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Microsoft Pluton

Microsoft announces Pluton, a new security processor developed alongside Intel, AMD & Qualcomm, that has security built into the core to guard against physical and/or hardware attacks targeting sensitive information such as identity and encryption keys.

Today, the heart of operating system security lives in a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), which is a chip separate from the CPU. The TPM is a hardware component that is used to help securely store keys that verify the integrity of the system. Given the importance of the TPM, hackers have begun to innovate ways to attack it, particularly in situations where a hacker can steal or temporarily gain physical access to a PC. These sophisticated attack techniques target the communication channel between the CPU and TPM, which is typically a bus interface.

The Pluton design removes the potential for that communication channel to be attacked by placing security directly into the CPU. Windows PCs using the Pluton architecture will first emulate a TPM that works with the existing TPM specifications and APIs, which will allow customers to immediately benefit from enhanced security for Windows features that rely on TPMs like BitLocker and System Guard. Windows devices with Pluton will use the Pluton security processor to protect credentials, user identities, encryption keys, and personal data. None of this information can be removed from Pluton even if an attacker has installed malware or has complete physical possession of the PC.

#microsoft #technology #security #cyberattacks #privacy #intel #amd #qualcomm #cpu #pluton

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Some day digital historians will be faced with the problem of determining whether or not anything happened on January 1st, 1970.

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Thinking about switching from 10- or 20- series to 30-? Read this post!

If you are thinking of upgrading from a Nvidea 10- or 20- series to the newly released 30- series, you might be in for long sessions of thinking and analysis, especially if care to save those hard-earned dollars $$! 

We will always be excited to have that GPU in our rig. However, with the RTX 3070 priced at $499 and RTX 3080 priced at $699 you will want to see the below!

 GeForce RTX 2070 was flagged as a replacement for the GeForce GTX 1080, the jump from 1070 to 3070 will be very perceptible in terms of performance gains, not only in terms of better fps but also in terms of access to ray tracing and DLSS-powered graphics upscaling which allows for higher frames rates and better-looking graphics in supported titles.

For 2070 owners, it’s a case of evolution over revolution. You’ll still need to check your power supply meets the recommended rating, otherwise, you’re looking at a jump from first generation ray tracing technology to the second generation, and from first generation Tensor cores to the third generation. There’s also a bump in the boost clock, but the massive leap in CUDA cores number – from 2,304 in 2070 to 5,888 in 3070 – makes for better parallel processing, which means better fps when gaming. Feature-wise the 30- series isn’t much different than the 20- series. 3070 is similar in performance to a 2080Ti. Otherwise, you aren’t missing features, RTX, ray tracing, DLSS, G-Sync, Reflex Low Latency, NVENC, etc. are all supported on 20 series. It is worth noting that performance per watt and overall performance went up a lot in this new generation.

So what will be your decision? Let us know and share your experience!

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Children's data at high risk:

Some 46 million records stolen from children’s gaming service Animal Jam have found its way onto the dark web following a hack of the company in October.

Animal Jam is a popular online virtual world created by WildWorks Inc. with more than 130 million users catering to children between the ages of four and eight. The site has a zoo theme featuring mini-games, puzzles, adventures, parties and social interactions.

The hack and subsequent theft of data was confirmed on the Animal Jam site in a statement. WildWorks describes the theft as involving a database containing some Animal Jam user data on the server of a vendor the company uses for intra-company communication. The data stolen included usernames, email addresses, encrypted passwords and birth dates along with in some cases the names of parents and their billing address. No financial details were stolen.

Although the passwords were encrypted, they used only SHA1 hashing. That’s an old cryptographic standard that can easily be decrypted by hackers.

WildWorks only became aware of the theft of the data after being contacted by security researchers Nov. 11. The hack and data theft is believed to have occurred Oct. 10-12.

Where the story takes an unexpected twist is how the hack is believed to have taken place. WildWorks Chief Executive Officer Clary Stacy told Bleeping Computer that he believes those behind the hack obtained WildWork’s Amazon Web Services Inc. key after compromising the company’s Slack sever.

“The exposure of 46 million Animal Jam user records further validates that no personal data is safe, even on an innocent online game website,” Robert Prigge, CEO of identity verification company Jumio Corp., told SiliconANGLE. “As children’s education and activities have rapidly shifted online amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s likely children are using the same usernames and passwords across multiple applications and online accounts, meaning this exposure allows hackers to gain access to more than just Animal Jam.”

Chloé Messdaghi, vice president of strategy at cybersecurity intelligence firm Point3 Security Inc., noted that it’s never appropriate to target kids’ data and the services that make this available need to be stopped.

“A lot of companies use communications apps such as Slack without two-factor authentication, which seems to be the case with Animal Jam,” Messdaghi added. “Instead, companies assume they’re not targets, or mistakenly believe that using a password that’s too short is sufficient. This just underscores that any shared service — GitHub, Citrix, whatever – needs to be protected with multifactor authentication apps or preferably a token, and it underscores just how important password managers are.”

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#intel #technology #tech #gaming #nvidia #amd #cpu

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Thinking about switching from 10- or 20- series to 30-? Read this post!

If you are thinking of upgrading from a Nvidea 10- or 20- series to the newly released 30- series, you might be in for long sessions of thinking and analysis, especially if care to save those hard-earned dollars $$! 

We will always be excited to have that GPU in our rig. However, with the RTX 3070 priced at $499 and RTX 3080 priced at $699 you will want to see the below!

 GeForce RTX 2070 was flagged as a replacement for the GeForce GTX 1080, the jump from 1070 to 3070 will be very perceptible in terms of performance gains, not only in terms of better fps but also in terms of access to ray tracing and DLSS-powered graphics upscaling which allows for higher frames rates and better-looking graphics in supported titles.

For 2070 owners, it’s a case of evolution over revolution. You’ll still need to check your power supply meets the recommended rating, otherwise, you’re looking at a jump from first generation ray tracing technology to the second generation, and from first generation Tensor cores to the third generation. There’s also a bump in the boost clock, but the massive leap in CUDA cores number – from 2,304 in 2070 to 5,888 in 3070 – makes for better parallel processing, which means better fps when gaming. Feature-wise the 30- series isn't much different than the 20- series. 3070 is similar in performance to a 2080Ti. Otherwise, you aren't missing features, RTX, ray tracing, DLSS, G-Sync, Reflex Low Latency, NVENC, etc. are all supported on 20 series. It is worth noting that performance per watt and overall performance went up a lot in this new generation.

So what will be your decision? Let us know and share your experience!

#nvidia #rtx #3070 #3080 #2070 #gaming #rig #intel #technology #gpu #cuda

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Interesting!

#technology #nvidia #gpu #masterrace #ps5 #xbox #gaming

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The security and privacy issues that comes with a more connected world.

It is no secret that most of the items we used in our everyday lives are already connected to our phone or router. No one can deny the benefits these devices have introduced. But, are these devices compromising our privacy in favor of revenues to the big companies who manufactured them.

Manufactures of smart phones, smart watches and other smart devices are legally bound not to share personal information or personalize the information they collect. Recent studies have shown that anonymously collected data can be used to classify the user based on his weight, routine, activity record and even the location they visit. Although this data will not be stored with our names tagged on it, but it is sufficient to individualize each of us under a new code-name.

Even though we know our privacy might not be preserved, we choose to incorporate these devices in our lives. We simply cannot live without them!

#technology #security #privacy #iot #internet