Posted inNews

Nintendo Switch hack + Dolphin Emulator could bring GameCube and Wii game support

This week security researchers released details about a vulnerability affecting NVIDIA Tegra X1 processors that makes it possible to bypass secure boot and run unverified code on some devices… including every Nintendo Switch game console that’s shipped to date. Among other things, this opens the door for running modified versions of Nintendo’s firmware, or alternate […]

Posted inNews

Nearly 15 million Nintendo Switches are now hackable (other NVIDIA Tegra X1 devices too)

Earlier this year hackers started to show evidence of an exploit that allowed you to load custom software on a Nintendo Switch game console. Theoretically that opens the door for homebrew applications, modified games, or even running an alternate operating system such as a GNU/Linux distribution on Nintendo’s latest game system. It could also make […]

Posted inNews

Latest Windows update disables Intel’s crash-prone Spectre security patch

Most Intel processors* released in the past decade are vulnerable to the recently disclosed Meltdown and Spectre security vulnerabilities, and that’s a problem. But shortly after Intel released a microcode update to mitigate the risk, users started noticing that their computers were unexpectedly shutting off (crashing) more often than before. Intel’s solution: don’t install that […]

Posted inNews

Should you wait for Meltdown & Spectre-proof CPUs before buying a new PC or phone?

This week we learned of major security vulnerabilities affecting nearly every current PC, server, and smartphone processor on the market as well as many released in the past decade or so. The Meltdown vulnerability primarily affects Intel processors, although chips based on new ARM Cortex-A75 design are also impacted. AMD chips are considered safe from […]

Posted inNews

Intel issues statement on security vulnerability

Intel has confirmed reports that a security vulnerability affecting its processors. In a statement, Intel says the company doesn’t believe the security exploit could be used to modify, delete, or corrupt data… but stealing your passwords and other sensitive information is probably bad enough, which explains why a massive effort is underway to address the […]

Posted inNews

Most PCs and servers are about to get slower thanks to security updates patching major Intel CPU vulnerability

A major security vulnerability affecting all Intel chips released in the past decade has apparently been discovered, and since the chips can’t be updated, developers are getting ready to push out software solutions. The good news is that Microsoft is getting ready to push out a major software update to users, and Linux developers have […]

Posted inNews

Intel confirms security vulnerabilities in Intel Management Engine

Intel has come under fire recently for bundling hidden firmware on some chips. While Intel Management Engine provides some hardware-based security and power management features, it’s also a completely closed-source bit of code that comes bundled with most recent Intel processors, and which cannot be easily disabled by users who may decide they don’t need […]

Posted inNews

Backdoor found in OnePlus phones can provide root access without unlocking the bootloader (Updated)

There are plenty Android phone users who make a habit of rooting their devices in order to gain more control over their device, gain access to system settings and files that would otherwise be unavailable, and run apps that only work on a rooted device. But choosing to root your phone is one thing. Finding […]

Posted inNews

Break out the Ethernet cables, because WiFi is insecure (for now)

Most modern devices that use WiFi make use of a security protocol called WPA2. Basically you enter a password and you can connect to the network. But what you don’t see is how that password is just the first step in securing your connection. Once it’s entered, your phone, tablet, laptop, or other device negotiates […]

Posted inNews

Dell support tool poses security risk, company issues a fix

Some recent Dell computers have included a root certificate called eDellRoot that was designed to help Dell support staff identify a computer when users requested support. Unfortunately eDellRoot also posed a pretty serious security risk. Now Dell has responded with instructions for manually removing eDellRoot from an affected computer. The company also says it will […]