Secure Boot is completely broken on 200+ models from 5 big device makers

Secure Boot is completely broken on 200+ models from 5 big device makers

Enlarge (credit: sasha85ru | Getty Imates) In 2012, an industry-wide coalition of hardware and software makers adopted Secure Boot to protect against a long-looming security threat. The threat was the specter of malware that could infect the BIOS, the firmware that loaded the operating system each time a computer booted up. From there, it could…

We made a cat drink a beer with Runway’s AI video generator, and it sprouted hands

We made a cat drink a beer with Runway’s AI video generator, and it sprouted hands

Enlarge In June, Runway debuted a new text-to-video synthesis model called Gen-3 Alpha. It converts written descriptions called “prompts” into HD video clips without sound. We’ve since had a chance to use it and wanted to share our results. Our tests show that careful prompting isn’t as important as matching concepts likely found in the…

CrowdStrike blames testing bugs for security update that took down 8.5M Windows PCs

CrowdStrike blames testing bugs for security update that took down 8.5M Windows PCs

Enlarge / CrowdStrike’s Falcon security software brought down as many as 8.5 million Windows PCs over the weekend. (credit: CrowdStrike) Security firm CrowdStrike has posted a preliminary post-incident report about the botched update to its Falcon security software that caused as many as 8.5 million Windows PCs to crash over the weekend, delaying flights, disrupting…

Elon Musk claims he is training “the world’s most powerful AI by every metric”

Elon Musk claims he is training “the world’s most powerful AI by every metric”

Enlarge / Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., during a fireside discussion on artificial intelligence risks with Rishi Sunak, UK prime minister, in London, UK, on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. (credit: Getty Images) On Monday, Elon Musk announced the start of training for what he calls “the world’s most powerful AI training cluster”…

How Russia-linked malware cut heat to 600 Ukrainian buildings in deep winter

How Russia-linked malware cut heat to 600 Ukrainian buildings in deep winter

Enlarge / The cityscape from the tower of the Lviv Town Hall in winter. (credit: Anastasiia Smolienko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images) As Russia has tested every form of attack on Ukraine’s civilians over the past decade, both digital and physical, it’s often used winter as one of its weapons—launching cyberattacks on electric utilities…

The first GPT-4-class AI model anyone can download has arrived: Llama 405B

The first GPT-4-class AI model anyone can download has arrived: Llama 405B

Enlarge (credit: Benj Edwards / Getty Images) In the AI world, there’s a buzz in the air about a new AI language model released Tuesday by Meta: Llama 3.1 405B. The reason? It’s potentially the first time anyone can download a GPT-4-class large language model (LLM) for free and run it on their own hardware….

FTC attacks Microsoft’s post-merger Game Pass price increases

FTC attacks Microsoft’s post-merger Game Pass price increases

Enlarge / Access to first-party games on launch day remains a major selling point for the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier. Microsoft The FTC says the across-the-board price increases that Microsoft recently announced for its Xbox Game Pass subscription service tiers represent “exactly the sort of consumer harm from the merger the FTC has alleged”…

Switch 2 is around the corner, but Nintendo announces a new Switch accessory anyway

Switch 2 is around the corner, but Nintendo announces a new Switch accessory anyway

Nintendo’s Joy-Con Charging Stand (Two-Way) seems useful, but it’s coming out at a strange time in the console’s lifecycle. Nintendo The stand can charge the Switch Online NES controllers, something that Nintendo’s charging grip can’t do because the handles get in the way. Nintendo The charging stand can be removed from the stand part to…

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition gave me new respect for gaming speedrunners

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition gave me new respect for gaming speedrunners

Enlarge / Get ready to repeat this ~25-second slice of Mario over and over… and over… and over. If you’ve ever seen a record-breaking video game speedrun or watched a Games Done Quick marathon, you may have entertained fantasies that you, too, could put up some decent times on your favorite old games. Sure, it…