This Popular AI Chatbot is Being Used in Phishing Attacks

AI chatbots have become a huge craze as of late, with the accuracy of their responses being hailed as a sign of an advancing industry. In spite of the fact that this is the case, these tools can be used for malicious purposes just like any other type of tool. The most popular chatbot out there, ChatGPT, has recently been started getting used for phishing attacks. Malicious actors use the chatbot to draft convincing emails that can convince users to click on unsafe links.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that cybersecurity experts at Check Point Research recently sought to demonstrate how dangerous ChatGPT can be if used with ill intent. They did this by creating an Excel file through ChatGPT that was injected with malicious code.

All they had to do was tell the chatbot to write code that would execute a malicious download form a URL once text was entered into an Excel file. The code that the chatbot created was chillingly effective, and it highlights how dangerous it can be with all things having been considered and taken into account.

The researchers then went on to use the chatbot to draft a phishing email. They gave precise instructions about what brand the chatbot should mimic, and they then received just what they had asked for. While they also received a prompt saying that their account had been locked for suspicious activity, it was quite easy for them to work around this so such prompts may be less useful than might have been the case otherwise.

Any advancement in technology will bring its share of pros and cons. ChatGPT is an exciting step forward in an industry that could revolutionize the entire world, but that does not change the very real risks that it can pose. More work needs to be done to safeguard users, and a well educated consumer may be able to spot a phishing email from a mile off. ChatGPT itself also needs to be optimized to prevent it being used for such things.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Here’s What Americans Want Most for Christmas

With Christmas just around the corner, many of you will be scrambling to figure out what you can get your loved ones. If you or the person you want to give a gift to is American, you might be surprised to find out that money is the best gift with all things having been considered and taken into account!

36% of American men said that straight up cash was the best gift that they could possibly receive based on Statista’s latest survey. American women are even more likely to want cash for Christmas, with 45% saying the same.

Vouchers and gift cards are the second most popular choice for both of these genders, with 32% of men saying they would like to get them and 41% of women saying the same. This is followed by clothing, textile and shoes which was preferred by 29% of men and 39% of women.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that things start to diverge between the sexes after clothing. The fourth most popular gift category for men turned out to be food and drinks, but for women it was cosmetic products like make up or perfume.

Things continue to diverge for 5th place, with 22% of men wanting smartphones or tablets and 25% of women wanting jewelry and watches. Computer and computer accessories came in 6th for men with 22%, and 6th place is what food and drinks got for women with 23% saying that they would prefer it. That is just 5 points short of the 28% of men who said that they would like food and drinks for Christmas, so it’s not that women don’t want the same it’s just that they have bigger priorities.

Women are also more likely to want books for Christmas, with 20% saying that they would enjoy such gifts. On the male end of the spectrum, meanwhile, books are nowhere to be seen which suggests that men would be less appreciative of such gifts than might have been the case otherwise and they’d much prefer something else.

Read next: Study Shows Consumers Are Worrying More And Shopping Less This Festive Season
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Will Starlink Work for Gamers?

The internet is important regardless of who you are and where you come from, but things tend to be more intense in the world of gaming. Gamer rage is a notorious side effect of inefficient internet connections, and many of the best internet service providers out there may fail to make a mark if they do not cater to their needs with all things having been considered and taken into account.

Starlink is Elon Musk’s boldest project because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up providing internet through low orbit satellites instead of through cables. It already has over 500,000 users who are receiving speeds between 50 to 200 Mbps. With over 2,500 satellites up in the sky providing this internet, Starlink offers an intriguing new way for people to stay well connected even if they are in the farther flung locales of the world.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that gaming will prove to be a critical litmus test for the long term viability of the project. While it has proved itself in the area of speed, there are other areas that need to be tested. That is why PC Mag recently tried to game using Starlink, and the results might surprise you.

Latency turned out to be a bit of an issue with Starlink, and that might be a huge setback for many gamers. The advertised latency rate is between 20-40ms, but in spite of the fact that this is the case analysts at PC Mag found that it frequently crossed the 40ms mark and often ventured into 100ms territory which is subpar as far as hardcore gamers are concerned.

That might be due to the test site being deep into rural Idaho, where the connection was routed through Seattle. The closer a user is to a ground station, the better service they would receive. That might be a bit of an issue, since gamers would still ned to maintain proximity to the infrastructure that Starlink relies on. This can make it less of an appealing prospect for rural gamers than might have been the case otherwise.

There is also a rather fatal flaw in Starlink’s design that could prove to be a deal breaker for gamers. The satellites used to provide Starlink can get out of range every so often, and while the receiver dish is designed to automatically move to capture the signal from another satellite, this creates a momentary service disruption. That can ruin entire games and suggests that Starlink just isn’t ready for the big leagues at least until it fixes this massive issue.

Read next: What Country Has the Fastest 5G Speeds?
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Apple Blocked Access To Apps In Russia And Hong Kong To Gain Profits, Confirms New Report

A new report is shedding light on the great extent that leading iPhone maker Apple was willing to go for profits.

This includes censoring leading apps in both Russia and Hong Kong so it could strengthen and safeguard its relationship with the countries and gain monetary benefits.

Both these countries are known for their authoritarian regimes and continually make access to several markets out there today, as confirmed by the leading group for free rights, Great Fire.

Among the apps blocked included the likes of those related to VPNs and the controversial category of LGBTQ+. These were seen getting targeted the most as reported under the project called Great Fire’s Apple Censorship.

The findings linked to those in Russia showed how the tech giant was willing to fully comply with the laws of censorship in Russia until it left the market, which was right after its invasion of Ukraine in March.

Apple was seen forcing a new type of system regarding targeted censorship in the App Store of Russia so it could continually get access to the market, as mentioned by the group. It especially targeted those apps that were on the wanted list of Russia for immediate removal as the country didn’t wish for its citizens to use them. The research highlights how LGBTQ+ were the most affected apps of them all.

Paying attention to the country’s strict censorship rules, at least 25 different LGBTQ+ apps were in focus and had been eliminated from the App Store.

It’s clear how Apple has gone about allowing censorship of apps belonging to vulnerable members of society and was even seen promoting those apps that the government uses for the sole purpose of surveillance.

It’s also interesting how the group ended up finding at least 30 different VPN apps getting removed from the App Store in Russia, including several apps linked to foreign media or news.

But it’s not just Russia who had been targeted. Other nations that were similarly affected included the likes of Hong Kong where this report showed how nearly 50 different VPNs were blocked, and the same was the case for apps allowing private browsing.

• Also read: App Installs Increase by 9% in 2022, Reach 151 Billion

It went on to describe how Apple really censored such content that officials hailing from China and Hong Kong were concerned to be violating the country’s local laws or began playing opinions that were critical to Beijing.

So for the sake of achieving personal gains, Apple did censor content and keep millions of users away from the true happenings of society, the research found. Be it activists, political figures, minority groups based on religion and ethnicity, vulnerable individuals, and more- Apple really showed a shocking side to many.

But the report is also informing readers of how Apple might appear to be making things better by withdrawing its operations from Russia and even relocating several of its production plants away from China, but the truth is far from just that.

There is a lack of evidence present that shows how certain scenarios like this are being improved at the App Store.

Read next: More Trouble For Apple As Proposed Law Requires Devices To Include Easy Battery Replacement
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Search Ads Are Being Used to Promote Ransomware and Malware According to the FBI

Threat actors use a variety of means to pull one over their victims, and it turns out that they are increasingly starting to incorporate search ads into their nefarious practices. The FBI recently put out a warning to users that search ads may be trying to promote various forms of ransomware, and they are also being used to steal log in information for crypto exchanges and the like.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that threat actors can hide their tracks pretty well if they know what they are doing. They usually pose as legitimate businesses because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making their ads seem more trustworthy. That can make a lot more people fall for them than might have been the case otherwise.

A major issue here is the difficulty that many face in differentiating between search ads and genuine search results. The ads are usually at the very top of the SERP, and they are not very clearly marked as being ads easier. That will result in a number of users believing them to be organic search results, and you can clearly see why this would be a rather tremendous obstacle with all things having been considered and taken into account.

If a user were to click on this ad, they would be given a file to download. This download would come from a site that seems like an exact replica of the legitimate business’s web page. Hence, most users don’t realize that the site is fake, and they go for the download unaware of the massive dangers that it might pose to them.

Many ads that are promoting phishing attacks are mimicking financial platforms. Unsuspecting users might enter their log in credentials to access their accounts, and that will inevitably result in this information leaking into the wrong hands. You should be very careful to check that your search results are organic, because ads might not be safe to interact with.

Read next: ISPs could be advertising faster data speed than exists in reality
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Research Shows Bad Website Design Has Been Turning Customers Away

According to the latest survey, E-commerce firms are losing money and consumers due to bad site design. Storyblok survey found that 6 in 10 of consumers say they wouldn't return to a site after the first visit because of poor design and layout.

As per Storyblok, “E-commerce companies are losing an average of 5 purchases a year per consumer, with 8% of consumers abandoning more than 10 purchases.”

Website abandonment is a major problem for e-commerce businesses, as most shoppers abandon their shopping carts within a few seconds. This makes it imperative for e-commerce companies to create a website that customers want to stay on for longer, which can only be done by delivering a highly-optimized experience.

“When (consumers were) asked (about) their main reasons for leaving an e-commerce website, 37% said limited payment options, followed by poor navigation or layout (37%) and slow loading speeds (33%).”

It seems that Americans are feeling better comfortable buying online — and sharing their experiences. But when they do, they’re also frustrated by poor designs. Of those who’ve purchased online, 40% have shared this experience.

However, 60 percent of users believe that e-commerce sites are improving, while only 5 percent believe the opposite.

More than 1/2 of Americans plan to buy Christmas presents online this year, and 50% expect to make acquisitions the same as before this holiday season, compared with just 10% who expect to make less.

Storyblok’s chief executive officer, Dominik Angerer, said that customers like websites that are simple to use, have an appealing layout, and run smoothly. But many websites are not falling into this category. They took too long to load and redirected users to multiple pages within the site.

In a consumer-focused market, Angerer said that with a total of five per customer, a missed sale by most businesses could have a significant financial impact.

Read next: Social and Short Form Video Ads Preferred By 63% of Mobile Marketers
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Useless emails and early Christmas carols were the two most annoying things for customers doing winter vacation shopping

According to a survey published by Airship, it was shown that worthless emails and Christmas carols, and music were the two most irritating things for consumers doing winter shopping during vacations.

The poll consisted of 1,000 U.S consumers, who were asked questions related to their winter shopping experience, the amount they plan to spend, the preferable medium of purchase, and any annoying thing they feel while shopping in winter vacations. The poll was conducted in November of this year.

As per the data received from the poll, it was discovered that irrelevant emails of different brands and online shops were the most annoying thing for U.S. customers doing winter shopping. Around fifty-three percent of people voted for it.

Moving forward in the report by Pollfish and Airship, it was reported that for around forty-seven percent of the customers, it was early Christmas carols starting in October that was the second most irritating thing for consumers.

In third place stand the mobile applications or websites that were not user-friendly and thus gave a tough time to customers using them for shopping. The difference between annoyance created by early Christmas music and badly designed user apps and websites was very slight.

As the report continued, it was seen that inflation didn’t alter people’s choice of spending more or less money during their holiday shopping in winter as around forty-four percent of the people expressed the will of spending the same amount as they did during last year’s vacation shopping. Only twenty percent showed interest in putting more money into this year’s shopping for holidays. As far as spending less during winter shopping is concerned, nearly thirty-four percent voted for it, and only two percent agreed on not spending any money at all.

Moving toward the choice of medium for shopping during winter holidays, the survey showed that people are more inclined toward purchasing from a brand’s mobile application or website rather than from advertising or posts on social media. This should be noted that this attitude of consumers is encouraging for brands as it will increase their sales and they will be able to interact with more customers which will result in getting more data regarding the purchasers of their products.

Another interesting fact presented by Airship survey was that about 1% of customers said that they start their shopping from both brand’s approved sites and applications and through social advertisements and networks as well. This attitude was seen in all age groups except those between 20-22 years of age, as fifty-six percent of them preferred the brand’s mobile applications and websites.

Furthermore, smartphone usage for different activities while being physically present inside a shop, 3 activities that were done the most by customers were accessing the shop’s website said by 89%, doing cost comparison by eighty-eighty percent while the usage of the shop’s mobile app was reported by eighty-percent of the customers.

The survey included both genders of customers aged between eighteen to seventy-five plus.

Read next: The Cyber-Security market has grown despite the challenges it faced within the economy
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World