News
Russian hackers are targeting American state and local government networks
Successfully stole data from two servers
US national security officials have revelead that Russian hackers are targeting state and local government networks while the presidential elections are in full swing. In two cases, the hackers were able to steal data from the servers.
“Since September 2020, a Russian state-sponsored actor has conducted a campaign against a wide variety of US targets,” the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said according to a Reuters report.
The American officials have identified the group behind these attacks and it’s called Energetic Bear, a codename used by the cybersecurity industry. The group has multiple names including Berserk Bear, TeamSpy, Koala, and more.
The Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., has rubbished these accusations and said they are “absolutely groundless.” The announcement comes just a few days after US officials told New York Times about increasing cybersecurity threat from Russia as well as Iran amid the looming elections.
The two countries have been mentioned in multiple reports and U.S. Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe confirmed their interference. However, the officials added that they had no information to indicate that the elections integrity was affected in any way. Or that the hackers had intentionally tried to disrupt government operations.
The US is on a look out for increasing cybersecurity threats after attempts were made to manipulate the 2016 Presidential Election. The government, as well as private companies, have ramped up their efforts to protect citizens as well as corporate data.
At the forefront of this cyber war are companies like Facebook, Twitter, and ByteDance, who run top social media apps in the country. With the rise in spread of misinformation, hackers and vested interests are constantly trying to change the outcome of the elections by directly manipulating the users.
Apps
Netflix expands its cheaper ad-supported tier to Southeast Asia
This also includes more countries in Europe and South America.
If you don’t care about seeing a deluge of ads on your platforms, you’re an incredibly rare breed these days. That same skill will come in handy for those nicely priced subscription tiers that comes with ads. Netflix, for one, has one of those tiers, and it’s now coming out in more countries.
As is prevalent in other platforms today, an ad-supported subscription tier lowers the price you have to pay every month. The catch, however, is that there will be an occasional sprinkling of ads here and there.
Netflix offers this service, which allows subscribers to get the service for cheap at the expense of their time. Currently, it is limited to only a few major markets in the world. However, the platform is expanding the tier’s reach to more countries in Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia.
Starting in 2027, Netflix’s ad-supported tier will expand to 15 countries: Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Indonesia, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Thailand.
Netflix says that the ad-supported tier is a popular option for subscribers. Currently, the tier has around 250 million subscribers worldwide. Since some of the new countries have a more budget-conscious attitude when it comes to purchasing services, this number will likely go up after the expansion in 2027.
SEE ALSO: Netflix does the unthinkable: Mayweather-Pacquiao II set for September
Google One is a monthly subscription that gives you at least 200GB of cloud storage for your files and photos. For most people, a Google One subscription starts when Google inevitably tells them that their free storage space is running out and will soon stop backing up files. Starting today, new users might get that warning sooner rather than later as Google tests a lower limit to free storage.
Historically, Google offers users 15GB of free storage as a start. However, especially these days, 15GB can run out rapidly, prompting a Google One upgrade. Still, despite how “little” it is, Google’s free storage is generous compared to its contemporaries.
Now, Google is reportedly going to be more at par with the rest. As spotted on Reddit (via 9to5Google), new users will receive only 5GB of free storage. Based on Wayback Machine, the company changed its policy sometime between February to March.
Notably, 15GB is still available as an option, but users have to link their phone numbers to their accounts first.
According to Google, the policy change is meant to encourage users to upgrade their security. However, critics will point out that it just enables the company to collect more data about their users. Of note, the platform is already pushy about linking phone numbers before the change, but this adds another layer to entice people.
Also, Google confirms that the new policy is only a regional test for now. They have not announced when (or if) the change comes out for real.
SEE ALSO: Gmail now makes it easy to unsubscribe from all marketing emails
Gaming
The Steam Controller literally screams when you throw it
Please throw it at padded surfaces only.
We love harmless Easter eggs. Think of Chrome’s jumping dino or Android’s yearly quirk. It’s always fun when a device or app hides a special surprise for those in the know. Today, Valve is keeping the tradition alive by putting a screaming Easter egg in its new Steam Controller.
The first of its trio of new hardware, the Steam Controller converts the iconic layout of the Steam Deck into controller form. Besides offering an accessible controller, it also connects seamlessly to Steam, offering an easy doorway to plug and, literally, play.
Since it launched on May 4, users have already been playing around with their Steam Controllers. Presumably, this also includes a few rage moments that involve throwing the controller over a frustrating game.
If you threw your controller already, you might have heard an interesting surprise. As spotted by users online, the Steam Controller lets out a Wilhelm scream whenever it’s thrown.
For the unaware, the Wilhelm scream is the world’s most iconic scream. If you’ve watched a few movies, there’s a high chance that you’ve heard it before, as it’s often used as a background scream in many, many movies.
Notably, this has a cooldown of approximately one minute, so you can’t spam it over and over again. This also works on padded surfaces, so you don’t need to throw your controller at a hard wall. It’s just one of those nice Easter eggs that add a little spice to a favorite controller.
All that said, please don’t throw your Steam Controller at hard surfaces.
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