Technology - Google News

Cyberpunk 2077 developer hit with ransomware attack - Ars Technica
Alleged Android 12 screenshots show a privacy indicator and conversation widget - Engadget
[Poll] At what price would the Galaxy Z Fold Lite make sense to you? - SamMobile

Cyberpunk 2077 developer hit with ransomware attack - Ars Technica

Posted: 09 Feb 2021 07:22 AM PST

Enlarge / How would Johnny Silverhand deal with this ransomware threat?

Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red announced that it has "become the victim of a targeted cyberattack" that allegedly exposed the source code for many of its games.

In a message the developer shared on Twitter Tuesday morning, the hackers allege that they stole the closely guarded source code for Cyberpunk 2077, Gwent, and The Witcher 3 (including an unreleased prototype of the last). Documents "relating to accounting, administration, legal, HR, investors relations and more" were also allegedly compromised.

While the hackers apparently used ransomware software to lock CDPR out of certain parts of its systems, the company says it should be able to restore access to the data through backups. The company also remained defiant in the face of a ransom demand of an unspecified amount, saying it wouldn't negotiate, despite a threat to release the stolen data. "We will not give in to the demands nor negotiate with the actor, being aware that this may eventually lead to the release of the compromised data," the company wrote. The demand came with a 48-hour deadline.

CDPR says that "to the best of our knowledge, the compromised systems did not contain any personal data of our players or users of our services." That sets this attack apart from a recent ransomware attack against Capcom, in which Capcom store customers, employees, and esports team members were among the groups that may have had their personal information revealed to hackers.

The raw source code for a game, which is used to create the executable files distributed to players, is usually considered to be among a developer's most valuable trade secrets. Back in 2003, the leak of source code for Valve's then-unreleased Half-Life 2 led to the arrest of a German hacker. More recently, a large tranche of source code for classic Nintendo games was released online as part of a so-called "Gigaleak."

A recent report by cybersecurity analysis firm Coveware found that total ransomware attack payments dipped slightly in the fourth quarter of 2020, after rising steadily for years prior, as more companies refuse to pay. An increasing number of those attacks now include threats to leak data online, Coveware found, and hackers often release that data even after the desired ransom is paid.

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Alleged Android 12 screenshots show a privacy indicator and conversation widget - Engadget

Posted: 09 Feb 2021 01:34 AM PST

Google is expected to release Android 12 sometime this year, which means Developer Previews and betas will most likely be available for download soon. You may not have to wait that long to see what the upcoming mobile has in store for you, though: XDA Developers has posted what could be our first look at Android 12. The publication has come across an "alleged early draft" of a Google document summarizing changes for the OS, though, and it comes with a few screenshots, including one that shows an opaque notification panel with entries that have pronounced rounded corners.

You'll also notice in the rightmost screenshot above that the UI only shows four Quick Settings tiles instead of the usual six. There's a new privacy indicator at the top left of the interface showing whether the phone's camera and mic are in use, as well. When you tap on the indicator, it shows you what apps are using the camera and mic, and a change in Privacy settings will allow you to toggle them off completely.

While XDA Developers can't verify the authenticity of the screenshots themselves, it says the source document itself is authentic. Based on that document, Google will make the privacy indicator a mandatory feature for all Android 12 devices. The tech giant will also reportedly debut "conversation widgets" (see second screenshot from the left) with the OS and will make it a mandatory feature, as well.

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[Poll] At what price would the Galaxy Z Fold Lite make sense to you? - SamMobile

Posted: 08 Feb 2021 10:17 AM PST

It has been rumored quite a few times that Samsung might launch a budget variant of the Galaxy Z Fold. The term "budget" wouldn't really be appropriate for the device, though. Even if the device doesn't offer flagship-level specs, components like the foldable display are still expensive.

So a Galaxy Z Fold Lite could be considered "budget" relative to the $2000 Galaxy Z Fold 2, but not quite as budget as a Galaxy A42, for example. If Samsung does put out such a device, at what price would it make sense to you?

Would you consider buying the Galaxy Z Fold Lite if it cost $999? At that price, it would be accessible to the millions of customers who spend the same amount of money, often more, at a top-of-the-line Galaxy S or Galaxy Note flagship.

It wouldn't necessarily offer the same kind of specs but a proper foldable with a 7-inch internal display would likely find a lot of takers at under a thousand dollars. Would it still be considered a good deal at $1,299, though? That's about the same as you'd pay for a new Galaxy Z Flip. What then drives the decision for customers in that price range would largely be the form factor, not price.

Is a Galaxy Z Fold Lite be worth it at $1,499? It would still be around $500 cheaper than a full-fledged Galaxy Z Fold but in that case, the device will have to strike a balance between cost-cutting and functionality. Customers are going to have high expectations from a $1,499 device, even if it's meant to be a "budget" variant.

What do you think about these price ranges for the Galaxy Z Fold Lite? What would be most acceptable to you? Vote below and share your thoughts with us in the comments.

At what price would the Galaxy Z Fold Lite make sense to you?

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