Tag Archives: Security

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Competition for SSD

Competition for SSD: 1.4 petabytes of data on future magnetic tape

Tape storage technology seemed to be falling short of expectations recently. Now it looks like it’s catching up again – thanks to a new material.

Linear Tape Open (LTO) first appeared on the market in 2000. At that time, the storage media that recorded data as encoded tracks on magnetic tape still had a capacity of 200 gigabytes.

The tapes have now reached their ninth generation and are currently able to record data volumes of 18 terabytes (uncompressed). The technology is a cost-effective way, especially for companies, to preserve critical data reliably and durably.

Image: Data Storage, Free Stock Picture, MorgueFile.com.
Image: Data Storage, Free Stock Picture, MorgueFile.com.

LTO09 still fell short of expectations

But what sounds like an incredible amount of storage space was initially a disappointment. LTO09 was originally supposed to offer 24 terabytes of space, but could not meet these expectations.

According to a new roadmap presented by the developers IBM, HPE and Quantum at the beginning of September, it should be possible to store a whopping 1,440 terabytes (1.4 petabytes) from the 14th generation, which is expected to appear in 2033/34.

Magnetic storage tapes: New material creates new possibilities

According to Heise Online , this is made possible by coating the magnetic tapes with strontium ferrite (SrFe) instead of barium ferrite (BaFe), which has been used up until now. The first prototypes have already been developed and tested by Fujifilm. The new material is to be used from LTO13.

In contrast to SSD hard drives, whose maximum capacity is currently around 100 terabytes, LTO is also significantly cheaper. While the most expensive SSD medium with a price of 40,000 US dollars causes costs of 2.5 dollars per gigabyte, LTO are only 0.01 dollars per gigabyte.

According to Sam Werner, IBM vice president of storage product management, LTO “provides organizations with a sustainable, reliable and cost-effective solution to protect and store their critical business data.”

Business, Computer Chips, Financial, Science, Security, TechNews

Samsung has a new battery issue that can affect any Galaxy phone

Samsung has a new battery problem with its Galaxy smartphones. After the disaster with the Galaxy Note 7, which exploded and was recalled worldwide, older smartphones are now bloating and can become an undiscovered danger.

Image: Circuit Board Chip, Free Stock Picture, MorgueFile.com.
Image: Circuit Board Chip, Free Stock Picture, MorgueFile.com.

Samsung smartphones are bloating

Samsung has promised that after the catastrophic incidents involving the Galaxy Note 7 , the batteries will be safe and there will be no more problems. As it turns out, Samsung has an even bigger battery problem than just one model. YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss has found many Samsung phones in his smartphone collection with swollen batteries. A reaction and gas formation probably occurs inside, so that the battery swells up and the back bursts open . In this case, there is no explosion or fire. The batteries are therefore fundamentally safe.

It becomes critical if the battery is still bloating and you don’t notice it immediately. In fact, the problem tends to affect older Samsung phones that are stored with an empty battery. Our Galaxy S6 edge has also ballooned, as you can see in the cover photo above . But Mrwhosetheboss has also noticed early signs of a swelling battery on his Galaxy S20 FE and Galaxy Z Fold 2. And then it gets dangerous. If gases are produced and the battery swells, there could be a reaction and excessive heat development when charging the smartphone.

How should you store a Samsung phone?

Mrwhosetheboss gives an important tip on how to store your Samsung phones when you are no longer using them. Then you should charge the battery to about 50 percent. This should reduce the risk of the battery bloating. If you are still using an older Samsung cell phone, you should regularly check whether the battery has not already swelled up slightly. Then you shouldn’t charge your cell phone anymore and turn to Samsung. We will seek an opinion from Samsung on the matter.

Business, Computer Chips, Crypto, Financial, Science, Security, TechNews

Hacker Attacks on Crypto Protocols: Nearly $500M in Damage Last Quarter

Image: Hacker, Free Stock Picture, MorgueFile.com.

As the company Atlas VPN has found, hacker attacks have been particularly successful in recent months. Chainalysis had already warned of a record month.

Although the cryptocurrency sector is now much better regulated and more and more investors are taking the necessary steps to increase security – such as storing their own coins in hardware wallets – hacker attacks are still a big issue in the cryptocurrency sector, albeit only in relation to the volume traded affect a fraction of the sector.

In one quarter, hackers cause almost half a billion dollars in damage

According to Atlas VPN data , in the third quarter of 2022, criminals stole around $483 million worth of cryptocurrencies through targeted attacks. The number of hacks fell by 43 percent compared to the second quarter. In the first quarter, the damage amounted to around 1.3 billion US dollars.

Even if the damage appears large in absolute numbers and was certainly significant for those affected, in relation to the size of the crypto sector with a value of around $970 billion according to CoinMarketCap, it is not quite as dramatic as it might seem at first glance.

Ethereum, Polkadot and BNB Chain particularly affected

The hacks primarily affected the Ethereum network. A total of 11 attacks on Ethereum blockchain-based protocols caused $348 million in damage. However, considering that most protocols run on Ethereum, this is not surprising. For Polkadot, it was $52 million in just two attacks. While projects on the BNB chain have been attacked 13 times, the damage amounts to only $28 million.

It is important here that the blockchains themselves are not attacked. Instead, it is mainly smart contracts in the DeFi area that cause security gaps.

This quarter could be a record

Chainalysis also deals primarily with the damage caused by cybercrime in the cryptocurrency sector. The figures determined by Atlas VPN for the third quarter correspond to the information from Chainalysis, which expects a record month for October. As Chainalysis announced on October 12, eleven hacker attacks with damage totaling $718 million had already been registered by then.

If the trend of the month continues, the fourth quarter is likely to be the most momentous for the cryptocurrency sector. The BNB chain hack caused a stir this month , in which at least no funds were stolen from other users. Instead, the attackers created over $100 million worth of coins out of thin air.

Gaming, Security, TechNews

PS5 hacked: modder with surprising discovery

Image: Hacker, Free Stock Picture, MorgueFile.com.
Image: Hacker, Free Stock Picture, MorgueFile.com.

After a jailbreak on the Playstation 5 was successful at the beginning of the month, a modder has now published his first finds. They provide clues to the great mysteries of the gaming scene.

A so-called jailbreak describes the state when the settings of a device are “liberated” by a hack and thus become freely accessible and variable. This is exactly what was recently achieved on the Playstation 5 .

Lance McDonald, the modder who achieved this feat, has now dug deep into the game console’s file archive – and discovered some amazing things, as the online magazine Eurogamer reports.

Legendary hoax ring suddenly real

The first thing that the digital treasure hunt brought to light is actually a legendary treasure from the gaming scene. In the files of the Demon’s Soul remake, McDonald found a 3D model of the legendary Chieftain’s Ring.

The supposedly powerful artifact was originally a hoax from fans in the original game. Fake screenshots and eyewitness accounts claimed the item’s existence, leading players to frantically search for the item in-game – even though it never existed.

So that could change in the remake – a friendly wink from the programmers to the fan base.

“Abandoned” a secret “Silent Hill” project?

McDonald’s second find is no less mysterious: he found a file directory for the game “Abandoned” – a survival horror game from the studio Blue Box – which was initially widely announced and then suddenly disappeared from the scene completely. In addition, the developer studio published contradictory statements, which were then deleted.

It is not known whether the strange behavior is a marketing strategy. However, the files contain references to consciously playing with gaming myths. Because in the “Abandoned” folder there is a map called PT2 – an allusion to the never completed “Silent Hill” successor.

“Seems like at some point they planned to have some ‘this is secretly a silent hill project’ bullshit trail up their sleeves,” the modder wrote on Twitter.

With these interesting finds, one can remain curious as to what else McDonald will find in the cracked heart of the PS5.

Business, Comes Next, Science, Security

With drones and trucks: How AT&T wants to keep the network stable in the event of disasters

Image: Radio Tower, Free Stock Picture, MorgueFile.com.

AT&T is actually a normal telecommunications company that takes care that the network in the USA is and remains stable. But the North Americans are also preparing for the really big catastrophe.

Ever heard of a Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) program? The US network operator AT&T has set up a so-called NDR site in a warehouse just outside of Atlanta. Here, a group of volunteers are testing how to quickly bring connectivity back up if a local site is destroyed.

Similar disaster protection initiatives are also being driven by providers such as T-Mobile and Verizon. AT&T’s big advantage over the competition is that it has been training for emergencies since 2008. As reported by Engadget , the company has already spent more than 650 million US dollars to set up the NDR program in the USA.

Versatile options

Part of the contingency plan is a four-wheel drive Club Cab pickup truck packed to the roof with cellular equipment to help restore portions of a collapsed network. For several years, the company has also been using Flying Cell-on-Wings – drones that fly around 90 meters above the ground and can provide 5G coverage of around 25 square kilometers.

Looking to the future, AT&T has also patented a long-distance flight system that can pilot drones thousands of miles away, and is researching solar-powered units that can fly autonomously for days.

As NDR employees stated, Robodogs are currently being tested, which could be used in a variety of scenarios. The ideas range from rescue operations in forest fires to bomb disposal.

AT&T is also represented on the water. What looks like a red mini tank is an in-house amphibious vehicle that can easily make its way through the water thanks to its rear propellers. The vehicle could be used to transport people and payloads in areas devastated by hurricanes.

Ready for all scenarios

Besides all these future scenario toys, the core of the NDR work is the Colt, short for Cell on Light Truck. These trucks can tap into the company’s existing fiber optic lines and provide cellular connectivity in a matter of hours. If the local infrastructure has been completely paralyzed, there are also Satcolts that can connect to satellites.

The company also stocks thousands of generators. While the primary goal is to restore connectivity for first responders and customers, AT&T’s commitment to Firstnet also ensures interoperability with competing carriers.