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Nintendo's Big Year, Fortnite's iOS Return, and Veteran Support with Regiment.gg

Nintendo's Big Year, Fortnite's iOS Return, and Veteran Support with Regiment.gg

Fox News2 days ago

Dive into the latest gaming news with Nintendo's eventful year, Roblox's new parental advocacy role, and Fortnite's return to iOS. Discover which games are getting TV or movie adaptations. Plus, join Regiment.gg CEO Chris Earl, a Marine veteran, as he shares how their group supports military members and veterans. Stay updated on game subscription services and what you can play this month.
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Jeffrey Petz

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New Attack Steals Your Windows Email, Passwords, 2FA Codes And More
New Attack Steals Your Windows Email, Passwords, 2FA Codes And More

Forbes

time39 minutes ago

  • Forbes

New Attack Steals Your Windows Email, Passwords, 2FA Codes And More

The latest Katz malware version can steal most everything. Infostealers are the new black. When it comes to hacking fashion, malware that steals user credentials has been in vogue for a while now. We've seen the evidence in the 19 billion compromised passwords that are already available online, or the 94 billion browser cookies published to the Dark Web and Telegram channels. Microsoft has been spearheading the fight against the credential-stealing criminals, leading the recent global takedown of large parts of the Lumma Stealer network infrastructure, for example. Yet, the danger still persists; in fact, it is evolving. New research has revealed that a notorious threat to Windows users has emerged in the form of a new variant that can steal most anything and everything. Here's what you need to know about Katz. There is nothing particularly unusual about the way that the Katz Stealer malware is distributed. Victims are targeted through the usual cybercriminal methods, including phishing emails, malicious advertisements, dangerous search results, and dodgy downloads. Once installed, however, Katz looks to see if you are using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or the Brave web browser and goes into what is known as headless mode. This is pretty much as it sounds, a browser with no visible interface, running 'headless' in the background but with the body able to render pages and interact with the web as normal. Katz can also bypass Google's app-bound encryption protections for Chrome, according to security researchers, which would aid in the credential-stealing payload. And it's the payload that has us shaking our collective heads in disbelief. A May 23 analysis of the latest Katz Stealer malware, by the Nextron threat research team, has revealed the true extent of this steal-everything threat to Windows users. According to the full analysis, which I would recommend you go and read, after you finish here, of course, the range of Katz when it comes to data that can be stolen is, well, extensive. As well as the usual mitigation advice for consumers to deploy two-factor authentication and passkeys on all accounts where available, apply all operating system and browser security updates as soon as possible and be alert to all the usual phishing tricks, the Nextron threat research team recommended the following for enterprise users: Nextron also suggested watching out for the scanning of Windows registry keys and files associated with popular browsers and wallet applications, as this is indicative of Katz Stealer activity. As Sergeant Phil Esterhaus used to say, if you know you know, 'be careful out there.'

Google Issues New $1 Trillion Threat Security Advisory
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Forbes

time39 minutes ago

  • Forbes

Google Issues New $1 Trillion Threat Security Advisory

Google issues new scam threats advisory. dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images Whether it's the FBI warning about smartphone attacks leveraging fears of deportation in the U.S. foreign student population, recommendations to use a secret code as AI-powered phishing campaigns evolve, instant takeover attacks targeting Meta and PayPal users, or confirmed threats aimed at compromising your Gmail account, there is no escaping the cyber-scammers. Indeed, the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, whose advisory board includes the head of scam prevention at Amazon, Microsoft's director of fraud and abuse risk, and the vice president of security solutions with Mastercard, found that more than $1 trillion was lost globally to such fraud in 2024. But do not despair, despite the Federal Trade Commission warning of a 25% year-on-year increase in losses, Google is fighting back. Here's what you need to know. 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Nintendo's Switch era took Pokémon collecting to the next level
Nintendo's Switch era took Pokémon collecting to the next level

The Verge

timean hour ago

  • The Verge

Nintendo's Switch era took Pokémon collecting to the next level

Though the first Nintendo Switch era of Pokémon games was undeniably rocky at times, it brought the series' trading and organization systems into a new level of maturity. It wasn't always easy to complete Pokédexes in remakes like Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and new entries like Sword and Shield. But those games helped The Pokémon Company create a more seamless way to move your monsters from one title to another, or swap them with friends. And with the Pokémon franchise about to make its big debut on the Switch 2 with the cross-generation game Pokémon Legends: Z-A, it feels like The Pokémon Company is getting ready to take the trading system to the next level. In the Pokémon games, filling up your Pokédex has always been an exercise in patience, planning, and understanding that Nintendo and The Pokémon Company want you trading with other players rather than trying to catch 'em all on your own. The games' trading mechanics evolved as the series jumped from the Game Boy to new hardware. By Generation IV (the DS games), players could swap monsters remotely over the internet without needing to use wired link cables. And after years of many legendary and mythical pokémon only being obtainable through in-person events, The Pokémon Company and Game Freak used Pokémon 's Generation V to introduce a serial code redemption system that made snagging super-rare monsters infinitely easier. Bringing pokémon you first caught on older titles like the GBA's Pokémon Emerald up to more modern ones like the 3DS's Ultra Sun was still a very tedious process. But with each generation of games, The Pokémon Company was clearly building out a digital system that allowed players to experience their Pokémon adventures as one massive, continuous journey. That project continued in the Switch era with 2018's Let's Go games, 3D remakes of Pokémon Yellow that featured new mechanics inspired by Pokémon Go. It was wild to see Nintendo using a console title to capitalize on the success of a mobile application. But the way the Let's Go games connected with Pokémon Go and the Pokémon Home cloud storage service spoke volumes about Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's vision for the franchise's future. Like the 3DS's Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter companion applications, Pokémon Home gave players an online space to stash their 'mons and a way to move them between games. Home's ability to connect with Bank made it useful for longtime fans looking to keep their favorite monsters with them. But the application was also clearly meant to help newer players — people drawn to the franchise by games like Scarlet / Violet and Legends: Arceus — start building collections that would keep them invested (both emotionally and financially) in the series. By requiring subscriptions, Pokémon Home and the Switch Pokémon games' online features helped Nintendo come into its own as a services company. Since Nintendo Switch Online's launch in 2018, Nintendo has sweetened the deal by gradually adding more of its classic games to the service, along with other features, like a streaming music app. It's been a little frustrating to watch the company choose not to put most of its older pre-DS Pokémon games online. But much like Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's tradition of making it impossible to complete the Pokédex without having access to both versions (e.g., Red / Blue) of the same game, this has felt like a calculated movie on the company's part to keep players thinking about spending more money. Especially with Pokémon Go and the various Switch remakes in the mix, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company built out an ecosystem of modern games that give players a way to catch virtually every single one of the franchise's creatures. And while none of the past Switch games have been focused on cataloging all the pokémon, that feels like something that could change as Pokémon moves to the Switch 2. Like Arceus before it, Legends: Z-A (a Switch game that's also getting a Switch 2 edition) will likely feature a limited selection of 'mons in order to put more focus on new gameplay mechanics and a fresh story. But as the Switch 2 becomes Nintendo's flagship platform, we could and arguably should see the Pokémon series evolve in some surprising ways. Legends: Z-A looks like a significant upgrade from Scarlet / Violet, but the franchise's potential to change more radically feels like something Nintendo has to be thinking about as it prepares for the next generation of mainline (rather than spinoff) games developed specifically for the Switch 2. Something as simple as bringing the classic games to NSO with Pokémon Home compatibility would make buying into the larger ecosystem with its various subscriptions a much more interesting prospect. It would be a huge win for Pokéfans still hanging out on the original Switch, and it would make upgrading to the Switch 2 feel even more like following the franchise into the future.

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