South America Archives

AppWizard

June 13, 2025

Sony Removes PC Region Locks for Major PlayStation Games on Steam

Sony has lifted regional restrictions on its popular PlayStation titles for PC, allowing access to games like God of War Ragnarök, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, and Helldivers 2 in many new countries. This change follows the successful launch of Stellar Blade on Steam, which achieved over 183,000 concurrent players. Previously, Sony had region locks that restricted access to significant portions of Africa, Asia, and South America. Some regions, including Russia and Syria, remain restricted.

Tech Optimizer

June 5, 2025

CISA releases TTPs & IoCs for Play Ransomware That Hacked 900+ Orgs

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), in collaboration with the FBI and the Australian Cyber Security Centre, released an advisory on the Play ransomware group, which has targeted around 900 entities since its inception in June 2022. The group employs a double extortion model, exploiting vulnerabilities in public-facing applications and using tools for lateral movement and credential dumping. Their operations involve recompiling ransomware binaries for each attack to evade detection. The advisory highlights mitigation measures such as multifactor authentication and regular software patching. The Play ransomware specifically targets virtual environments and encrypts files using AES-256 encryption. Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) include: - SVCHost.dll (Backdoor) - SHA-256: 47B7B2DD88959CD7224A5542AE8D5BCE928BFC986BF0D0321532A7515C244A1E - Backdoor - SHA-256: 75B525B220169F07AECFB3B1991702FBD9A1E170CAF0040D1FCB07C3E819F54A - PSexesvc.exe (Custom Play “psexesvc”) - SHA-256: 1409E010675BF4A40DB0A845B60DB3AAE5B302834E80ADEEC884AEBC55ECCBF7 - HRsword.exe (Disables endpoint protection) - SHA-256: 0E408AED1ACF902A9F97ABF71CF0DD354024109C5D52A79054C421BE35D93549 - Hi.exe (Associated with ransomware) - SHA-256: 6DE8DD5757F9A3AC5E2AC28E8A77682D7A29BE25C106F785A061DCF582A20DC6

Tech Optimizer

June 1, 2025

Bitdefender vs. Norton: Which Antivirus Titan Reigns Supreme for Your Digital Safety?

Bitdefender was established in 1996 and rebranded in 2001, becoming the most popular mobile antivirus in North and South America in 2022. Norton was founded in 1982 and became well-known after Symantec's acquisition. Bitdefender achieves over 98% detection rates online and offline, with five false positives in tests, while Norton exceeds 99% online and 97% offline but has a higher false positive rate. Bitdefender offers a configurable firewall in its Total Security package, while Norton provides a customizable firewall across all products. Bitdefender lacks identity theft protection in its core offerings but offers a separate service, while Norton includes comprehensive identity theft protection in its highest tier. Bitdefender includes a VPN with a 200MB daily cap, while Norton offers an unlimited VPN in most tiers. Bitdefender features an integrated password manager without two-factor authentication, while Norton allows credential sharing and has standalone options. Bitdefender provides basic parental controls, while Norton includes additional features like GPS tracking. Bitdefender enhances its packages with a file shredder and vulnerability scanner, while Norton offers SafeCam and Dark Web Monitoring. Bitdefender is known for resource efficiency, receiving awards for performance, while Norton also received recognition for its performance. Bitdefender has an easy-to-navigate interface, while Norton has a more complex interface. In AV-Comparatives tests, Bitdefender slightly surpassed Norton in offline detection and online protection rates. Bitdefender pricing starts at approximately .99/year for one device, while Norton starts at .99/year for one device as well.

AppWizard

May 30, 2025

Services firm Side sets up Sao Paulo studio

Side has opened a new studio in São Paulo, Brazil, described as a "state-of-the-art space," with plans to double its size within the next year. This is Side's second studio in São Paulo, following the establishment of its first location in 2024. The company has achieved a 50 percent year-over-year growth and aims to continue its aggressive expansion strategy. Plans are in place to lease an additional floor in the new building to accommodate further growth.

AppWizard

May 12, 2025

Doom: The Dark Ages launch times, release date, and advanced access period

John Doomguy, also known as The Doom Guy or The Doom Slayer, is featured in the upcoming game Doom: The Dark Ages. The game will have staggered launch times, with advanced access for pre-order customers starting on May 12 in the evening for the Western Hemisphere and on May 13 for Africa and Eurasia. Those who did not pre-order will be able to access the game on May 14 in North and South America. Unlock times by time zone for Doom: The Dark Ages are: - 5 pm PT, May 14 (Los Angeles) - 8 pm ET, May 14 (New York) - 7 pm CT, May 14 (Chicago) - 1 am BST, May 15 (London) - 2 am CEST, May 15 (Berlin) - 10 am AEST, May 15 (Sydney) - 12 pm NZST, May 15 (Auckland) Advanced access launch times by time zone are: - 5 pm PT, May 12 (Los Angeles) - 8 pm ET, May 12 (New York) - 7 pm CT, May 12 (Chicago) - 1 am BST, May 13 (London) - 2 am CEST, May 13 (Berlin) - 10 am AEST, May 13 (Sydney) - 12 pm NZST, May 13 (Auckland) Preloading for Doom: The Dark Ages is available for PC users, allowing both advance access and standard pre-order customers to prepare for the game’s launch.

Winsage

May 7, 2025

Play ransomware affiliate leveraged zero-day to deploy malware

The Play ransomware gang exploited a critical vulnerability in the Windows Common Log File System, identified as CVE-2025-29824, which has a CVSS score of 7.8 and is categorized as a "Use after free" vulnerability. This flaw allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally and has been confirmed to be exploited in real-world attacks. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog in April. Microsoft addressed this vulnerability during its April Patch Tuesday security updates, acknowledging its exploitation in limited attacks targeting various sectors in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Researchers from Symantec reported that the Play ransomware gang used the CVE-2025-29824 exploit in an attack against a U.S. organization before the public disclosure and patching of the vulnerability. The attackers utilized the Grixba infostealer tool and initially exploited a public-facing Cisco ASA firewall to gain entry. They deployed tools to gather information, escalated privileges using the CVE-2025-29824 exploit, and executed malicious scripts to steal credentials. The exploit took advantage of race conditions in driver memory handling, allowing kernel access and manipulation of files. Before the patch was released, the exploit was reportedly used by multiple threat actors, and Microsoft linked it to other malware.

Winsage

March 20, 2025

11 nation-state groups exploit unpatched Microsoft zero-day

Since 2017, at least 11 state-sponsored threat groups have exploited a Microsoft zero-day vulnerability in Windows shortcut files for data theft and cyber espionage. Researchers from Trend Micro's Trend Zero Day Initiative have identified nearly 1,000 malicious .lnk files utilizing this flaw, designated as ZDI-CAN-25373, which allows attackers to execute hidden commands on victims' devices. The attacks involve various payloads, including the Lumma infostealer and Remcos remote access Trojan, with North Korean operatives responsible for over 45% of the incidents, while Iran, Russia, and China account for approximately 18% each. Notable advanced persistent threat groups involved include Evil Corp, Kimsuky, Bitter, and Mustang Panda. Microsoft has not yet released a patch for this vulnerability, which is considered unusual, and while Microsoft Defender can detect and block related threats, organizations are advised to remain vigilant and implement protective measures against potential exploitation.

Winsage

March 18, 2025

New Windows zero-day exploited by 11 state hacking groups since 2017

At least 11 state-backed hacking groups from North Korea, Iran, Russia, and China have been exploiting a Windows vulnerability tracked as ZDI-CAN-25373 since 2017 for data theft and cyber espionage. Microsoft has classified this vulnerability as "not meeting the bar for servicing," meaning no security updates will be released. The flaw allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected Windows systems by concealing malicious command-line arguments within .LNK shortcut files, using padded whitespaces to evade detection. Nearly 70% of the analyzed attacks linked to this vulnerability were related to espionage, while 20% aimed for financial gain. Various malware payloads, including Ursnif, Gh0st RAT, and Trickbot, have been associated with these attacks. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability, as the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. Microsoft has not assigned a CVE-ID to this vulnerability but is tracking it internally as ZDI-CAN-25373. A Microsoft spokesperson mentioned that the company is considering addressing the flaw in the future.

AppWizard

February 28, 2025

Facebook Messenger is down worldwide as

Users worldwide are experiencing significant disruptions with Facebook Messenger, starting around 10:30 AM ET, affecting regions including the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, South America, and Asia. Facebook Messenger has about one billion users as of early 2025. Meta's other messaging platform, WhatsApp, faced similar issues during this outage, with over 8,200 complaints logged on Downdetector in the United States. This incident is reminiscent of a previous outage four years ago that lasted seven hours and resulted in a significant revenue loss, attributed to a faulty update. During that outage, access systems at Facebook's Menlo Park campus were also disrupted. The current situation has led to user frustration and raised concerns about the reliability of major tech firms' infrastructure.

AppWizard

February 28, 2025

India’s first dedicated PC and console game publishing house closes pre-seed founding round

1312 Interactive has completed its pre-seed founding round, establishing itself as India's first dedicated PC and console game publishing house, founded by Deepak Gurijala and Raviteja Mantena. The company aims to discover and publish indie and AA games for global audiences and has received support from industry leaders, including Akshat Rathee, Gautam Virk, Rajat Ojha, and others. The founders plan to elevate Indian games in the global market and are exploring collaborations with developers in Southeast Asia, the MENA region, and South America. They have three titles scheduled for release in 2025: Winds of Arcana, Palm Sugar: A Village Story, and Souls of Bombarika, with plans to introduce six to eight additional games annually.