Sodin Encryption Ransomware: New Ransomware Found

Top security firm- Kaspersky recently discovered a new ransomware that seemingly targets a known Windows flaw to get elevated privileges. Encryption Ransomware Sodin as the ransomware has come to be known, takes advantage of the architecture of the CPU to avoid anyone from discovering it. This is something that is not commonly seen in ransomware.

A top Security researcher up at Kaspersky also said that it’s not everyday that they get to see ransomware that was so elaborate and sophisticated. As mentioned earlier the whole using – of – CPU Architecture – to – avoid – detection is not something that encryptors normally do.

Number of Attacks Expected with Encryption Ransomware Sodin: 

Experts expect a rise in the number of attacks involving ransomware- sodin. They say this as it is an extremely sophisticated system that involves a lot of resources to create. No encryptor is going to go to all that trouble and money, not to mention, to create a ransomware without any chances of a huge pay off.

Areas Targeted by the Ransomware- Sodin: 

This ransomware has targeted many countries of the world with a spat of the ransomware being seen in Asia. Countries such as Taiwan have been detected with 17.6% of the total attacks and with a 9.8% in Honk Kong. Add to that an 8.8% in the Republic of Korea, and the total comes up to 36.2% in Asia alone. These are just those figures that have been discovered at present.

Asia is not the only the continent to be affected too. Europe, America and Latin America have also reported cases of Sodin.

Besides simply affecting the system, victims were also to pay up $2500 worth of Bitcoin to free up their systems from the control of Sodin.

More about Sodin: 

There was an earlier vulnerability known as CVE-2018-8453 which was used by a hacking group known as FruityArmor. However, this vulnerability was patched on the 10th of October 2018. It was this vulnerability that is used by Sodin to gain control of a user’s PC.

How to Avoid Getting in the grasps of  this ransomware: 

To ensure that you don’t fall a prey to the ransomware- Sodin, make sure you’ve got the latest in software updates on your PC.

Kaspersky researchers also said that by having security products that made regular assessments on vulnerabilities as well as giving patches would help solve problems such as these.

CyberArk have tested Sodin and have found that it can’t get through to Endpoint Privilege Manager’s feature set. The set is a combination of least privileges, application control policies on end point and servers and credential theft protection. CyberArk has tested millions of samples of various ransomware to better understand the infection and how to remove it.

Based on this research, the system is able to identify all known ransomware. For those that it does not have any prior knowledge about, it marks as suspicious and protects information accordingly.

This means that if one end point becomes infected the rest are protected from an organised attack.

Foldable iPad on Apple’s Cards?

The beginning of 2019 seen a slew of foldable gadgets but since then or after the frenzy surrounding all those foldables died, we’ve seen nothing as yet. An example in point, is Samsung’s Galaxy Fold Phone, after the phone suffered screen durability issues, the launch was delayed indefinitely. After that all has been silent on the foldables end. That is till now… Reports are now rife with Apple coming out with its own foldable, but this time around it’s not a phone but a foldable iPad in store.

Clarity is required on Apple’s Maybe New foldable iPad: 

At present it’s not really clear whether the foldable iPad would be a folding single screen, much like in the-not – to – be - heard – of – Samsung Folding Phone or in the Huawei phone prototype. Or maybe it will fold closer to what a laptop does, that is it may come with dual screen too.

It also said that the new foldable iPad may come in a MacBook sized Screen which wouldn’t be something surprising as the biggest iPad already comes in at 12.9 inches. But the real catcher would be to see how they would make an apparent iPad mini to fold out to a 13 or say 15inch screen.

5G with the Foldable iPad, Maybe? 

According to the same report, they also said that the new foldable iPad would also have support for a 5G network. This would make for faster internet speeds when browsing the internet or even watching Netflix.

But this too seems like a stretch, given that Apple has a well- documented history of trying to get 5G on it’s iPhones. The latest news is that the new 5G compatible iPhones may come out in late 2020. So, to say that a foldable iPad is coming out with 5G connectivity is something of a stretch at this point.

There were also rumours that Apple could be bringing out 5G on the iPad first before the iPhone. The said iPad, they also said would come out sometime in late 2020.

At the same time IHS Markit also said that the upcoming 16- inch MacBook Pro would come out in 3072 x 1920 resolution display.

iPhones set to Release this Year: 

At present no Apple device comes with 5G connectivity. It maybe even sometime now till we see an iPhone or an iPad with 5G connectivity.

The company based off of Cupertino, is all set to unveil three iPhone models later this year. But don’t hold your breath, none of them are pegged to come out with 5G connectivity.

Testing of 5G Networks in Major Cities: 

Before Apple could get to testing 5G in its hardware, many cities worldwide have begun testing 5G networks.

Last month it was even released that Apple could be making a 5G chip. This chip is pegged to take as long as 6 years to make. Making it a 2025 launch.

By that time, who knows we could even have 6G on our hands….

ROG STRIX XG17:World’s First Portable Gaming Monitor

Online gaming is getting bigger and better every day. Every online game has massive dedicated audience who eats, sleeps, and breathes gaming. Whether they are travelling or away for business, gaming has always been their priorities. Many of them usually travel for these huge gaming tournaments all over the world, but often get stuck with whatever displays their laptop offer. Here is where ROG STRIX XG17 comes to the rescue. It is a portable gaming monitor manufactured by Asus. It’s a spellbinding solution to a problem we honestly didn’t know existed.

ROG STRIX XG17: Design and specifications 

The ROG STRIX XG17 supports a 240Hz refresh rate and a 3ms response time, which refers to the number of times per second that a screen updates itself. The faster the rate, the smoother your image will be without any lag. This will help gamers play high resolutions games at a competitive level. It has a 17.3-inch display with a native resolution of 1920x1080 which delivers wide viewing angle. The monitor also has two USB-C ports, micro HDMI, 1 W stereo speakers and a 7800mah battery. One the same side of the ports there is a power and a volume buttons.

Thankfully, the ROG STRIX XG17 has a matte screen, so you won’t have to worry about fingerprints and it is surrounded by metal chassis. That means it will be durable and easy to maintain. The monitor is remarkably thin and light, and it comes with a smart folded cover that can be used as a stand. We still don’t know the color reproduction specs, but it looks pleasant and accurate. The display colors are vibrant and not over saturated.

Performance of ROG STRIX XG17

Because of the limited time we had, we could not run our entire test on this monitor, but we can say the gaming experience was exceptional. It was incredibly smooth. Testing with the Division 2 we didn’t notice any kind of slowdown or lag.

It will be interesting to see how this gaming monitor performs when it’s actually pushed to its limits. As the company promises 3 hours of battery life, it will also be fascinating to see how much is the battery life effected with high refresh rate games.

Easy to carry 

Although ROG STRIX XG17 is loaded with features and specifications complimented by a huge convenience factor. It is specially customized for life on the road. Its matte panel resists fingerprints and the brushed surface on the back prevents from scratches.

Because of its light weight and slick design, the monitor easily fits into your luggage without any issue.The smart cover protects the screen during travel and also folds into many possible positions.The bright dynamic display improves visual during day light.

The ROG STRIX XG17 is undeniably a compelling product. Playing your favorite game in this portable high refresh rate gaming monitor with a 17-inch display is something you don’t want to miss out.The only fault we have found is where we have to use directional buttons together with the power key to go through the menu options. Otherwise, the product looks outstanding. However, our recommendation solely depends on the product price and its practicality in real world.

iPad Pro vs Microsoft Surface Pro 6: Does iPadOS make for a Better Bet?

The real question is whether with the new iPadOS, is the iPad Pro a good substitute for the average day laptop? At the recent WWDC 2019 Apple introduced iPadOS an OS especially for iPads. Seemingly, the iPadOS breaks away from the normal iOS productivity limitations. Only time will tell whether the new iPadOS has got what it takes to transform an iPad into a real laptop substitute. Right now,iPadOS is in Beta testing, so to see if it is really has what is promised, we’re here to check it out. To check it out we’ve chosen to do a comparison between the iPad Pro vs Microsoft Surface Pro 6.

Buzz Around the new iPadOS Feature- Bluetooth Mouse Support in the Battle between iPad Pro vs Microsoft Surface Pro 6: 

With the coming of iPadOS many are eagerly awaiting the new Bluetooth mouse support. As you and me thought the Bluetooth mouse support is the first step in making the iPad a legitimate laptop. But this thought has turned out to be a major let down.

CNET’s Scott Stein recently discovered that what we thought of to be a good addition to the iPad is actually something that is buried in deep in the accessibility menu. To be exact it’s not your average day mouse, it just seems to be something to help people who find touchscreen bothersome.

In this battle of iPad Pro vs Microsoft Surface Pro 6, the tables are already leaning to Microsoft Surface Pro 6.

Let’s Deal with the most Important Feature- The OS: 

The OS in both systems is sometimes the make and break feature. iPad pro may have got a shiny new OS but can it compare with what the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 has going on for it? I think not. Even with iPadOS and all it has to offer it really is no match for Microsoft’s Window’s 10.

This basically means that you can run Win32 software and a lot more that iPads simply can’t or will not be able to do.

If you get you’re hands on iPadOS you’ll be able to get all that is there in App store. While there are millions of apps in the app store, some apps do not have a mobile compatible operation for some desktop apps.

Multitasking in the Battle of iPad Pro vs Microsoft Surface Pro 6: 

Talking about multitasking, there’s nothing better than a desktop OS. What you take for granted in a Desktop OS is something that is sorely missing out on an iPad. You can easily switch between two, three or even four apps on a desktop application while in an iPad that is just not possible. Talk about smooth workflow.

iOS 11 and 12 however are not all that bad to work with. They do have a File app for example that let’s you access local as well as cloud storage. You can even drag and drop text and files between apps. With iPadOS on the way you can even connect to external storage and save files like you would do on a traditional laptop. As for multitasking at present that’s just limited to having two apps open side by side.

SwiftUI: Better Apps with Less Code

With SwiftUI on your side, you can effortlessly build user interfaces across all the different platforms of apple. You can do this by the power of Swift. Also, you with this UI, you will get the chance to build your UI with more innovation and exceptional creativity. Well, you can develop UI on any of the Apple's devices. The only thing that you need to take care is to use a set of tools as well as API. In addition to that, you can also keep your design and code in perfect synchronization. Let us fathom the perks of SwiftUI further.

SwiftUI: Declarative Syntax

Well, SwiftUI consists of declarative syntax. And for this reason, you will get the chance to state what you should do with your interface. For instance, you can write what lists of items you want like text field, font, alignment, color for each field and the description of the alignment. Your code will be simple, and also, it will become easy to understand. It will help you to save time as well as maintenance. Also, you can make use of this declarative style to incorporate complex concepts such as animation. You can effortlessly add animations and select any of the ready-to-use effects. You have to provide a few lines of codes.

Design tools

Xcode 11 comprises of instinctive new design tools that can craft building surfaces with the help of SwiftUI. It is as relaxed as dragging and dropping. Whenever you are working in design canvas, all the things that you are editing will in complete sync with the help of the code in the adjoining editor. The code will be visible to you a preview when you are typing and if you are making any change that will also appear in front of your code. Well, the Xcode will recompile all your changes immediately and incorporate them in the running version of the app. That will be visible and editable all the time.
Drag and drop- You can arrange all the components of your user interface. You have to drag the controls on the colour canvas.

Dynamic replacement- The Swift compiler, as well as the run time, is fully entrenched through the Xcode. And for that reason, your app is continuously going through built and run. The design canvas that you are witnessing is not the approximation of your interface but is your running app.

Previews- Now, you will get chance to create more than one previews of any of the SwifyUI views. In this way, you can get the sample data and configure almost all the things that your viewers will see. That could be dark mode, fonts as well as localizations.

SwiftUI is compatible with all the platforms of apple

SwiftUI was after a considerable time of experience, and that is why it is one of the most instinctive and innovative user interfaces in the world. The best part about this user interface is, it is compatible with all the platforms of apple.

So, here is all the things that you need to know about SwiftUI.