Microsoft on Tuesday announced a new product called Windows 365 Link, which is essentially a desktop PC similar in size to Apples M4 Mac mini launched a few weeks ago. However, while the Mac mini is a full computer, Microsofts alternative runs exclusively in the cloud.Microsoft now has a Mac mini competitor sort ofThe device was announced at Microsoft Ignite 2024, a conference focused on developers and IT professionals. From the outside, it kind of looks like the latest Mac mini, at least in terms of size. Its a small black box with a few ports on the back. However, both computers differ significantly on the inside.Despite being almost as small as an Apple TV, Mac mini is a proper computer powered by the M4 or M4 Pro chips. Windows 365 Link, on the other hand, has very light specifications. Thats because the device streams Windows through the cloud instead of running a local operating system.Microsoft sees Windows 365 Link as an ideal device for corporate customers. Rather than spending on large, expensive hardware, the idea is to have a super-small, much cheaper device that is connected to the internet to stream Windows with the power of a much better computer. Essentially, a computer for running cloud virtual machines.There arent many details about the technical specifications. All we know so far is that the internal hardware has 8GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and an undisclosed Intel processor. Again, the specifications dont matter much, as the built-in hardware is only used to stream whats in the cloud.On the back, the Windows 365 Link has a USB-C port along with two USB-A ports, DisplayPort, HDMI, and Ethernet. Its also equipped with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless connectivity.As explained by The Verge, Microsoft believes that the new device brings security benefits to IT consumers, as all data is encrypted in the cloud and theres nothing stored offline that can be stolen or hacked. Of course, this also means that the PC becomes useless when theres no internet connection.Windows 365 Link will be available next year, and it will cost $349. It also requires a Windows 365 subscription, which starts at $28 per month.Although the idea sounds interesting, its hard not to compare it to the Mac mini, which costs only $250 more but has much better hardware (and runs a local operating system). As I recently wrote here on 9to5Mac, the latest Mac mini is an unbeatable desktop computer for most people. Its powerful, sleek, compact, and its at a great price.Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

We're in trouble.The Sky Is FallingNew York City has declared its first drought warning since 2002, adding to the long list of portentous climate-related events afflicting the US and world more frequently, and forcefully, than ever before in recorded history.Floridians recently endured Hurricane Milton, which one meteorologist described initially as reaching the "mathematical limit of what Earth's atmosphere over this ocean water can produce." On the West side of the US, at least 28 people were killed this summer in a lethal heatwave, a byproduct of what could become the hottest year ever recorded. The last "hottest year," unsettlingly, was 2023.All that not to mention the Big Apple's new drought warning melt into a flashing sign as world leaders at the COP29 climate summit: that absent an implausibly radical reshaping of humankind's activities on Earth, things are only going to get worse.Rain or ShineNew York City's drought advisory which also impacts several New York State counties doesn't come with any mandatory restrictions, though residents are urged to conserve water.That said, a drought advisory is no small thing. It's the final step before a drought emergency, which New York last experienced in 2002. And if the weather doesn't relent, an emergency could be inevitable."The ongoing and historic lack of rainfall, both in the city and in the upstate watershed where our reservoirs are located, has become more critical," said New York City chief climate officer Rohit T. Aggarwala in a press release"Climate change caused an exceptionally warm fall, leading to our reservoir system being at only 63% capacity," added New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. "As New Yorkers always do in a crisis, we are coming together to face this challenge."Share This Article

Banana for scale.Banana for ScaleSpaceX's latest test flight of its Starship spacecraft carried a highly unusual payload into orbit in its massive hold: a single banana.Footage showed the interior of the behemoth rocket being adorned with a single lonely piece of fruit.It also conveniently puts the size of the spacecraft to scale and it'sa hilarious choice for a "zero gravity indicator," a long-held tradition that has conventionally involved sending small stuffed toys up alongside astronauts to the International Space Station.Emergency SplashdownDuring SpaceX's fifth orbital test flight last month, the company pulled off an incredible feat, catching the booster of the world's largest and most powerful rocket ever built with a giant tower.But today's test launch didn't quite go as smoothly. Starship's Super Heavy stage successfully lifted the spacecraft into orbit, but appeared to sputter during its descent.Instead, SpaceX made a call minutes into the launch to drop the booster into the Gulf of Mexico as part of a "booster offshore divert" maneuver, instead of catching it once again.Live footage showed the massive booster successfully slow its descent, dipping gradually toward the water before erupting in a massive fireball.The Elon Musk-led company, however, remained optimistic, likely collecting plenty of data along the way."Super Heavy initiates its landing burn and softly splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico," the company wrote in an update on X-formerly-Twitter.It's still unclear why SpaceX chose to call off the tower catch today.But given the fact that SpaceX has yet again managed to launch the behemoth into orbit in one piece is an incredible feat of engineering in and of itself, highlighting just how far the space company has come.Whether the banana is still edible following Starship's landing remains to be seen.Share This Article

Nov 19, 2024Ravie LakshmananBotnet / IoT SecurityThe malware known as Ngioweb has been used to fuel a notorious residential proxy service called NSOCKS, as well as by other services such as VN5Socks and Shopsocks5, new findings from Lumen Technologies reveal."At least 80% of NSOCKS bots in our telemetry originate from the Ngioweb botnet, mainly utilizing small office/home office (SOHO) routers and IoT devices," the Black Lotus Labs team at Lumen Technologies said in a report shared with The Hacker News. "Two-thirds of these proxies are based in the U.S.""The network maintains a daily average of roughly 35,000 working bots, with 40% remaining active for a month or longer."Ngioweb, first documented by Check Point way back in August 2018 in connection with a Ramnit trojan campaign that distributed the malware, has been the subject of extensive analyses in recent weeks by LevelBlue and Trend Micro, the latter of which is tracking the financially motivated threat actor behind the operation as Water Barghest.Capable of targeting devices running both Microsoft Windows and Linux, the malware gets its name from the command-and-control (C2) domain that was registered in 2018 under the name "ngioweb[.]su."According to Trend Micro, the botnet comprises over 20,000 IoT devices as of October 2024, with Water Barghest using it to find and infiltrate vulnerable IoT devices using automated scripts and deploy the Ngioweb malware, registering them as a proxy. The infected bots are then enlisted for sale on a residential proxy marketplace."The monetization process, from initial infection to the availability of the device as a proxy on a residential proxy marketplace, can take as little as 10 minutes, indicating a highly efficient and automated operation," researchers Feike Hacquebord and Fernando Mercs said.Attack chains using the malware leverage an arsenal of vulnerabilities and zero-days it uses to breach routers and household IoT devices like cameras, vacuum cleaners, and access controls, among others. The botnet employs a two-tiered architecture: The first being a loader network comprising 15-20 nodes, which directs the bot to a loader-C2 node for retrieval and execution of the Ngioweb malware.A breakdown of the residential proxy provider's proxies by device type shows that the botnet operators have targeted a broad spectrum of vendors, including NETGEAR, Uniview, Reolink, Zyxel, Comtrend, SmartRG, Linear Emerge, Hikvision, and NUUO.The latest disclosures from LevelBlue and Lumen reveal that the systems infected with the Ngioweb trojan are being sold as residential proxy servers for NSOCKS, which has been previously put to use by threat actors in credential-stuffing attacks aimed at Okta."NSOCKS sells access to SOCKS5 proxies all over the world, allowing buyers to choose them by location (state, city, or ZIP code), ISP, speed, type of infected device, and newness," LevelBlue said. "The prices vary between $0.20 to $1.50 for 24-hour access and depends on the device type and time since infection."The victim devices have also been found to establish long-term connections with a second stage of C2 domains that are created by a domain generation algorithm (DGA). These domains, amounting to about 15 in number at any given point in time, act as the "gatekeeper," determining if the bots are worth adding to the proxy network.Should the devices pass the eligibility criteria, the DGA C2 nodes connect them to a backconnect C2 node that, in turn, makes them available for use through the NSOCKS proxy service."NSOCKS users route their traffic through over 180 'backconnect' C2 nodes that serve as entry/exit points used to obscure, or proxy, their true identity," Lumen Technologies said. "The actors behind this service have not only provided a means for their customers to proxy malicious traffic, but the infrastructure has also been engineered to enable various threat actors to create their own services."To make matters worse, open proxies powered by NSOCKS have also emerged as an avenue for various actors to launch powerful distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks at scale.The commercial market for residential proxy services and the underground market of proxies is expected to grow in the coming years, in part driven by the demand from advanced persistent threat (APT) groups and cybercriminal groups alike."These networks are often leveraged by criminals who find exploits or steal credentials, providing them with a seamless method to deploy malicious tools without revealing their location or identities," Lumen said."What is particularly alarming is the way a service like NSOCKS can be used. With NSOCKS, users have the option to choose from 180 different countries for their endpoint. This capability not only allows malicious actors to spread their activities across the globe but also enables them to target specific entities by domain, such as .gov or .edu, which could lead to more focused and potentially more damaging attacks."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Nov 19, 2024Ravie LakshmananCloud Security / PiracyMalicious actors are exploiting misconfigured JupyterLab and Jupyter Notebooks to conduct stream ripping and enable sports piracy using live streaming capture tools.The attacks involve the hijack of unauthenticated Jupyter Notebooks to establish initial access, and perform a series of actions designed to facilitate illegal live streaming of sports events, Aqua said in a report shared with The Hacker News.The covert piracy campaign within interactive environments widely used for data science applications was discovered by the cloud security firm following an attack against its honeypots."First, the attacker updated the server, then downloaded the tool FFmpeg," Assaf Morag, director of threat intelligence at cloud security firm Aqua. "This action alone is not a strong enough indicator for security tools to flag malicious activity.""Next, the attacker executed FFmpeg to capture live streams of sports events and redirected them to their server."In a nutshell, the end goal of the campaign is to download FFmpeg from MediaFire and use it to record live sports events feeds from the Qatari beIN Sports network and duplicate the broadcast on their illegal server via ustream[.]tv.It's not clear who is behind the campaign, although there are indications that they could be of Arab-speaking origin owing to one of the IP addresses used (41.200.191[.]23)."However, it's crucial to remember that the attackers gained access to a server intended for data analysis, which could have serious consequences for any organization's operations," Morag said."Potential risks include denial-of-service, data manipulation, data theft, corruption of AI and ML processes, lateral movement to more critical environments, and, in the worst-case scenario, substantial financial and reputational damage."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

The social media giants acquisition of WhatsApp is facing growing antitrust scrutiny over data sharing between its other applications.

What role does AI have in the current state of cloud? What types of cloud systems and resources stand to benefit from, or need to adapt to, AI?

Although the poster, the trailer, and the merchandise (at least the stuff that didnt get recalled) all refer to it as just Wicked, the full onscreen title isactuallyWicked: Part I.The new film adaptsonly the first half of thehit stage musical thats been running atNew Yorks Gershwin Theatre for over 21 years. The momentjust before the closing credits in multiplexesis actually the show-stopping caper of the first act on Broadway. And like other Part 1s of recent years,Wickeddoes feel like half afilm extended to feature-length to turn one story into two ticket sales.Butwhata half a film. Other thanchoosing to turn one act of a play into its own 2.5 hour motion picture,the creators ofWicked did everything right. They faithfully reproduced theearworm Stephen Schwartzmusical numbers and assembled one hell of a cast to sing them. Director Jon M. Chu, a veteran of movie musicals, brings the songs to life with energetic choreography and bold visual choices, all of which match or in some cases exceed the Broadway Wickedsmemorable staging. The results should please fans of the show, and convert more than a few skeptics as well.WICKEDUniversalloading...READ MORE: The Worst Parts That Almost Ruin 15 Great MoviesThe films screenplay is like a Russian nesting doll of adaptations. It was written by Dana Fox and Winnie Holzman, the latter ofwhom wrote the book forWicked on Broadway. The play was based on a novel by Gregory Maguire which was a revisionist take on L. Frank Baums The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with a little also drawn from1939sWizard of Ozfilm. InWicked, the Wicked Witch of the West (famously played in 1939sOzby Margaret Hamilton), isrevealed to bean idealistic young womannamed Elphaba (nowplayed by Cynthia Erivo), whose green skin marks her as an outsidereven within her own family.Sent to keep an eye on her paraplegic younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) while she studies at Shiz University, Elphaba and her untrained magic powers catch the eye of Headmistress Madame Morrible (an icy Michelle Yeoh), who takesElphaba under her wing and sticksher in a dorm room with the glamorous Glinda (Ariana Grande), who is everything Elphaba is not: Perky, popular, and exceedingly pink.Although the two young women take an instant dislike to one another, especially because Glinda easily snags the hunkiest boy in school (Jonathan Baileys dreamy but vapid Fiyero),by the time Elphaba begins to harness her full potential as a witch she and Glindaare thebest of friends, and they travel together to the Emerald City to meet the magical Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum,deploying all of his Jeff Goldblum-ness toconjure a suavely stammering Wizard).WICKEDUniversal Picturesloading...Every single one ofthose actors delivers in their roles, but Grande stands out as the MVP of an impressive ensemble. Glinda isnt an easy character to portray; shesWickedscomic relief andunexpected heart all rolled into one. She delights in superficiality andtreasures her deep relationship withElphaba above all else. Grande plays both sides of the characters transformation equally well, with a soaring voice,uncannycomic timing, and surprising warmth.Erivo looks stunning in green, and she has one of the most glorious voices on the planet; she delivers an especiallyjaw-droppingrendition of Elphabas I Want song, The Wizard and I. Buther soulful, tragic Elphaba sometimes struggles to hold the screen opposite Grandes bubbly and vivacious Glinda.Grandeswork inWickedis not a conventional star-making performance. For one thing, shes already a well-established star in multiple mediums. But it may well be amoviestar-making performance. Its definitely a movie-stealing performance.WICKEDUniversalloading...ButWicked is not just the Glinda show. The entire productionproceeds in careful harmony. The sets byproduction designer Nathan Crowley are grand and beautiful; bigger and better than anything you can see on Broadway. (Fiyeros mission statement of a number, Dancing Through Life, gets a relocated to an elaborate library filled with bookshelves shaped like massive spinning drums,which are utilized for some truly impressive flips, spins, and slides.) The choreography byChristopher Scott takes advantage of the nimble camerawork and themassive ensemble of dancers. And director Jon M. Chu capturesall that movement with a variety of different camera tricks and techniques. (The comic two-hander Loathing is filled with clever split screens; One Short Day deploys a series of long-take POV shots to tour the elaborate Emerald City set and its dancing denizens.) Its a beautiful production thathonors the popular stage musical and blows it up to a blockbuster budget.If only the films runtime didnt get blown up too.Wickeds first act was already much longer than the second, and the film version, which clocks in at just under two and a half hours, is practically as long as the entire Broadway show. Newscenes, like an early encounter between Fiyeroand Elphaba, and a private training session between Elphaba and Madame Morrible, fill in some of the relationships that were perhaps abit sketchy in the fast-paced stage play. But theyre ultimately not needed, and only slow the film down.WICKEDUniversalloading...All of Wickedsbest moments are still the ones from the stage. There are a lot of those great moments, though; certainly more than I expected. When Erivos Elphaba hits the soaring high notes in Wickeds signature song, Defying Gravity, its enough to make you wish the wait for the second half of the film was only 15 minutes, instead of an entire year.Additional Thoughts:-Youve read my positive reaction to the film, as well my mild reservations about some aspects of the adaptation. But here I shouldnote that my two daughters, who love the Broadway musical, absolutely adored this movie. They did not care that it was only half of the story. They loved the new material. They said they would rather see the film again than the Broadway show. WatchingWickedwith them, seeing the delight on their faces every time I glanced in their direction, I had the distinct impression I was present at the moment they firstencountered one of the defining movies of their childhoods.-If youdo have kids, especially ones who like to sing, be warned: If you take them toWicked, youwill hear these songs over and over and over. Im writing this review after putting my girls to bed. As Im typing these words theyre both still awake; ones belting out Loathing and the other is singing The Wizard And I. Not sinceFrozen IIhas myhome been filled with so many strained high notes. Again: Take your children at your ears own peril. (Im mostly kidding. But also: Its a lot. And I just caught myself humming Loathing.)RATING: 7/10Famous Movies Featuring Once-Beloved Products That No Longer ExistThese movies now work as time capsules, capturing a time when these now-defunct products existed.

Your eyes dont deceive you: ThatsHow to Train Your Dragon, redone in live-action.(Well, Hiccup is a real person. Toothless is still animated.)After decades of Disney turning their animated movies into live-action remakes (many of which have been huge blockbusters), DreamWorks is getting into the act too, and turningHow to Train Your Dragon into live-action. They even got Gerard Butler to reprise his role as Hiccups burly father. And DeanDeBlois, director of all threeHow to Train Your Dragon animated features wrote and directed this remake, putting him an extremely exclusive club of filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock and John Woo who have remade their own work.You can see the first trailer for the newHow to Train Your Dragonbelow:READ MORE: 25 Movie Remakes You Forgot ExistedHere is the remakes official synopsis:From three-time Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Dean DeBlois, the creative visionary behind DreamWorks Animations acclaimed How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, comes a stunning live-action reimagining of the film that launched the beloved franchise. On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames; The Black Phone, For All Mankind) stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his voice role from the animated franchise), Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.How to Train Your Dragon is scheduled to open in theaters on June 13.Get our free mobile app20 Movie Remakes That Got Their Own SequelsThese remakes of hit movies then got their own sequels as well.Filed Under: How To Train Your DragonCategories: Movie News, Trailers

Time zones: EST (UTC -5), CST (UTC -6), MST (UTC -7), PST (UTC -8), AKST (UTC -9), HST (UTC -10)Become a Customer Service Representative, work from home, and set your own schedule!Computer-based, nonemergency healthcare services also known as telemedicine is a rapidly growing industry with virtually limitless opportunity. In this customer service role, youll gain valuable experience providing services for our client, Teladoc, a leading telemedicine provider.If youre detail-oriented, discreet, professional, and able to overcome obstacles while maintaining a positive attitude, this customer service opportunity may be just what youre looking for.Essential FunctionsAnswer incoming callsAssist with and verify patient registrationConnect patients with doctorsSet appointmentsHelp manage billingTroubleshoot basic technical issuesMaintain documentationWho Best Fits This RoleYoull do great in this role if you have a passion for customer care, a positive attitude, and excellent communication skills. A medical background is a definite plus. Its also essential to have:Strong attention to detailThe ability to maintain a focused, professional environmentEmpathy, patience, and integritySelf-sufficiency and strong organization skillsStrong multitasking skills, including the ability to utilize a variety of resources and computer applications simultaneouslyThe ability to maintain confidentiality and secure sensitive informationYour Home Office EnvironmentBecause NexRep Marketplace contractors perform services remotely and independently, youll need a quiet, dedicated, paperless and cell phone free workspace, along with:Access to high-speed, hardwired internet (no Wi-Fi or Satellite, please)A PC with Windows 10 or 11 (Macs and Chromebooks are not supported at this time)At least 8GB of useable RAMAt least 200MB of free hard drive spaceAn Intel Core or Intel Pentium 4 ProcessorUp-to-date antivirus softwareDual monitors, each capable of displaying at least 1024 x 768 pixelsA USB noise-cancelling headsetWhere NexRep ContractsNexRep contracts with people in 31 states. The only states we do not currently contract in are: AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, HI, IL, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, NJ, NY, OR, RI, VT, WA, and WI. We do not currently contract with anyone outside of the US.Flexible Hours of OperationAs a Teladoc Customer Service Representative, youll enjoy flexible scheduling, where you use a self-scheduling platform to select when you work and when you dont.Hours of operation are 24/7, giving you complete flexibility to work when its best for you. Overnight hours are limited, however, making this an especially great opportunity for someone seeking morning, afternoon, or evening hours.Pay and PerksThis customer service opportunity pays independent contractors $12.50 per hour.After passing certification and servicing at least 10 hours per week for each of the 4 weeks following certification, youll also be eligible for a $250 certification incentive.Plus, your remote, independent contractor status allows you to work in the comfort of your own home or anywhere in the US you can meet the office requirements.Youll enjoy significant savings in expenses related to transportation, clothing, childcare or eldercare, and food. You may also qualify for home office tax deductions, but you should consult with an accountant to determine eligibility. In addition, youll receive:One-on-one mentorshipFree certification and ongoing development opportunitiesThe freedom and flexibility to choose your own schedule, within the clients hours of operationThe chance to achieve better work-life balanceYoull also be able to take advantage of NexRep Perks, a program that recognizes the service provided by independent contractors to NexReps clients and their customers via the NexRep Marketplace platform. With the NexRep Perks program, youll have the opportunity to earn Perks points. As those points add up, youll unlock access to Perks - exclusive discounts and savings on a variety of common expenses such as health and dental coverages, banking services, legal and technical support, and more!Please note that NexRep is connecting independent contractors to exclusive discounts and savings opportunities and is not providing employee benefits nor establishing an employee benefit program. Each independent contractor makes their own decision whether to engage with a Perks Partner. NexRep receives no compensation in any form from the Perks Program.