Author: Mobile Syrup

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft confirms hackers stole partial source code for Bing, Cortana

Microsoft confirmed that hacking group ‘Lapsus$’ compromised a “single account” and accessed partial source code for Bing and Cortana.

The company confirmed the breach in a blog post and detailed what Lapsus$ — or ‘DEV-0537’ as Microsoft calls the group — got from the breach. According to Microsoft, no customer code or data was involved. The company says that Lapsus$ only compromised one account, and Microsoft’s security teams responded quickly to remediate the account and prevent further activity.

Moreover, Microsoft said that it doesn’t rely on the secrecy of source code as a security tool. In other words, Microsoft assumes attackers will access source code, and so relies on other tools to protect itself. The company made a similar remark following the massive Solarwinds breach in 2020.

Lapsus$ claimed it got access to around 45 percent of the code for Bing and Cortana, as well as some 90 percent of code for Bing Maps.

The Verge notes that the Lapsus$ group claimed to be behind several recent security attacks and said it stole data from Okta, Samsung, Ubisoft, and Nvidia. While some of the companies have admitted data was stolen, Okta refuted the group’s claims and said its service hadn’t been breached.

Microsoft wrapped up its blog post by outlining steps organizations can take to improve security, especially in regard to Lapsus$. The company described the Lapsus$ attack pattern as gaining “access through stolen credentials that enable data theft and destructive attacks against a targeted organization, often resulting in extortion.”

With that in mind, Microsoft suggests organizations require employees to use multi-factor authentication, or MFA (also called two-factor authentication, or 2FA). MFA involves using multiple methods of authenticating users, such as passwords combined with a one-time passcode (OTP) sent via email, SMS, or through an authentication app. Of the three, Microsoft recommends using a dedicated authentication app to avoid vulnerabilities with email or SMS OTP codes, such as SIM swap attacks commonly used to intercept these codes.

Source: Microsoft Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

What do you want to see change in the Canadian wireless space?

When it comes to wireless in Canada, it’s clear that Canadians want more choice, value and lower prices, and how that shift is delivered is more important now than ever.

With the Rogers/Shaw merger currently on the table and in the hands of government officials, now is the time for Canadians to speak up and have a voice.

A shift like this has not occurred since the 2008 AWS spectrum auction that saw Wind Mobile, Public Mobile and Mobility come to life, bringing fresh choice and lower prices across the board.

Our question to you is: What do you want to change with the Canadian wireless industry?

Would you rather keep the Canadian wireless landscape as it is with Rogers/Bell/Telus owning the majority? Would you rather wireless competition be opened to U.S. private equity players? Or, would you prefer an independent choice such as Globalive or Xplornet to acquire Shaw’s wireless spectrum?

Let us know in the comments and poll below.

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Mobile Syrup

New EV battery manufacturing plant coming to Windsor, Ontario

Battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution and automaker Stellantis N.V. are entering a joint venture to bring Canada its first EV battery manufacturing plant.

The partnership includes a $5 billion investment in a facility located in Windsor, Ontario. It will supply Stellantis plants across North America.

The facility will open in 2025 and create roughly 2,500 jobs

“With this announcement, we are securing the future for thousands more local workers and securing Windsor’s strategic location as the home of Canada’s electric vehicle future,” Drew Dilkens, the mayor of Windsor, said. “As the world pivots to EVs, Windsor will soon be home to the battery manufacturing facility that powers it all.”

In a press release, the Government of Canada said it worked closely with both companies to make the venture happen. The news will make Canada a leader in the production of EV batteries and support a domestic battery manufacturing sector in the country.

“Partnerships like these are critical to creating new jobs and putting Canada on the cutting edge of the clean economy. By working together, we are creating thousands of new jobs, making a difference in the lives of people now and making sure that future generations have a clean environment to live in,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Google Home app update makes controlling smart devices suck a little less

Google’s ‘Home’ app should soon get much better for Android and iOS users.

The search giants have updates on the way for Home on both platforms that will tidy up the interface and simplify controls. Users can expect some privacy improvements as well.

Google detailed the upcoming changes in a Nest Community blog post (via Engadget), including screenshots of the new design. Anyone familiar with Android 11’s smart home controls in the power menu (or 12’s controls in the quick settings widget) will feel at home – pardon the pun — with the new Home app.

The new controls will let people tap devices to turn them on or off, or use a built-in slider to quickly adjust the brightness of lights. Moreover, the new controls will surface advanced options when users long-press on them.

New Google Home app | Image credit: Google

On the privacy side, the Home app will get a new settings section where users can manage privacy controls, Assistant data, and home activity. The change brings these controls to one central location, making them easier to access.

These changes are part of an update that should be rolling out this week, but Google has more planned for later this month. That update will bring improvements to the home feed, such as new automatic sorting that will surface recent and important events as well as grouping events that happen around the same time.

You can learn more about the Home app updates here.

Source: Google Via: Engadget

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Mobile Syrup

Uber is reworking its fare splitting option, making it temporarily unavailable for users

Uber will temporarily remove a feature that allows riders to split fares and assures customers the change isn’t permanent.

“We are in the process of reworking how riders split fares, and the feature will be temporarily removed from the Uber app next month,” an Uber spokesperson told MobileSyrup.

Mashable first reported the news. Riders in the UK first got an email telling them the feature would discontinue on March 21. The company has said the date is a mistake, and Uber will deactivate the feature next month.

“We know this is a popular feature, so rest assured that we are planning to roll out a new, improved version in the coming months,” the spokesperson said.

While there are other options for riders to split fares in Canada, such as using e-transfer, the convenience of splitting the bill within the app will surely be missed.

Source: Mashable

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Mobile Syrup

Fully playable fan-made Zelda: Ocarina of Time PC port now available

A group of fan modders has released a PC port of Nintendo’s iconic N64 game, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Per developer Harbour Masters, the PC port offers HD graphics, ultra-widescreen resolution, modding support, keyboard support and more. Text-to-speech, 60fps support, twin-stick camera support and other features are also in the works.

The PC port runs on software called ‘Ship of Harkinian,’ which was released on Harbour Master’s Discord server earlier this week. Essentially, Ship of Harkinian takes a legally-sourced N64 ROM of Ocarina of Time and uses those assets to create a native PC version.

It’s this specific process that should, in theory, protect Harbour Masters from Nintendo, which is notorious for taking legal action against fan projects based on its work. As Ship of Harkinian is a reverse engineering project, it’s technically legal, since it doesn’t use any leaked or copyrighted assets from Nintendo.

Outside of the planned updates for the Ocarina of Time PC port, Harbour Masters says work on a PC version of the game’s sequel, Majora’s Mask, is about 45 percent complete.

It’s worth noting that both games are available on the Nintendo Switch through the Switch Online service’s $63.99 CAD/year membership. However, these are the original N64 versions, not the 3DS remakes.

Via: VGC

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Mobile Syrup

Netflix could earn $1.6 billion annually by charging for password sharing: analysts

Earlier this month, Netflix made headlines for announcing the upcoming testing of a paywall on password sharing in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru.

While the company has since told MobileSyrup it has no plans to expand this test to Canada, consumers have nonetheless been wary.

Now, a group of analysts has worked out a rough figure for potential revenue should Netflix introduce paid password sharing worldwide. According to U.S. analysts Cowen & Co., Netflix could bring in an additional $1.6 billion USD (about $2.01 billion CAD) globally each year.

For context, Cowen & Co.’s estimate would be about four percent of the company’s projected $38.8 billion USD (about $48.8 billion CAD) revenue for 2023.

How the firm came to this conclusion was that it assumed password sharing — which includes two extra accounts — would cost around $3 USD (about $3.77 CAD), which is what it’s set to charge during the test in the aforementioned countries. From there, Cowen & Co. projects that about half of non-paying Netflix password sharing households would become paying members, and half of that group would opt to sign up for their own accounts.

However, other analysts were skeptical Netflix would make that much off of paid password sharing. Per Deadline, Benchmark Co. analyst Matthew Harrigan said he expects that revenue would be less than that four percent, arguing that it “cannibalizes full-ride member growth.” In either case, both projections should naturally be taken with a grain of salt.

For now, it remains to be seen what Netflix will do following these international tests. It should be noted, though, that Netflix acknowledged the loss of potential revenue from password sharing in its original blog post announcing the test:

“We’ve always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans. While these have been hugely popular, they have also created some confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared. As a result, accounts are being shared between households – impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members.”

The company also added that password sharing violates its terms of service, although it hasn’t ever prevented people from doing so.

Regardless, the news has not been well-received, especially as the streamer has increased prices in Canada twice within two years. The popular Twitter account ‘Poorly Aged Things’ even posted a screenshot of a 2017 tweet from Netflix’s main account that “Love is sharing a password.”

Many people have since responded to Netflix’s original tweet to express their frustration with the planned password sharing paywall test.

Via: Variety

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Mobile Syrup

Google Play Movies & TV is moving to Google TV

Last year, Google’s TV app was redesigned with the ability to stream your favourite apps and search for movies and TV shows to buy/rent all in one place. So, to remove the redundancy of having two apps with this functionality, Google is getting rid of the Play Movies & TV app.

Starting in May, the Google TV app will be the only Google app to rent, buy and watch movies on Android phones and tablets. Google Play will continue to be the home for apps, games and book purchases.

The Mountain View, California-based company says purchased content will continue to be available on the Google TV app. Movies or shows you buy on the Google TV app will be available for Family sharing and Play Points.

Additionally, you’ll be able to use any Google Play credit or gift cards on the Google TV app. Your wishlist from Play Movies & TV is available on your Google TV app. Furthermore, you can continue to view and request refunds on your purchases on Google Play.

Source: Google Support

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Mobile Syrup

SpaceX hikes prices of Starlink hardware and service

After hiking up the cost of Tesla vehicles early last week, Elon Musk’s space exploration company SpaceX increased the costs of its Starlink service, according to emails sent out to users (via Tesla North).

According to the emails, both the Starlink hardware and software saw rate hikes, with the changes applicable in Canada as well. Users who already paid the deposit fee would now have to pay $699 for the Starlink kit instead of the regular $649 price, whereas new users would need to pay $759 for the kit. The service cost has also been hiked by $11 per month, from $129 to $140.

“The sole purpose of these adjustments is to keep pace with rising inflation. If you do not wish to continue your service, you can cancel at any time and return your Starlink hardware within your first year of service for a partial refund of $200. If you have received your Starlink in the past 30 days, you can return it for a full refund,” reads the email from SpaceX.

Starlink, which launched in mid-2019, makes use of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites that beam internet to the signal receiving dish kits. According to SpaceX, since Starlink’s beta launch in 2020, the company has tripled the amount of internet-beaming satellites, along with quadrupling its ground stations

Musk has been vocal about increasing inflation over the recent months, which when paired with an ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, has the potential to escalate further. Musk indicated that inflation was putting pressure on Tesla and SpaceX through increasing costs of commodities and metals. Canada’s inflation accelerated to 5.1 percent in January of 2022, while salaries largely remain the same.

It’s also worth noting that Musk’s wealth skyrocketed during the pandemic while working-class people continue to suffer from wage stagnation and rising prices.

Amid the conflict, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shipped over several Starlink terminals to Ukraine, to help keep the country connected to the rest of the world. Read more about it below:

Image credit: Shutterstock

Via: TeslaNorth

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Mobile Syrup

Eastern Ontario getting new 753 area code starting March 26

Ontario will get a new area code starting on March 26th.

According to a release from the Telecommunications Alliance, a new 753 area code will join the region currently served by 343 and 613 in Ontario, which is Ottawa and surrounding Eastern Ontario.

Interestingly, the 613 code was one of the 86 original North American area codes assigned in October of 1947. Area code 343 joined it in 2010.

The Telecommunications Alliance says the new 753 area code comes in response to increasing demand for phone numbers in the region. The addition will help ensure that residents and businesses continue to have enough numbers to meet demand going forward.

“The new area code will be introduced gradually starting on March 26. After this date, consumers and businesses requesting a new phone number may receive one with the new area code,” explained Kelly T. Walsh, program manager at the Canadian Numbering Administrator, in the release.

The new area code won’t change existing numbers in the region and local calling areas will remain unchanged. Local calls will require the full 10-digit number. The additional also won’t change special three-digit numbers like 911.

Finally, the Telecommunications Alliance says that businesses using communications systems that restrict long-distance calling will need to add 753 as a local area code.

Those interested in learning more can check out the release here or the Telecommunications Alliance website for more details about new area codes in Canada.

Source: Telecommunications Alliance