It's Friday, August 04, 2017. Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.  Friday has arrived. We’ll close out this week with the Moto Z2 Force review and a look at how GTA V is still making money four years after it came out. Anyone know a lawyer?  Marcus Hutchins, aka @MalwareTechBlog on Twitter, became known worldwide earlier this year when his quick action during the WannaCry outbreak prevented an untold number of computers from being damaged. This week the UK-based security researcher was in Las Vegas to be around the Def Con event, but then news broke that law enforcement had detained the young hacker. Eventually, the Department of Justice revealed that the FBI has him in custody for allegedly having a hand in creating and distributing the Kronos trojan. For more analysis of the charges against him, check out this report by the Washington Post. | | Interesting.  While the Bolt is rated for 238 miles of driving by the EPA, the car exceeded that in the Consumer Reports test, squeezing out 12 more miles for a total of 250. That means the Bolt officially beats Tesla’s Model S, at least in this particular test. When CR tested the Model S 75D, it got 235 miles, compared to the EPA estimate of 259. | | Don’t use these.  In a bid to help internet companies improve their security, Have I Been Pwned operator Troy Hunt has released a database containing hashes for 306 million passwords that have previously appeared in leaks. Suggesting better alternatives for people using these passwords could help keep their accounts secure and makes it easier to follow guidelines established by the NIST. | | An extra buck every month.  LastPass is one of the more popular password managers, and yesterday the company announced its prices are going up. While it’s introducing a $48 family plan to help keep your household (of up to six people) covered for less, individual subscriptions are doubling in price to $24 per year. Meanwhile, its unlimited sharing and emergency-access features are no longer available in its free option. Still, at $2 per month, it’s cheaper than competitors like Dashlane and 1Password, and for security’s sake, a password manager can be worth the money to wrangle your ever-growing list of unique passwords. Just something to keep in mind. | | A lesson in compromise.  Motorola tried to blend the best bits of the old Z and Z Force into a single body but made some compromises that mean the Z2 Force won’t work for everyone. The phone is both sleek and powerful, but it also has unremarkable battery life and a lackluster camera. If you love Moto’s Mods then this is the way to go, but there may be better options available. | | Cheaper than the Surface Studio  This 27-inch touchscreen display is perfect for design and art projects -- if you can afford it. | | But wait, there's more... | |
