Tag Archive for: PCs

Now in Mobile PCs, Synpatics’ AI Solution Holds Industrial Implications | Business

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Computer makers Dell and Panasonic have deployed Synaptics’ Emza Visual Sense AI technology, which enables human presence detection (HPD), in mobile PC units that the companies are now shipping. The AI technology works by running machine learning algorithms on dedicated, ultralow-power edge AI hardware and allows for the conservation of battery power and enhanced privacy and security.

By analyzing context, the technology goes beyond basic presence detection to automatically wake the system when a user is engaged, dim the screen when they are not, hide information when an onlooker is detected, and lock the PC when the user walks away — all while the PC’s webcam is off.

Synaptics acquired Emza Visual Sense in October 2022. The move strengthened the company’s position in Edge AI and enabled it to immediately serve the PC market for HPD application.
Running advanced Emza ML algorithms on dedicated, ultra-low power edge AI hardware, Synaptics provides PC OEMs with a turnkey solution that enables both longer battery life and enhanced privacy and security. the technology goes beyond basic presence detection to automatically wake the system when a user is engaged, dim the screen when they are not, hide information when an onlooker is detected, and lock the PC when the user walks away. Courtesy of Synaptics.

Running advanced Emza machine learning algorithms on dedicated, ultralow-power edge AI hardware, Synaptics’ turnkey solution for PC OEMs enables longer battery life and enhanced privacy and security. The technology goes beyond basic presence detection to automatically wake the system when a user is engaged, dim the screen when they are not, hide information when an onlooker is detected, and lock the PC when the user walks away. Courtesy of Synaptics. 

Elad Baram, director of low-power AI marketing at Synaptics, told Vision Spectra via email that the potential deployments for the technology extend beyond consumer electronics and into industrial applications.

“Ultralow-power vision AI is targeting applications that are highly power constrained. These can be battery-operated devices with expectations for years of battery life, or systems that have small photovoltaic panels that can drive low-power systems,” Baram said.

Individual use cases for the technology include zone enforcement, such as the detection of people or vehicles in restricted areas or in front of emergency exit paths or restricted areas; safety regulation enforcement; and statistics. Examples include determining whether people are alert while operating equipment or wearing appropriate protective equipment, intruder detection, occupancy analytics, and operational…

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How to buy PCs for your enterprise

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When it’s time to replace your users’ aging PCs — or maybe to rationalize your PC fleet after a series of acquisitions — the decision on what PCs to buy doesn’t start with the machines themselves. Instead, several other factors should lead to your eventual decision on which computers to provide your organization’s users.

Three PC makers dominate the market globally: Lenovo has maintained the No. 1 spot for years, with roughly 23% of sales, while HP and Dell Technologies essentially tie for second place with roughly 16% to 20% of sales each (their numbers tend to vary from quarter to quarter), according to IDC’s market data. Apple comes in fourth, but its percentage can vary strongly, usually between 8% and 14%. Asus and Acer typically tie for fifth place, with around 6% to 7% market share.

These figures include PCs sold to individuals and households; IDC and its competitors Gartner and Forrester Research do not track business computers’ market share separately. But analysts at IDC, Gartner, and Forrester agree that Lenovo, HP, and Dell have even larger percentages of the business market. And they’re available in practically every country and territory worldwide, whether directly or through resellers.

It’s no surprise, then, that for the vast majority of enterprises, the bulk of their PC fleet comes from one of these three vendors. But a fraction of their fleet may come from other vendors, something IT needs to strategize as well.

This article explores the multiple considerations IT should assess when choosing its PC fleet suppliers: buying direct vs. using resellers, technology factors in PC choices, user considerations and pressures, when and how to consider thin clients and non-Windows devices, financial and purchasing considerations, support factors, environmental considerations, and geographic factors. (For information about laptop styles, specifications, and components suited to different types of users, see “Buyer’s guide: How to choose the right business laptops.”)

Considerations in sourcing PCs: direct vs. reseller

The most important decision for IT is where to source the PCs from. The standard choices are directly from a PC…

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How this crypto-mining malware infected PCs through fake Google Translate app

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Recently, a crypto mining malware which was disguised as a Google Translate app, has been foraying into thousands of computers. According to a study by Check Point Research (CPR), this malware called the “Nitokod” has been developed by a Turkey based entity as a desktop application for Google Translate.

Many Google users have downloaded this app on their PCs in the absence of Google’s official desktop app for Translate services. Once this app is downloaded it establishes elaborate crypto mining operation set-up on the infected devices.

After the downloading of this malicious app, the malware installation process is triggered via a scheduled task mechanism. Later, this harmful malware puts in place a sophisticated mining setup for the Monero cryptocurrency based on the energy-intensive proof of work mining model. As a consequence, it provides the controller of this campaign, hidden access to the infected computers to scam users and later damage the systems.

The CPR report claims, “After the malware is executed, it connects to its C&C server to get a configuration for the XMRig crypto miner and starts the mining activity. The software can be easily found through Google when users search ‘Google Translate Desktop download’. The applications are trojanised and contain a delayed mechanism to unleash a long multi-stage infection.”

Reportedly, till now machines across at least 11 nations have been compromised via Nitrokod malware that was circulated from 2019. CPR has also posted updates and alerts about the crypto mining campaign on Twitter.

To recall, in a similar move earlier this year, Joker malware infected 50 apps on the Google Play Store, according to Zscaler Threatlabz. Google swiftly removed them from its app…

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RIG Exploit Kit Now Infects Victims’ PCs With Dridex Instead of Raccoon Stealer

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RIG Exploit Kit

The operators behind the Rig Exploit Kit have swapped the Raccoon Stealer malware for the Dridex financial trojan as part of an ongoing campaign that commenced in January 2022.

The switch in modus operandi, spotted by Romanian company Bitdefender, comes in the wake of Raccoon Stealer temporarily closing the project after one of its team members responsible for critical operations passed away in the Russo-Ukrainian war in March 2022.

The Rig Exploit Kit is notable for its abuse of browser exploits to distribute an array of malware. First spotted in 2019, Raccoon Stealer is a credential-stealing trojan that’s advertised and sold on underground forums as a malware-as-a-service (MaaS) for $200 a month.

CyberSecurity

That said, the Raccoon Stealer actors are already working on a second version that’s expected to be “rewritten from scratch and optimized.” But the void left by the malware’s exit is being filled by other information stealers such as RedLine Stealer and Vidar.

Dridex (aka Bugat and Cridex), for its part, has the capability to download additional payloads, infiltrate browsers to steal customer login information entered on banking websites, capture screenshots, and log keystrokes, among others, through different modules that allow its functionality to be extended at will.

RIG Exploit Kit

In April 2022, Bitdefender discovered another Rig Exploit Kit campaign distributing the RedLine Stealer trojan by exploiting an Internet Explorer flaw patched by Microsoft last year (CVE-2021-26411).

CyberSecurity

That’s not all. Last May, a separate campaign exploited two scripting engine vulnerabilities in unpatched Internet Explorer browsers (CVE-2019-0752 and CVE-2018-8174) to deliver a malware called WastedLoader, so named for its similarities to WasterLocker but lacking the ransomware component.

“This once again demonstrates that threat actors are agile and quick to adapt to change,” the cybersecurity firm said. “By design, Rig Exploit Kit allows for rapid substitution of payloads in case of detection or compromise, which helps cyber criminal groups recover from disruption or environmental changes.”

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