Latest Tech News

Stay updated with the latest in technology, AI, cybersecurity, and more

Filtered by: h_ Clear Filter

Chinese hackers use custom malware to spy on US telecom networks

The Chinese state-sponsored Salt Typhoon hacking group uses a custom utility called JumbledPath to stealthily monitor network traffic and potentially capture sensitive data in cyberattacks on U.S. telecommunication providers. Salt Typhoon (aka Earth Estries, GhostEmperor, and UNC2286) is a sophisticated hacking group active since at least 2019, primarily focusing on breaching government entities and telecommunications companies. Recently, the U.S. authorities have confirmed that Salt Typhoon w

US healthcare org pays $11M settlement over alleged cybersecurity lapses

Health Net Federal Services (HNFS) and its parent company, Centene Corporation, have agreed to pay $11,253,400 to settle allegations that HNFS falsely certified compliance with cybersecurity requirements under its Defense Health Agency (DHA) TRICARE contract. The U.S. government contracted HNFS to provide managed healthcare support services for TRICARE's North region, covering 22 states. The contract required compliance with cybersecurity standards, specifically 48 C.F.R. § 252.204-7012 and 51

Black Basta ransomware gang's internal chat logs leak online

An unknown leaker has released what they claim to be an archive of internal Matrix chat logs belonging to the Black Basta ransomware operation. ExploitWhispers, the individual who previously uploaded the stolen messages to the MEGA file-sharing platform, which are now removed, has uploaded it to a dedicated Telegram channel. It's not yet clear if ExploitWhispers is a security researcher who gained access to the gang's internal chat server or a disgruntled member. While they never shared the r

Industry analyst predicts iPhones to get 9% price hike amidst US tariffs - and I believe it

Jason Hiner/ZDNET The latest US tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump have put Apple at a bit of a crossroads. With multiple tariffs impacting countries worldwide, including a 10% charge on all imports from China, electronics makers like Apple will soon have to decide if they'll take the brunt of the damage or redirect it to end consumers by increasing the price of goods. That includes the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. Also: Apple launches $599 iPhone 16e: Best features, specs, and

This Windows 11 tablet survived my torture tests - and business users will love it

ZDNET's key takeaways The DT Research tablet is built as rugged as it gets, with IP65, MIL-STD-810H, and MIL-STD-461G certifications. The choice of Intel Core i5 and i7 processors offers flexibility when buying the system. The tablet is big and rather chunky, far larger than a traditional iPad. View now at CDW Let's face it: Your average laptop or tablet is a pretty fragile piece of technology. One accidental drop, and more often than not, something critical -- usually the display -- decides

How I used this portable, ink-free printer to declutter my workstation (and it's 60% off)

ZDNET's key takeaways This battery-powered printer is perfect for taking on the road, and it connects to devices using Bluetooth or USB Thermal printing means there are no ink cartridges to replace, but the downside is the printer cannot use regular paper Installing the Windows and Mac drivers is a bit painful and unintuitive. $69.91 at Amazon I like to joke that whenever someone asks me if I own a printer, I say, "I don't need one where I live." When they inevitably ask where that is, I repl

The Lenovo ThinkPad I recommend to hybrid workers isn't the newest model - but it's 50% off

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET What's the deal? Lenovo has slashed the price of its 12th-Gen ThinkPad X1 Carbon by nearly 50%. The model housing an Intel Core Ultra 5 135U processor is on sale at a discounted $1,377, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 165U configuration sits at almost $1,920. ZDNET's key takeaways After making calculated adjustments to last year's model, Lenovo's 12th-Gen ThinkPad X1 Carbon It sports an 8MP webcam that allows for 4K video, a stunning 2.8K display, and a slightly redesigned

5 products Apple quietly killed while it rolled out iPhone 16e this week

Jason Hiner/ZDNET Apple this week launched one big thing and removed five smaller things in the process. With the unveiling of the new iPhone 16e, the company's entry-level handset that brings modernized processing power and AI capabilities downmarket, Apple also did away with several familiar products and services -- some more obvious than others. Also: What does the 'e' in iPhone 16e stand for? These five products weren't sacrifices per se, but their removal was integral to streamlining the

Topics: 14 16e apple iphone se

I tested Lenovo's new Windows handheld PC - now I'm wondering if I need any other device for travel

ZDNET's key takeaways Lenovo's Legion Go S is currently on sale for $730 at Best Buy This handheld supports AAA gaming thanks to its AMD processor and the front-facing speakers that envelop you in high-definition sound It is, however, bogged down by a low battery life and an expensive price tag. $729.99 at Best Buy The Lenovo Legion Go S is the company's second attempt at handheld gaming, following 2023's Legion Go. It's not a direct upgrade to the original but rather an alternate version foc

Switching to LED lightbulbs saved me hundreds of dollars - but there are 5 other reasons to do it

Vladimir Sukhachev/Getty Images As a kid, I was inspired by the decorative lighting in my grandparents' finished basement. They had festooned the place with multicolored C9 string lights (aka old-school Christmas lights) from wall to wall, beneath the built-in wet bar, around hanging mirrors, and anywhere else they could add an ambient accent for the parties they hosted down there year-round. Since then, I've festooned every home I've lived in with decorative lighting, whether in a sequestered

I tried Google Photos' AI search and it was surprisingly bad - 3 ways to fix it

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET One practical use case for AI natural language processing is being able to search your photos with the ease of a conversational prompt. As a result, Google unveiled a feature called Ask Photos last year and started rolling out early access to users via Google Labs in September. The feature finally rolled out to me -- and the results were surprising. I was excited to try it out for myself. Even though I am a long-time iPhone user, I've used Google Photos for about a decade f

I changed these 11 iPhone settings and improved its battery life dramatically

Kerry Wan/ZDNET With the way we use our iPhones these days, it can be hard to make it through a single day on a full charge. A few FaceTime calls, some text messaging, and opening Maps a few times, and you could already be 25% down. If you've experienced this problem, you're not alone. These phones can be very power-hungry -- even the more affordable iPhone SE 4 has battery issues. The problem is made worse by all the different apps, features, and settings vying for battery life. And the kicke

This useful Apple Intelligence camera feature is coming to iPhone 15 Pro - here's how it works

ZDNET Apple's Visual Intelligence skill is expanding beyond the iPhone 16. The iPhone 15 Pro will soon get custody of the feature, which digs up details on objects you snap through the camera. In a post published on Wednesday, Daring Fireball's John Gruber said that Apple representatives told him that iPhone 15 Pro (and presumably iPhone 15 Pro Max) owners will be able to use Visual Intelligence on their devices. The company wouldn't reveal exactly when the feature would arrive beyond pointin

A cryptocurrency scam that turned a small town against itself

Online scams are as old as the internet, but the rise of crypto has given con artists a valuable new tool — digital coins that can be transferred instantly, without oversight from banks legally obligated to monitor transactions for malfeasance. In 2023, crypto fraud cost American investors an estimated $4.8 billion, according to the F.B.I. The scams are so common that law-enforcement authorities have taken to calling them by a pithy name: Pig butchering, a rough translation of an expression wide

After 20 years, math couple solves major group theory problem

After the conjecture was posed in the 1970s, dozens of mathematicians tried their hand at proving it. They made partial progress — and in the process they learned a great deal about groups, which are abstract objects that describe the various symmetries of a mathematical system. But a full proof seemed out of reach. Then Späth came along. Now, 20 years after she first learned about the problem and more than a decade after she met Cabanes, the two mathematicians have finally completed the proof.

Archaeologists Unearth the First Pharaoh’s Tomb Since Tutankhamun

A joint Egyptian-British archaeological project near Luxor found the tomb of Thutmose II, making it the first royal tomb to be unearthed since the discovery of Tutankhamun in 1922. When British archaeologist Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, he would have been shocked to learn that another royal tomb wouldn’t be discovered for over 100 years—but that’s exactly what happened. Now, archaeologists in Egypt have officially announced the discovery of the long-lost tomb of Pharaoh Thut

Wheel of Time Reveals the Absolutely Wild Magic Battle That Opens Season 3

The Wheel of Time returns for its third season March 13, and here’s a big sign that Prime Video is as excited for its arrival as fans are: the streamer just shared the first 11 minutes of the premiere, a sequence which happens to contain the most face-melting fight scene the show has ever engaged in. And yes, we saw that climactic season two battle; this brawl, which involves rival Aes Sedai members and some extremely vicious channeling of the One Power, easily kicks its ass. You only have a we

Jeff Bezos Is Already Soliciting Ideas for the Next James Bond

One of the world’s richest people is already playing with his latest toy. Thursday morning, news broke that the James Bond franchise, which was already owned by Amazon due to its 2022 purchase of MGM, was changing creative leadership. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, whose families had been controlling the franchise for 60 years, retained ownership but are passing creative control to Amazon. The move instantly sparked all sorts of speculation and debate about the massive corporation owni

Star Trek: Voyager‘s First Brush With Getting Home Is One of Its Best

Star Trek: Voyager‘s premise was both its greatest boon and its biggest curse. Flinging the titular Starfleet vessel tens of thousands of lightyears away from Federation space into unchartered territory wasn’t just a fantastic evolution of the franchise’s original intent to boldly go where no man had gone before, but a vector for fascinating story ideas about resource management, ethics, first contact, and a million other Star Trek ideas that could be re-imagined in a context where the world est

NASA Makes Big Update to Asteroid Potentially on Collision Course With Earth in 2032

The potentially hazardous asteroid 2024 YR4 caused consternation over the last few weeks as its odds of hitting Earth in 2032 dramatically rose. Now, those odds have plummeted to near-zero, as astronomers’ calculations of the asteroid’s path have been updated to indicate that Earth is almost certainly not in the space rock’s plans. Almost. According to NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the asteroid’s current chance of hitting the planet in 2032 is 0.28%, or a 1-in-360 shot. T

Apple Is Probably Planning to Make Its Own WiFi Chip For the iPhone 17

Apple rumors keep the world turning. Some people might say it’s gravity, but it’s Apple. Forget the Farmer’s Almanac; most farming relies on the iPhone release schedule. The iPhone 16e was revealed yesterday and brought a new future for Apple’s hardware, one where it makes all of its cellular chips. The iPhone 16e debuted the C1 modem, its first ever homemade, bespoke, perfectly spiced 5G chip. Reports today tell us that there are more chips on the way. The iPhone 17, expected much later this y

Microsoft’s Satya Nadella Pumps the Breaks on AI Hype

The world has yet to turn any of today’s AI hype and spending into a meaningful lift in the actual economy, says Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. The comments were made during a podcast interview in which he put a measuring stick on AI’s true impact: Success will be measured through global economic growth rather than arbitrary benchmarks of how well AI programs can complete challenges like obscure math puzzles. Those are interesting in isolation but do not have practical utility. The comments seem

Twitch Announces New Storage Limits, Threatening Gamer Archives

The Internet is forever…until it isn’t. On Wednesday, Twitch announced that it will implement new limits on archived video Highlights and Uploads that users can store on their account. The new rules, set to take effect on April 19, 2025, will set a 100-hour storage limit on saved videos. Any account with more than 100 hours of content will need to manually remove highlights and uploads—including unpublished content that is saved to the channel but not publicly accessible—or be subject to an aut

Best YouTube Channels for Free Workouts in 2025

The gym isn’t the solution for everyone. A gym membership can be expensive and it can be tough to find enough time to commute to and from the gym for regular workouts. With online fitness training and some investment in home exercise equipment, you can have a killer workout setup at home. Whether you're a beginner or a fitness enthusiast, working out at home offers a variety of benefits, and along with those come the challenges. These are the best YouTube channels that will help you get the mos

Best Mesh Systems for Whole-Home Wi-Fi

Editor's note: We think you should be aware that TP-Link routers are under investigation by the US government over security concerns and could be banned in the US this year, according to multiple news reports. The TP-Link Deco W7200 was previously named our best overall choice. While our evaluation of the hardware hasn't changed, out of extreme caution for our readers, we decided to pause it as our top recommendation until we learn more. Read CNET's reporting for more information. What is the b

Topics: fi mesh router speeds wi

Microsoft Says It's Made a Major Quantum Computing Breakthrough With New Chip

The race to shape the future of computing is heating up among tech companies, with Microsoft saying on Wednesday it has made a major breakthrough in quantum computing, potentially paving the way for the technology to address complex scientific and societal challenges. Scientists at the tech giant have spent 17 years developing a new material and framework for quantum computing to help power its new Majorana 1 processor. Microsoft is calling the advancement the world's first quantum processor po

Best Bluetooth Speaker for 2025

Sonos Roam: Available in white or black for $179, the Roam is currently the smallest and most affordable Sonos speaker (if you don't count those $99 Sonos-compatible Symfonisk Ikea Wi-Fi bookshelf speakers), although it's fairly expensive for a mini wireless speaker. This Sonos Roam model, like the bigger Sonos Move 2 portable speaker, is equipped with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and can tap into an existing Sonos multiroom audio system and link with other Series 2-compatible Sonos speakers. Learn

Best Headsets for Working From Home in 2025

A few years ago Shokz turned its OpenRun (formerly Aeropex) bone-conduction headphones into a more communications-friendly headset with an integrated boom microphone called the OpenComm ($140), which remains available. The second-generation OpenComm 2 UC costs more than the original, but it has an upgraded Bluetooth 5.1 chipset that improves performance a bit and now allows for the firmware upgrades that are required for Zoom certification. Additionally, the microphone has moved from the left ea

Mere weeks after Starship’s breakup, the vehicle may soon fly again

A little over a month after SpaceX's large Starship launch ended in an explosion over several Caribbean islands, the company is preparing its next rocket for a test flight. According to a notice posted by the Federal Aviation Administration, the eighth test flight of the Starship vehicle could take place as early as February 26 from the Starbase launch site in South Texas. The launch window extends from 5:30 pm local time (23:30 UTC) to 7:09 pm (01:09 UTC). Company sources confirmed that this

Twitch’s new storage limits will purge huge swaths of Internet gaming history

Popular Amazon-owned game streaming platform Twitch announced Wednesday that it will be imposing a 100-hour limit on the archived video highlights users can preserve permanently on the site. And while Twitch says that only 0.5 percent of users will be affected by these new limits, gamers are warning that the move threatens to eradicate large swaths of recent gaming history from the Internet. Highlights, in Twitch's own words, are a way for Twitch streamers to "show off your best moments to new