44% of Malware Gets Delivered Through ZIP and RAR Files

Microsoft Office files have been the most popular mode of delivery for malware for quite some time now, but there has been a shift of late that has put more of a focus on ZIP and RAR files as well as other archive file format. While 32% of malware is still being delivered through Word and Excel files, ZIP and RAR files have seen an 11 point increase and are now being used in 44% of malware delivery cases.

The attacks are usually initiated with a string of malicious HTML that redirects unsuspecting users to a document viewing page. The HTML also helps these cyber attackers to bypass email filters more easily than might have been the case otherwise. When the user is taken to the document viewer, which looks strikingly similar to Adobe and is thus more likely to be trusted, they are then told to download a ZIP file. They are given a password to enter into the ZIP file to unlock its contents.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this is when the malware gets deployed onto the unwary user’s system. Such file formats make it really simple for malicious actors to encrypt their malware, and it also makes it a lot more difficult to detect with all things having been considered and taken into account.

Additionally, the payload does not have to be restricted to malware. It can also contain spyware, ransomware or anything else in that category. Users need to be careful while clicking links because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up putting their safety at risk even if they are unaware. About 18 billion malicious links have been clicked on by HP users alone, and that reveals just how dire this problem has become.

There must be a concerted effort to train these users about the risks of email sent malware. The problem with continue to grow if these steps are not taken, and that could result in staggering economic losses.

H/T: HP Wolf Security

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Twitter is Working on Making Sure That a Human is Behind an Account Before Giving Access to Some Special Features

Twitter is always working to make the app safe and secure for users. Recently, Elon Musk announced that Twitter has started working to decrease the bots on the app. There are many bots on Twitter that handle most of the verified accounts. But due to this, most users are not able to enjoy the app fully. So now Twitter is reportedly testing a feature that will make sure that there is a human behind an account (that it find dubious) before allowing the person to use all the features on the app.

Twitter is introducing new features on the app so it was about time that Twitter started restricting the growth of bots on the app. To verify you're a human, you will have to interact more with other accounts on Twitter. You will have to tweet more, reply to some tweets and overall perform human functions for Twitter's algorithm to figure out your behavior. Twitter hasn't told us explicitly about how the verification method is going to be. But when you will be more engaging with your timeline and connect with other accounts, Twitter will closely monitor your activities. When Twitter is confident that you are a human, you will be able to access the other features.

When you get yourself verified that you are a human on Twitter, your content will be more accessable. This means you will appear more on the homepage and your content will be easily seen in search results and trends. Another feature that you will get after your verification is making your direct messages unfiltered. This means that when you send a message to an account on Twitter, your message will not be filtered automatically.

Many Twitter users are extremely happy about this feature. Some say that they had been waiting for this type of feature for a long time and, that Twitter has done something good for once. This will help the app to get rid of bots.

Read next: Twitter Is Adding A Verified Phone Number Check Mark In The Profile Info Section
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

New Law May Soon Force Google And Meta To Pay Local Media Outlets For News Published

Authorities in New Zealand have announced today that they’re on the verge of introducing a new law regarding local news publishing on leading digital platforms.

The government went on to detail how big tech giants like Google and Meta would be forced to pay the country’s media firms for any local news published through such feeds.

The statements were published today by New Zealand’s Minister for broadcasting Willie Jackson. He outlined through a message released on Sunday that the new law would come into play in a manner that’s similar to legislation passed in nations like Canada and Australia.

He also detailed how he hoped this would serve as the ideal incentive for such digital platforms which would reach deals alongside local media outlets. As it is, New Zealand’s media industry, particularly firms hailing from tiny regional newspapers has been struggling financially.

For that reason, it’s crucial that those individuals that are struggling start to benefit from such endeavors by actually making an attempt to pay for such content.

The final decision will be taken through a vote in the parliament where the current ruling party would be expected to give it the green signal.

A similar law came about in Australia in the year 2021. This is what gave the government the authority to make tech giants conduct negotiations regarding content deals seen in various media outlets. Meanwhile, a review had been published in the previous week related to the Australian government’s decision. This is where they arose to the conclusion that it really worked in their favor.

Hence, we’re going to have to wait and see if the same takes place in countries like New Zealand.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Many Twitter Users, Including Journalists, Feel Stuck on Twitter Despite Elon's New and Problematic Policies

After Elon Musk took over Twitter, that place has become a forever warzone. With new policies implemented every other day, it feels like Twitter isn't the best place for many people now. Elon has openly shared his thoughts towards mainstream media and how much disliking he has towards them. Elon has said that he wants to take away the verified ticks of many well-known journalists and major media accounts like The New York Times and CNN while many of the suspended accounts are getting back on the app. These accounts are back to spending false news and hate speech on Twitter.

Due to all of this, many well-known journalists are concerned about their future on the app while some of them are also shifting platforms and going to Mastodon and Post. Since Twitter came into being, Journalists have been a force on it. Journalists are the ones who spread reliable news on the app which ignites discussions from other people on the app. This news ranges from politics to sports and entertainment to current affairs. The relationship between journalists is the one that tells a new user how consistent and reliable an app is.

Now that Elon is transparent about his view about journalists, why are journalists still on the app? A reporter, Jacob Silverman who has written for news outlets like the New Republic and Washington Post says that he feels like he is stuck. The reporter says that much of the crypto stuff happens on Twitter and you can also get news about it easily on it. So that's how many people find him for the job. He says that many other reporters like him feel the same. Moreover, he said that his relationship with the app seems self-indulgent and torturous. But he says that there is no way out of Twitter for him now.

Silverman said that Twitter is and will be a platform where powerful people can address the general public easily and vice versa. It seems like Musk is addicted to Twitter just like anyone else. Some journalists haven't quit Twitter but they have started writing less on Twitter and more on other apps. Taylor Lorenz says that as a journalist she shifted to other apps like Instagram and TikTok because people are interested in these apps now. She also says that Twitter is more exposed to harassment than any other app. She has 300,000 followers on Twitter but she experienced many hateful comments and even stalkers on the platform.

Musk has also fired several employees so there is no way Taylor Lorenz can talk to someone so they can work on preventing harassment on Twitter. No one wants to work under Elon Musk. Some people are not even leaving Twitter officially. Many news reporters and journalists have started posting and engaging less on the app. It is like a silent announcement that they are done with Twitter.

Many users were anticipating the end of Twitter because there was not much force to handle the functions. But it didn't happen so users didn't leave. Twitter has many influential politicians, journalists, and celebrities on the app but as days are passing, Twitter is becoming more buggy. The alternatives are not equal to Twitter and have many gaps in their technicalities. Now, there are only two ways to use Twitter. Use it as it is or leave the app as soon as you can. But users are hesitant to leave it because it is the fastest source to get information and news from relevant sources. Now Twitter is becoming less welcoming for new as well as old users because of Elon Musk.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

United States Is Facing Massive Downfall in Personal Computer Shipments

In the third quarter compared to the previous year, Computer exports in the United States decreased by 12.1 percent. The leading producers are Dell, Hewlett Packard, Apple, and Acer; both Apple and Acer experienced significant growth during the time span of these producers. According to Canalys, computers have seen a 1 percent growth while laptops experienced a 14 percent loss. Lower sales from the consumers and academic areas, along with more cautious business expenditures, were the main causes of the dramatic decline in laptop export volume.

The U.S. Personal Computer market growth accelerates to zero, with shipments down 4% quarter-on-quarter and 11% year-on-year. All markets experienced deep contraction. However, commercial device units grew – which had previously been suffering from a severe impact from saturation in the education and consumer segments.

Personal Computer manufacturers struggled mightily in the 3rd period, and the 4th quarter's outlook doesn't appear to be much improved. The American festive season should boost sales a little, but generally, Canalys predicts that now the marketplace will continue to fall. Individuals are reducing back on their purchases of gadgets as a result of rising prices.

Canalys believes that in the next four to five years it will become easier to build new networks in emerging markets. The demand for education will begin retrieving gradually in the upcoming year and Pickings expects changes in product configurations to be more important in determining future shipment volume.

Despite some growth during Q3 2018, the PC market declined slightly from its performance in Q2. Units shipped and revenue was down every year, as expected given the last 6 quarters’ data was also weaker than expected. As can be seen below, sales were off 22% year on year and shipments declined 20% in comparison to Q3 2017. Apple and Acer were the main 2 organizations to experience favorable growth in Q3 during the year. Dell, though, was able to maintain its top position. It had a market position of 26.1 percent, down from 27.6 percent the year back.

Other than stating that there would be "additional challenges," Canalys did not go into much detail regarding future economic growth for PCs. From an economic standpoint, the Fed Reserve is continuing to raise loan rates, which may result in additional mass layoffs and higher mortgage payments, further reducing expendable cash. The duration of the recovery period will determine when customer need for computers will start to increase.

Read next: Microsoft Windows 10 Market Share Dips by 1.5% as Windows 11 Rises
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Instagram Is Working On BeReal Inspired Options While Rolling Out New ‘Not Interested’ Feature

There is a question that was rightly put out by tech experts recently. And that had to do with the ever-so-trending BeReal app.

Many wondered if this feature of posting images at a particular time in the day would soon fade away or if it was really here to stay?

Remember, we come across viral shifts on a daily basis, and most end up going away. As far as BeReal is concerned, it did win the award for the application of the year on both social media platforms and online stores of Google and Apple.

People really did enjoy that trend that avoided the need for perfectly sculpted posts with a lifetime of airbrushing and more. BeReal really lets that aspect go and it does so magically and with its own creative flair.

But is that it? Does BeReal stop there or can we see something else soon worth exploring? The answer lies in the Instagram application. It’s definitely going that extra mile to explore the endeavor further by working on an array of similar features.

We already know about the Candid offering and now, the app is working on something more along those elements.

For starters, the platform happens to be working on the likes of Roll Call which allows for group chats to enable participants to include images of videos linked to themselves within five minutes.

Reverse engineering expert Alessandro Paluzzi recently shared images to showcase how the BeReal-inspired Instagram offering works on group chats. In the same way, he focused on another interesting feature called Glimpse Stories. And it happens to be working in a similar manner as it uses both front and back cameras to provide more insights to users on what’s going on, at any time of the day.

#Instagram continues to work on "Glimpse stories" 👀 pic.twitter.com/fnFDXu1Pv6

— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) December 2, 2022

Both features require the users’ participation, similar to how BeReal functions. And remember, all content submitted is only put on display to those individuals that provide contributions to this offering. But the real question here lies if such offerings may actually end up being a major trend on the platform if such offerings are released to audiences.

Obviously, we will never know the right answer to that, but one thing is for sure. BeReal has witnessed great surges in popularity and many are calling it a complementary offering that would go wonderfully well with different apps.

Some critics feel it’s a fad that might get boring with time and that’s where the challenge lies. People want more real features on Instagram that lead the way to honest and genuine chats on the app.

Such huge platforms are really working to make things more unique and add a new sense of entertainment and value that’s similar to TikTok. It paves the way for engagement and for a period of distraction that veers users far away from the classic era of social connections.

Meanwhile, Instagram has rolled out another new interesting feature for users on its Interactions Page. This offering, as spotted by Hammod Oh, is called ‘Not Interested’ and it works in a manner that is self-explanatory,.

It was shown by avid social media expert Matt Navarra who took to his account on the Twitter app to inform users about the feature.

Now, users will get a chance to see all of those posts that they felt they were not interested in.

Many times, you probably clicked on the option while scrolling because a certain theme failed to excite you or perhaps you just couldn’t be bothered. But now, it’s all going to be in one place for your reference on the app.

Read next: Research highlights the most commonly shared life events across TikTok and Instagram
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Google Says The Secret To SEO Success Is Making Sure Your Most Important Page Is Not Terrible

John Mueller from Google is going public with some handy tips regarding the success linked to SEO.

According to the expert, if your website’s most important page is not perfect, then you can’t expect it to do well in terms of rankings. He also added that having other pages that were terrible didn’t matter as much, provided that the most important one was great.

Hence, if you’re a business that might be worried about rankings, then you should probably aim to make that home page perfect if you’d like to rank well on the search engine.

Another emphasis was provided on how people tend to focus more on the likes of archiving orphaned pages and it’s shocking for him. Mueller adds that they shouldn't be looked upon as like a huge deal when it comes down to SEO or even rankings on the search engine.

While speaking on Mastodon recently, he explained how the homepage is pivotal for success and it’s not uncommon for him to come across some terrible home pages or important pages. But seeing people complain about SEO not doing too great is probably linked to this very reason, he confirmed.

John also says that fixing the error is pivotal if the website wishes to succeed in a day and age when there is so much cutthroat competition from all directions.

But that’s when a sudden question started coming his way, thanks to Robb Watts. He wondered what the estimated scale was to determine if a landing page was terrible or not. After all, there must be some sort of criteria to meet before it can be dubbed as terrible.

Well, John says that any page that has unhelpful content is deemed to be bad as it ends up putting down the domain’s performance as a whole. He went on to reiterate that there was no absolute figure or percentage that could be outlined here. It was more linked to what the everyday or average person saw on this website.

It really does not matter how many pages there are or what percentage of pages on a particular website is causing this as he referred to those as arbitrary metrics. Instead, it’s more related to looking at the big picture for the website. So if your best stuff on the webpage is so terrible, then there is no point even considering success for SEO or rankings in the first place.

Read next: Google Takes Steps to Tackle AI Altered Plagiarism
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World