Tag: branding

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iPhone 17 Ultra may replace Apple’s Pro Max with 3 exclusive features

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors like this, but Apple is said to want the iPhone 17 lineup to be unlike any other smartphone lineup Apple has unveiled in one key way. On Naver, well-known leaker yeux1122 shared a few tidbits about the end of the iPhone Pro Max, as Apple supposedly wants to rebrand its most expensive phone as the iPhone 17 Ultra.

Rumors of an iPhone Ultra rebrand aren’t new. We’ve heard Apple could be readying this device for a long time. While creating a top tier above the iPhone Pro Max didn’t make sense, rebranding this device as an iPhone Ultra could be the obvious solution.

Yeux1122 believes Apple wants to give the iPhone 17 series a new look, which is why it might offer a regular model, an Air version, a regular Pro, and an Ultra device. According to the leaker, the iPhone 17 Ultra is expected to have three previously-rumored exclusive features to help set it apart:

Smaller Dynamic Island: Rumors about this change are contradictory. However, based on information from Weibo, Taiwanese, and US investment reports, Apple could add a much narrower Dynamic Island to this device. They say, “Component supply orders suggest that there aren’t enough parts to extend this feature to the Pro model.”

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Vapor chamber cooling: After three different reports about vapor chamber cooling, the leaker believes it will be exclusive to the Ultra model. This unique cooling system would make the iPhone 17 Ultra more power-efficient and perfect for playing demanding games without overheating the phone. They say this feature has been confirmed through supply chain sources.

Larger battery: Lastly, a recent rumor suggested Apple could make the iPhone 17 Pro Max thicker to add a larger battery. The leaker believes the larger battery will be available for the iPhone 17 Ultra.

yeux1122 also says that the company is at a “turning point where it aims to refresh the iPhone lineup” alongside a major iOS 19 revamp. They also believe Apple might be willing to change some of the names of the iPhone 17 series and highlight the new iPhone 16e to reiterate the new Air and Ultra names.

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SuperBlack ransomware may have ties to LockBit

An emergent ransomware gang that has been exploiting two vulnerabilities in Fortinet firewall appliances may have links to current or former members of the notorious LockBit operation, according to intelligence published this week by Forescout Research’s Vedere Labs unit.

Forescout is attributing SuperBlack to a threat actor tracked as Mora_001, which exhibits a distinct operational signature blending opportunistic attacks with ties to the LockBit ecosystem, according to researcher Sai Molige.

“Mora_001’s relationship to the broader Lockbit’s ransomware operations underscore the increased complexity of the modern ransomware landscape – where specialised teams collaborate to leverage complementary capabilities,” wrote Molige and the research team.

Mora_001/SuperBlack’s modus operandi to date has been to focus attention on CVE-2025-24472 and CVE-2024-55591 – a pair of authentication bypass flaws discovered in Fortinet’s FortiOS and FortiProxy – for initial access.

These vulnerabilities enable an unauthenticated actor to gain heightened admin rights on devices running FortiOS with exposed management interfaces. A proof-of-concept exploit released on 27 January 2025 was exploited within 96 hours, said Forescout.

Once in their target network, the gang moved laterally and prioritised targets such as authentication, database and file servers, domain controllers, and other elements of their victims’ network infrastructure. They then exfiltrated data and initiated encryption after doing so in a fairly standard ransomware attack.

Pattern recognition

In linking Mora_001/SuperBlack to LockBit – famously disrupted in a UK-led multinational operation just over 12 months ago – Forescout’s analysts said they observed a number of post-exploitation behaviours consistent with LockBit’s playbook.

These included identical usernames on victim networks, overlapping IP addresses used for access and command and control (C2), similar configuration backup behaviours, and rapid ransomware deployment, often after just 48 hours under “favourable” conditions.

Mora_001/SuperBlack also leveraged the leaked LockBit builder, removing LockBit branding from its ransom notes and deploying its own exfiltration tool.

The most concrete evidence was to be found in the gang’s ransom note, which includes a TOX ID used by LockBit for negotiations. Forescout said this suggested Mora_001 is either an operational affiliate of LockBit, or an associate group that shares communications channels with the gang.

“The post-exploitation patterns observed enabled us to define a unique operational signature that sets Mora_001 apart from other ransomware operators, including LockBit affiliates,” wrote the team. “This consistent operational framework suggests a distinct threat actor with a structured playbook, rather than multiple operators following a generalised LockBit methodology.”

In analysing the timeline of Mora_001/SuperBlack intrusions, as well as overlapping indicators and operational patterns, Forescout said it could now “confidently” attribute future intrusions to the gang, independently of what its exact relationship to LockBit may be.

Following the National Crime Agency (NCA)-led Operation Cronos, which disrupted LockBit in February 2024, the ransomware landscape saw a significant fragmentation, and an increase in the number of operational gangs, suggesting that a number of members of the LockBit collective scattered under pressure and set up or joined new operations.

Although these suggestions are merely theories, the discovery of Mora_001/SuperBlack lends a certain weight to them, and as the year progresses, the legacy of LockBit looks set to remain for some time to come.

More information on Mora_001/SuperBlack, including tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs), detection opportunities, and indicators of compromise (IoCs), can be obtained from Forescout.

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AMD CES 2025 Keynote live blog: as it happened

Refresh

2025-01-06T18:40:08.666Z

Good morning folks. We’re queueing up outside the South Seas Ballroom at Mandalay Bay, awaiting the start of AMD’s CES 2025 keynote, and it’s sure to be a packed 45 minutes to an hour. I’ll be here bringing you all the latest news as it breaks, as well as my thoughts on what’s being announced.

I’ll keep you updated once I’m in my seat, so stay tuned!

2025-01-06T18:58:45.541Z

The stage at AMD's CES 2025 press conference

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

We’re five minutes away from the start of AMD’s press conference, so it’s time to settle in.

2025-01-06T19:03:53.280Z

AMD Senior VP Jack Huynh is taking the stage now, No Lisa Su this time.

2025-01-06T19:06:21.698Z

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D are up first.

2025-01-06T19:09:16.673Z

Slides from the AMD CES 2025 keynote

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Not to brag or anything…

2025-01-06T19:11:58.810Z

An AMD executive presenting at CES 2025

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D coming in March 2025.

2025-01-06T19:13:32.508Z

AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D coming to laptops, along with a pair of non-X3D HX chips (I missed the model names of the other two, I’ll grab those in a sec).

2025-01-06T19:15:08.368Z

An AMD executive presenting at CES 2025

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

AMD’s SVP of Client Business Rahul Tikoo is on stage now to talk about AI PCs.

New Ryzen AI 300 chips, targeting the midrange user with Ryzen AI 7 350 and Ryzen 5 340.

2025-01-06T19:25:28.725Z

Image 1 of 4

A slide showing the new AMD Ryzen AI Max skus(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)Slides showing Ryzen AI Max benchmarks at CES 2025(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)Slides showing Ryzen AI Max benchmarks at CES 2025(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)Slides showing Ryzen AI Max benchmarks at CES 2025(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Now we’re moving on to the new Ryzen AI Max series, which are workstation CPUs with up to 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units, which is a hell of a lot for an integrated GPU. Up to 50 TOPS XDNA 2 NPU, and up to 256GB/s memory bandwidth.

2025-01-06T19:27:19.802Z

Ok, so we’re on to enterprise products, namely AMD Epyc and AMD Instinct data center CPU and GPUs.

2025-01-06T19:28:02.748Z

We’ve also got some discussion of AMD Ryzen AI 300 Pro.

2025-01-06T19:30:49.763Z

I have no idea what TCO means, but Shell says AMD Ryzen CPUs offer the best, so there’s that.

2025-01-06T19:32:27.820Z

Now PC manufacturer executives are singing AMD’s praises, including HP, Lenovo, and Asus.

2025-01-06T19:38:46.234Z

An AMD and Dell Executive talking about the new Dell Pro portfolio at CES 2025

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

So Dell is now on stage with AMD talking about the first Dell professional PCs and laptops to feature AMD chips. Oh, and Dell is completely rebranding its entire product portfolio, but that’s for another news story.

2025-01-06T19:41:09.567Z

Everyone keeps talking about the ‘AI revolution’, but honestly, I’ve yet to see anything from AI PCs so far that is truly revolutionary. I’m sure its coming at some point in the future, but the future isn’t here just yet.

2025-01-06T19:47:13.070Z

OK, so the press conference has wrapped, and there was no discussion of AMD Radeon graphics cards, as we were expecting, but we know they’re coming so there might be more to come on that over the next few days.

For now, though, the big news is the new Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D chips due out in March, as well as new high-performance mobile ships for both enthusiasts, gamers, and enterprise users.

There’ll be more from me today, but for now, we have to clear out of the ballroom, so stay tuned for more from us here at CES 2025.

Source

Posted on by

AMD CES 2025 Keynote live blog: as it happened

Refresh

2025-01-06T18:40:08.666Z

Good morning folks. We’re queueing up outside the South Seas Ballroom at Mandalay Bay, awaiting the start of AMD’s CES 2025 keynote, and it’s sure to be a packed 45 minutes to an hour. I’ll be here bringing you all the latest news as it breaks, as well as my thoughts on what’s being announced.

I’ll keep you updated once I’m in my seat, so stay tuned!

2025-01-06T18:58:45.541Z

The stage at AMD's CES 2025 press conference

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

We’re five minutes away from the start of AMD’s press conference, so it’s time to settle in.

2025-01-06T19:03:53.280Z

AMD Senior VP Jack Huynh is taking the stage now, No Lisa Su this time.

2025-01-06T19:06:21.698Z

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D are up first.

2025-01-06T19:09:16.673Z

Slides from the AMD CES 2025 keynote

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Not to brag or anything…

2025-01-06T19:11:58.810Z

An AMD executive presenting at CES 2025

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D coming in March 2025.

2025-01-06T19:13:32.508Z

AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D coming to laptops, along with a pair of non-X3D HX chips (I missed the model names of the other two, I’ll grab those in a sec).

2025-01-06T19:15:08.368Z

An AMD executive presenting at CES 2025

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

AMD’s SVP of Client Business Rahul Tikoo is on stage now to talk about AI PCs.

New Ryzen AI 300 chips, targeting the midrange user with Ryzen AI 7 350 and Ryzen 5 340.

2025-01-06T19:25:28.725Z

Image 1 of 4

A slide showing the new AMD Ryzen AI Max skus(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)Slides showing Ryzen AI Max benchmarks at CES 2025(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)Slides showing Ryzen AI Max benchmarks at CES 2025(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)Slides showing Ryzen AI Max benchmarks at CES 2025(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Now we’re moving on to the new Ryzen AI Max series, which are workstation CPUs with up to 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units, which is a hell of a lot for an integrated GPU. Up to 50 TOPS XDNA 2 NPU, and up to 256GB/s memory bandwidth.

2025-01-06T19:27:19.802Z

Ok, so we’re on to enterprise products, namely AMD Epyc and AMD Instinct data center CPU and GPUs.

2025-01-06T19:28:02.748Z

We’ve also got some discussion of AMD Ryzen AI 300 Pro.

2025-01-06T19:30:49.763Z

I have no idea what TCO means, but Shell says AMD Ryzen CPUs offer the best, so there’s that.

2025-01-06T19:32:27.820Z

Now PC manufacturer executives are singing AMD’s praises, including HP, Lenovo, and Asus.

2025-01-06T19:38:46.234Z

An AMD and Dell Executive talking about the new Dell Pro portfolio at CES 2025

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

So Dell is now on stage with AMD talking about the first Dell professional PCs and laptops to feature AMD chips. Oh, and Dell is completely rebranding its entire product portfolio, but that’s for another news story.

2025-01-06T19:41:09.567Z

Everyone keeps talking about the ‘AI revolution’, but honestly, I’ve yet to see anything from AI PCs so far that is truly revolutionary. I’m sure its coming at some point in the future, but the future isn’t here just yet.

2025-01-06T19:47:13.070Z

OK, so the press conference has wrapped, and there was no discussion of AMD Radeon graphics cards, as we were expecting, but we know they’re coming so there might be more to come on that over the next few days.

For now, though, the big news is the new Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D chips due out in March, as well as new high-performance mobile ships for both enthusiasts, gamers, and enterprise users.

There’ll be more from me today, but for now, we have to clear out of the ballroom, so stay tuned for more from us here at CES 2025.

Source

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LockBit ransomware gang teases February 2025 return

Despite being taken down and humiliated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) coordinated Operation Cronos in February 2024, an unknown individual(s) associated with, or claiming to represent, the LockBit ransomware gang has broken cover to announce the impending release of a new locker malware, LockBit 4.0.

In screengrabs taken from the dark web that have been widely circulated on social media in the past day, the supposed cyber criminal invited interested parties to “sign up and start your pentester billionaire journey in 5 minutes with us”, promising them access to supercars and women. At the time of writing, none of the links in the post direct anywhere, while a countdown timer points to a ‘launch’ date of 3 February 2025.

Robert Fitzsimons, lead threat intelligence engineer at Searchlight Cyber, said it was hard to say at this stage what LockBit 4.0 entailed – whether the gang was launching a new leak site, its old one having been seized, or whether it has made changes to its ransomware.

“It is worth noting that LockBit has already been through many iterations, its current branding is LockBit 3.0. It’s therefore not surprising that LockBit is updating once again and – given the brand damage inflicted by the law enforcement action Operation Cronos earlier this year – there there is clearly a motivation for LockBit to shake things up and re-establish its credentials, keeping in mind that the LockBit 3.0 site was hijacked and defaced by law enforcement,” said Fitzsimons.

“There has been a decrease in LockBit’s victim output since Operation Cronos but this post shows that it is still trying to attract affiliates and continue its operations.”

The gang’s sudden announcement comes just days after it emerged that the United States government is seeking the extradition from Israel of an alleged LockBit operative named as Rotislav Panev to face trial for wire fraud and cyber crime.

Panev was arrested in Haifa in Israel in August – according to Israeli news site Ynet, which was first to report the extradition request, news of his arrest has been restricted up to now in order to avoid tipping off other LockBit associates who may be located outside Russia and giving them a chance to escape to the relative safety afforded them there.

Panev is accused of working as a software developer for LockBit and may have created the mechanism by which the gang was able to print ransom notes on printers connected to the compromised systems. Panev’s lawyer told Ynet that he was a computer technician and was never aware of nor involved in any fraud, extortion or money laundering.

Computer Weekly understands an extradition hearing in this case is scheduled for January 2025.

LockBit down but not out?

Since Operation Cronos unfolded in early 2024, the NCA and other agencies that participated in the takedown have been drip feeding more information about the infamous cyber criminal operation.

In May, the NCA unmasked its leader, LockBitSupp, naming him as Russian national Dmitry Khoroshev and targeting him with asset freezes and travel bans, concurrent with an indictment in the US that has seen him charged with a total of 26 counts of fraud, damage to protected computers and extortion. Khoroshev remains at large despite a multimillion-dollar reward, and LockBitSupp has denied that this is their true identity.

Later in the year, the NCA named-and-shamed a high-profile LockBit affiliate, Aleksandr Ryzhenkov, aka Beverley, who was also a key player in the Evil Corp operation and served as a henchman to its leader Maksim Yakubets.

Despite the apparent success of Operation Cronos, recent history has shown that even when law enforcement operations can be effective at disrupting their activities, cyber criminals are remarkably resilient and often able to stand up their operations again with relative ease.

Although it is not currently possible to ascertain what the person behind LockBit’s announcement is actually planning, defenders should be alert to the possibility of attack in the coming weeks and take appropriate anti-ransomware measures wherever possible.

Source