Most of AMD's next-gen Radeon cards rumored to be rebrands

Anthony Garreffa | Video Cards & GPUs | Apr 22, 2015 7:39 PM CDT

We've had an industry insider whisper sweet nothings into our ear regarding the forthcoming release of AMD's Radeon 300 series, which will include the flagship "Fiji XT" Radeon R9 390X, which will reportedly arrive in two flavors, with very short supplies at launch thanks to HBM's low yields.

Our tipster has said that most of AMD's Radeon 300 series lineup will be filled with rebrands, with the Radeon 380X being a rebranded Radeon R9 290X. This isn't new information as we've previously reported that AMD's Radeon 300 series would be filled with rebrands, but this information is much newer and closer to the actual release than the previous rumors.

There will be a few VGA cards released with the new Fiji architecture, which should arrive as the Radeon R9 390X and R9 395X2. We could see the R9 390 being the Fiji, while the Fiji XT core will power the R9 390X.

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The Media Trust shows off SaaS-based tool to identify malvertising

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Apr 22, 2015 5:09 PM CDT

The Media Trust, a cybersecurity firm focused on monitoring and protecting the advertising ecosystem, has unveiled a new software as a service (SaaS) offering able to provide real-time data about malicious ads.

Resolution Services is designed for use by ad networks, publishers, ad exchanges, paid-content engines and demand platforms, and scans for malware detection - providing faster remediation time if something is detected.

"Every day the ad-network-and-exchange model proves its worth as evidenced by the millions of ads successfully served in just one 24-hour cycle, but the constant threat of malvertising requires continuous improvement and greater collaboration across the industry," said Chris Olson, co-founder and CEO of The Media Trust.

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Webroot: Cybercrime complexity increasing, making things even harder

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Apr 22, 2015 3:54 PM CDT

There are 85,000 new malicious IPs launched daily, while technology companies and financial institutions endure the highest number of phishing attacks, according to the Webroot 2015 Threat Brief. The United States has the most malicious IP addresses with 31 percent, ahead of China (23 percent), and Russia (10 percent) - with half of all malicious IP addresses tracing back to Asia.

The United States hosts the most amount of phishing sites, accounting for three out of every four - even though experts believe foreign operators could be utilizing US-based sites for their operations.

"Webroot has seen a continued rise in the number of malicious URLs, IP addresses, malware, and mobile applications used to enable cybercriminals to steal data, disrupt services, or cause other harm," said Hal Lonas, CTO at Webroot.

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Cybersecurity researchers say Israeli military networks breached

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Apr 22, 2015 3:09 PM CDT

Unknown Arabic-speaking hackers have successfully breached Israeli military computer networks, in an ongoing cyberespionage campaign, according to enterprise cybersecurity firm Blue Coat Systems. The hackers pieced together an effective attack vector by using existing malware that was launched via social engineering attacks to compromise victims.

The use of social engineering and code that wasn't customized allowed the hackers to operate with low overhead, while still being able to complete their mission. The phishing emails were sent to publicly listed military addresses, promising a breaking military news update, or a video clip of the "Girls of the Israel Defense Forces."

Israel has a strong private sector focused on cybersecurity, but faces a growing number of enemies improving their cyberattack abilities. Groups such as Hezbollah, for example, are able to launch surprisingly sophisticated cyber missions aimed at stealing information and interrupting military operations.

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Report: Need better breach crisis? IT manager may not be best bet

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Apr 22, 2015 2:57 PM CDT

Companies must have a strategy in place when a data breach occurs, and it looks like IT managers may not be best to handle a breach crisis, according to a new report by Booz Allen Hamilton. Instead, a business savvy leader at the company is better prepared to handle the problem, as they will be prepared to address crisis communications, legal issues, disaster recovery, and other strategic decisions that must be made.

A skilled executive that has a high-level view of the company's complete operation will be able to react more efficiently instead of an IT or security manager.

"They may have to shut the systems down, reconfigure things, and do other things that will affect the business," said Bill Stewart, executive vice president of Booz Allen Hamilton, in a statement published by CSO Online. "And they might not be in a situation where they understand the broader business objectives. Having someone who understands the broader business, helps them make better decisions."

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The race is on to help develop cybersecurity for Internet of Things

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Apr 22, 2015 1:47 PM CDT

There are more than 16 billion connected computing devices in use across the world today, with even more Things expected to utilize the Internet of Things (IoT) in the future.

Cybersecurity experts are concerned about a large number of threats, with 83 percent worried about rogue or unauthorized devices operating undetected in their networks, according to a recent survey by Pwnie Express. To make matters even worse, 69 percent of cybersecurity professionals cannot access full wireless visibility of devices, so it's difficult to identify what is actually connected.

As more companies and users embrace IoT, there is concern that the Internet of Evil Things (IoET) will find countless vulnerabilities to exploit in the future.

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Alien: Isolation developer announces Total War: Warhammer

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Apr 22, 2015 10:10 AM CDT

Creative Assembly, the studio who released one of the most atmospheric games ever made last year in Alien: Isolation, has announced Total War: Warhammer. Total War: Warhammer is the third Total War game that the studio is working on right now, while they've just released Total War: Attila in February of this year.

The studio celebrated the news with a new cinematic trailer, which we've embedded above. The trailer teases that we can expect magic, monsters and flying beats, while providing players with turn-based campaign strategy and real-time tactical battles and letting you choose between various Warhammer factions.

With three Total War games in development right now, the announcement of Total War: Warhammer also includes the news of two additional standalone expansion packs. Announcing a third Total War game, and DLC at the same time, has allowed the studio to brag that all of this will "create the single largest Total War experience ever".

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Batman: Arkham Knight and Witcher 3 to receive post-release DX12 patch

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Apr 22, 2015 9:46 AM CDT

With Microsoft reportedly releasing Windows 10 in July, according to AMD at least, what will be some of the first games to be upgraded with DX12 support?

Batman: Arkham Knight and Witcher 3 to receive post-release DX12 patch

MSI has revealed that The Witcher 3 and Batman: Arkham Knight will be some of the first games to receive DX12 support, something CD Projekt Red and Rocksteady Studios will provide through patches made available after they release their respective games. The news was revealed by MSI, and has been found on various forums like NeoGAF. Right now it's rumor territory, but with Batman: Arkham Knight and The Witcher 3 being two of the hottest games this year, it wouldn't be surprising.

The motherboard and VGA company said: "The most exciting part of Windows 10 for gamers is the introduction of DirectX 12. You are likely to start seeing the benefits of the new graphics technology already in The Witcher 3, Batman: Arkham Knight and more games released later this year. Some CPU-bound games like MMO's are able get a performance bump of up to 50% according to Microsoft".

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Rockstar mapping the entire United States for Grand Theft Auto 6

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Apr 21, 2015 9:24 PM CDT

We were one of the first to break the news of Rockstar Games teasing the development of Grand Theft Auto 6, and here we are again. It looks like Rockstar is reportedly mapping the entire of the United States for its next GTA game, something that will push the release of GTA 6 to 2020. If this is true, it'll make benchmarking the game bigger and badder than ever.

The latest report has Rockstar mapping the whole US for GTA 6, and while this might be a rumor, it's not too far out of reality. Ubisoft did something similar with The Crew, which took the entire United States and shoved it into a smaller map which took around 1.5 hours to drive across.

The bigger issues of having the entire US mapped for GTA 6 would be playing in it, with the report stating: "Loading the entirety of the USA would have its issues. I mean, driving from one city to another could be a real chore, especially if it's just filled with country side and nothing much to do in between".

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LG continues to tease the G4 smartphone and its impressive camera

LG will be unveiling its new G4 smartphone next week on April 28, but the South Korean electronics giant continues to tease the F1.8-capable rear-facing camera.

The company has now released a teaser that follows photographer Colby Brown as he uses the G4 to snap some photos, while Brown talks about the G4 and how the rear-facing camera allows him to capture photos with accurate colors, as well as noise reduction during shots in dark environments. Brown also talks about the manual mode on the G4's camera software, which allows users to control everything - from controlling the shutter speed, to adjusting the ISO and white balance.

We don't know too much a bout the G4, but LG did announce it was letting users trial the new smartphone two weeks ago now. We know to expect a gorgeous 5.5-inch QHD display, but will it beat the gorgeous panel on Samsung's Galaxy S6 edge?

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