Alexa as an alarm clock: Amazon’s latest Echo model, the Echo Spot, displays the time and weather above a simple speaker. It’s 44% off right now, too — a great price if you want one. Plus, with this alarm clock, you can leave your smartphone in the kitchen for even better sleep.
Your network is a target for hackers
“That would never happen to me.” That’s probably what these people thought.
- There’s the couple who woke up to a stranger talking dirty to their infant son in the middle of the night through his baby cam and monitor.
- Then, there’s the family targeted by a hacker who cranked up their smart thermostat to unbearably high temperatures.
And don’t forget the countless other stories of home security cameras being hacked.
Get this: The average home and all its internet-connected devices experience about 10 attacks every 24 hours. Everything from your smart light bulbs to your smart thermostat is a way in. The answer isn’t to throw your hands up or ditch your smart gear. You just need to know how to protect your home the right way.
‘Wouldn’t I know if I got hacked?’
Some of these attacks are loud and in your face, like the email trying to extort you or a computer flashing with pop-ups. But some happen quietly in the background, like these:
- Botnet recruitment: Getting into your network means hackers may be able to add you to an army of infected devices. Their goal? To use all that power to carry out bigger attacks and hacks.
- Data theft: Most smart devices collect at least some personal details, like your location, behaviors, health data — whatever. This kind of info is worth money on the dark web.
- Spying: Think listening in, watching, recording or otherwise stealing info, often to bolster a future attack.
- Cryptojacking: Thieves want to steal your computer’s processing power and internet connection to mine cryptocurrency and reap the profits.
Your computer might be protected
Windows PCs and Macs both have a built-in firewall that does the bare minimum.
- On Windows: Open Control Panel, then type firewall into the search box. Click Windows Defender Firewall. In the left pane, tap Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off to enable it.
- On Mac: Click the Apple menu > System Settings > Firewall, then turn it on.
Now, it’s important to know your computer’s software firewall means nothing if your security cams, smart bulbs and network are under attack. It’s common knowledge that most internet-connected devices have no security protocols.
That’s where a physical firewall comes in. It’s a safeguard between your devices and the internet. More specifically, a firewall provides:
Hackers just stole 10 billion unique passwords
You might want to sit down for this one. Hackers posted a file named RockYou2024[.]txt to a dark web forum on July 4. The file includes a mind-numbing 9,948,575,739 passwords.
Wondering if this attack puts you at risk? Yup, it does. The RockYou2024 leak is made up of passwords from both old and new data breaches.
Say “No way” to Waymo: A Phoenix police officer pulled over a self-driving Waymo veering into oncoming traffic. Waymo says the vehicle was confused by the construction signs. Nobody got hurt. Check out the video here.
Police pull over a Waymo driving on the wrong side of the road
Waymo says the vehicle was confused by construction signs and stayed in the oncoming lane for 30 seconds because “it was blocked from navigating back into the correct lane.” Luckily, no one was hurt.
$22M stolen painting
Found at a bus stop. “The Rest on the Flight into Egypt” sold recently at Christie’s. An art detective found it at a bus stop seven years after it was stolen from a British marquess. Fun fact: A marquess is ranked above an earl and below a duke … not to be confused with the Duke of Earl.
🐭 Remote work warning: Companies are rooting out mouse jigglers, devices that make it look like you’re online and working when you’re not. Surveillance systems identify repetitive cursor movements and keyboard clicks, as well as scrape screen images (paywall link). If you’re using this stuff, stop.
🛰️ Something to ruin your sleep: Hackers’ newest target is outer space, where they could disable satellite GPS signals for airplanes, boats and cars … or take down all satellites providing the internet. The right mind could even corrupt planetary probe data, giving inaccurate atmospheric or water readings on Mars. Yikes.
🔊 Old Hollywood returns: AI company ElevenLabs is bringing dead celeb voices to its Reader app. Soon, James Dean, Burt Reynolds or Judy Garland will voice your next audiobook. The app can turn PDFs and other text formats into voiceovers, too.
Recall alert: Over 900,000 Hatch Rest first-generation baby sound machine adapters are being recalled, because the adapter housing can come off, exposing power prongs. If yours has model number CYAP05-050100U stamped on it, get a free replacement here.
🚫 Teenage mutant bullies: Kids at Great Valley Middle School in Pennsylvania created fake TikTok accounts to impersonate their teachers, posting lewd pics, racist memes and homophobic statements (paywall link). They were suspended. It’s got to be so hard for a teacher today.
6 feet longer
The average length of great white sharks near Norfolk Island compared to elsewhere. Why are sharks supersized in this part of the South Pacific? It’s thanks to their unique diet of seabirds. At dusk, thousands of birds float in groups just off the coast, making them easy prey for mega sharks to sink their teeth into and vanish into fin air.
🧠 Putting Neuralink to shame: The only thing more sci-fi than a brain-controlled robot? A robot controlled by a lab-grown brain. Chinese scientists grew a “mini-brain,” plugged a chip into it and taught it how to control a robot using electrical signals. I just know Elon Musk is punching the air right now.
$5 million
Fine for fake plastic surgery reviews. Seattle-based Dr. Javad Sajan will pay restitution to 21,000 victims after he forced them to sign nondisclosure agreements and threatened them when they left bad reviews. If you’re getting a life-changing procedure, do your research — and not just on the doc’s website.
Apple’s working on a little surprise: It’s an iPad 7 mini! A coder found clues to a new release hidden in Apple’s backend software. Insiders say it’ll have an 8.3-inch display, a better chip and a front-facing camera (finally). Plus, you’ll be able to use it with the fancy, new Pencil Pro.
I miss the bouncing DVD logo: Remember when I told you how YouTube hijacks your TV screensaver with its own videos? Now Amazon’s doing it, too, but it’s way more annoying. When you let your Fire TV fall asleep, it’ll show you a 30-second ad before your screensaver pops up.
🚨 180,000 Shopify users just had their data compromised, thanks to a third-party app. The exposed info includes account IDs, names, email addresses, cellphone numbers and total spending. If you have a Shopify account, watch for any legit-looking emails from them and don’t give out any personal info.
P*rn passport: Spain is testing a new way to confirm the age of p*rn viewers on websites — digital passports. Once you verify you’re over 18, you’ll get 30 tokens good for 30 days. The Spanish government says it won’t track users’ activity or keep records of their identities. You can bet the U.S. government is keeping an eye on how it goes.
🔫 Change is inevitable, except from vending machines: Several grocery stores in four states, including Oklahoma and Alabama, now have AI-powered vending machines that don’t dispense snacks; they sell bullets. American Rounds says their facial-scanning tech can verify the age of a buyer. I’m sure it’ll be able to detect if someone is wearing a mask or a ton of makeup, too, right?
100-degree heat
Cuts your EV’s driving range by 31%. It’s all based on the outside-versus-inside temp; 100 degrees is 30 degrees above a comfortable 70-degree interior. A 10-degree winter day puts you 60 degrees below 70, and so it sucks up 51% of your battery to keep you warm. That’s nearly a full percentage point per degree!