automation Archives

AppWizard

July 31, 2026

Cheap Android TV Boxes Pose as Phones and Turn Owners’ Broadband Into Proxies

Bitsight's investigation revealed that inexpensive Android TV boxes are being shipped with applications that can change their hardware identity, allowing them to impersonate popular smartphone brands like Samsung and Huawei. This operation, named Fuyao, is linked to Zhejiang Fengwo IoT Technology Co., Ltd., a Chinese company established in 2019. The H96MAXV11 model was frequently reported among the affected devices. In one day, the operation received 65,957 reports from about 38,000 unique MAC addresses, with many devices misidentified as phones due to spoofed identifiers. Fengwo has also promoted over 120,000 "AI digital humans," though details on this marketing term are vague. The command-and-control server for Fuyao sends phone profiles to devices, masking their actual hardware specifications. The operation uses machine vision technology and a YOLOv8s object-detection model to identify advertisements. Bitsight documented 40 fraud tasks, 21 unique campaigns, and 166 modules across four devices. The operation's payout structure involves 144 operator-owned domains, with an estimated gross return of .25 per device daily, potentially leading to annual revenues in the millions. Attribution to Fengwo is supported by shared TLS certificate data and public patent records, although the patents do not directly address advertising. There is uncertainty about how the fraudulent apps were installed and at what point in the supply chain they were introduced. Device owners are advised to verify Play Protect certification and disconnect suspicious devices.

AppWizard

July 31, 2026

Recommended Hosting for Forge Servers: Minecraft Recipes Guide

In heavily modded Forge servers in Minecraft, recipe management is crucial due to the extensive crafting systems introduced by various mods. Players can encounter tens of thousands of recipes, especially in complex modpacks that combine technology, magic, farming, and automation. Crafting advanced machines requires a network of smaller components, leading to significant server load during crafting operations. Automation increases demands on servers, as multiple systems may run concurrently, generating thousands of crafting events every minute. Server performance is influenced more by CPU speed than by RAM, with high-frequency processors facilitating quicker recipe evaluations. Effective hosting configurations should include powerful CPUs and fast storage to maintain tick stability. Regular server management practices, such as avoiding large automated crafting loops and scheduling restarts, can enhance performance. Keeping mods updated and testing new ones before deployment can help prevent recipe conflicts and maintain stability.

AppWizard

July 31, 2026

GOG Is Permanently Removing 6 PC Games on July 31

GOG is removing six titles from its catalog on July 31. The titles being delisted are: 1. A Long Journey to an Uncertain End - A sci-fi adventure RPG released in 2023, with a 75% approval rating on Steam and a score of 2.3/5 on GOG, priced at .99. 2. Outerverse - A crafting automation adventure game released in 2022, with a 51% approval rating on Steam and a score of 2.3/5 on GOG, priced at .99. 3. PLAGUN – The Plague Goes On - A roguelike scroller shooter released in 2025, with an 81% rating on Steam and a score of 3.3/5 on GOG, priced at .99. 4. Clouzy - An adventure simulation game released in 2022, with a 53% approval rating on Steam and a score of 3.6/5 on GOG, priced at .99. 5. Tavernacle - A co-op tower defense game released in 2023, with a 60% rating on Steam and no user reviews on GOG, priced at .99. 6. Airborne Kingdom - A sky city builder released in 2022, with a 76 rating on Metacritic, an 87% rating on Steam, and a 4.3/5 rating on GOG, priced at .99.

AppWizard

July 30, 2026

OneBlock Online

OneBlock is a Minecraft game mode where players start with a single block that evolves through 29 phases, offering valuable loot. It includes multiplayer features, daily and weekly quests for XP, and the ability to own multiple islands. Players can engage in monster islands for rare drops, unlock custom enchantments, and utilize worker minions for automation. The game also offers extensive customization options for islands and characters, a player-driven economy, a leaderboard system, and server-wide events. Future updates are expected to introduce more phases, blocks, and items.

AppWizard

July 29, 2026

Speaking of Matt Damon, there’s a new survival game out this week on Steam where you’re stranded on Mars and have to grow potatoes to survive

Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey is boosting Matt Damon's career. The game Sol One, developed by yeetgench, is inspired by themes of survival similar to those in Damon's role in The Martian. In Sol One, players navigate a Martian landscape, scavenging resources and cultivating food, particularly potatoes, to survive. Unlike the film, the game's protagonist must rely on their ingenuity to escape without waiting for rescue. Players will mine materials like iron, copper, and uranium to build a rocket to return to Earth. The game includes automation features, allowing players to use rovers for resource gathering. Sol One aims for a grounded, science-driven survival experience, featuring realistic weather patterns and dynamic challenges. Early access for the game launches on Steam on July 30.

AppWizard

July 26, 2026

These 11 paid Android apps are worth every penny I spent

Stellarium Plus is a digital sky guide that shows celestial object positions and offers guided Tours and a calendaring feature. Buzzkill is a notification manager that allows personalized rules for alerts. Key Launcher Pro replaces the default Pixel Launcher with rapid search capabilities and additional features like Super Shortcuts and Focus Mode. Octopi Launcher Pro allows custom layouts for foldable devices, enhancing user experience through regular updates. KWGT Pro is a widget creation tool that enables device personalization with additional features in the Pro version. Tropical Hurricane Tracker provides timely updates on tropical weather conditions from NOAA and NWS, with an ad-free option available. PeakFinder identifies nearby mountains using the phone's camera and location, providing names and elevations. Hermit Premium transforms web pages into standalone web apps, enhancing privacy with an editable ad blocker and multiple profiles. Moon+ Reader Pro offers extensive customization for reading, including PDF editing tools. SuperDisplay provides low-latency connections that mimic a dedicated monitor. Tasker is an automation tool that allows users to create complex automation recipes for enhanced productivity.

AppWizard

July 25, 2026

Gemini gets better memory: smart home update refines automations and more

Google is enhancing its smart home ecosystem with updates that include an expansion of Gemini's "conversational memory" to 15 minutes, the debut of Gemini Live on first-generation Home Mini and Nest Hub devices, improved automation guidance, and new smart lock alerts for removed users. Recent updates also introduce Pet Memory for personalized recognition of pets and Suggested Automations to streamline user commands. The early access version of Gemini for Home has received refinements, with Gemini Live being exclusive to Google Home Premium subscribers. The memory capabilities of Gemini now support a broader range of Walmart's Onn cameras, and bug fixes have been implemented for a smoother user experience. The Continued Conversations feature allows Gemini to remember ongoing interactions for a few extra seconds, enabling follow-up commands. Pet Memory allows users to personalize interactions with their pets by using their names.

AppWizard

July 23, 2026

Active Exploitation Alert: Fake Bahrain Alert App Deploys Advanced Android Surveillance Malware Targeting Gulf Region Users

A cyber-espionage campaign has been identified involving a counterfeit Bahrain Alert Android application designed to surveil individuals in Bahrain and the Gulf region. The app masquerades as an official civil defense tool and employs social engineering tactics to compromise Android devices, extract sensitive data, and maintain remote access. It targets high-value individuals such as activists and journalists, particularly during civil unrest and missile alerts, leveraging trusted government branding to increase infection rates. The malware features a complex, multi-stage architecture with advanced evasion techniques and is distributed through phishing links and malicious websites. It initiates a four-stage infection process, ultimately installing a remote access trojan (RAT) that enables covert surveillance and encrypted communications. The malware can monitor device activity, capture credentials, and intercept communications, while also employing mechanisms to avoid detection and maintain persistence. The campaign primarily targets Bahraini citizens, exploiting fear during crises to encourage app installation. Although there are indications of Russian-speaking developers involved, there is no definitive attribution to a specific nation-state or APT group. Mitigation strategies include monitoring for suspicious app installations, user education on verifying app authenticity, and blocking known malicious domains.

Tech Optimizer

July 22, 2026

Migrating mission-critical payments at Nubank to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL

Nubank, a digital banking platform with approximately 135 million customers in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, faced challenges with its payment infrastructure due to inefficiencies in managing 7.5 TB of self-hosted PostgreSQL databases. Queries took over 13 minutes to execute, and replication lags exceeded four minutes during peak times. To address these issues, Nubank evaluated database solutions based on developer productivity, operational efficiency, performance reliability, and scalability. They selected Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition for its compatibility, performance improvements, and automated features. The migration to Aurora was facilitated by AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS), which minimized downtime and allowed for efficient transition. Post-migration, query performance improved significantly, with some queries executing up to 1,900 times faster, and overall end-to-end service latency decreased, enhancing customer experience. The migration resulted in a 25 percent cost reduction and ensured compliance with regulatory requirements.

Tech Optimizer

July 21, 2026

I Built My Second ETL Pipeline. This Time, I Started Thinking Like a Data Engineer

The author transitioned from a data analyst role to a data engineer, creating a 12-month self-study roadmap focused on learning by building projects. The first project was a GitHub ETL pipeline, which evolved from a simple Python script to a more complex system using SQLite and GitHub Actions for automation. The author realized that the challenges of data engineering lay in system design and orchestration rather than just writing ETL logic. For the second project, the author built an automated RSS ingestion pipeline to explore engineering decisions in creating a reliable data pipeline. The project emphasized the importance of separating application responsibilities from orchestration tasks, leading to the use of Docker for consistent execution environments and Kestra for orchestration. The author validated each component of the project incrementally: first the Python ETL, then PostgreSQL, followed by Docker, and finally Kestra. This approach ensured that each layer functioned correctly before adding complexity. The final architecture included distinct responsibilities for each component: Python for data processing, PostgreSQL for data storage, Docker for execution, and Kestra for orchestration. The author learned that effective engineering involves considering system reliability, error handling, and observability, shifting the focus from merely writing code to designing entire systems. The experience transformed the author's mindset, emphasizing the importance of incremental building and the separation of execution and orchestration responsibilities.