Social media users are becoming ever more adept at spotting scams, but many still need to remain alert, an exclusive TechRadar Pro study has found.
Firstly, respondents were asked what social media platforms they used. Facebook came out on top with just under 80% being active on the networking site. Instagram was next with 68.1%, and Tiktok and Twitter were closely contested for third place with just under 50% apiece using them (49.8% and 47.5% respectively).
LinkedIn and WhatsApp rounded out the last two of the mainstream platforms, with 35.8% and 33.4% respectively. 6.6% said they used other social media platforms to these, with 3.7% using none at all.
Scam spotting
The results for how often scams were encountered on social media platforms were pretty evenly split. Just over a third came across them once a day, and just over a quarter said once a week. Only 15% said once a month, and under a third said less than a month.
Scams on social media platforms have been on the rise since the pandemic, reaching a peak in 2021, and remaining prominent this year as well. Unsurprisingly, prime sales periods, such as Black Friday and the festive season, often see an increase in the perpetration of scams.
Thankfully, most felt confident or very confident - 30.9% and 34.4% respectively - that they could identify them. A quarter said they were a little bit, and only 10% said they were not very.
That confidence may be misplaced, however, given that other reports have shown a fair amount of users fall for popular scams on social media, such as phishing campaigns and fake gift card offers.
Cryptocurrency scams have also been growing in popularity in recent years on social media. Ads for fake exchanges will promote 'investment opportunities', with the promise of increasing a victim's wallet substantially. Some have even used videos of Elon Musk discussing crypto to lure people in.
There are numerous ways to spot social media scams, though. One telltale sign is that if a deal looks too good to be true, then it probably is. Another is to check the address of any links before clicking them, to make sure they actually take you to the official site of the company in question.
Checking that a website looks professional and is free from any glaring spelling mistakes and grammatical errors is also key to spotting fake websites.
Many scams can infect your device - so here are the best malware removal tools to get rid of them
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Google's most recent flagship phones are the Google Pixel 7 and the Google Pixel 7 Pro, but a leaked roadmap gives us an idea of the tech giant's Pixel plans for the next few years – all the way up to 2025. We're going to be seeing foldable phones, spec upgrades, and plenty more besides, it seems.
This intriguing look into the future comes courtesy of Android Authority, though bear in mind that this is in no way official, and it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Google will change its plans even if this report is currently accurate. Even the source itself says that the roadmap isn't set in stone.
With those caveats out of the way, we can dive in. Around Google IO 2023 time in April or May we are apparently getting the Google Pixel Fold (priced at $1,799, which is roughly £1,495 or AU$2,675) and the Google Pixel 7a (apparently price matched to this year's Google Pixel 6a at $449 / £399 / AU$749).
Up to 2025
Further out we'll have the Google Pixel 8 and the Google Pixel 8 Pro later in 2023. This roadmap suggests the Pixel 8 will be smaller than its direct predecessor, though the Pro model is said to match the Google Pixel 7 Pro in terms of dimensions and display size. Both phones are reportedly going to be powered by the Tensor G3.
The year 2024 will apparently bring three Pixel 9 models running the Tensor G4, with two Pro editions: the existing 6.7-inch size and a new 6.3-inch size (to more closely match the Apple iPhone series). However, the launch of the Google Pixel 8a is dependent on Pixel 7a sales – Google might switch to a two-year cycle for the mid-range handset.
That takes us all the way to 2025, and here the planning is more fluid – a lot depends on how sales of the 2023 and 2024 phones go. Google might launch a clamshell foldable to compete with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series, the report says, it might expand the Pixel 10 range to four phones, and it might launch a Google Pixel Fold 2.
Analysis: following Apple and Samsung
As Android Authority also points out while reporting on its scoop, Google is clearly looking to follow the lead set by Apple and Samsung – the two phone makers that dominate sales in the US. By 2025 Google could have two foldables (like Samsung) and four flagship phone models (like Apple).
Switching the Pixel A series phones to a launch every other year would match Apple as well – it's what's been happening with the iPhone SE. When power and performance aren't quite so important, upgrades aren't quite as urgent, and changing the cycle might help Google in sticking to a fixed price point on these phones.
What remains to be seen is whether or not ramping up its Pixel efforts leads to more hardware sales for Google. It's been working hard to build out its ecosystem of devices – we've had the Pixel Watch launch this year, and next year we're getting the Pixel Tablet, giving consumers more pieces of hardware that work seamlessly together.
Meanwhile the main selling points of the Pixel phones have remained the same for years: excellent photos and videos, and a clean and constantly updated version of Android. However, in the US at least, Google still needs to do something about people's dependence on iMessage to get substantial numbers of users to switch.
The end of the year is usually a time when people reflect on what came before in the previous year, and the same applies to Apple's software, iOS especially.
Since 2007 with the debut of the iPhone and iOS, there's been a yearly turnaround of new software updates that would bring big changes or small improvements, such as a redesign in iOS 7, or widgets on the home screen in iOS 14.
However, with iOS 16 bringing widgets to the lock screen, users seem to want an expansion of existing features, rather than new ones for iOS 17.
With this in mind, we've racked our brains and come up with seven iPhone platform features that could benefit a lot of users.
Start-up screen showcasing the new features
(Image credit: TechRadar)
This is something I hear a lot: 'I didn't know my iPhone could do that.' As I work in an open office, I'll spot iPhones that are updated to iOS 16, but still on the old lock screen or others that are still running iOS 13 on an iPhone 11 Pro.
Apple believes that design should be invisible, that you should intuitively know a feature will be there, ready to use, but it doesn't play out that way for everyone. A friend had no idea you could answer calls on a Mac through an iPhone for example - a feature that's been around since 2014.
This is why an extra start-up screen should appear once you update to iOS 17. Similar to when you launch one of Apple's apps and a screen appears showing what's new. Instead, have this show when you go to the home screen, and make it clear that the Tips app can help you try these features out.
The Tips app is a lesser-known app from Apple, but for a new user it's great - it's just not talked about much by the company, and you most likely don't know that you can go to the app and, as the above image shows, look at an overview of all the new features.
Let's see it be more ubiquitous - perhaps a random tip appears within the Dynamic Island during the first day you update to iOS 17, or even an email showcasing what you can do.
Redesigned Control Center
(Image credit: TechRadar)
This is something long overdue, but it's a difficult challenge to overcome. First appearing in iOS 7 with the big redesign to a flat methodology, you would swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone to access some settings. It was later moved to the top-right corner as the iPhone X and beyond use the swipe-up gesture to go back to the home screen.
Almost ten years later and Control Center has gotten worse, mainly due to the number of new features that have appeared, and in turn, filled up the menu so much that it can be difficult to exit the screen when you try to swipe up.
Let's see a redesign where we can resize the options, similar to widgets on the home screen, and have third-party apps be given access to Control Center.
And as an aside, let's also see Control Center be part of the multitasking menu on iPad, instead of having its own section.
Stream games more easily from iOS to Twitch
(Image credit: Ink Drop / Shutterstock)
Apple made a big push on gaming at WWDC 2022, where it announced Resident Evil Village coming to the Mac, and No Man's Sky coming to both the Mac and iPad, but if you wanted to stream games on your iPhone through Twitch, you're out of luck.
Granted, SharePlay allows users to stream what they're doing in certain apps, but that's within a FaceTime call. Instead, let's see a feature where you can press a button to load up your Twitch account and stream your Apple Arcade game.
Let's also make it possible to look at the chat window of those watching your stream, and keep track of your subscriptions through notifications on another Apple device you may have.
Universal Battery Widget
(Image credit: TechRadar)
We're in an age where many users own multiple products from Apple, and while iCloud helps you to manage files across these devices, some details such as fitness and battery life can only be found on some Apple products.
For example, if you want to glance at your Move goal on a Fitness widget from your iPad, you can't.
If you want to check the battery of all your devices, you're out of luck. The only way to check if they're running low on power is to load up the Find My app, go to the Devices tab, and select each of your Apple products to check how full the battery icon is for each one.
If one app can do this, surely a battery widget in iOS, and also macOS, and iPadOS is possible.
More widgets on the Lock Screen
(Image credit: TechRadar)
The home screen on iOS had barely changed since 2007, so when a redesign finally arrived in iOS 16 with widgets, it was great to see. However, let's see this effort expand even more in iOS 17.
Six widgets and a Live Activities widget on the lock screen aren't enough for some - there's plenty of opportunity to see more widgets in more sizes and more places.
For example, the time should be allowed to be replaced by another widget, alongside another row of widgets below the three we can choose already.
More widgets are always a good thing, so let's see more of them, and in more sizes.
Better picture-in-picture controls
(Image credit: TechRadar)
While the ability to watch a video anywhere on your device debuted on the iPad only in iOS 9, there's barely been improvements since, except for it appearing on iOS 14 in 2019.
However, the ability to better control the video, such as timeline scrubbing and selecting other videos still hasn't arrived, which is why these should appear in iOS 17.
There's also a hidden feature when using this in macOS - if you hold Option while dragging a video, you can place it anywhere on the screen. Let's see this appear in iOS 17 as well, so we have more control of its size and position.
Bring back landscape mode
(Image credit: TechRadar)
Back when I had an iPhone 8 Plus, I loved having the ability to turn the phone in landscape, and the home screen would rotate, alongside everything else.
The keyboard would have added functions such as punctuation keys and shortcuts such as copying and pasting text, as well as taking advantage of the added length so some keys were wider, but this was removed in future models by the time the iPhone XS launched in 2018.
Almost every iPhone currently available, from the iPhone 13 to the iPhone 14 Pro Max, all have the same or bigger displays than the regular iPhone 8 Plus, thanks to the different all-screen design. So let's see iOS 17 take advantage of that, and expand it to other apps too, such as Apple Music and even the Lock Screen with its useful widgets.
Is your wish missing?
(Image credit: Disney)
We're at a point with iOS where the high-hanging fruit of features has been fulfilled by Apple over the years - from custom keyboards to redesigned widgets on the home screen.
The seven here are what could enhance someone's use of an iPhone, but individuality is something that Apple knows is important, which is why we can customize our redesigned lock screens in iOS 16 to make them our own.
Is there something you think we've missed for iOS 17? Get in touch with us to tell us what you'd like to see in a future release from Apple.
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Xbox FPS Boost allows select backward-compatible Xbox games to run at double or even quadruple the original framerate without any developer input. So games you remember running at 30fps can now hit the heady heights of 60fps or even 120fps to make for an even better experience.
This feature is only available on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, so if you're still using a last-gen console, we've got bad news, just because it requires the vastly increased CPU power of these newer platforms to run the games at a higher framerate.
We've assembled the complete list of titles applicable to this feature and details on what framerate the games used to run at, how they run now, and any other particulars worth noting. It's worth noting that some Xbox FPS Boost games are considered some of the best Xbox Game Pass games, so it's worth taking a look.
Xbox FPS Boost
List of Xbox FPS Boost games
Xbox FPS Boost doesn't require any developer input but it is subject to certain restrictions. Some games might only be patched on one platform since a backward compatible Xbox One X version could already be running a game at 60fps. Other games might be very demanding and require the settings to drop down to the Xbox One or Xbox One S version of a game before increasing the framerate.
Just be aware that Microsoft has now finished updating older games through FPS Boost, so don't expect any further additions to this list. Still, if you've ever wanted to revisit a game but couldn't bear to play it at 30fps, then, check out the full list of FPS Boost-supported games below.
(Image credit: House House)
How do I use Xbox FPS Boost?
In order to take advantage of this framerate-boosting feature, you'll just need to play the games on your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S. It'll automatically be enabled as long as your console has the latest updates.
To verify a game is running with FPS Boost, you can press the Xbox button on your controller to check for the FPS Boost and/or Auto HDR labels. Some games have FPS Boost turned off by default, but it can be easily turned on under the Compatibility Options in the Manage game and add-ons setting.
The data breach incident that hit password manager LastPass earlier this year saw the thieves crooks steal encrypted password vaults belonging customers, the company has confirmed.
The password vault is where people keep their passwords, so should the attackers find a way to decrypt the vaults, they’d be able to read all of the passwords saved in there.
In an update published on the LastPass blog, CEO Karim Toubba said that the threat actors used cloud storage keys stolen from a LastPass employee to access and exfiltrate customer vault data. The data stolen is a combination of encrypted intelligence - password vaults, and unencrypted information - vault-stored web addresses, names, email addresses, phone numbers, and in some cases - billing information.
Master password secure
The good news is that the password vaults are stored in a “proprietary binary format”, meaning that it’s close to impossible to actually read the contents. For that, the attackers would need the customer’s master password, which no one but the user (hopefully) knows. LastPass claims not to know this info.
“These encrypted fields remain secured with 256-bit AES encryption and can only be decrypted with a unique encryption key derived from each user’s master password using our Zero Knowledge architecture,” Toubba said. “As a reminder, the master password is never known to LastPass and is not stored or maintained by LastPass.”
Still, the company warned cybercriminals “may attempt to use brute force to guess your master password and decrypt the copies of vault data they took,” which could be a problem if the users created weak and easy-to-guess master passwords.
For those worried their master password might be cracked, the best thing to do right now would be to change it to something more resilient. If you have reason to believe the contents of your vault might be compromised, then changing the passwords is the only way to stay safe (aside from setting up multi-factor authentication whenever possible).
DuckDuckGo - a search engine and browser that has long been associated with privacy and data protection - has announced a new feature that will block one of the most common pop ups web users are likely to see: Sign in with Google.
The company cites Reddit, Zillow, and Booking.com as some sites that often present this Google pop-up, usually upon first loading the web pages.
It says that, with its updated mobile apps or its Firefox, Chrome, Brave, and Edge extensions, users will be “spared from these disruptive and misleading pop-ups” in an effort to present a “cleaner experience and more privacy.”
DuckDuckGo blocks Sign in with Google
It’s more than just the removal of annoying pop-ups, though, according to DuckDuckGo.
In a press release, the company explained that allowing Google to link your account to browsing history is yet “another way for Google to track users without them realizing”, to the point that a lawsuit against the collection of browsing history, cookies, and other site data has been created.
DuckDuckGo reckons that Google could be pitching this to web developers as a ‘win-win’, allowing them to present more relevant, targeted ads, thus generating more revenue for the websites. In turn, Google is thought to be collecting vast amounts of data.
The update is expected to roll out to iOS and Android versions of the browser soon, as well as the company’s extensions for many popular desktop web browsers. It’s likely that it will also form part of the full release of the macOS app, which is currently in public beta, and the Windows app, which is expected to reach public beta stage in the coming weeks.
Google is yet to respond to TechRadar Pro about how this change will affect its operations.
Charlie Cox has seemingly revealed Daredevil: Born Again won't be fully R-rated when it launches on Disney Plus.
Speaking exclusively to TechRadar to promote Treason, his new Netflix show, Cox admitted that the Marvel Phase 5 production won't be as gory or mature as the character's Netflix series was.
That's sure to be disappointing news for Marvel fans, who had hoped that Daredevil's Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Disney Plus show would be as violent and grim as his three-season run on Netflix. However, Cox also suggested Born Again won't be a completely family-friendly offering. Instead, The Man Without Fear's standalone MCU series will fall somewhere between being TV-14 (that's 12A in the UK) and R-rated (18 age rating).
Asked if he could confirm whether Daredevil: Born Again would be strictly R-rated or not, Cox said: "I have no idea. My instinct tells me it'll be somewhere in between what we did before and what is currently on Disney Plus. Tonally, I imagine it'll remain sinister, dark, and painful – you know, geared towards a more mature audience. But it probably won't be as gruesome."
Given Marvel Studios wants its movies and TV shows to reach as wide an audience as possible, it makes sense for Daredevil: Born Again to shy away from a TV-MA rating. However, with Marvel starting to create superhero movies and shows with a mature slant, such as Werewolf by Night, Marvel Zombies, and Deadpool 3, it begs the question: why can't Born Again be fully R-rated?
Industry insiders, including DanielRPK and Grace Randolph (thanks to Reddit for the finds) have claimed Born Again will be R-rated, but haven't confirmed if it'll be 100% TV-MA or not. We'll wait for confirmation from Marvel before jumping to any conclusions.
Daredevil: Born Again won't arrive until 2024.(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney Plus)
It shouldn't be too long before we find out, though. With Daredevil: Born Again set to hit our screens sometime in 2024, principal photography will have to get underway sooner rather than later. Thankfully, Cox was on hand to confirm when filming will begin on Daredevil's next small screen adventure.
"I haven't read any scripts," Cox replied when TechRadar asked how much he knew about the show. "But I know we start filming next year. Early next year, to be more precise."
According to Discussing Film's Jacob Fisher, Born Again is rumored to enter full production in February, which aligns with what Cox told TechRadar. With numerous cast announcements being made in recent weeks, including the addition of Michael Gandolfini (The Many Saints of Newark), Margarita Levieva (The Deuce), and Sandrine Holt (American Gigolo), too, it seems Marvel is gearing up for production to begin.
For now, we officially know Cox and fellow Netflix Marvel TV show alumnus Vincent D'Onofrio are back as Daredevil/Matt Murdock and Kingpin/Wilson Fisk respectively. Additionally, Born Again will comprise 18 episodes and principal photography is slated to take place in New York, rather than Marvel's usual filming location of Atlanta.
VMware has announced that its own managed cloud storage service, VMware Cloud Flex Storage, is now generally available for VMware Cloud on AWS.
The move will see the company drive consistency, security, and cost-efficiency as a core part of its cloud-smart approach, VMware CEO Raghu Raghuram said in a post on the company’s blog.
With 175 zetabytes (175 billion terabytes) of data expected to be generated worldwide by 2025, VMware believes 2020-2030 will be the “decade of data”, where the number of use cases will be larger than ever.
VMWare Cloud Flex Storage for AWS
In response to this, it claims to have created a “disaggregated cloud storage and data management solution that is able to adapt to the different expectations from the continuously evolving modern data stack.”
VMWare Cloud Flex Storage uses a file system that’s made possible by AWS S3, and EC2 with NVMe for caching data. VMware hopes this will give its customers to be more in charge of the performance they can expect, as well as costs, explaining on its blog:
“This 2-tier design helps us decouple storage capacity from storage performance and be able to dynamically scale them independently.”
A TechTarget article details how customers will be able to buy additional storage without needing to install extra HCI modules.
The managed cloud storage is set to be available in VMware’s Q3 FY23, and pricing for VMware Cloud Flex Storage will be determined by users’ per-GB consumption, which VMware Cloud Storage and Data CTO, Sazzala Reddy, says will help businesses to more accurately forecast and plan their spending. There will be on-demand, one-year, and three-year subscription models, and there is expected to be a minimum storage requirement, too.
In a press release, the company repeated the points given in a confidential email shared with its security contacts - namely, that someone managed to gain access to the company’s GitHub repository, a breach of which Okta was notified in early December this year.
After investigating the matter, Okta concluded that someone copied the source code parked in the repository, and moved to secure its premises by placing temporary restrictions and suspending all GitHub integrations with third-party applications.
Okta Workforce Identity Cloud affected
Further investigation uncovered that Okta’s customers were not affected by the incident, including HIPAA, FedRAMP, and DoD customers, therefore, are not required to do anything. “Okta does not rely on the confidentiality of its source code for the security of its services,” the announcement reads. “The Okta service remains fully operational and secure.”
The breach pertains to Okta Workforce Identity Cloud (WIC) code repositories, the company confirmed, adding that it does not pertain to any Auth0 (Customer Identity Cloud) products.
Law enforcement agencies have been notified, the announcement concludes.
Commenting on the news, Raj Samani, SVP Chief Scientist at Rapid7, said a company's source code is quite valuable, and as such, important to cybercriminals.
"From our own research, we know that intellectual property is a popular target for threat actors with 12% of data disclosures between April 2020 and February 2022 containing it," Samani said. "Stolen source code can be used to find hidden security vulnerabilities and launch further attacks on a business; therefore, it is crucial that such sensitive information is protected.”
This is not Okta’s first rodeo. In March, notorious extortion group Lapsus$ announced it had breached Okta’s administrative consoles and stolen customer data.
And in September, Auth0 (owned by Okta) reported a similar incident, when a “third-party individual” managed to steal old source code. The method was never established, so it isn't known if any malware was involved.
Daredevil star Charlie Cox has clarified comments he made about his Marvel character's possible appearance in Deadpool 3.
In an exclusive chat with TechRadar, Cox confirmed he won't be making a cameo in Deadpool 3, let alone feature in a larger capacity. Instead, the next time we'll see The Man Without Fear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) – outside of a potential cameo in Echo's Marvel Phase 5 TV show – will be in his own standalone MCU Disney Plus series, aka Daredevil: Born Again.
Curiously, Cox was clarifying an answer he gave at Germany's Roster Con 2022. During a panel at the Dortmund-based event, Cox suggested that Born Again would be similar in tone – from humor and action perspectives – to Deadpool. To the delight of the crowd, Cox also said "there's a place for Daredevil to show up in Deadpool", before adding: "Great, now that'll be a news story".
When you've been in the superhero game for as long as Cox has, you recognize when you've said something that fans and the media will latch onto. Unsurprisingly, the MCU rumor mill went into overdrive in the wake of Cox's comments, with many speculating he could make a shock appearance in Deadpool 3.
However, Cox told TechRadar that there was nothing to read into in his comments, with the British actor keen to deny that he'll show up in the Ryan Reynolds-starring Marvel film.
Matt Murdock is bringing a cease and desist letter to those Deadpool 3 rumors.(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney Plus)
"Oh god, what did I say again?" Cox asked when TechRadar brought up Daredevil's potential appearance in Deadpool 3. After reminding him about his Roster Con answer, he added: "Oh yeah, I said that in Germany, didn't I? I can tell you now, I'm definitely not in Deadpool 3."
Given that Deadpool and Daredevil have teamed up in various Marvel comics over the decades, Cox's answer is sure to disappoint the MCU's fanbase. After all, Cox's Matt Murdock and Reynolds' Wade Wilson are two of the most popular live-action Marvel characters. Seeing them join forces on the big screen with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, who is confirmed to be returning as the fan-favorite superhero one last time in Deadpool 3, would have broken the internet.
Of course, Cox could be trying to throw us off the scent by playing down a possible cameo in Deadpool's third cinematic adventure. However, Cox clearly doesn't want to lead Daredevil or MCU fans on by teasing something that may or may not happen, adding: "If it ends up being true, I've inadvertently spoiled something. If it isn't, fans who are excited about something I say will end up being disappointed."
File this one under "incredibly unlikely" for now, then. Even if Cox is telling the truth, which we believe he is, there's still lots of MCU content to look forward to over the next few years.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania officially kicks off Phase 5 of the MCU in February 2023, with Daredevil: Born Again being part of Marvel's next slate of superhero movies and TV shows. Deadpool 3 might be part of Phase 5, too, though it's more likely it'll be the first project released as part of Phase 6.
Sci-fi roguelike Risk of Rain is getting a total remake, as publisher Gearbox Games buys the series off developer Hopoo Games to co-create it with brand new content.
Risk of Rain Returns is a complete remake of the 2D 2013 roguelike, taking everything in the original game, adding in items and heroes released for the 3D sequel, and a load of other improvements and it will launch in Nintendo Switch and PC sometime in 2023.
“Risk of Rain Returns completely overhauls the original and introduces a ton of new content,” the announcement reads, promising a “whole new game and an upgraded experience from the original Risk of Rain.” Expect new enemies, survivors, enhanced audio, gameplay tweaks, and survivor abilities on top of everything in the original.
Squirreled away in Risk of Rain Returns’ announcement is the news that Gearbox, the developer of Borderlands 3 and publisher of Risk of Rain 2, has bought the rights to the series. Meaning it can create new games in the Risk of Rain series, and original developer Hopoo Games can work on other projects.
Bring an umbrella
Risk of Rain is an action-packed 2D platformer incorporating roguelike elements to amp up the stakes, with enemies getting stronger as you move through a bizarre alien world. Permadeath is a key component, so the aim of the game is to use your characters’ unique skills to get as far through each level as possible, making time to grab high-powered items whilst fending off the bloodthirsty hordes in their droves. You can play on your own or with friends for a multiplayer experience, but watch out – friendly fire is a thing, and if any of your teammates die, you all do.
Although its 2020 sequel, Risk of Rain 2, did away with the platformer stylings for a blocky 3D third-person shooter angle, Risk of Rain Returns will stay true to the original in all its pixelated, side-scrolling glory. From the announcement, we know that the remake offers “a smoother ‘gameplay feel’ without losing that legendary Risk of Rain challenge,” so get ready to experience platforming hack n’ slash goodness that shouldn’t feel janky or all that rough to maneuver.
(Image credit: Gearbox Publishing)
“We are ready to move on to new challenges and welcome the exciting and fresh ideas Gearbox will bring to Risk of Rain,” Hopoo writes in the announcement notes. “Completing the console versions of [Risk of Rain 2 expansion] Survivors of the Void remains a top priority for Gearbox, and we can't wait to see what the future brings for Risk of Rain with them at the helm!”
While Hopoo games will be the developer on Risk of Rain Returns, the team says it is “ready to move on to new challenges”. There isn’t a release date for Risk of Rain Returns beyond sometime in 2023.
Pentax has made some of the best film cameras ever – and now the classic brand could be making a comeback thanks to a new film camera project launched by its parent company, Ricoh.
Ricoh has launched a new 'Film Camera Project' that will involve the "research and development of new Pentax-brand film camera products". If you spent your formative photography years with a Pentax K1000 (above), or just fancy experimenting with the tactile joys of 35mm film, that's potentially very exciting news indeed.
Before you start building a darkroom in your shed, there are a couple of caveats. First, the project is currently at the toe-dipping stage and Ricoh's statements are a little contradictory. For example, Ricoh President and CEO Noboru Akahane says, "I want to stress that this announcement does not mean we will release new film cameras".
Fortunately, that appears to be more a note of caution about the project's difficulty than an absence of ambition. In a launch video (below), Ricoh Product Planner Takeo Suzuki has laid out a roadmap for the film camera project. "We plan to market not one but a series of film cameras," he says.
"First, we'll develop a compact film camera. Then while reviewing a range of technologies, we'll move on to develop a high-end compact model, an SLR model, and finally and hopefully, a fully-mechanical SLR camera", Suzuki adds. While the latter could be a while off, the aim for the first camera will be to produce a film model with a "solid warranty" that "comes at an affordable price for younger users".
That earlier note of caution, then, is simply because the company is still in the early stages of discovering how viable new film cameras actually are. As Akahane explains: "We also know how difficult it will be to restart the production of film cameras long after production was terminated. In fact, we’re only at the starting line right now".
Still, the intention is very clear – Ricoh and Pentax will "begin research into developing new Pentax-brand film camera products". And that could potentially result in a new film camera and aftercare services. But why? The project is more than a misguided exercise in nostalgia – given the recent resurgence in film photography, it makes sense for a few reasons.
On a roll
First, film cameras have seen a resurgence in recent years. The evidence for this is more anecdotal and cultural than it is statistical, as there's very little data on global film camera sales today. But the effect can be seen in the sky-rocketing cost of buying film itself – a pack of Kodak Portra 400, for example, now costs over twice as much as it did three years ago, and it's a similar story with Fujifilm's color film.
This is partly a result of Kodak and Fujifilm both underestimating future demand, leading to shortages that have been exacerbated by supply chain issues. But independent factories are now rising up to fill the gaps, and when the 'Pentax Film Project' is further down the road the picture should (hopefully) be a lot healthier.
Film cameras themselves are also increasingly popular, as Ricoh and Pentax have noted in their project. According to Ricoh, this is true "especially among younger generations, who are "taking photos with film cameras, developing the film, and then uploading images in digitalized form to social media sites without making final prints".
But the problem with old film cameras is that they're, well, old. This means mechanical parts like the shutter can break, or they need servicing from a dwindling number of specialist technicians. While it's very early days, this new project promises to make owning film cameras a smoother experience, including after-sales service.
The final reason why Ricoh and Pentax project makes sense is that there's no real competition, particularly from any brands with Pentax's heritage. The company was at the heart of Japanese film camera innovation from the 1950s, introducing trailblazers like the Pentax Spotmatic in 1960, which offered TTL (through-the-lens) metering for the first time so you didn't have to carry around a separate light meter.
While it's unclear whether we could ultimately see a reborn version of the much-loved Pentax K1000 SLR, the 'Film Camera Project' is definitely one to watch if you're keen to join the resurgence of 35mm film cameras.
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Authentication giant Okta has had its source code taken after GitHub repositories belonging to the company were breached, reports have cla...
Authentication giant Okta has had its source code taken after GitHub repositories belonging to the company were breached, reports have claimed.
A “‘confidential’ email notification” allegedly sent by Okta to its “security contacts” noted that after investigating suspicious activity it had been alerted to earlier this month, the company had concluded that someone copied its code repositories.
Whoever was behind the attack did not access Okta's services, or customer data, the notification further reads. Okta's HIPAA, FedRAMP or DoD customers have not been affected by the incident, and do not need to do anything at this point.
Popular targets
BleepingComputer further found that the incident seems to be related to the Okta Workforce Identity Cloud (WIC) code repositories, but not Auth0 Customer Identity Cloud products.
Commenting on the news, Raj Samani, SVP Chief Scientist at Rapid7, said a company's source code is quite valuable, and as such, important to cybercriminals.
"From our own research, we know that intellectual property is a popular target for threat actors with 12% of data disclosures between April 2020 and February 2022 containing it," Samani said. "Stolen source code can be used to find hidden security vulnerabilities and launch further attacks on a business; therefore, it is crucial that such sensitive information is protected.”
So far, Okta is yet to publicly confirm or deny the breach, but the incident is the latest to affect the company in 2022.
In March, notorious extortion group Lapsus$ announced it had breached Okta’s administrative consoles and stole customer data.
And in September, Auth0 (owned by Okta) reported a similar incident, when a “third-party individual” managed to steal old source code. The method was never established, so it isn't known if any malware was involved.
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