Kaspersky Warns Of BloodyStealer Trojan That Swipes Data From Gamers’ Accounts

Kaspersky has put out a warning for a trojan tool known as BloodyStealer. The malware was given its name by its creators as it does exactly what its namesake suggests but more importantly, the antivirus software has said that the tool has mostly been used against gamers and several gaming platforms.

As per its official blog post, BloodyStealer was discovered to have mainly affected PCs belonging to gamers and were lodged within the major gaming platforms, including Steam, Epic Games, Origin, GOG, and Bethesda. The antivirus company says that while the malware is still relatively new, it has already found victims within Europe, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific region. Worst still, the trojan is allegedly being sold on the underground market to threat actors as part of a malware-as-a-service (MaaS) distribution model, at a price of US$40 (~RM167) for a “lifetime license”.

As for what it steals, the “official” advertisement for BloodyStealer states that it steals, passwords, cookies, bank card details, gaming account details, device data, screenshots, and even logs, the last item being of particularly popular demand. Games as well are not safe from the malware, with many games stolen with the trojan can be seen being sold on the dark web, and at less than US$1 (~RM4.18) in most situations.

To avoid becoming a victim of BloodyStealer, Kaspersky is preaching that people deploy what it calls “common sense” measures: strong passwords, 2-factor authentication (2FA), downloading apps from trusted sources, and simply not clicking on links provided by strangers in emails, or even those sordid links that are usually passed on by unknown numbers via messaging apps. For gamers, it also has a guide on how to maximise the security settings for all gaming platforms.

Bank Of England Governor Warns Crypto Investors That They May Lose All Their Money

Interest in cryptocurrencies may be surging but there are still notable skeptics out there. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey warned cryptocurrency investors that they risk losing all of their money.

According to CNBC, Bailey was recently asked about the rising value of cryptocurrencies at a press conference, prompting him to say, “They have no intrinsic value. That doesn’t mean to say people don’t put value on them, because they can have extrinsic value. But they have no intrinsic value.”

“Buy them only if you’re prepared to lose all your money,” he added.

Unsurprisingly, his comments weren’t taken well by crypto enthusiasts. Cryptocurrency entrepreneur and billionaire Cameron Winklevoss tweeted, “People who don’t invest in #Bitcoin should be prepared to lose all of their money due inflation. All central bankers know this. Few understand this.”

Winklevoss and his brother, Tyler Winklevoss, famously sued Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for allegedly stealing their idea for the social media platform. They later founded a cryptocurrency exchange called Gemini. According to Forbes, both are now billionaires – thanks to their investments in bitcoin.

Relatedly, the Bank of England itself along with the UK Treasury are exploring the possibility of introducing a central bank-backed digital currency.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Warns Chip Shortage Could Affect Its iPad, Mac Supply

Apple CEO Tim Cook warned that the ongoing global chip shortage could squeeze its supply of M1-powered products, like the new iPad Pro and iMac 2021, later this year.

“The shortages primarily affect ‌iPad‌ and Mac,” Cook told analysts, according to the BBC. “We have a good handle on our demand – but what everybody else is doing, I don’t know.”

Earlier this month, it was reported that Apple delayed its production for the Macbook and iPad, pushing back a portion of its component order for the two products from the first half of the year to the second half.

Cook said the company would do its best to confront these shortages, but added that it would be “very, very difficult” to predict when they would end.

Taiwanese chip manufacturer TSMC, which makes chips for Apple, warned that the chip shortage might last into 2022, with an easing only happening in 2023. The company is spending an extraordinary US$100 billion (~RM413.8 billion) over the next three years to boost the chip-making capacity of its plants.

Foxconn, which also counts Apple as a client, sees the shortage running well into the second quarter of next year. So there’s at least some agreement on the time frame.

As we’ve noted before, a global chip shortage is currently strangling the supply of everything from cars and smartphones to graphic cards and gaming consoles. Largely caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the shortage has been notably worsened by rising trade and political tensions between the US and China.

TSMC Warns Chip Shortage May Last Into 2022

Taiwanese chip manufacturing giant TSMC warned that the global semiconductor shortage could last into next year, even as it expects better supply for its automotive clients next quarter. According to Bloomberg, CEO C.C. Wei told analysts that the company expects the chip shortage as a whole to continue throughout 2021 and potentially into the next year.

“In 2023, I hope we can offer more capacity to support our customers. At that time, we’ll start to see the supply chain tightness release a little bit,” he said.

Prodded by the extraordinary demand for chips, TSMC previously announced that it would spend US$100 billion (~RM413.8 billion) over three years to boost the chip-making capacity of its plants.

Wei noted the strong demand for 5-nm and 3-nm chips as an impetus for additional capacity, Reuters said. The company is already enjoying the fruits of the chip shortage – a revenue increase of 25.4% to a record of US$12.92 billion (~RM53.32 billion) in the first quarter of this year.

Still, TSMC is keeping an eye on Intel, which recently announced plans to build new chip factories and dive into the chip contract manufacturing (“foundry”) business.

But at least in the short-term, there may be more than enough demand for both companies – just not enough supply for someone looking to buy a smartphone or graphic card or a next-gen console or a car or… well, the list goes on.