Month: May 2021

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Unknown hackers have been exploiting four Android vulnerabilities that allow the execution of malicious code that can take complete control of devices, Google warned on Wednesday.

All four of the vulnerabilities were disclosed two weeks ago in Google’s Android Security Bulletin for May. Google has released security updates to device manufacturers, who are then responsible for distributing the patches to users.

Google’s May 3 bulletin initially didn’t report that any of the roughly 50 vulnerabilities it covered were under active exploitation. On Wednesday, Google updated the advisory to say that there are “indications” that four of the vulnerabilities “may be under limited, targeted exploitation.” Maddie Stone, a member of Google’s Project Zero exploit research group, removed the ambiguity. She declared on Twitter that the “4 vulns were exploited in-the-wild” as zero-days.

Enlarge / This machine is checking silicon wafers in a cleanroom lab—class 1 chip facilities must limit dust to 10 particles per cubic meter, 1/1000th the amount found in hospital operating theaters. (credit: Monty Rakusen via Getty Images)

Susquehanna Financial Group analyst Chris Rolland noted Tuesday that the wait time for all major semiconductor product categories is up considerably—from 16 weeks in March to 17 weeks in April. This represents the longest lead time—the elapsed time between placing an order and receiving products—that the industry has faced since 2017, when the firm began tracking this data.

Rolland said this lengthened lead time puts the industry in a "danger zone," noting further that "elevated lead times often compel bad behavior [from] customers, including inventory accumulation, safety stock building, and double ordering." In other words, major companies seeking VLSICs don't behave very differently from consumers seeking toilet paper.

These shortages impact nearly all industries to some degree, with the heaviest impact falling on industries with long lead times of their own. In particular, the automotive sector is projecting $110 billion in lost sales this year due to factories sitting idle while waiting for components. Again mimicking last year's pandemic-related toilet paper shortages, hoarding tends to make the gaps worse. As the lead times get longer, buyers become more likely to overorder and make supply chain problems worse.

Enlarge (credit: Chris Young)

AT&T overcharged the District of Columbia government for more than five years and has "agreed to pay $1.5 million for its failure to comply with its long-term contract with the District for cell phone and Internet services," DC Attorney General Karl Racine announced Monday. The settlement doesn't recoup the full amount of overcharges alleged by Washington, DC, which says AT&T "overcharg[ed] District taxpayers by millions of dollars."

"My office filed suit against AT&T to ensure that it fulfilled its contractual obligation to provide the District government with the least expensive cell phone and data services available," Racine said. "We are pleased that after filing suit, AT&T immediately sought to resolve the case in a manner that results in making the District and its taxpayers whole."

AT&T did not admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement.

Enlarge / Get the toughest soot stains out of your jerkin with Tide! (credit: Aurich Lawson | HBO | Tide)

In a first for anything HBO-branded, the cable provider will begin offering its content for a lower price, subsidized by advertising, starting the first week of June. Game of Thrones, brought to you by Tide? Advertising is coming.

This comes as part of the wider WarnerMedia streaming service HBO Max creating a new ad-supported tier. We first learned of this tier in March but now know it will cost $10 per month, as opposed to the existing $15/mo rate without advertisements. That $5/mo savings comes from more than advertising, however: WarnerMedia has confirmed that the ad-supported tier will not include "Warner Bros. Same-Day Premiere" films slated to simul-launch in theaters and on HBO Max through the remainder of 2021 (including Dune, The Matrix 4, and The Suicide Squad).

In a Wednesday press release, WarnerMedia describes the new tier as the "lightest ad load among ad-supported streamers." Exactly how that will play out remains unclear, however, since the announcement's language is clearly written to entice advertisers, not viewers. The announcement currently includes three examples of HBO Max ads: full-screen advertisements while content is paused; ads placed in the service's search interface; and "brand blocks," which appear to let a single advertiser "own a block of content" (presumably with "this episode was brought to you with limited ads by so-and-so" messaging, as opposed to Conan O'Brien's upcoming, HBO Max-exclusive series having episodes dominated by specific bottles of hot sauce).

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  Kia describes the EV6's design philosophy as "opposites attract." I think it looks quite a lot like the Lamborghini Urus. [credit: Kia ]

The Kia EV6 is one of the more intriguing electric vehicles to have been announced over the past few months. Like sibling brand Hyundai's Ioniq 5, the EV6 will use a new 800 V electric car platform called E-GMP, which boasts extremely rapid fast charging and a raft of other interesting design details. On Tuesday night, Kia took over Times Square in Manhattan to formally unveil the EV6 in the US, ahead of deliveries scheduled for early 2022.

Hyundai went for a rather retro look for the Ioniq 5. Instead of looking backward, Kia chose to clad the EV6 in a crossover body that's more than a little reminiscent of the Lamborghini Urus. That comparison might get a little more pointed in late 2022 when the EV6 GT arrives—that one will beat the Lamborghini SUV in a drag race, at least to 60 mph.

Four powertrain configurations

Kia has announced four different powertrain combinations for the EV6. The entry-level EV6 will come with a 58 kWh battery and a single 167 hp (125 kW) electric motor driving the rear wheels. A second rear-wheel-drive EV6 will be available with a larger 77.4 kWh battery pack and 218 hp (162 kW) from its motor.