Intel Zombieload vulnerability: Heres how it works and how you can protect yourself

Zombieload, that's what security researchers are calling the latest vulnerability to affect Intel processors up until their 7th Gen CPUs. It's a side channel exploit that allows attackers access to sensitive data purely by taking advantage of the vulnerability rather than having to push a payload onto the target system. As with Meltdown and Spectre, Zombieload comprises of four individual bugs. Almost all Intel CPUs since 2011 are believed to be affected. AMD and ARM processors are not vulnerable, so far.

How does Zombieload work?

The way Zombieload works is by pushing a significant amount of data which the processor can't process. This results in the processor having to rely on the microcode to decipher this zombie load and in doing so, applications that are currently residing on the CPU cache can access another application's data. As per security conventions, each application is only allowed access to its own data. This vulnerability, when exploited, allows access to everything that's currently stored in the CPU CACHE.

In a video, the security researchers that discovered the bug showcased how they could see which websites were being viewed on the target computer, in real time. Since the exploit gives access to everything in the target processor's cache, even passwords and other sensitive data can be easily accessed.

The researchers had informed Intel about the vulnerability last month to allow them sufficient time to patch it. Zombieload was discovered by a group of security researchers including Michael Schwarz, Moritz Lipp, Daniel Gruss (Graz University of Technology), and Jo Van Bulck (imec-DistriNet, KU Leuven).

Are you safe?

Practically all Intel CPUs including the server-grade Intel Xeon and the consumer-grade Intel Broadwell, Sandy Bridge, Skylake and Haswell chips are affected. The more recent Intel Kaby Lake, Coffee Lake, Whiskey Lake and Cascade Lake chips are also affected. Also, all Atom and Knights processors are included in the list of vulnerable CPUs.

Since consumer and server grade processors are affected, Zombieload can be exploited to gain access to your data stored on your personal PCs as well as your data stored on cloud services.

A proof of concept Zombieload exploit code has been released to the public via Github.

How do you protect yourself?

Update. Intel has already worked with major hardware and software companies to push a microcode update. If you're on Windows or Linux, you should have received an update with the new security patch.

As for cloud services, all major cloud service providers including Google, Apple and Microsoft have already deployed the security updates to protect the affected processors.

Does the  Zombieload patch affect performance?

Like Spectre and Meltdown, when Zombieload is patched there will be a performance impact. On consumer PCs, this will be about 3% and on server PCs the impact will be about 9%.

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Asus Zenfone 6 with flip cameras to launch today: How to watch, specs, and all you need to know

Asus will launch its flagship Zenfone 6 today at an event in Valencia, Spain. The launch will begin at 8pm CEST, which means that Indians will be able to see the livestream starting 11.30 pm (IST). The livestream video is also pasted below for ease of access. 

The Zenfone 6 is a successor to the the ZenFone 5Z and will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. However, the USP of the phone could be its camera setup, which reportedly flips from the back and works like a selfie shooter as well.

The information about the phone was first spotted during MWC, when tech news platform Lowyat spotted an ad in a magazine showing that the phone will launch in Spain. Later, the company confirmed the development, and started teasing the phone by sharing images and coded messages on its official Twitter and Instagram handles. Recently, SlashLeaks and famous tipster Roland Quandt shared the renders of the Zenfone 6, showing the swivel camera and notch-less display design.

Asus Zenfone 6 expected specifications:

Asus has already confirmed that the phone will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 mobile platform. It will also sport a 3.5mm jack, an element that has been losing its place as a favourite as OEMs look to include other features in their phones. Leaks and teasers have suggested that the phone could feature a Gorilla Glass 6-protected 6.3-inch notch-less display with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9.

When it comes to the camera, the phone is said to come with a swivel camera with Sony IMX586 48MP primary sensor and a 13MP superwide lens, which is said to work as the rear and front shooter. As per the latest renders, the phone has a rear dual camera setup, and the module reportedly flips bringing the camera on the front to double up as a selfie shooter. Reportedly, the camera module is made up of liquid metal which is claimed to reduce its weight by 20 percent and increases its strength fourfold.

The basic concept is similar to the one that has been seen in Samsung Galaxy A80. The major difference is that in the Galaxy A80, a mechanism rises and the camera swivels inside that mechanism. In Zenfone 6, the whole camera module flips to bring the cameras to the front. When it comes to security, the phone is touted to sport a fingerprint sensor on the back panel, which is made of 3D curved glass design with gradient texture. The phone is expected to house a 5,000mAh battery with Quick Charge 4.0 support. The company has even taken potshots at the recently-launch OnePlus 7 that has 3700mAh battery.

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PUBG Mobile Season 7 now rolling out with 0125 update: Royale Pass Season 7, Skorpion weapon, and more incoming

While there are many battle royale games available on smartphones, PUBG Mobile has established a name for itself in India. The title has over 30 million daily active users globally with over 200 million downloads. In a bid to keep existing gamers interested and entice new players, PUBG Mobile is now being updated to version 0.12.5 and as expected, it brings a slew of new features, patches and bug fixes for it. Additionally, the patch brings Season seven of the game, marking the end of Season six. The new update is currently being rolled out and as per PUBG Mobile, all regions should be able to update by 16:00 GMT (9:30 PM IST).

While the official patch notes for the game are yet to be released, PUBG Mobile’s Google Play Store listing does give away some of the key new features. The Season 7 is here and it brings new Royal Pass with the EZ Mission Licence that enables users to unlock and play weekly missions in advance and earn free mission cards each week. It also skips the 10 mission requirement in week 8 and players get to open the elite chest reward of the week directly. The new Scorpion firearm will also be added to the game that spawns in all maps. The machine pistol utilises 9mm rounds with a base ammo capacity of 20, which can be extended to 40 with an extended magazine. 

Version 0.12.5 is being rolled out as we speak! All regions should be able to update by 16:00 (GMT +8). Get ready!

— PUBG MOBILE (@PUBGMOBILE) May 16, 2019

New character beard will also be available, along with parachute/flight trials which would display a trail of smoke when players are parachuting from the plane. The trail system is said to be available only for RP users. A new dedicated Middle East server is also being added, which should reduce lags and latency issues for players in the area. Other notable improvements to the title include optimisation of the Subscription feature, addition of category tabs to the Shop and audio adjustments to ‘reduce interruptions’.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2WL6bub

PUBG Mobile Leak Tips Season 7 Update's Royale Pass Perks and More

As per a fresh leak, PUBG Mobile Season 7 will go live with an update that will be rolled out today, and has also revealed the changes set to arrive with it.

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Motorola One Vision with 21:9 punch hole display, 48MP sensor launched

Motorola has announced its latest Android One device, the Motorola One Vision, in Brazil, and the phone has everything that was leaked and teased until now. It is the company’s first phone with a punch-hole display - a concept borrowed from Samsung, and an aspect ratio of 21:9 that is found in devices like the Xperia 10 and the Xperia 10 Plus. The phone also comes with a 48MP camera sensor and features a Samsung processor.

The Motorola One Vision has been launched in two colours: Sapphire Blue and Bronze. The phone is already available at a price of 1,999 Brazilian Real (approx Rs 35,000 or $499). It will be available in Saudi Arabia and Thailand from May 16 at a price of €299 (approx Rs. 23,500/$335). Although there is no confirmation about its launch in India, the Motorola One Vision is said to be made available in select countries in Asia, other Middle Eastern countries, and Australia in the coming months.

Motorola One Vision Specifications

The Motorola One Vision features a 6.3-inch Full HD+ LCD display with an aspect ratio of 21:9, and 1080×2520 pixels resolution. The company is calling it a CinemaVision display and it features a punch hole in the top left corner for the selfie camera. Under the hood, the phone comes with an octa-core Samsung Exynos 9609 processor clocked at 2.2 GHz, paired with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage (expandable up to 512GB). There is a 3.5mm audio jack and bottom-firing speakers. The phone runs on Android Pie and since it's launched under Google’s Android One programme, it will receive timely security and OS updates. The phone also features Moto Actions like twist to open the camera, and chop to turn the flash on.

Now coming to the camera, Motorola One Vision packs a 48MP rear camera with a Night Vision mode and an f/1.7 aperture lens, alomng with OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation). The Quad Pixel technology combines four pixels into one large 1.6µm pixel for sharper and brighter photos. The primary camera is supported by a 5MP sensor with an aperture of f/2.2. On the front is a 25MP selfie shooter with 1.8µm Quad Pixel technology. It is equipped with an f/2.0 aperture lens. The phone’s back has 4D Corning Gorilla Glass finish and it features a fingerprint scanner. There is a 3500mAh battery with 15W TurboPower fast charging. Motorola claims that the phone can deliver up to 7 hours of usage in 15 minutes of charging.

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Nvidia GeForce RTX cards rumoured to get faster RAM to combat AMDs Navi GPUs

NVIDIA has always been Goliath in the AMD vs NVIDIA graphics card world. However, AMD has been garnering a lot of attention for their upcoming Navi GPUs. According to the information circulating the internet, NVIDIA is gearing up to refresh their RTX cards with more memory to combat the upcoming AMD GPUs. The new information is still a rumour and comes from RedGamingTech. He cites sources which claim that Nvidia is planning to use faster video memory in its RTX cards. This will not include the Turing based GTX products like the 1660 or the 1650 GPU’s. The new cards are expected to get a boost from 14Gbps to 16Gbps in terms of memory speed. 

According to TechRadar, “For the RTX 2080, that would mean a jump in memory bandwidth from 448GB/s to 512GB/s, an almost 15% increase (and faster memory bandwidth means a faster graphics card in general).”

Since this is just a rumour, we will have to wait and see what NVIDIA does to counter the upcoming Navi GPUs from AMD. The Navi based AMD GPUs will launch in Q3 2019. The PC space isn't the only one where AMD is looking to make a splash. AMD and Sony have confirmed that the upcoming PS5 will have an AMD GPU and CPU along with an SSD. Little is known about the upcoming AMD powered console, but you can read everything we know about the upcoming PS5 here. The upcoming new Xbox consoles are also expected to be powered by an AMD CPU and GPU, but there is little known about what Microsoft is doing with their new console as well. It is speculated that Microsoft will launch more than one console and the new hardware is expected to debut at E3 2019.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2VozVeN

Netflix Android streamers can now share their favourite TV shows and movies on Instagram Stories

Netflix users on Android can now share their favourite titles to their Instagram Stories, directly from the Netflix app. The feature was already present on iOS and has now been made available to Android users. To share a Netflix title on your Instagram Story, all you need to do is tap the Share button next to the title and select the Instagram Stories option. This opens up your Instagram app’s Stories window, with the cover image of the show or movie ready to share.

The Netflix Instagram Story will feature a ‘Watch on Netflix’ link back after posting, which when tapped, will take users to the title page within the Netflix app. Users can also share titles with their contacts on Instagram.

“Sharing to Instagram Stories is now on all Android phones. You can share the Netflix shows and films you’re in love with directly from the Netflix app to your followers. Pop in a quiz for your friends to guess your favourite character from a show. Or a GIF to reflect your mood after a movie. It’s all part of what we’re doing to make it fun and easy to share what you’re watching, and help your friends find something new to watch,” Netflix said in a statement.

Speaking of Netflix, we heard something special about the upcoming Black Mirror season 5 yesterday. While the trailer for the new season is now out, show creator Charlie Brooker also teases an unlikely Marvel-DC crossover in one of the episodes. You can read all about it here.  

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