Digging into the details of Nokoyawa At first glance, the Nokoyawa binary is not packed and protected by ransomware authors. As seen below, we can observe plain-text strings indicating some of the features of this ransomware. Figure 1: Strings of Nokoyawa ransomware not obfuscated. Nokoyawa command line options Nokoyawa has hardcoded several command line possibilities for customized executions, as shown in Figure 1, namely: -help: Print the list of available commands -network: Encrypt all local, network drives including network shares -file filePath: Encrypt a single file -dir dirPath: Encrypt selected folder and sub-folders...

As highlighted by Fortune, analysts’ consensus on iPad sales for last quarter suggest that iPad sales will actually decline year-over-year by about 0.7%. Although the expected decline is small, this would represent a big shift in iPad momentum, especially since Apple saw a strong increase in sales for the holiday quarter, going from 22.9M units in the previous year to 26M this year. If iPad sales have fallen, it wouldn’t be because of different market conditions to last year....

Apple’s senior VP of retail Angela Ahrendts recently joined ABC Radio’s “No Limits with Rebecca Jarvis” show to talk about her move from Burberry to Apple, working at a tech company without being a “techie,” and more… Ahrendts explained in the interview that, during her first conversation with Tim Cook about the retail president position, she opened about the fact that she wasn’t all that in-tune with the latest and greatest technology:...

We recently showed you some of the possible innovative and or highly requested new features Apple could add in the next version of iOS. It’s unclear whether Jony Ive’s new software design responsibilities will lead to a radically new design for iOS 7, but many features of iOS are becoming more and more outdated with every slick new jailbreak tweak that gets released. One example is the lock screen—something that new jailbreak tweak Peekly aims to revamp....

New tethering app: Yet another App Store developer has managed to sneak an app with hidden tethering functionality into the App Store. We covered an app that did this in August, and this new application uses a similar process to enable tethering. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APNEQp_DHEs] The new application is called FlashArmyKnife, and it costs $1.99 on the App Store. For those unfamiliar, these apps with hidden tethering allow you to use your existing iPhone internet data service (with no additional cost) to connect your Mac or PC to the internet....

Apex Legends shares a few similarities with Fortnite, but in terms of player growth, it’s already surpassing Epic Games’ juggernaut battle royale title, at least in terms of how they launched. Apex Legends is, according to early analysis, on pace to outgrow Fortnite at a rate that would be extraordinarily quick, even for a genre that has been explosive in its popularity. Apex Legends released just one week ago, but it has already become one of the most talked about games in the industry....

Video of an early Xbox build of StarCraft: Ghost leaked online, the game was abandoned by the developer in 2014. StarCraft: Ghost was a strange move for Blizzard. While its games had appeared on consoles previously, they were always lackluster ports of the PC games. Ghost was intended for release exclusively on the Xbox and PlayStation 2 systems, which was great for fans at the time who didn’t have a PC on which to enjoy Blizzard games....

Andrea Berloff has made quite a name for herself in Hollywood, as one of the most talented writers in the business. Her first feature film screenplay, Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center, demonstrated her ability to transport viewers to a singular moment in space and time, and her work on the N.W.A. biopic, Straight Outta Compton, earned universal acclaim and box office success. The Kitchen marks Berloff’s directorial debut. A 1970s crime thriller based on the DC Vertigo comic book, The Kitchen stars Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elizabeth Moss as a trio of mob wives who decide to take matters into their own hands when their husbands get busted and sent to prison....

AOL announced today that it is starting to cut off third-party app access to its Instant Messenger service. As first noticed by ArsTechnica, AOL began notifying users of at least one third-party app, Adium, that it would become obsolete starting on March 28th. At this point, it’s unclear whether or not all third-party applications will be rendered useless come March 28th, but the message presented to Adium users seemed to strongly imply that:...

Recently released with the iOS 10.3 beta, APFS will soon replace your Apple device’s thirty year old file system. This means your Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV will all see upgrades from the HFS+ system. Bringing in new optimization for the storage technologies of today, with encryption built-in as a primary feature, Apple File System will bring a slew of new benefits to users in 2017. Let’s go over what these changes are, and what you should expect out of your favorite apps and devices....

It seems like every article I’ve written in the past few months has started regarding COVID–19. While I hate that I keep mentioning it, it is informing a lot of how I am thinking about business operations going forward. I recently did a deep dive into the Addigy mobile device management system, and I think it could be beneficial for companies moving to permanent work from home. About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers has been managing an enterprise IT network since 2009....

A 148-page lawsuit accuses the tech companies of being involved in a ‘massive music piracy operation’ … The Verge reports that the case is based on a claim that the companies are selling pirated versions of both albums and songs written by the composer, and that there does appear to be evidence to support this. The lawsuit does, however, make a rather less credible: that Apple and the other defendants were not only aware of the piracy, but are motivated to permit it....

Ad industry execs are accusing Apple of applying different privacy rules to itself, giving Apple ad sales an unfair advantage over third-party ad networks. The accusation could add yet another angle for antitrust investigations into the company. iOS 14.5 means that users now get the option of opting out of ad tracking, which makes it impossible to serve personalized ads to them. That matters because app developers can charge more for targeted ads....

The harm done to independent Apple resellers was raised as a major concern almost immediately after the deal was announced. The Verge now reports that the Federal Trade Commission appears to be interviewing resellers who have been impacted by the deal. CNET reports that authorized resellers will be limited to those ‘who handle millions of dollars in Apple products,’ which will eliminate small businesses and individual sellers. One antitrust expert says the deal is likely illegal....

Apple could switch up its iPhone release cycle as soon as 2021 according to a new analyst report from JP Morgan’s Samik Chatterjee (via Marketwatch). Since the iPhone 4S in 2011, Apple has released its flagship iPhone models all at once in the fall — almost always in mid-September. What JPMorgan proposes is that there would be two pairs of iPhone launches in 2021, one in the first half (presumably in the March-June timeframe) and one in the second half (the normal September holiday period)....

At present you can take screenshots on your Android device by using the Android SDK, or you can use an app from the Android Market. The only catch is that with all existing versions of Android, the screenshot apps require that you have rooted your phones; something not everyone is comfortable doing. But, with the new upcoming 2.3.3 version of Android Gingerbread, rooting is no longer a requirement! Previously there was a worry that if an application could capture your screen there would be nothing to stop it from snapping clips of your credit card information and other personal data when, shopping online or otherwise through your Android device....

Android Oreo was officially made available in the month of August this year and all the smartphone manufacturers have started working to fit them suitable for their devices. In the present scenario, it is only available for Google Pixel, Nexus, and Samsung latest devices. If you are using this latest OS on your smartphone and is experiencing some common issues, here in this post I will show you how to how to fix them all simply....

As far as epic TV shows with amazing spin-offs go, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and it’s companion piece Angel have pretty much permanently set the standard for what shows could and should be. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a show about the trials and tribulations of growing up (through a supernatural lens, of course), while Angel is more about the trials and tribulations of actually being a grown up. And this duo of tightly-written and wildly creative TV shows are still having an impact on media and culture today....

Animal Crossing has been one of the most hotly-anticipated titles since the Nintendo Switch’s announcement, and it’s consistently been one of Nintendo’s top-performing series over the years. Animal Crossing: New Horizons makes some massive improvements, giving players even more control over making their dream getaway. New options allow players to alter the environment by creating cliffs and rivers, import designs from past games, and craft furniture with materials they gather....

Following Imagination Technologies and Qualcomm facing the loss of revenue from Apple as the company looks to bring more chip design in-house, another Apple supplier is also facing a potentially significant loss of business. InvenSense Inc currently makes most of the motion sensors for the iPhone, but Apple is now said to have placed orders with German firm Bosch … Bloomberg reports that sales to Apple make up more than half the company’s revenue....