Eliana Willis

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    in Robotics

    Apple’s new MacBook Air M4 will likely be announced this week – here’s what we know

    MacBook Air M3 Kerry Wan/ZDNETApple is gearing up to launch its lineup of MacBook Air laptops with the M4 chip — and they’re coming this week. Apple CEO Tim Cook posted a short teaser video on X this morning that reads “There’s something in the air.” To seal the deal, the caption simply states “This week.” There’s nothing else in the video to suggest which device will be launching, but speculation has been floating for months that it will be the MacBook Air with the new M4 processor. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported earlier this month that both the 13-inch and 15-inch configurations are expected to drop at the same time, just like last year’s M3 Air models. The M4-Mac family will be complete The much-anticipated addition of the MacBook Air to the M4 family will round out all of the consumer laptop products with Apple Silicon’s latest in processor technology, as the iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook, and MacBook Pro all launched with it in the fall of 2024. We’ve seen some competitive sale prices on the MacBook Air M3 More

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    in Robotics

    Samsung will give you up to $250 off a new Galaxy Ring with a smartwatch or ring trade-in right now

    Jason Hiner/ZDNETThe Oura RIng 4 may have been ZDNET’s 2024 product of the year, but the market is full of other great fitness and wellness wearables that are perfect investments for those looking for more innovative, faster, and better ways to track their health in 2025. With plenty of options, including smartwatches for Apple and Android users and handy smart rings, you’re sure to find a suitable choice for your lifestyle — it’s just going to cost you. Also: The best Discover Samsung Spring sale deals: Shop Galaxy S25 phones, TVs, and moreThese insightful wellness trackers are not cheap. That’s why when there’s a great deal or offer, ZDNET is here to bring it your way. Right now, during Samsung’s Discover Spring Sale, you can save up to $250 off a new Samsung Galaxy Ring More

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    in Information Technology

    Vishing attacks surged 442% last year – how to protect yourself

    ZDNETCybercriminals and hackers employ a variety of methods to access and steal sensitive information from individuals and organizations. One increasingly popular approach is vishing, or voice phishing. Here, the attacker tricks someone into sharing account credentials or other information through a simple phone call. According to the latest data from security firm CrowdStrike, these types of attacks have been skyrocketing. Also: Hackers stole this engineer’s 1Password database. Could it happen to you?In its 11th annual 2025 CrowdStrike Global Threat Report, the security provider revealed that vishing attacks jumped 442% in the second half of 2024 compared with the first half. Throughout the year, CrowdStrike Intelligence tracked at least six similar but distinct campaigns in which attackers pretending to be IT staffers called employees at different organizations. Help desk social engineering In these particular campaigns, the scammers tried to convince their intended victims to set up remote support sessions, typically using the Microsoft Quick Assist tool built into Windows. In many of these, the attackers used Microsoft Teams to make the phone calls. At least four of the campaigns seen by CrowdStrike used spam bombing to send thousands of junk emails to the targeted users as a pretext for the alleged support call. Also: How to protect yourself from phishing attacks in Chrome and FirefoxThe type of vishing used in these attacks is often known as help desk social engineering. Here, the cybercriminal posing as a help desk or IT professional stresses the urgency of the call as a response to some made-up threat. In some cases, the attacker requests the person’s password or other credentials. In other cases, such as the ones documented in the report, the scammer tries to gain remote access to the victim’s computer. Callback phishing Another tactic seen by CrowdStrike is callback phishing. Here, the criminal sends an email to an individual over some type of urgent but phony matter. This could be a claim for an overdue invoice, a notice that they’ve subscribed to some service, or an alert that their account has been compromised. The email contains a phone number for the recipient to call. But naturally, that number leads them directly to the scammer, who tries to con them into sharing their credit card details, account credentials, or other information. Because these attacks are usually aimed at organizations, ransomware is another key component. By gaining access to network resources, user or customer accounts, and other sensitive data, the attackers can hold the stolen information for ransom. Also: The top 10 brands exploited in phishing attacks – and how to protect yourselfIn its report, CrowdStrike identified a few different cybercrime groups that use vishing and callback phishing in their attacks. One group known as Chatty Spider focuses mostly on the legal and insurance industries and has demanded ransoms as high as $8 million. Another group called Plump Spider targeted Brazil-based businesses throughout 2024 and uses vishing calls to direct employees to remote support sites and tools. “Similar to other social engineering techniques, vishing is effective because it targets human weakness or error rather than a flaw in software or an operating system (OS),” CrowdStrike said in its report. “Malicious activity may not be detected until later in an intrusion, such as during malicious binary execution or hands-on-keyboard activity, which can delay an effective response. This gives the threat actor an advantage and puts the onus on users to recognize potentially malicious behavior.” Other security firms have seen a dramatic rise in vishing attacks. Last October, Zimperium’s zLabs research team uncovered a malware known as FakeCall, notable for its advanced use of vishing. Here, the scammers use phone calls to try to trick potential victims into sharing sensitive information such as credit card numbers and banking credentials. FakeCall itself works by hijacking the call functions on Android phones to install the malware. More

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    in Robotics

    Goodbye Skype, hello Teams: How Microsoft is making the switch easy

    ZDNETMicrosoft users who still rely on Skype will soon have to find a different service. On Friday, the company announced that Skype will be retired on May 5 so that it can focus on the free version of Teams. Sign into Teams with your Skype credentialsTo encourage this transition, Microsoft will soon allow users to sign in to the free version of Teams with their Skype username and password. By using the same credentials, users will be able to access their existing chats and contacts if they want to pick up where they left off. Also: Microsoft is testing a free desktop version of Office – but there’s a catchUntil the official retirement, Skype users will still be able to call and chat with people on Teams, and vice versa. If you’re not fond of Teams, you can export your data from Skype, including your chats, contacts, and call history. More

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    Stop paying full price for Kindles: 5 ways I upgrade for less

    ZDNETAfter all the chaos we have seen in the Kindle world over the last week, I’ve noticed that there tend to be two types of reactions from users.The first reaction is that some people want to move off the Kindle platform as quickly as possible. Their whole interest is setting up a new reading environment where ebook ownership means having all their books’ files on backup media somewhere. The second reaction, fueled by either old Kindle devices or unregistered Kindle devices, is the desire to get a new Kindle. As part of the bulk download process many of us went through before Amazon cut off that ability, my wife realized that although she has three devices, the newest Kindle she owns is a Paperwhite she bought back in 2012. Also: Want free ebooks? These 10 sites offer thousands of optionsHer favorite device, the large-format Kindle DX, can no longer load Kindle books because it lacks connectivity to Amazon. We tried registering an old Kindle Keyboard from 2010. Even though it has Wi-Fi connectivity, the security protocols in that machine are so out of date that it wouldn’t authenticate with Amazon. This article is for those with active Kindle libraries or those who want to get started in the Kindle ecosystem. As it turns out, if you want to buy a new Kindle, there are a number of ways you can save big on the purchase. First, I’ll show you the ways you can save. Then, I’ll build a couple of configurations, and we’ll do some math on the savings. 1. Save 20% with trade-in (plus bonus bucks) Amazon has an offer where you can trade in an old device and get a 20% discount — plus a few bucks for your old device. More