The internet is increasingly becoming an unsafe place, at least that’s what a new report from cybersecurity firm Kaspersky suggests. The report (via The EconomicTimes) claims that the number of devices affected by malware created to steal personal data increased by over 600% in the last three years.

More than 10 million personal and company devices were affected by malware in 2023, a 643% increase during the past three years. And the hackers can steal an average of 50.9 log-in credentials from each infected device. These credentials include log-ins for online banking apps, crypto wallets, social media accounts, and email.

The report further suggested that 443,000 websites across the globe had compromised credentials in the last five years. Out of these websites, the .com domain had the biggest number of compromised accounts at 326 million. Next on the list are 29 million compromised accounts from the Brazil (.br) domain, 8 million accounts compromised with the India (.in) domain, and the 6 million and 5.5 million compromised were related to Colombia (.co), and Vietnam (.vn) domains respectively. 

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Data-Stealing Malware At An All-Time High

Kaspersky suggests that the number of data-stealing malware impacting businesses and consumers has reached 16 million.

"The dark-web value of log files with login credentials varies depending on the data's appeal and the way it's sold there. Credentials may be sold through a subscription service with regular uploads, a so-called 'aggregator' for specific requests, or via a 'shop' selling recently acquired login credentials exclusively to selected buyers. Prices typically begin at $10 per log file in these shops," 

- Sergey Shcherbel, cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence. 

"These tools will continue to evolve, just as defensive tools do, with threat actors continuously refining their attacks to evade detection and utilizing new tools like AI to perform them at a larger scale," 

- Patrick Tiquet, vice president of security and architecture at Keeper Security.

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Apple Issued Grave Warning To iPhone Users In 92 Countries

Apple recently warned iPhone users in 92 countries about a ‘mercenary spyware’ attack. However, the company did not specify any groups responsible for these attacks and hasn’t named the countries where users were notified.

Apple warned users about their iPhones being targeted with spyware. Apple found out that users being targeted by a spyware attack that is operating remotely compromise the iPhone that is associated with their Apple ID. 

OpenAI seems to be testing a ChatGpt app for Windows -- but it’s only available to paid users for now. Users can download an early version of the app from the Microsoft Store. Similar to the Mac version of the app, ChatGPT on Windows lets users ask the AI-powered chatbot questions in a dedicated window that users can keep open alongside their apps. Users can quickly access the app by using the Alt + Space shortcut.

The app will also let users upload files and photos to ChatGPT and comes with access to a preview of OpenAI’s o1 model capable of “reasoning.” The app still has a lot of work to be done and is missing some capabilities, like advanced voice mode.

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ChatGPT for Mac Has a Security Vulnerability

Just days after OpenAI launched its ChatGPT app on Mac in June, a developer spotted a security vulnerability that stored conversations in plain text. openAI has since fixed this issue and now encrypts locally stored data.

Even though only ChatGPT Plus, Enterprise, Team, and Edu subscribers can use the app on Windows, OpenAI suggests it has plans on bringing it to everyone later in 2024.

Besides, ChatGPT will soon be getting a new interface as OpenAI has brought Canvas, meant for writing and coding projects. As per ChatGPT, Canvas opens in a separate window, enabling users and ChatGPT to collaborate on a project.

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OpenAI Introduces New Canvas Interface For ChatGPT

In a blog post, OpenAI said that currently in beta form, Canvas brought a new way of collaboration not just through conversation, but instead of creating and refining ideas side by side. “Canvas is a new approach and the first major update to ChatGPT’s visual interface since we launched two years ago,” said OpenAI.

OpenAI said that Canvas was built with GPT-4o and can be manually picked and selected in the model picker while in beta. “Starting today we’re rolling out canvas to ChatGPT Plus and Team users globally. Enterprise and Edu users will get access next week,” said OpenAI. It also plans to make the feature available to all ChatGPT Free users when it’s out of beta.

The company suggested that the current chat interface is limited when users want to work on projects that require editing and revisions. “With canvas, ChatGPT can better understand the context of what you’re trying to accomplish,” said OpenAI.

There’s a menu of shortcuts for users to ask ChatGPT to adjust writing length, debug code, and quickly perform other useful actions. Canvas opens automatically when ChatGPT detects a scenario in which it could come in handy. 

Apple is reportedly working on a caller ID service, which will likely be dubbed “Business Caller ID,” to help users curb spam calls. Companies can register themselves on the platform with their name, logo, and department.

“We designed Business Connect to empower businesses to present the best, most accurate information to Apple users. With today’s updates, we’re helping even more businesses reach customers, build trust, and grow,” said David Dorn, Apple’s senior director of Internet Software and Services Product.

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How Will Apple’s New Feature Help Users

As a part of Apple Business Connect, organizations will have more control over how they appear within the Apple ecosystem, which includes listing in Apple Maps, Messages, Siri, and Wallet.

According to Apple, businesses of any size will be able to register themselves on the Apple Business Connect platform -- using an existing Apple ID or by creating one for free of cost-- and this will appear across a billion Apple device users.

This service will be available for businesses with a physical location as well as those that operate online. It allows businesses to create a unique digital identity to help users identify them easily when they receive a phone call or a promotional email. In select markets, where Apple Pay is visible, the same identity will be used.

Users will start seeing business caller IDs across calls, messages, and emails on Apple products and services starting in early 2025.

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Apple Surprises Fans By Launching iPad Mini In India

Apple has announced the launch of the new iPad mini for the Indian market. Apple’s smallest iPad comes powered by the A17 Pro chip, which means it is capable of running Apple intelligence features.

The company’s latest offering comes in blue, purple, starlight, and space grey color options. It starts at a price of Rs 49,900 for the Wi-Fi mode, and Rs 64,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The new iPad mini starts with 128GB storage, which is double the storage of the previous generation.

The new iPad mini is also available in 256GB and 512GB configurations. Consumers can pre-order the new iPad mini today, with availability starting October 23. The iPad mini features an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display. Apple notes that the A17 pro processor delivers a huge performance boost for even the most demanding tasks, with a faster CPU and GPU, a 2x faster Neural Engine than the previous-generation iPad mini, and support for Apple Intelligence.

Apple iPad mini also supports the Apple Pencil Pro. Besides, users will get a 12MP wide back camera with support for Smart HDR 4. 

Instagram and Spotify have now joined forces to make users’ lives easy, enabling users to instantly save Instagram songs to their Spotify favorites, without having to leave the Instagram app. The new feature started rolling out globally on October 17, and it doesn’t require a Spotify Premium subscription.

With millions of Instagram users uploading videos every day -- many accompanied by music -- there’s an argument to be made that the meta-owned social media network has become one of the most popular ways of discovering new songs.

Until now, it’s been pretty easy to tap on a recognized track in the bottom corner of a video -- taking users to the song page on Instagram so they can see related videos -- but not so easy to capture that track name so they can listen to it later.

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How Will This New Feature Be Useful For Users

With the latest cross-app feature, users will see a small Spotify “Add” button on song pages. The first time users select it, they will be asked to link their Spotify account. After that, users will get a quick notification that the track has been added to their Liked Songs playlist.

If users want, they can switch to the Spotify app to verify the ad worked, but they don’t need to. They just need to stroll on till they find their next new favorite song. One thing that could make this feature is the ability to add these Instagram discoveries to a specific Spotify playlist instead of simply throwing them in the generic Liked Songs, but it still makes for a convenient tool.

Spotify recently launched its AI playlist creation tool, and the popular streaming service has just offered a preview of what users can expect from the year’s upcoming Spotify Wrapped.

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Instagram Brings Custom Profile Cards For Easy Sharing

Instagram has rolled out a new feature for creators that will make it easier for them to share their profiles with others. They will now be able to create a two-sided digital card on the Meta-owned social media platform which matches their style, thanks to multiple customizable options.

This feature comes after Meta brought a song-on-profile feature that enables users to further customize their profile by allowing them to add a song that matches their current mood or personality on their profile.

According to Instagram, the new Profile Card provides users with an option to create a more personalized and animated digital card that can be shared with others. Apart from the QR code linked to the profile, the feature also comes with an option to add bio information, links to pages, music that describes the personality, and other elements. Users can also change the background color, and add a selfie or an emoji as the page background.

Chinese smartphone maker Realme has confirmed the launch of its next flagship smartphone, the Realme GT 7 Pro, in China soon. The smartphone is said to come with the much-anticipated Qualcomm flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC, which could be renamed as Snapdragon 8 Elite.

Realme China’s President, Xu Qi Chase, confirmed through a new post on Weibo that the upcoming GT 7 Pro will be launched this month in China. Chase also mentioned that the device will have Snapdragon’s top flagship chipset and a periscope telephoto lens. Another leak by known Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station hints that it will come with a 6,500mAh battery with 120W fast charging support.

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Realme GT 7 Pro Smartphone Expected Features

Speaking of the expected features, the Realme GT 7 Pro is said to come with a Samsung quad micro-curved display with DC dimming. It is said to include a 50MP IMX906 primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 50MP Sony IMX882 telephoto lens at the back.

Users can also expect the smartphone to get IP69 dust and water resistance with an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Realme has also confirmed that it will launch its Android 15-based Realme UI 6.0 this month.

The GT 7 Pro is also said to run the same operating system out of the box. Users can also expect the Realme GT 7 Pro to launch globally next month, with an Indian release at a similar timeline.

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Realme Launches P1 Speed Smartphone, Wireless Headphones

Recently, Realme also announced the launch of the Realme P1 Speed in India. The company also introduced its first headphone model dubbed Techlife Studio H1. These wireless headphones come with Hi-Res Certification. Speaking of the smartphone, it comes packed with the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy 5G chipset and sports a 6050 square stainless steel VC cooling area for heat management.

The Realme P1 Speed is available in 8GB RAM + 128GB Storage: Rs 17,999 and 12GB RAM + 256GB Storage: Rs 20,999. The company is initially offering a Rs 2,000 discount on both versions. Meanwhile, the Realme Techlife Studio H1 headphones are priced at Rs. 4,999. It will be available at Rs 4,599 as an introductory offer. The Realme P1 Speed 5G will be available on Realme’s website and Flipkart, starting October 20. The headphones will go on sale on October 21.

The Realme P1 Speed 5G runs Android 14, wrapped under Realme UI 5.0. It features a 6.67-inch Full-HD+ Samsung E4 OLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate. The smartphone comes with a 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging support. Speaking of the optics, the device comes with a dual-camera system with a 50MP AI camera and a 2MP camera. Upfront, there is a 16MP lens for selfies.

Samsung has launched the industry’s first 24GB GDDR7 DRAM, which features the highest capacity and speed. This breakthrough memory solution is designed to cater to the demands of next-generation applications, such as data centers and AI workstations.

By employing advanced process nodes and PAM3 signaling, the GDDR7 achieves an impressive speed of 40GB per second, surpassing its precursor by 25%. Moreover, Samsung has incorporated power-saving technologies from mobile products to boost efficiency and reduce unnecessary power consumption by over 30%.

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Samsung’s New Chip To Power Next-Gen AI Systems

To make sure operations are stable at high speeds, the GDDR7 incorporates power gating design techniques to minimize current leakage. Samsung plans to start validating this groundbraeking memory solution in next-gen AI computing systems from major GPU customers later this year, with commercialization expected in early 2025.

Commenting on this, YongCheol Bae, Executive Vice President of Memory Product Planning at Samsung Electronics, said:

“After developing the industry’s first 16Gb GDDR7 last year, Samsung has reinforced its technological leadership in the graphics DRAM market with this latest achievement. We will continue to lead the graphics DRAM market by bringing next-generation products that align with the growing needs of the AI market. The 24Gb GDDR7 utilizes 5th-generation 10-nanometer (nm)-class DRAM, which enables cell density to increase by 50% while maintaining the same package size as the predecessor.”

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Samsung Could Start Charging For Certain Galaxy AI Features

The Galaxy Tab S10 series and S24 FE saw the daylight recently and the Galaxy AI suite was one of the dominating features on the marketing side. While all of the new AI features are currently available for free, Samsung once again hinted that it might not be the case for too long.

One of the footnotes in the official press release for the new Tab S10 series and S24 FE explicitly mentions that “Fees may apply to certain AI features at the end of 2025.”

Samsung previously confirmed that “Galaxy AI features will be provided for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices,” so it is safe to assume that Samsung’s AI suite, or certain parts of it, will, in fact, require a payment starting 2025.

The same day Apple launched its new iPhones, Samsung brought the latest version of its OneUI and new Galaxy AI features to customers across the globe. One UI 6.1.1 went live for the Galaxy S24 series on September 5, and just four days later, the update is making its way to Galaxy S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra owners across the world.