6K Additive, a division of 6K specializing in advanced material solutions for additive manufacturing, has been chosen alongside EOS as a key participant in the America Makes sustainability and environmental benefits project. Announced on January 23, 2025, this collaboration highlights 6K Additives leadership in sustainable production of titanium powder. Partnering with Texas A&M University, 3Degrees, Wichita State University, and the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), the project aims to enhance the sustainable manufacturing of aerospace and defense products through innovative additive manufacturing techniques.The 6K Additive facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photo by Paul Hanaphy. The initiative is funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineerings (OSD(R&E)) Manufacturing Technology Office, with a total allocation of $2.1 million. Under Topic 6, EOS and 6K Additive will utilize a portion of these funds to develop and demonstrate sustainable additive manufacturing (AM) practices. Key objectives include optimizing design processes, enhancing material selection and development, improving material handling, and advancing recycling techniques. These goals align with 6K Additives mission to lead in sustainable material solutions within the additive manufacturing sector.Jon Walker, Government Relations & Key Account Manager at EOS, stated, When it became time to decide on a material development partner for this project, 6K Additive was quickly identified as a frontrunner. Their expertise in sustainable materials and proven track record in supporting Department of Defense (DoD) grant projects made them the clear choice for partnership. Frank Roberts, President of 6K Additive, added, We are truly excited to be selected again by America Makes and equally excited to be working hand in hand with EOS and the other team members on this project. This collaboration underscores our dedication to sustainability in additive manufacturing and highlights the superior environmental benefits of our titanium powder.the logo of America Makes. Image via America MakesBuilding on Sustainable Innovations in Additive ManufacturingThe additive manufacturing industry has increasingly prioritized sustainability. In 2024, Stratasys Ltd., a leading provider of 3D printing solutions, released its third Mindful Manufacturing ESG and Sustainability Report, showcasing significant advancements in reducing environmental footprints and enhancing sustainable practices. Stratasys achieved a 73% reduction in energy usage and a 78% decrease in carbon emissions through innovative recycling and material handling programs, setting a benchmark for companies like 6K Additive to follow.Additionally, a 2024 report by the National Engineering Policy Centre emphasized the critical need for sustainable material strategies within the UK. The report, led by the Royal Academy of Engineering, highlighted the importance of recycling and reusing critical materials to achieve economic security and net-zero goals. 6K Additives UniMelt microwave plasma technology, which converts used battery minerals into cathode active materials, directly supports these initiatives by fostering a circular supply chain and reducing reliance on imported scarce materialsGlobal material extraction, four main material categories, 19702024. Image via the National Engineering Policy Centre.Ready to discover who won the 20243D Printing Industry Awards?What will the future of 3D printing look like?Which recent trends are driving the 3D printing industry, as highlighted by experts?Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to stay updated with the latest news and insights.Stay connected with the latest in 3D printing by following us on Twitter and Facebook, and dont forget to subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry YouTube channel for more exclusive content.Featured image shows the logo of America Makes. Image via America Makes.

close 'CyberGuy': Scammers find sneaky way to bypass your iPhone's safety features Tech expert Kurt Knutsson says cybercriminals are exploiting iMessage phishing protection, tricking users to reactivate links. In an alarming development, cybercriminals have devised a new method to circumvent Apple's built-in phishing protection for iMessage, potentially exposing you to malicious links and scams. This sophisticated tactic exploits a security feature designed to protect you, turning it into a vulnerability that could lead to significant personal and financial risks.Enter the giveaway by signing up for myfree newsletter. Scammers phishing text message sent to iPhone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)The trick unveiledApple's iMessage automatically disables links in messages from unknown senders as a security measure. However, cybercriminals have found a way to exploit this protection. By instructing you to reply to the message, often with a simple "Y," the attackers can re-enable previously disabled links. This seemingly innocuous action not only activates the links but also signals to the scammers that they've found an engaged target for future attacks.We reached out to Apple for a comment but did not hear back before our deadline. Scammers phishing text message sent to iPhone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Common phishing luresThese deceptive messages often masquerade as notifications from trusted organizations, such as:Undeliverable packages from courier services (USPS, DHL, FedEx)Unpaid road tollsOutstanding payments or feesThe messages typically end with instructions like: "(Please reply Y, then exit the SMS, re-open the SMS activation link, or copy the link to open in Safari)." Scammers phishing text messages sent to iPhone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)The rising threat of smishingThis new tactic is part of a broader trend ofsmishing (SMS phishing) attacks targeting mobile users. With the increasing reliance on smartphones for various activities, including financial transactions and personal communications, these attacks pose a significant threat to users' security and privacy.How to protect yourselfTo safeguard against these sophisticated phishing attempts, consider the following steps.1) Never reply to suspicious messages: Avoid responding to texts from unknown senders, especially those asking you to reply to activate links. Additionally, make sure to delete suspicious text messages and block the sender to prevent further attempts. Since the sender is not in your contact list, you can click Report Junkat the bottom of the text. Then clickDelete and Report Junk. This will report the conversation as junk by sending it to your wireless carrier and Apple using your phone number.2) Verify sender identity: Contact organizations directly through official channels if you're unsure about a message's legitimacy.3) Be skeptical of urgency: Scammers often use urgent language to prompt quick, thoughtless actions.4) Enable message filtering: Use your device's built-in filtering options to sort messages from unknown senders. Here are the steps:OpenSettingsScroll down and clickAppsTapMessagesTurn onFilter Unknown SendersThis feature allows you to automatically sort messages from unknown senders, easily filter unread messagesand manage your message inbox more efficiently.5) Use two-factor authentication (2FA):2FA adds an extra layer of security to your accounts by requiring a second form of verification, such as a text message or authentication app, in addition to your password. This significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access, even if your password is compromised.6) Have strong antivirus software:The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.7) Invest in personal data removal services: By reducing your online footprint, you make it harder for cybercriminals to obtain your contact information, potentially preventing them from sending you these deceptive iMessage phishing texts in the first place. While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time.Check out my top picks for data removal services here.What to do if you've been targetedIf you suspect you've fallen victim to a smishing attack:Report the incident to relevant authorities and institutionsFreeze your credit to prevent potential identity fraudChange passwords and PINs for all your accounts; consider using apassword manager to generate and store complex passwordsMonitor your finances and online accounts for suspicious activityUse an identity theft protection service:Identity theft companies can monitor personal information like your Social Security number, phone number and email address and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account.They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals.One of the best parts of some identity theft protection services is that they have identity theft insurance ofup to $1 million to cover losses and legal feesand a white-glove fraud resolution team where a U.S.-based case manager helps you recover any losses.See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft.Kurt's key takeawaysThis latest trick targeting iMessage users serves as a reminder that even seemingly secure systems can be vulnerable to social engineering. By remaining cautious and following best practices for digital security, you can significantly reduce your risk of falling victim to these sophisticated phishing attempts.What other cybersecurity challenges have you encountered with your mobile devices, and what questions do you have for us? Let us know by writing us atCyberguy.com/Contact.For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to cover.Follow Kurt on his social channels:Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com.All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurts free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Broadcoms 2023 acquisition of VMware for US$69bn led to disruptive changes in the virtualisation providers pricing.Key here is a move from perpetual licences to a subscription model. This has left some enterprises facing higher costs, with some considering a move to alternative virtualisation environments.For those considering that, the challenge is to ensure any migration provides adequate backup and recovery measures for new hypervisors. This is as well as protecting remaining VMware workloads.The main reason CIOs cite for moving away from VMware is cost, with worries over increasing overheads from the new subscription model prominent. VMware also discontinued its free edition of VMware vSphere ESXi, which was popular with smaller firms.For enterprises looking to move, VMware alternatives include competing virtualisation technologies, such as Nutanix, Microsoft Hyper-V and Oracle Linux Virtualization. There are also open source options that include Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization, Linux Kernel-level Virtual Machines (KVM) and Proxmox Virtual Environment.As yet, there are few signs of a mass exodus, however. One survey, carried out by backup provider Nakivo, suggested a third of its customers planned to move away from VMware to Proxmox. The supplier points to a smaller number of customers moving to Nutanix and Hyper-V.This suggests a larger percentage of VMware users have either decided to stay with the technology and the new commercial terms, some of which including simpler storage licensing can favour some workloads.Naturally, the first reaction is to say, Right, Im going to go somewhere else, Im going to use somebody elses technology, says Patrick Smith, field chief technology officer for EMEA at Pure Storage.And some organisations have fairly rapidly moved off VMware onto other platforms, but they are either small or very agile to be able to do that.Other enterprises might be biding their time, not least because moving between hypervisor platforms is complex and carries risk. Nor do the alternatives offer all VMwares features and functionality or not in one place, at least.If moving workloads from one hypervisor to another is difficult, then ensuring those workloads and data are backed up adds another layer of complexity.Much will depend on how an enterprise currently protects its systems, including VMware, alternative hypervisors it is considering, and the backup and recovery tools it uses. For the majority of organisations, it is probable the data protection systems they use will work if they choose to stay with VMware as a major platform or migrate to alternatives Tony Lock, Freeform DynamicsThe good news is the larger backup and disaster recovery suppliers already have support for competing virtualisation platforms. Hyper-V, in particular, is well supported for businesses that also run on Microsoft infrastructure.At the same time, providers such as Veeam, Rubrik and Nakivo have strengthened support for open source platforms, especially Proxmox.This raises the prospect of firms being able to continue with their current backup and recovery provider, even if they move to a mixed approach to virtualisation. Alternatively, if their current disaster recovery supplier falls short, there is the chance to move to a toolset that does support a multi-supplier approach.For the majority of organisations, it is probable the data protection systems they use will work if they choose to stay with VMware as a major platform or migrate to alternatives, suggests Tony Lock, principal analyst at Freeform Dynamics. This is especially likely to be the case if they have a data protection solution that protects a mixed environment.However, even if a data protection or backup and recovery tool supports alternatives to VMware, IT teams should anticipate carrying out configuration and testing before their alternatives go live.If they do not, there is a risk that by attempting to save money on licensing, they expose the business to risk and additional costs down the line. Backup is turning out to be a quite a polarising aspect of moving away from VMware Bruce Kornfeld, StorMagicVMwares maturity and market share means products such as ESXi and vSAN are well-understood and well-supported by independent software suppliers, integrators and in-house teams. Not all hypervisors enjoy that industry support.One area where this is apparent is where backup and recovery providers offer agentless integration directly with hypervisors. This is not yet on offer for all the alternatives, and CIOs might need to consider agent-based backup.Backup is turning out to be a quite a polarising aspect of moving away from VMware, says Bruce Kornfeld, chief product officer at StorMagic, a supplier of hyper-converged storage.The leaders in virtualisation have had the attention of the backup software industry over the last 20-plus years, and tight agentless integration directly with their hypervisors is something that many users have come to expect. However, the backup software industry hasnt had the research and development capacity to work with every hypervisor on the market there just hasnt been the return on investment in the past.VMware customers that have made the decision to move away from VMware need to re-address their backup strategy, he says. They need to look at using an agent-based approach. This is the way backup has been done for decades and will work with any hypervisor. This should not, Kornfeld says, come with extra costs.Firms also need to consider the time and resources they need to set aside for backup and disaster recovery testing, once they have decided to move workloads away from VMware. This includes testing file and virtual machine-based backup routines.In fact, changing hypervisors can present a good opportunity to review the strength of disaster recovery and backup arrangements across the business. These might not be as robust as CIOs expect.It is fair to say that some organisations are not totally happy with their data protection solutions and processes, says Tony Lock.In such circumstances, it is certainly something they will need to look at, but the issue is do they have the resources and budgets to potentially modify two important systems at once? And even if they do, would they be happy that they can manage the risk of change, since any major platform change carries some element of risk?It is here where careful supplier evaluation and selection, and potentially bringing in additional supplier or third-party engineering support, should pay for itself.Read more about VMware and backupBackup technology explained: The fundamentals of enterprise backup: We look at backup and its role in enterprise data protection, including what to backup and how often, RPO and RTO, full and incremental, and if backups can be replaced by snapshots.12 common virtual machine backup mistakes: Despite an administrators best efforts, virtual machine backups can fail. Determine the cause of the failure and modify the VM backup strategy to prevent future mistakes.

Without a clear plan for AI, costs can spiral quickly.

TOPSHOT - Migrants travel in an inflatable boat across the English Channel (Photo by BEN ... [+] STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesThe U.K.'s National Crime Agency has said it's made big progress in stamping out accounts linked to people-smuggling on Meta, X, TikTok and YouTube.Its referrals to the firms led to a 40% increase in the number of account takedowns last year, with more than 8,000 accounts, representing more than 90% of all referrals made, removed.The figure was well up on the 5,600 removed in 2023, and means that more than 16,500 have been taken down in total since the NCA started working with four major social media companies just over three years ago.Some of the posts removed falsely claimed that small boat crossings from France to the UK would take place via speedboat; others offered prizes to migrants who referred a friend. Some accounts offered transport from Africa to southern Europe, and others offered fake ID documents for sale."Social media remains a key way the organised crime groups involved in people smuggling promoting their illegal services to migrants. It is a major part of their business model," said Sophie Austin, operations manager at the NCAs Online Communication Centre."Once migrants are engaged, they then move conversations onto encrypted messaging apps where they are hidden from law enforcement."Since agreeing a social media action plan with the four companies in December 2021, the NCA has carried out a number of investigations targeting individuals or groups using social media to promote their people-smuggling services.MORE FOR YOUAmong those convicted was Amanj Hasan Zada from Preston, jailed for 17 years in November 2024 after publishing video testimonials from those hed successfully smuggled. Two other men, Dilshad Shamo and Ali Khdir from Caerphilly in South Wales, were convicted in November of using social media apps to publicize their people-smuggling enterprise. They are now awaiting sentence."Taking down these accounts disrupts the activities of those criminal networks, we are devoting more resources to doing that as it is one of a number of ways we can actively target them and make their life more difficult," said Austin."We continue to work closely with social media platforms to highlight such content and contribute to the development of detection capabilities."Earlier this month, the U.K. government announced plans for travel bans, social media blackouts and restrictions on phone usage under tough new laws to dismantle people-smuggling networks.And people smugglers are exploiting social media in the U.S. too. Last November, for example, two high ranking cartel members were sentenced to prison for their part in a major human smuggling operation."Cartel del Noreste, a Mexican cartel, is known for engaging in ruthless acts of violence and extortion to support its drug trafficking operations, and in recent years it has added human smuggling to its list of illicit money-making operations, with Facebook and social media becoming invaluable tools to facilitate its new venture," said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani."CDN uses these platforms to recruit, coordinate and expand its criminal operations, reaching broader audiences, while putting countless lives at risk. For years, Suarez and Guzman used Facebook to exploit and profit from vulnerable individuals while also evading detection, but thanks to the efforts of my office, those days are now over."

What just happened? Chinese AI company DeepSeek released an open version of its reasoning model, R1, on January 20, 2025. The model has garnered much attention in the tech industry for its performance, which reportedly matches or exceeds OpenAI's o1 on certain AI benchmarks. Since its release, conversations on social media have been fast and furious about its potential impact on AI development and competition between Chinese and American tech companies. Prominent venture capitalist Marc Andreessen was one of those impressed by the feat, writing on X that DeepSeek's model was "one of the most amazing and impressive breakthroughs I've ever seen."DeepSeek's accomplishment is particularly noteworthy given the company's claim to have trained a model with 671 billion parameters using just 2,048 Nvidia H800s and $5.6 million, a fraction of the resources typically required by industry giants like OpenAI and Google. This cost-effectiveness is even more remarkable considering the U.S. sanctions that restrict the sale of advanced chips to Chinese companies.Commentators said that for these reasons, the model also has geopolitical implications. "The impressive performance of DeepSeek's distilled models [...] means that very capable reasoners will continue to proliferate widely and be runnable on local hardware, far from the eyes of any top-down control regime," Dean Ball, an AI researcher at George Mason University, wrote.Some observers believe that DeepSeek's success could potentially benefit the entire AI industry. "If training models get cheaper faster and easier, the demand for inference (actual real world use of AI) will grow and accelerate even faster, which assures the supply of compute will be used," Garry Tan, CEO of Y Combinator, wrote on X. // Related StoriesHowever, not all reactions have been uniformly positive. Neal Khosla, CEO of Curai, expressed skepticism, suggesting that the company might be a "ccp state psyop" aimed at undermining U.S. AI competitiveness. However, this claim has been challenged for lack of evidence.DeepSeek-R1 is a reasoning model that employs a step-by-step approach to problem-solving, making it particularly adept at tasks in physics, science, and mathematics. The model contains 671 billion parameters, which contribute to its problem-solving capabilities.DeepSeek has also released smaller "distilled" versions of R1, ranging from 1.5 billion to 70 billion parameters, with the smallest capable of running on a laptop.R1 is available under an MIT license, allowing for commercial use without restrictions. According to DeepSeek, the model outperforms OpenAI's o1 on benchmarks such as AIME, MATH-500, and SWE-bench Verified. These assess various aspects of AI performance, including mathematical problem-solving and programming tasks.One notable limitation of R1 is its adherence to Chinese regulatory requirements. As a Chinese model, it's subject to benchmarking by China's internet regulator to ensure compliance with "core socialist values." Consequently, R1 refrains from answering questions about sensitive topics such as Tiananmen Square or Taiwan's autonomy.Despite these constraints, DeepSeek's achievement has sparked significant interest. As of Sunday afternoon, DeepSeek's AI assistant has become the top free app in the Apple App Store, surpassing even ChatGPT.The success of DeepSeek has catapulted its creator Liang Wenfeng into the national spotlight. Recently, he was the sole AI industry representative invited to a high-profile meeting with Li Qiang, China's Premier and second-most powerful leader.Liang, a Chinese entrepreneur and hedge fund manager, began his journey to AI prominence in the world of quantitative finance. In 2015, Liang founded High-Flyer, a quantitative hedge fund that quickly rose to one of China's "Big Four" quantitative private funds. Under Liang's leadership, High-Flyer pioneered the integration of AI-driven strategies in quantitative investment, transitioning to a fully AI-based approach by 2017.Liang's foray into AI development began in earnest in 2021 when he started acquiring thousands of Nvidia GPUs for what was initially perceived as an eccentric side project. This prescient move laid the groundwork for DeepSeek, which Liang founded in 2023 with the ambitious goal of developing human-level AI.Liang's unconventional background has proven to be a unique advantage in the AI field. His team's experience in utilizing Nvidia chips for stock trading has translated well into the challenges posed by U.S. export restrictions on advanced AI chips to China. This adaptability has allowed DeepSeek to innovate in the face of limited access to cutting-edge hardware.

Editor's take: A takeover of Intel has become a Gordian knot. The company's factories require massive investments billions of dollars and several years to fix which most prospective buyers, companies or private equity firms aren't willing to handle. The US government has also poured a lot of money into these factories, making it politically difficult to shut them down. The problem is clear: no one wants the factories, but Intel can't be sold without them. No one wants to buy Intel's fabs and their bottomless funding needs, but the company probably cannot be sold without someone taking them on.There's been more stories this past couple of weeks about Intel getting acquired. An industry analyst claimed that he "had been read a letter" which showed some unnamed company was in the process of buying the company. We are not going to link to that report because we are not certain about its accuracy... something in the language feels "off" to us. Nonetheless, it sparked a surge in the company's share price and a host of follow-up coverage.Editor's Note:Guest author Jonathan Goldberg is the founder of D2D Advisory, a multi-functional consulting firm. Jonathan has developed growth strategies and alliances for companies in the mobile, networking, gaming, and software industries.This is not exactly news Reuters reported this back in September, and to be blunt, we trust Reuters' sourcing a lot more. Going back even further, we speculated that Broadcom could buy Intel all the way back in May before things got really bad at Intel. We were only semi-serious about that idea, but this timeline has clearly entered reality-is-stranger-than-fiction territory, and it looks likely that Broadcom at least considered a bid. As we have been saying, Intel is in play, and anything is possible.// Related StoriesWell, not anything. There are only a handful of companies capable of buying Intel, and the two most likely candidates have already taken a look and seem to have stepped away. There are also a dozen or so private equity funds who could afford it, but our sense is that they are passing on it as well.A takeover of Intel has become a Gordian knot. The big problem is funding the company's fabs, which will require tens of billions of dollars and years to get back on track. Few companies, and no private equity funds, really want to deal with that large of a funding need and time horizon. On the other hand, the US government has given Intel a lot of money, and so simply shutting down the fabs is deeply problematic. No one wants the fabs, but the company cannot be sold without them.In theory, the new administration could give a buyer approval to shut the fabs, but if someone has enough political capital for that purpose, why not use that political capital to secure some direct government support?In speaking with investors, our impression is that the Street assumes the only way to save Intel is for the government to intervene. We maintain that this is not a hard requirement, but we recognize that this is now the common perception of the situation. There are, of course, rumors that a certain highly-connected, deeply troubling tech mogul has a plan to buy the company. And from the very narrow perspective of saving the US' semiconductor manufacturing capacity, that may be what it takes.We are increasingly convinced that the only way for Intel to survive is for someone to buy them and remove the board. Unfortunately for the company, and the semiconductor industry, that path looks very challenging.

A complaint against Apple has been raised in the U.K. by industry giant BT Group, where it has voiced concerns over the companys use of eSIM technology, claiming it could hurt its business and stifle competition. The BT Group, which owns the EE network, the U.K.s largest mobile operator by subscribers, told the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) according to a report by The Telegraph:We encourage the CMA to consider the risk of disintermediation in the telecoms industry with respect to eSIMs, which is an additional area where handset providers could exercise their strong market position.Recommended VideosThe BT Groups concern is it may be forced out of the buying process by brands like Apple using eSIMs to build a stronger, direct relationship with buyers, and potentially introduce their own Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) services. The complaint follows the CMAs launch of an investigation into Apple and Googles mobile ecosystems, including app stores and browsers, to establish if either are abusing their market power.Please enable Javascript to view this contentShould the CMA find Apple or Google are exploiting their positions, potential alterations may be required to open up app stores and app functionality, and make it easier to pay for services in an app. While eSIMs are not mentioned in the CMAs documentation, the BT Group clearly feels it fits with an investigation into mobile ecosystems, and wanted to make sure the technology wasnt overlooked.Since 2022 all Apple iPhone models are sold as eSIM-only in the U.S., but in the U.K. a physical SIM card is still an option on the latest iPhone 16 models. However, Apple may change this in the future,. For example, the rumored Apple iPhone 17 Air is expected to only support an eSIM, which will assist in reducing the devices thickness. If the device is to launch globally, it may introduce the scenario concerning the BT Group.All the major carriers in the U.K. support eSIM, but not all MVNOs do. Interestingly, and perhaps somewhat ironically, when EE exclusively launched the Motorola Razr (2020) it was an eSIM-only device. The BT Group acquired EE in 2016.Editors Recommendations

A new data infrastructure helped Levis crunch the numbers on how everyonenot just the TikTok setmight want to go looser these days.

TSMC, DeepSeek and more in the latest Market Talks covering Technology, Media and Telecom.