Jan 15, 2025Ravie LakshmananBlockchain / CryptocurrencyCybersecurity researchers have identified infrastructure links between the North Korean threat actors behind the fraudulent IT worker schemes and a 2016 crowdfunding scam.The new evidence suggests that Pyongyang-based threamoret groups may have pulled off illicit money-making scams that predate the use of IT workers, SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit (CTU) said in a report shared with The Hacker News.The IT worker fraud scheme, which came to light in late 2023, involves North Korean actors infiltrating companies in the West and other parts of the world by surreptitiously seeking employment under fake identities to generate revenue for the sanctions-hit nation. It's also tracked under the names Famous Chollima, Nickel Tapestry, UNC5267, and Wagemole.The IT personnel, per South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), have been assessed to be part of the 313th General Bureau, an organization under the Munitions Industry Department of the Workers' Party of Korea.Another notable aspect of these operations is that the IT workers are routinely dispatched to China and Russia to work for front companies such as Yanbian Silverstar and Volasys Silver Star, both of which were previously subjected to sanctioned by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in September 2018.Both entities have been accused of engaging in and facilitating the exportation of workers from North Korea with the goal of generating revenue for the Hermit Kingdom or the Workers' Party of Korea and obfuscating the workers' true nationality from clients.Sanctions were also imposed against Yanbian Silverstar's North Korean CEO Jong Song Hwa for his role in controlling the "flow of earnings for several teams of developers in China and Russia." In October 2023, the U.S. government announced the seizure of 17 internet domains that impersonated U.S.-based IT services companies so as to defraud businesses in the country and abroad by allowing North Korean IT workers to conceal their true identities and locations when applying online to do freelance work.Among the domains that were confiscated included a website named "silverstarchina[.]com." Secureworks's analysis of historical WHOIS records has revealed that the registrant's street address matches the reported location of Yanbian Silverstar offices located in the Yanbian prefecture and that the same registrant email and street address were used to register other domain names.One of those domains in question is kratosmemory[.]com, which has been previously used in connection with a 2016 IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign that was later found to be a scam after the backers neither received a product nor a refund from the seller. The campaign had 193 backers and raised funds to the tune of $21,877."The people who donated to this campaign have not gotten anything that was promised to them," one of the comments on the crowdfunding page claims. "They have not received any updates as well. This was a complete scam."The cybersecurity company also noted that the WHOIS registrant information for kratosmemory[.]com was updated around mid-2016 to reflect a different persona named Dan Moulding, which matches the IndieGoGo user profile for the Kratos scam."This 2016 campaign was a low-effort, small monetary-return endeavor compared to the more elaborate North Korean IT worker schemes active as of this publication," Secureworks said. "However, it showcases an earlier example of North Korean threat actors experimenting with various money-making schemes."The development comes as Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. issued a joint warning to the blockchain technology industry regarding the persistent targeting of various entities in the sector by Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) cyber actors to conduct cryptocurrency heists."The advanced persistent threat groups affiliated with the DPRK, including the Lazarus Group, [...] continue to demonstrate a pattern of malicious behavior in cyberspace by conducting numerous cybercrime campaigns to steal cryptocurrency and targeting exchanges, digital asset custodians, and individual users," the governments said.Some of the companies targeted in 2024 included DMM Bitcoin, Upbit, Rain Management, WazirX, and Radiant Capital, leading to the theft of more than $659 million in cryptocurrency. The announcement marks the first official confirmation that North Korea was behind the hack of WazirX, India's largest cryptocurrency exchange."This is a critical moment. We urge swift international action and support to recover the stolen assets," WazirX founder Nischal Shetty posted on X. "Rest assured, we will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of justice."Last month, blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis also revealed that threat actors affiliated with North Korea have stolen $1.34 billion across 47 cryptocurrency hacks in 2024, up from $660.50 million across 20 incidents in 2023.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

You hear this mantra in cybersecurity over and over again: Its not if, its when. Data breaches, ransomware attacks, and all manner of incidents abound, it seems like disaster lurks around every corner. The prevalence of these incidents has shifted the CISOs emphasis from prevention to resilience. Yes, even the most prepared enterprises can still get hit. What matters is how they bounce back.Todays CISO role has disaster recovery baked into the job description. How can they cultivate that skillset and use it to guide their organizations through the fallout of a major cybersecurity incident?Defining Critical Disaster Recovery SkillsDisaster recovery has become an essential part of the CISO role. In cybersecurity, we live in the world of incidents, whether it's someone clicking on a phish or someone plugging in a USB drive, or someone who's conducted fraud against your company, Ross Young, CISO in residence atventure capital fund Team8, tells InformationWeek.Incident response and disaster recovery go hand in hand. Some of the best CISOs are some of the best understanders of disaster recovery efforts and apply those in their own security response plans, says Matt Hillary, CISO at compliance automation platform Drata.Effective disaster recovery requires both technical skills and human skills.Related:On the technical side, CISOs must understand how each part of the technology stack is used in their organizations and how that technology impacts the CIA triad: confidentiality, integrity, and availability.A lot of that technical work is going to be driven down to the engineering level. Ideally, the CISO will have done the right work to bring in the right talent and drive the technical remediation, says Marshall Erwin, CISO at Fastly, a cloud computing services company.CISOs also need to be able to put themselves in the mindset of attackers to understand their goals and what they could be doing once inside the network. You can say, Team, here's where we need to be looking, here's where we need to point our lens and our forensic skills to identify what an attacker did to be able to make sure that we kicked them out and have cleaned up our internal network, says Erwin.But human skills are equally important. CISOs need to be able to communicate effectively across multiple teams and with C-suite peers to lead an effective response.What you feel you need to do from a security investigative perspective might be the opposite from [what] business resilience folks want to take, says Mandy Andress, CISO at Elastic, an AI search company. How do you navigate, communicate, and find the compromises.Related:A lot of that work is best done in advance of an actual incident. CISOs can add their voice to disaster recovery plans to ensure the security perspective is in place before an attacker gets inside.In the heat of a cybersecurity disaster, CISOs also have a responsibility to their team. They need skills to get them through the incident response process.It seems like every incident I've ever seen, it always happens on a Saturday when everybody's at their kids baseball game or something else. It's the most inconvenient time possible. How do you keep the positive moral? says Young.Remaining calm and decisive in the midst of a stressful situation that can last days, weeks, or even months is necessary and not without its challenges. I think there is a lot of bravado sometimes in the security community, says Hillary. I don't know if it's a mask or if it's something else that leads us to not being as human as we need to be. And so just to continue to be humble, teachable, and learn throughout that incident.Cultivating Disaster Recovery SkillsWhile people may have different career paths that lead them to the CISO role, theyve most likely worked through cybersecurity incidents along the way.Related:Incidents are frequent enough that you're going to have that experience at some point in your career and develop that expertise organically, says Erwin.While trial by fire is an excellent teacher, there are other ways that CISOs can shore up their disaster response and recovery toolboxes. Industry conferences, for example, can offer valuable training.When I was the CISO of Caterpillar Financial, I went to FS-ISAC [Financial Services-Information Sharing and Analysis Center], and they had a CISO conference where they did tabletop exercises simulating an insider threat, Young shares.CISOs can lead their own tabletop exercises at their enterprises to better understand the holes in their incident response plans and areas where they need to strengthen their own skills.Other leaders within an organization can be valuable resources for CISOs looking to cultivate these skills. One of my closest peers that I usually go to is someone who's over on the infrastructure team, says Hillary. Any kind of disaster impact or availability incident that they experience on their end, they have a plan for, they have a really good, well-exercised muscle within the organization to recover.CISOs can also look outside of their organizations for ways to sharpen their skills. Hillary shares that he always looks at other breaches and outages. I usually ask myself two questions. How do I know that this same vector isn't being used against my company right now? How do I know this same incident that this other company is experiencing can't happen to us? he says. So, it helps drive a lot of preventative measures.Navigating DisasterIn a world of third-party risk, human error, and motivated threat actors, even the best prepared CISOs cannot always shield their enterprises from all cybersecurity incidents. When disaster strikes, how can they put their skills to work?It is an opportunity for the CISO to step in and lead, says Erwin. That's the most critical thing a CISO is going to do in those incidents, and if the CISO isn't capable doing that or doesn't show up and shape the response, well, that's an indication of a problem.CISOs, naturally, want to guide their enterprises through a cybersecurity incident. But disaster recovery skills also apply to their own careers.I don't see a world where CISOs don't get some blame when an incident happens, says Young.There is plenty of concern over personal liability in this role. CISOs must consider the possibility of being replaced in the wake of an incident and potentially being held personally responsible.Do you have parachute packages like CEOs do in their corporate agreements for employability when they're hired? Young asks. I also see this big push of not only CISOs on the D&O insurance, but they're also starting to acquire private liability insurance for themselves directly.Andress shares that she is seeing CISOs be replaced less often. More often it's a recognition of underinvestment. And so, what I see more of is an increasing investment in the security program after an event or incident occurs, she says.After each incident, CISOs have the opportunity to learn about the strengths and weaknesses in the enterprises security and incident response plan, as well as in their own skillsets.For Andress, one of the biggest lessons has been to focus on the people involved in incident response. Everyone's looking at the technology. Everyone's looking at communication plans, but there're people working a lot of hours. How do we make sure that they're taking breaks? Getting rest. Getting fed, she says. If you want to have a strong and successful response making sure that you're focusing on not just the technology and the process aspects but really focusing on the people as well.

Here at ScreenCrush, were psyched for the return ofSeverance, the twisty streaming series about the lives of the employees at a mysterious company named Lumon Industries that uses a procedure called severance to wipeworkers memories when theyre on the clock, separating them from their consciousness and memories when theyre not at the office. Since it debuted on Apple TV+ in 2022, weve been patiently waiting for the return of the show for Season 2 and now its finally here.But maybe you didnt watch Season 1 when it premiered. Maybe youve heard all the talk about the show or you just got Apple TV+ and you want to dive in with Season 2. Or hey, maybe youve watched a lotof TV since 2022 (who hasnt?) and you just want to refresh your memory before the new premiere. Then you are the target audience for our latest video.In it, we recap all nine episodes of Season 1 ofSeverancein just 13 minutes. Well get you up to speed on Mark, Dylan, and the rest of the Lumon staff, the shows ongoing mysteries, and what to expect in Season 2.Watch our fullSeveranceSeason 1 recap below:READ MORE: 10 Squid Game Details You Might Have MissedIf you liked that video about Season 1 of Severance and what to expect from Season 2, check out more of our videos below, including including our full recap ofSquid GameSeason 1 ahead of Season 2,our review of NetflixsAvatar: The Last Airbender show, and our breakdown of what the ending ofLost really meant.Plus, theres tons more over atScreenCrushs YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe to catch all our future episodes.Severance Season 2 is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on January 17.Get our free mobile appThe 10 Biggest Unanswered 'Squid Game' Questions

Role Overview:As the Media Partnerships Coordinator at PR Volt, you will be pivotal in driving value for our clients by identifying and cultivating relationships with key media outlets and publishing partners. Your ability to uncover new opportunities and strategically align partnerships will contribute significantly to client success and the overall growth of the company.Key Responsibilities:Identify, research, and secure media partnership opportunities that align with client goals and enhance PR Volt's offeringsBuild and nurture strong relationships with media outlets, journalists, and other stakeholdersDevelop and maintain a database of potential and existing partnerships, ensuring all information is organized and up-to-dateAnalyze and evaluate partnership opportunities to prioritize those that offer the highest value for our clientsCollaborate with internal teams to ensure partnerships are leveraged effectively.Monitor industry trends and identify emerging opportunities to keep PR Volt ahead of the curveRequirements:To excel in this role, you should bring:At least 2 years of experience in PR, Communications, Media Relations, or a related fieldStrong research, interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with an ability to establish rapport with media stakeholdersA strategic mindset and the ability to evaluate opportunities based on client and company objectivesExcellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines asynchronously in a fast-paced environmentTech-savvy with experience using tools such as Airtable, Google Sheets, and AsanaSelf-starter mentality with a proactive approach to uncovering and securing new opportunitiesAvailability to overlap with morning US Eastern Time zone work hoursPreferred Qualifications:Knowledge of the PR, marketing, or media industry is a strong plusExperience in Content Writing would be a great advantage but not requiredExperience working in a media partnerships or business development role is preferred but not requiredBenefits:Fully remote position, offering the flexibility to work from anywhere in the worldIndependent contractor role with hours ranging from 20 to 40 hours per weekCompetitive pay based on deliverablesAn opportunity to make a meaningful impact at a fast-growing, innovative company

This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. China wants to restore the sea with high-tech marine ranches A short ferry ride from the port city of Yantai, on the northeast coast of China, sits Genghai No. 1, a 12,000-metric-ton ring of oil-rig-style steel platforms, advertised as a hotel and entertainment complex. Genghai is in fact an unusual tourist destination, one that breeds 200,000 high-quality marine fish each year. The vast majority are released into the ocean as part of a process known as marine ranching.The Chinese government sees this work as an urgent and necessary response to the bleak reality that fisheries are collapsing both in China and worldwide. But just how much of a difference can it make? Read the full story.Matthew Ponsford This story is from the latest print edition of MIT Technology Reviewits all about the exciting breakthroughs happening in the world right now. If you dont already, subscribe to receive future copies. Fast-learning robots: 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2025 Generative AI is causing a paradigm shift in how robots are trained. Its now clear how we might finally build the sort of truly capable robots that have for decades remained the stuff of science fiction. A few years ago, roboticists began marveling at the progress being made in large language models. Makers of those models could feed them massive amounts of textbooks, poems, manualsand then fine-tune them to generate text based on prompts. Its one thing to use AI to create sentences on a screen, but another thing entirely to use it to coach a physical robot in how to move about and do useful things. Now, roboticists have made major breakthroughs in that pursuit. Read the full story. James O'Donnell Fast-learning robots is one of our 10 Breakthrough Technologies for 2025, MIT Technology Reviews annual list of tech to watch. Check out the rest of the list, and cast your vote for the honorary 11th breakthrough. The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 US regulators are suing Elon Musk| For allegedly violating securities law when he bought Twitter in 2022. (NYT $)+ The case claims that Musk continued to buy shares at artificially low prices. (FT $)+ Musk is unlikely to take it lying down. (Politico)2 SpaceX has launched two private missions to the moon Falling debris from the rockets has forced Qantas to delay flights. (The Guardian)+ The airline has asked for more precise warnings around future launches. (Semafor)+ Space startups are on course for a funding windfall. (Reuters)+ Whats next for NASAs giant moon rocket? (MIT Technology Review)3 Home security cameras are capturing homes burning down in LA Residents have remotely tuned into live footage of their own homes burning. (WP $)+ Californias water scarcity is only going to get worse. (Vox)+ How Los Angeles can rebuild in the wake of the devastation. (The Atlantic $) 4 ChatGPT is about to get much more personal Including reminding you about walking the dog. (Bloomberg $)5 Inside the $30 million campaign to liberate social media from billionaires Free Our Feeds wants to restructure platforms around open-source tech. (Insider $)6 How to avoid getting sick right now The Atlantic $) + But coughs and sneezes could be the least of our problems. (The Guardian)7 The US and China are still collaborating on AI researchDespite rising tensions between the countries. (Rest of World) 8 These startups think they have the solution to lonelinessMaking friends isnt always easy, but these companies have some ideas. (NY Mag $) 9 Here are just some of the ways the universe could end Dont say I didnt warn you. (Ars Technica)+ But at least Earth is probably safe from a killer asteroid for 1,000 years. (MIT Technology Review)10 AI is inventing impossible languages They could help us learn more about how humans learn. (Quanta Magazine)+ These impossible instruments could change the future of music. (MIT Technology Review) Quote of the day If you can get away with it when its front-page news, why bother to comply at all? Marc Fagel, a former director of the SECs San Francisco office, suggests the agencys decision to sue Elon Musk is intended as a deterrent to others, the Wall Street Journal reports. The big story I took an international trip with my frozen eggs to learn about the fertility industry September 2022Anna Louie Sussman Like me, my eggs were flying economy class. They were ensconced in a cryogenic storage flask packed into a metal suitcase next to Paolo, the courier overseeing their passage from a fertility clinic in Bologna, Italy, to the clinic in Madrid, Spain, where I would be undergoing in vitro fertilization.The shipping of gametes and embryos around the world is a growing part of a booming global fertility sector. As people have children later in life, the need for fertility treatment increases each year.After paying for storage costs for six and four years, respectively, at 40 I was ready to try to get pregnant. Transporting the Bolognese batch served to literally put all my eggs in one basket. Read the full story.We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.) + We need to save the worlds largest sea star!+ Maybe our little corner of the universe is more special than weve been led to believe after all.+ How the worlds leading anti-anxiety coach overcame her own anxiety.+ Heres how to keep your eyes on the prize in 2025and beyond!

Holt Town project aims to deliver 20% genuinely affordable housingCGI showing how the scheme would look when builtStudio Egret Wests plans for 4,500 homes in Manchester have been recommended for approval ahead of a council meeting next week.The Holt Town regeneration will repurpose 74 acres of brownfield land within the city to deliver homes of all tenures, 20% of which will be genuinely affordable, including social rent properties.As well as low rise town houses and some taller residential buildings, Holt Town aims to provide a mixed-use area with 30,000 sq ft of commercial space and up to 50 new bars, shops and restaurants, 15 acres of green space, public and pedestrian amenities, a cultural hub and lido.The neighbourhood development framework (NDF) was produced by a team led by architect Studio Egret West, which won a competition to head the scheme in March 2024, and included planner Deloitte, digital engagement specialist Deetu, social value expert Hatch, transport engineer Hilson Moran, digital placemaking consultant MVRDV, and economic analyst Turley.Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: Holt Town has huge potential and this is feeding our ambition to create a brand new woodland town the first of its kind in Manchester.This neigbourhood will represent a people first focus around active travel, green spaces, new play spaces for young people and a digital first approach that will better connect the community with local services.Following consultation, we are beginning to move to the early delivery phase for Holt Town a new town within the city of Manchester that will finally bridge the gap between the city centre, Sportcity and the Etihad Campus in east Manchester.In its consultation website, Manchester City Council said the carbon neutral scheme would bring 230m gross value added (GVA) to the Greater Manchester area anddescribed it a Wood Town, referring to its focus on sustainability and green spaces.It reported that positive feedback was received from its August to September 2024 public consultation.

The masterplan, which has been in the pipeline since 2019, will expand the Watergate Bay Hotel which overlooks Watergate Bay just north of Newquay, and revamp the surrounding bay area next to Tregurrian hamlet.Tate + Co's 4,240m expansion of the hotel includes a new five and six-storey, stone-clad, stepped building which 'takes inspiration from the surrounding terrain.The building will house a gym with associated studio and treatment rooms, a restaurant, a staff wellbeing area and eight family apartments for hotel guests.AdvertisementA separate, low-slung two-storey building with a curved green roof will create 12 additional hotel suites, extending the existing Beach Lofts a part of the hotel that was formerly a Jamie Oliver restaurant before being converted in 2021. Source:Tate + Co Watergate proposals by Tate + Co - AxonometricMeanwhile, a new semicircular beach pavilion will house a small shop, food vendors, and sheltered space for visitors.Improvements to the surrounding bay area will include creating a more pedestrian-friendly centre to Watergate Bay, adding a new elevated walkway to Watergate Hotel, and reconnecting the existing coastal path route through the site. The plan also includes new car parking.The proposal was submitted last May and approved by Cornwall Councils planning department in December in a delegated decision.The planning officer described Tate + Co's design as appropriate, high quality and responsive to this specific site.AdvertisementOfficers concluded that the proposal would contribute positively to the existing tourism offer at Watergate Bay Hotel with new structures and buildings that will complement the appearance and function of the valley bottom without undue harm to the setting of the coastal location.Tate + Co director Laurence Pinnfire said the practices proposed accommodation and public facilities would provide a more coherent experience without detracting from the beach and cliffs.He added: Its great to see the wider vision come to fruition as we carefully improve the area, step by step.Watergate Bay Hotel Director Will Ashworth said Tate + Cos masterplan would extend and improve the hotels guest experience whilst at the same time creating a great public space.

The iPhone 16 Pro's awesome camera can take some of the best photos it's possible to squeeze from a phone. With multiple crystal-clear lenses and new Photographic Styles, it's got a lot to impress even the most demanding of photographers. It even put up a strong fight against the best camera phones around, including the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the Pixel 9 Pro and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.Read more: iPhone 16 Pro takes on Xiaomi 14 UltraBut it's not the perfect camera. As both an experienced phone reviewer and a professional photographer, I have exceptionally high expectations for top-end phone cameras and having used the iPhone 16 Pro since its launch, I have some thoughts on what needs to change.Here are the main points I want to see improved on the iPhone 17 when it likely launches in September 2025.Larger image sensorThough the 1/1.28-inch sensor found on the iPhone 16 Pro's main camera is already a good size -- and marginally larger than the S24 Ultra's 1/1.33-inch sensor -- I want to see Apple go bigger. A larger image sensor can capture more light and offer better dynamic range. It's why pro cameras tend to have at least "full frame" image sensors, while really high-end cameras, like the amazingHasselblad 907X, have enormous "medium format" sensors for pristine image quality. Even on pro cameras, sensor size is important. Even the full-frame image sensor in the middle is dwarfed by the medium format sensor on the right. Phone camera sensors don't come anywhere near to this size. Andrew Lanxon/CNETXiaomi understands this, equipping its 14 Ultra with a 1-inch type sensor. It's larger than the sensors found on almost any phone, which allows the 14 Ultra to take stunning photos in a variety of conditions -- including Taylor Swift concerts. I'm keen to see Apple at least match Xiaomi's phone here with a similar 1-inch type sensor. Though if we're talking pie-in-the-sky wishes, maybe the iPhone 17 could be the first smartphone with a full-frame image sensor. I won't hold my breath on that one -- the phone, and the lenses, would need to be immense to accommodate it, so it'd likely be more efficient just to let you make calls with your mirrorless camera.Variable apertureSpeaking of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, one of the other reasons that phone rocks so hard for photography is its variable aperture on the main camera. Its widest aperture is f/1.6 -- significantly wider than the f/1.78 of the iPhone 16 Pro.That wider aperture lets in a lot of light in dim conditions and more authentically achieves out-of-focus bokeh around a subject. The streetlight outside this pub has been turned into an attractive starburst thanks to the variable aperture of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Andrew Lanxon/CNETBut Xiaomi's aperture can also close down to f/4, and with that narrower aperture, it's able to create starbursts around points of light. I love achieving this effect in nighttime imagery with the phone. It makes the resulting images look much more like they've been taken with a professional camera and lens, while the same points of light on the iPhone just look like roundish blobs.More Photographic StylesThough Apple has had various styles and effects integrated into the iPhone's cameras, the iPhone 16 range took it further, with more control over the effects and more toning options. It's enough that CNET Senior Editor Lisa Eadicicco even declared the new Photographic Styles her "favorite new feature on Apple's latest phone."I think they're great, too. Or rather, they're a great start. The different color tones, like the ones you get with the Amber and Gold styles, add some lovely warmth to scenes, and the Quiet effect adds a vintage filmic fade, but there's still not a whole lot to choose from. I'd love to see Apple introduce more Photographic Styles with different color toning options, or even with tones that mimic vintage film stocks from Kodak or Fujifilm. I like the warmer tones produced by the iPhone's Amber style in this image, but I'd definitely like to see more options for getting creative with color tones. Andrew Lanxon/CNETAnd sure, there are plenty of third-party apps like VSCO or Snapseed that let you play around with color filters all you want. But using Apple's styles means you can take your images with the look already applied, and then change it afterward if you don't like it -- nothing is hard-baked into your image.Better ProRaw integration with Photographic StylesI do think Apple has slightly missed an opportunity with its Photographic Styles, though, in that you can use them only when taking images in HEIF (high-efficiency image format). Unfortunately, you can't use them when shooting in ProRaw. I love Apple's use of ProRaw on previous iPhones, as it takes advantage of all of the iPhone's computational photography -- including things like HDR image blending -- but still outputs a DNG raw file for easier editing.The DNG file typically also offers more latitude to brighten dark areas or tone down highlights in an image, making it extremely versatile. Previously, Apple's color presets could be used when shooting in ProRaw, and I loved it. I frequently shot street-style photos using the high contrast black-and-white mode and then edited the raw file further. I do a lot of street photography in black and white, and I'd love more flexibility to take ProRaw shots in monochrome. Andrew Lanxon/CNETNow using that same black-and-white look means only shooting images in HEIF format, eliminating the benefits of using Apple's ProRaw. Oddly, while the older-style "Filters" are no longer available in the camera app when taking a raw image, you can still apply those filters to raw photos in the iPhone's gallery app through the editing menu.LUTs for ProRes videoAnd while we're on the topic of color presets and filters, Apple needs to bring those to video, too. On the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple introduced the ability to shoot video in ProRes, which results in very low-contrast, almost gray-looking footage. The idea is that video editors will take this raw footage and then apply their edits on top, often applying contrast and color presets known as LUTs (look-up tables) that gives footage a particular look -- think dark and blue for horror films or warm and light tones for a romantic drama vibe.But Apple doesn't offer any kind of LUT for editing ProRes video on the iPhone, beyond simply ramping up the contrast, which doesn't really do the job properly. Sure, the point of ProRes is that you would take that footage off the iPhone, put it into software like Davinci Resolve, and then properly color grade the footage so it looks sleek and professional. ProRes footage looks very low contrast and desaturated. Apple needs to introduce ways to help you do more with ProRes files on the iPhone. Andrew Lanxon/CNETBut that still leaves the files on your phone, and I'd love to be able to do more with them. My gallery is littered with ungraded video files that I'll do very little with because they need color grading externally. I'd love to share them to Instagram, or with my family over WhatsApp, after transforming those files from drab and gray to beautifully colorful.With the iPhone 17, or even with the iPhone 16 as a software update, I want to see Apple creating a range of its own LUTs that can be directly applied to ProRes video files on the iPhone.If Apple were able to implement all these changes -- excluding, perhaps, the full-frame sensor which even I can admit is a touch ambitious -- it would have an absolute beast of a camera on its hands.

OpinionJanuary 15, 20255 min readTwo Simple Reforms Can Make H-1B Visas Great AgainAlthough warring MAGA factions seem locked in a foreign worker battle with no middle ground, two straightforward changes would provide global talent while minimizing domestic job lossesBy Hal Salzman edited by Dan Vergano Rob Dobi/Getty ImagesJust in time for the holidays, an internecine fight about what America First means broke upon the incoming Trump administration. The brawl pitted demands for more high-skill foreign guest workers against others saying those workers sent Americans to the back of the hiring line.This latest fracas began on Christmas, when Trumps billionaire backer Elon Musk wrote: The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low, on his X social network. He called for more H-1B workers to compensate for these overly complacent and less competent Americans. Trumps former-opponent-turned-backer, former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley responded: We must invest in Americans first before looking elsewhere.The fracas is new, but the argument isnt. For decades, researchers have disputed the effects of an expansive and ever-growing H-1B visa program for technology guest workers. Tech executives such as Musk say they need tens of thousands more workers. But others point out that hundreds of thousands of experienced U.S. tech workers were fired in the last two yearssome among the 15,000 fired by Muskand then replaced by guest workers.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.But there is a way for top talent to work in the U.S. without undermining the wages and opportunities for its workersif we tighten restrictions on visas and end exploitative educational programs.The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's H-1B visa program yearly provides businesses with up to 65,000 nonimmigrant work visas for guest workers with specialized skills, usually defined as requiring a bachelors degree related to the field of proposed employment. Another 20,000 go to those with a masters degree or higher, and an unlimited number go to universities and nonprofits to hire foreign lab techs, scientists, tech workers, professors and postdocs. In 2023, the agency granted about 120,000 visas in total. Additionally, there is an even larger STEM OPT (optional practical training) program that provides any foreign student graduate a three-year work permit in a STEM fieldwhich can be whatever a university defines as STEM (such as New York Universitys drama therapy or games for learning master's degree). These two programs swim in an alphabet soup of visas that yearly provide U.S. employers over 700,000 high-skill guest workers.Technology industries scoop up about two thirds of these visas, and have done so for decades; they rely on guest workers to fill the vast majority of new, young hires, perhaps as much as 70 to 80 percent of entry-level employees. Unlike other visas, the H-1B visa is tied to the employer so workers are, as often described, indentured servants, with limited mobility. That undercuts their market power in negotiating wages, leaving abusive working conditions or protesting wage theft. There is no requirement that their employers demonstrate a labor shortage or first search for U.S. workers; in fact, it is perfectly legal for employers to exclude citizens and permanent, green card residents alike from consideration; U.S. workers are not a protected class under antidiscrimination laws. It was only this past year that one of the larger IT guest worker employers, Cognizant, lost a novel lawsuit charging discrimination in favor of one ethnic group, Indian workers, who were the most hired on H-1B visas.When we look at the education and jobs held by the vast majority of guest workers, its hard to call them hard-to-find talent. Most work for software outsourcing and consulting firms, doing important but not innovative work. And most computer science guest workers graduating from U.S. colleges with advanced degrees come from low or no-ranked programs with enrollments of some 80 to 100 percent foreign students. That is, colleges have gotten into the game of profiting from guest workers, through masters degree programs that are low-cost to run but high-cost for students. These serve as a labor market portal for foreign students, and high-margin profit centers for colleges.Two simple reforms would provide the tech industry access to global talent while minimizing job losses of domestic workers. Theyd also encourage investment in American education and training.First, guest worker visas, including H1-Bs, should be issued only for workers paid in the top 15 percent of each industry and occupation groups wages. Second, work visas should go only to graduates in the top 15 percent of each class for workers entering through OPT. Both policies are reasonable and relatively straightforward to implement and monitor. Employers and colleges already report most of the necessary data to federal agencies. And they address the important concerns of both of our rhetorical combatants.Super talented and super motivated workers are certainly a far smaller share than the top 15 percent of the workforce. That means these restrictions will more than satisfy Musks demands to fill innovative technology development jobs.Limiting guest worker permits and visas to the foreign students graduating in the top 15 percent of their class in a U.S. college would address two concerns: First, students would be ranked alongside their domestic peers, providing some measure of their academic abilities. Second, it would keep colleges from operating diploma mills that target and exploit foreign students. For those students, there would be risk of not getting a work permit by going to colleges with more than 10 to 15 percent foreign student enrollment. That would encourage them to attend a broader range of colleges, bringing higher performing students to lower-tier schools. To keep this profitable population, colleges will, in turn, need to recruit a substantial pool of domestic students and, importantly, support them through graduation. Thats because a high dropout rate will shrink the domestic pool and thus the share of foreign students who can be in the top 15 percent (motivating foreign students to help their domestic peers graduate, lest the domestic pool shrink and decrease the number of students in the top percentiles).Employers also will need to recruit more widely and invest in domestic education to maintain the pool of foreign graduates eligible for work permits. The smaller pool of foreign graduates will motivate employers to compete for workers rather than relying on government largesse for abundant supplies of guest workers willing to accept below-market wages. This will draw talented workers into the technology industries rather than losing them to Wall Street, which doesnt advance science and engineering. Adjustments for regional wages could spur industries hiring these higher-paid, higher-skilled workers to locate high-wage operations in lower-cost U.S. cities and towns.These straightforward reforms would reduce by 90 percent, I estimate, the current pool of eligible H-1B applicants that irks Haley. Tens of thousands of guest worker visas would then be available under the current cap so tech industries could recruit top global talent, while also encouraging these companies to draw on the large supply of U.S. talent.Lets be honest about reforming guest worker visas to bring in global talent, using the market as a guide rather than falling under the influence of industries that spend the most on lobbyists or who flood the zone with applications gaming the system. With these straightforward reforms we can support legitimate goals for bringing in hard-to-find global talent and investing in the ample supplies of the domestic super talented students and workers. These strategic reforms will provide U.S. workers, especially underrepresented minorities, real opportunities in our technology workforce, and cut the Gordian knot tied by antiworker expansionists and anti-immigrant restrictionists alike. This is what industry should be super motivated to do.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater merch is releasing, even though we still don't actually have a date for the game itself. Read more