monitor Archives

Winsage

June 18, 2025

It’s time to update Asus Armoury Crate, folks—the latest vulnerability could allow hackers to compromise your Windows OS

A newly discovered vulnerability in Asus Armoury Crate, identified as CVE-2025-3464, has a severity rating of 8.4 out of 10 and allows hackers to gain low-level privileges on Windows systems. The affected versions of Armoury Crate range from V5.9.9.0 to V6.1.18.0. Researcher Marcin "Icewall" Noga from Cisco Talos highlighted this issue, prompting Asus to issue a product security advisory. Users are advised to verify their version of Armoury Crate and update to the latest version if necessary. No incidents of this exploit being actively used have been reported thus far. This is the second vulnerability found in an Asus utility within two months, following a separate issue with DriverHub reported in May.

AppWizard

June 17, 2025

Minecraft brand boss Harry Elonen on building box-office bedlam into brand devotion

The first trailer for A Minecraft Movie received backlash, prompting the film's team to engage with fans and make significant changes. The film ultimately became the highest-grossing gaming movie, achieving 2.8 million in domestic ticket sales and surpassing the 2023 Super Mario Bros film. It generated nearly a billion dollars in global revenue for Warner Bros. Harry Elonen from Mojang Studios acknowledged the initial marketing missteps and emphasized the importance of emotional connections with fans. The team adapted their strategy based on fan feedback, leading to a successful second weekend box office hold of .6 million. The film's success was attributed to its authentic lore and emotional resonance, with Minecraft being the best-selling video game of all time, and players having spent over 68 million years in-game. The movie grossed over 0 million worldwide by early June, exceeding projections by over 30%. The marketing strategy included embedding Easter eggs and monitoring fan sentiment, resulting in a 6.3 times return on its 0 million production budget and a surge in merchandising.

Tech Optimizer

June 16, 2025

Norton Antivirus Review 2025: Solid Value for Fast, Effective Protection

Norton Antivirus has a score of 8.6 out of 10 and was established in 1982. The Norton 360 Deluxe package includes features such as real-time protection, manual and automated scans, the Genie Scam Detector, a password manager, and 2GB of cloud backups. It offers four plans: Norton Antivirus Plus, Norton 360 Standard, Norton 360 Deluxe, and Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus, each with varying identity protection features and cloud backup space. The installation process is user-friendly, and the software operates efficiently, using minimal CPU and disk space. Norton has maintained a perfect security ranking from AV-Test for over a decade but has experienced a data breach in the past five years. Customer support includes a knowledge base, community forum, and 24/7 live chat and phone support, with an overall customer support score of 8 out of 10. Norton’s pricing is competitive, particularly for higher-tier plans, resulting in a value ranking of 8 out of 10.

Tech Optimizer

June 16, 2025

Why cybersecurity awareness and insider risk management are essential for SMBs

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are increasingly exposed to cyber threats, with human error being the leading cause of data breaches. Employees may click on malicious links, use weak passwords, or fall for phishing scams, highlighting the need for ongoing cybersecurity awareness training and insider risk management. Comprehensive training programs can help employees identify and mitigate threats, while modern cybersecurity platforms offer monitoring for exposed credentials on the dark web and provide real-time alerts for compromised information. These platforms also feature automated reporting, allowing business owners to track training completion and identify areas of risk. Educated and supported employees can become a strong defense against cyber threats, making investment in human-focused cybersecurity tools essential for SMBs to protect their reputation and financial health.

AppWizard

June 15, 2025

These are the subscriptions I actually don’t mind paying for

FlightRadar24 offers a Gold subscription that provides features like bookmarking flights, accessing airport and flight histories for up to a year, and real-time weather layers. Meteogram Weather Widget's Pro version allows extensive customization and monitoring of weather conditions over various time frames, making it valuable for unpredictable weather. NordVPN is favored for its ease of use and reliability across multiple devices, justifying its annual fee for online privacy. F1TV provides access to live races and past events, with the Pro tier offering enhanced viewing features like timing and telemetry. Netflix's 4K tier enhances the viewing experience, maintaining its status as a popular streaming service despite rising costs. Spotify is a leading music streaming service, with the Duo plan allowing two users to share a subscription, catering to diverse musical tastes. Google One offers a 200GB plan for backing up files and photos, which can be shared within a family group, making it a convenient choice. OsmAnd Maps+ Annual is an open-source app beneficial for exploring off-the-beaten-path routes, with its annual fee justified by its functionality during road trips.

AppWizard

June 14, 2025

PlayStation is being ‘really thoughtful’ about picking which games to port to PC, says studios boss

Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation studios, stated that Sony takes a careful and strategic approach to porting games to PC, typically delaying non-live service titles by at least a year after their console release to maintain the value of the PlayStation 5. Despite indications of a potential shift towards a more aggressive strategy, Hulst confirmed the company will continue its conservative approach to protect the unique value of the PS5. Hideaki Nishino, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, emphasized the importance of monitoring player patterns and behaviors while expressing confidence in Sony's current strategy amidst competition in the industry.

AppWizard

June 13, 2025

Steam beta gets native Apple Silicon support — the only public Arm version of Steam

Valve has released an update to its Steam Client Beta, optimized for Apple Silicon, eliminating the need for Rosetta 2. This update enhances performance for both the Steam Client and Steam Helper on Apple computers. The transition to a native version is timely as Apple is ending support for Rosetta 2 with the upcoming macOS 27. Valve confirmed that macOS Tahoe will be the last update for Intel Macs. Users can upgrade to the new Steam version (1749753892 or higher) by navigating to Steam > Preferences and selecting the Steam Beta Update option. The update can be verified in the Activity Monitor, where it should indicate Apple in the Kind column.

AppWizard

June 13, 2025

This strategy roguelike is like trying to fight off an alien invasion with a bunch of PCs from the late 1970s

Xenopurge is a roguelike strategy game set in the late 1970s aesthetic, where players guide galactic marines through derelict starships battling an alien infestation. The game features vintage-looking PCs and minimalistic visuals, creating a suspenseful atmosphere reminiscent of classic sci-fi narratives. A demo of Xenopurge is available for free on Steam.

Tech Optimizer

June 13, 2025

Microsoft Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Tips to Protect Your Business Following the Latest Outage

Microsoft attributed a recent global outage affecting various digital infrastructures to a "CrowdStrike update," which disrupted multiple applications including OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook, PowerBI, Microsoft Teams, and others. Users experienced issues such as synchronization failures and access difficulties. The incident highlights vulnerabilities in supply chains that organizations rely on for managing sensitive data, which can be targeted by cyber threats. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is a feature within Microsoft Purview designed to protect sensitive information from unauthorized disclosure. DLP policies can monitor user activity and take protective actions like alerting users about inappropriate sharing, blocking sharing attempts, or relocating data to secure locations. DLP can be applied across various platforms, including Office 365 applications and Windows endpoints. The DLP lifecycle includes planning and deployment phases, where organizations assess data to be monitored and ensure policies do not disrupt workflows. Monitoring and reporting tools provide insights into policy matches and incidents, helping organizations refine their DLP efforts. However, DLP has limitations, including false positives, user resistance, and challenges in detecting data leakages through new communication channels.

Tech Optimizer

June 13, 2025

‘BrowserVenom’ Windows Malware Preys on Users Looking to Run DeepSeek AI

A new strain of Windows malware called "BrowserVenom" is exploiting interest in DeepSeek's AI models by targeting users through deceptive Google ads. These ads lead to a counterfeit website, "https[:]//deepseek-platform[.]com," where users are tricked into downloading a harmful file named “AILauncher1.21.exe.” This malware monitors and manipulates internet traffic, allowing attackers to intercept sensitive data. The operation is believed to involve Russian-speaking threat actors, and the malware has infected users in several countries, including Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, India, Nepal, South Africa, and Egypt. The fraudulent domain has been suspended, but the malware can evade many antivirus solutions. Users are advised to verify official domains when downloading software.