Players in Mesozoic Dawn start as hatchlings or larvae and evolve to the top of the food chain by foraging for food, avoiding predators, and building nests to have offspring with the best genes for survival.
Radiator Forever, a collection of short and experimental gay games by developer Robert Yang, has launched on Steam alongside its presence on Itch.io. Yang discussed the challenges faced by adult game creators, particularly due to payment processor issues and online regulations in the UK, which affect the viability of such games on major platforms. Users must log in to view the collection on Steam, and UK users need a valid credit card for age verification. The Steam listing is difficult to find without a direct link and is subject to geoblocking in certain regions. Yang explained that the anti-sexuality censorship campaign led by Collective Shout and payment processors prompted Itch to obscure many NSFW games. He noted that Valve has classified Radiator Forever as containing "frequent nudity and sexual content," which limits its visibility on Steam. Despite efforts to comply with content guidelines, Yang faced challenges due to perceived biases against indie developers compared to major publishers. The re-remastered collection includes enhancements like a completion percentage tracker and a tagging system for new content.
Mesozoic Dawn is an MMO survival game where players start as hatchlings and evolve to the top of the food chain by navigating the prehistoric world, foraging for food, and avoiding predators. Players must build nests, have offspring, and unlock new species with each generation inheriting the best genes from their parents. The game features over 70 prehistoric creatures adapted to specific climates, and players must manage hunger, thirst, stress, and injuries to survive. Mesozoic Dawn has received positive reviews on Steam and Google Play, with over 50 thousand downloads on Android.
Norton 360 Deluxe is a subscription service from Gen Digital that combines antivirus, firewall, VPN, and password management tools, covering up to five devices across various platforms. It includes features such as Norton Secure VPN, cloud backup for Windows PCs (up to 50 GB), Norton Password Manager, a smart firewall, and real-time malware scanning. The service is priced at €34.99 for the first year in Germany and around .99 in the U.S., with higher renewal prices. It is designed for households and small offices, providing multi-device coverage and ease of use. Norton 360 Deluxe is available through Norton’s website and retailers like Amazon, and it is recommended by review platforms for its comprehensive security features.
Proton VPN is a prominent VPN provider known for its speed and security, with its headquarters in Switzerland, which has strong privacy laws. The Android app features include Secure Core for enhanced anonymity, NetShield Ad-blocker to block ads and trackers, a kill switch to protect data during connection drops, alternative routing for bypassing restrictions, split tunneling for selective app usage, a VPN Accelerator for increased speeds, and P2P support for secure file sharing. The app requires Android 8 or later for installation, which can be done via the Play Store. Users can connect as guests to access limited features of Proton VPN Free.
Researchers analyzed 281 popular free VPN applications on the Google Play Store and found significant privacy and security shortcomings. The study, conducted by teams from the University of Michigan, the University of New Mexico, and IIT Delhi using a framework called MVPNalyzer, revealed that flagged apps had over 2.4 billion downloads. Key findings included:
- Five apps transmitted configuration files unencrypted, allowing attackers to intercept and modify them.
- 29 apps allowed user traffic to leak outside the encrypted tunnel, with 24 leaking DNS traffic and six leaking full browsing traffic.
- 169 apps made no effort to disguise their traffic, making it identifiable to network operators or government censors.
- 76 apps transmitted the device's Advertising ID to advertisers, and over 80% contacted known advertising and tracking servers.
- Only one of 108 OpenVPN configurations adhered to recommended security practices; 89% used a single authentication method, and nearly 20% employed outdated encryption techniques.
- Many apps passed through Play Store checks without adequate scrutiny, with safety labels often serving as marketing tools rather than security indicators.
These findings align with previous research highlighting similar issues in popular Android VPN apps. Users are advised to be cautious when selecting VPNs, prioritizing those with recent independent security audits.
Cybercriminals are exploiting the VLC media player to install ValleyRAT, a remote access trojan, by embedding malware in a seemingly harmless file linked in phishing emails. The attack starts with an email that prompts the victim to download a ZIP archive containing a fake VLC executable and a malicious DLL named libvlc.dll. This method uses DLL sideloading to execute the malware under the guise of a legitimate application. Once executed, the malware establishes persistence by creating a registry entry and connects to a remote server to retrieve the final payload. ValleyRAT employs evasion tactics to avoid detection, including assessing system characteristics before executing harmful actions and using a fileless approach to deliver the payload directly into memory. Researchers have identified indicators of compromise, including specific SHA1 hashes and URLs associated with the malicious campaign.
MuMuPlayer 6.0 is the latest version of an Android emulator for PC that supports Android 15, providing a higher Android system environment for newer and more demanding mobile games.
Bandai Namco will release the game Echoes of Aincrad on July 9, 2023, for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. The game will be available for purchase on Steam at a price of £55, with a deluxe edition available for an additional £20. The launch times for PC are as follows: 3 pm PDT in Los Angeles, 6 pm EDT in New York, 11 pm BST in London, 12 am CEST in Berlin, 8 am AEST in Sydney, and 10 am NZST in Auckland. For PlayStation and Xbox, the launch times are 9 pm PDT in Los Angeles, 12 am EDT in New York, 12 am BST in London, 12 am CEST in Berlin, 12 am AEST in Sydney, and 12 am NZST in Auckland. Echoes of Aincrad does not offer pre-loading for Steam users, but console users can preload the game.
Black Flag Resynced, a remake of the pirate-themed Assassin's Creed game, will be released on July 9. Console versions will launch at midnight local time, while PC release times are as follows: West Coast US at 7 am PDT, East Coast US at 10 am EDT, UK at 3 pm BST, Europe at 4 pm CEST, Australia at 12 am AEST (July 10), and New Zealand at 2 pm NZDT (July 10). The game offers a preload option that started on July 7, allowing players to download it in advance, requiring 65 GB of available space.