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Acer is taking its Swift series of laptops to new heights with the introduction of AI-powered models, designed to meet the needs of both professionals and consumers. These latest laptops not only offer impressive performance and efficiency but also come with enhanced AI capabilities thanks to powerful Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm processors.

Acer has also made notable updates to its gaming lineup, including the Predator Orion 7000 desktop, Nitro V gaming laptops, and various monitors.

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ExpressVPN has launched a new version of its app designed to work with Microsoft’s ARM-based Copilot+ laptops. These devices, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips, focus on artificial intelligence capabilities while maintaining efficient battery usage. With this update, ExpressVPN becomes one of the first major VPN providers to offer support for the AI-driven Copilot+ PCs.

When the Copilot+ devices were first introduced, many popular VPN applications, including ExpressVPN, were not available for the ARM-based systems. Now, ExpressVPN has made its ARM application available for download, allowing users of Microsoft’s AI-enhanced laptops to access VPN protection.

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Android users across the United States now have access to early earthquake warnings, as the Android Earthquake Alerts System expands to cover all 50 states and six U.S. territories. This system, which has been instrumental in providing life-saving alerts in California, Oregon, and Washington, is being rolled out nationwide, with the deployment set to be completed in the coming weeks. This expansion ensures that millions more people are prepared when an earthquake strikes.

Since its launch in 2020, the Android Earthquake Alerts System has relied on partnerships with the United States Geological Survey (USGS), California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CalOES), and the ShakeAlert system to deliver accurate and timely alerts based on data from traditional seismometers. To extend these early warnings to areas without the USGS ShakeAlert system, Android phones themselves have been turned into mini seismometers.

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In the last few years, we have witnessed some of the most seismic changes to the IT security landscape -- from global pandemics and geopolitical issues to a global energy crisis, growing cybersecurity threats, multiple country elections, and subdued economic conditions. But regardless of stretched IT and cybersecurity budgets, and a significant IT skills shortage, threat actors continue to innovate as cyber threats evolve at breakneck speed. Organizations have no choice but to defend themselves.

Today, cyberattacks are increasingly targeting small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to JumpCloud’s latest Q3 2024 SME IT Trends Report. Forty-four percent of UK SMEs have been victims of cybersecurity attacks. Nearly two-thirds (60 percent) report multiple attacks in 2024. Smaller organizations often lack the manpower of larger corporations, with nearly half (48 percent) of UK survey respondents claiming that despite their best efforts, they lack the resources and staff to secure their organization against cybersecurity threats. This is compounded by a lack of access to skilled cybersecurity professionals, with many SMEs having IT teams consisting of only one or two people.

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On July 20th, 8.5 million devices running Windows crashed when cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike released a faulty software update. The ensuing outage wreaked havoc across nearly every major business sector: flights were grounded, medical procedures were delayed, and news stations couldn’t broadcast.

For the companies affected, the cost implications could reach tens of billions of dollars. However, this incident is part of a much larger, growing problem. Poor software quality cost the US economy at least $2.41 trillion in 2022. With customers and employees increasingly reliant on digital services, organizations urgently need to reassess how they deliver software to protect themselves from future failures.

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As the open-source movement continues to gain traction, more users are considering switching from proprietary systems like Windows 11 to free and open alternatives. Released today (after a delay), Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS Noble Numbat (download here) is the perfect choice for those ready to embrace open-source software.

Whether you're a first-time Linux user, an experienced developer, an academic researcher, or an enterprise administrator, Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS offers unparalleled benefits just as the platform celebrates 20 years of existence. Is a point release that exciting? Yes! Many people wait for the first point release prior to upgrading.

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Google has introduced several new features for its Gemini platform, aimed at enhancing the user experience with customizable AI experts, known as Gems, and an advanced image generation model, Imagen 3. These features are now available to Gemini Advanced, Business, and Enterprise users and are designed to improve both productivity and creativity across various applications.

Gemini Advanced, Business, and Enterprise subscribers can now create and interact with Gems, which are customizable AI experts tailored to specific tasks or topics. Users can generate Gems by providing instructions, naming them, and then utilizing them for various tasks, including brainstorming ideas or assisting with writing. Gems are designed to offer support in areas such as simplifying complex topics, providing creative inspiration, offering career guidance, giving feedback on writing, and assisting with coding projects. These AI experts are accessible on both desktop and mobile devices in over 150 countries and support a wide range of languages.

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New research from Legit Security shows that widely available GenAI development services risk sensitive information exposure, or leakage of secrets.

Legit's analysis of unprotected vector databases finds that 30 servers investigated contained corporate or private data, including company email conversations, customer PII, product serial numbers, financial records, resumes, and contact information.

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Kingston Technology has just expanded its XS1000 external SSD series with a bold new red color variant. This vibrant addition joins the existing black XS1000 and silver XS2000 models, enhancing the range with a dash of color tailored for users who appreciate a stylish flair in their tech gadgets.

The XS1000 red is not only about aesthetics; it maintains the lightweight and ultra-compact design of its predecessors, weighing in at just under 29 grams. This makes it one of the most portable SSDs on the market, ideal for users who are always on the move.

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A new report from Normalyze shows that 89 percent of organizations expect to see a significant or moderate increase in data security budgets over the next 12 months, driven by the escalating threat landscape and stringent regulatory requirements like GDPR and HIPAA.

The report, based on research by Omdia, finds top security priorities include reducing the opportunity for threats to infiltrate data stores (59 percent), improving data security posture (53 percent), and demonstrating ROI through improved reporting and business communication (42 percent).

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OSMC (Open Source Media Center), a free and open-source media player operating system built on Linux, has released its new August version. This variant is notable for incorporating Kodi v21.1, also known as Omega.

The OSMC team delayed the release until Kodi v21.1 was available to prioritize stability and uphold the consistent user experience associated with OSMC. This approach reflects the team's focus on providing thoroughly tested upgrades aimed at improving media consumption while minimizing disruption to existing configurations.

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While some Windows 11 users might prefer not to have Copilot included in Microsoft's latest operating system, there are also those using older, unsupported versions of Windows who would like to try the tech giant's AI assistant, if only to see what all the fuss is about.

Although Microsoft doesn’t provide Copilot for the likes of Windows XP, Windows 7, Vista, or Windows 8.1, you can still install and run it yourself.

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Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has recently illuminated the ongoing cyber espionage activities of APT42, an Iranian government-backed group linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This cyber collective has intensified its phishing campaigns against high-profile targets in Israel and the United States, particularly focusing on individuals connected to the upcoming U.S. presidential elections.

In detailed findings released by TAG, it was revealed that APT42 has been targeting current and former officials, diplomatic circles, political campaigns, and influential figures within academic and non-governmental organizations in both nations. The U.S. and Israel combined represent about 60 percent of APT42’s cyber operations in the last six months.

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Microsoft researchers have revealed a series of medium-severity vulnerabilities within OpenVPN, an essential open-source VPN solution embedded in myriad routers, PCs, and smart devices worldwide. The vulnerabilities, if exploited, could allow attackers to execute remote code and escalate privileges, gaining unauthorized access to potentially millions of devices.

The research team demonstrated how these vulnerabilities could be chained together to form a potent attack sequence, culminating in attackers taking complete control over affected devices. This complex attack vector requires user authentication and a sophisticated understanding of OpenVPN’s architecture, highlighting the need for robust security measures.

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Recent attacks have highlighted the vulnerability of industrial control systems to attack and a new report has found 18,000 exposed devices that are likely used to control industrial systems.

The report, from internet intelligence platform Censys, focuses on ICS devices in the US and UK and also finds that almost 50 percent of the human-machine interfaces associated with water and wastewater systems (WWS) identified could be manipulated without any authentication required.

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