Inclusion: Stablecoins have the potential to bring financial services to unbanked and underbanked populations around the world. With just a smartphone and internet access, individuals can access and use stablecoins, opening up new avenues for financial inclusion.
Reduced Volatility: Investors and traders can use stablecoins to hedge against the volatility of other cryptocurrencies. During times of market uncertainty, moving funds into stablecoins can help preserve value and reduce exposure to potential losses.
The Cons of Stablecoins: Centralization and Regulatory Concerns
While stablecoins offer several advantages, they also come with their fair share of challenges:
Centralization: Many stablecoins are issued and managed by centralized entities, which means these entities have control over the issuance and management of the stablecoin. This centralization can lead to concerns about transparency, censorship, and potential misuse of power.
Regulatory Uncertainty: The regulatory landscape for stablecoins is still evolving. Depending on their design and use cases, stablecoins could fall under various regulatory frameworks, which may affect their operation and legality in different jurisdictions.
Counterparty Risk: Stablecoins that are fully backed by reserves have a lower risk of counterparty failure. However, those backed by other assets or held by centralized entities may carry counterparty risk, especially if the issuer faces financial difficulties.
Privacy Concerns: Depending on the technology and design of a stablecoin, user privacy could be compromised. Some stablecoins may require users to reveal personal information during the exchange process, raising concerns about data privacy.
Limited Use Cases: Stablecoins are not widely accepted at the time and they may also be linked to a single controlling entity, which reduces use cases further, especially if that entity is restricting transactions.
Conclusion
Stablecoins offer a middle ground between traditional fiat currencies and volatile cryptocurrencies. As they continue to evolve, finding the right balance between stability, decentralization, and regulatory compliance will be crucial for their success.
Links
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