Millions of PC Motherboards Were Sold With a Firmware Backdoor

Hidden code in hundreds of models of Gigabyte motherboards invisibly and insecurely downloads programs — a feature ripe for abuse, researchers say. From a report: Hiding malicious programs in a computer’s UEFI firmware, the deep-seated code that tells a PC how to load its operating system, has become an insidious trick in the toolkit of stealthy hackers. But when a …

Apple Touts $1.1 Trillion in App Store Commerce in 2022

Ahead of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference next week, the company is offering an update on its app ecosystem with the release of a new report detailing app earnings over the course of last year. From a report: In the analysis, released today, Apple says its App Store ecosystem generated $1.1 trillion in developer billings and sales in 2022, 90% of …

California Senate Passes ‘Right to Repair Act’

The California state Senate passed Sen. Susan Eggman’s (Stockton) Right to Repair Act (SB 244) on Tuesday with a 38-0, bipartisan vote. From a report: It’s the furthest a Right to Repair bill has advanced in the state. The bill would significantly expand consumers’ and independent repair shops’ access to the necessary parts, tools and service information required for repairing …

Twitter value keeps falling under Musk, now worth a third of what he paid

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | NurPhoto ) Twitter’s value has reportedly dropped to about $15 billion, slightly more than one-third of the $44 billion that Elon Musk paid for it in late October 2022. The $15 billion valuation is based on Fidelity’s latest analysis of its stake in the company. “Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Fund’s stake in Twitter was valued …

A Snap-based, containerized Ubuntu desktop could be offered in 2024

Enlarge / Some of the many Snap apps available in Ubuntu’s Snap Store, the place where users can find apps and Linux enthusiasts can find deep-seated disagreement. (credit: Canonical) Ubuntu Core has existed since 2014, providing a fully containerized, immutable Linux distribution aimed at Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing applications. That kind of system, based on Ubuntu distributor …

The Original Chromecast Hits End of Life After a Decade of Service

Rest now, little Chromecast. Google has announced the decade-old Chromecast 1 is finally hitting end of life. From a report: A message on Google’s Chromecast firmware support page announced the wind-down of support, saying, “Support for Chromecast (1st gen) has ended, which means these devices no longer receive software or security updates, and Google does not provide technical support for …

Amazon’s Kill List: 37 Projects That Are No More

Amid slowing sales growth, CEO Andy Jassy is culling projects concocted during the Jeff Bezos era. From a report: When Jeff Bezos ran the show, Amazon.com encouraged employees to pitch product ideas — then take them from concept to reality with minimal bureaucratic second-guessing. The spaghetti-against-the-wall approach didn’t always generate strong sellers — the Fire Phone is one famous misfire …

India Cuts Periodic Table and Evolution From School Textbooks

In India, children under 16 returning to school this month at the start of the school year will no longer be taught about evolution, the periodic table of elements, or sources of energy. Nature: The news that evolution would be cut from the curriculum for students aged 15-16 was widely reported last month, when thousands of people signed a petition …

Popular Torrent Site RARBG Shuts Down

RARBG, one of the world’s largest torrent sites, has said “farewell” to millions of users. From a report: The site, which was a prominent and stable source of new movie and TV show releases, cited a variety of reasons behind its decision to cease operations. The surprise shutdown marks the end of an era. Read more of this story at …