TECH RADAR 07.07.2024 – Today’s Topics: Luxury car sales plummet in Korea, Medusa banking trojan becomes more dangerous, Pixel production moves to India

Today we discuss the drastic decline in luxury car sales in Korea, the return of the Medusa banking trojan with new dangerous tricks, and Google’s plans to move Pixel phone production to India. Read below to discover all the important topics of the day.

Tech Radar 07.07.2024 – Today’s Topics:

1. Luxury car sales have plummeted in Korea amid economic troubles. In the first half of 2024, luxury brands like Bentley, Porsche, and Land Rover experienced significant declines, while Tesla, Toyota, and Honda reported sales increases. Tesla stood out with sales of its Model Y and Model 3, becoming the third most popular imported car brand in the country (Korea Times).

2. The Medusa Android banking trojan has returned, more dangerous than ever, evading detection and attacking globally. After nearly a year-long hiatus, the new, lighter variant with fewer permissions targets users in the USA, Canada, Europe, and Turkey. Medusa spreads through seemingly legitimate apps like “4K Sports,” Google Chrome, and InatTV, asking for accessibility services and other permissions to infect devices (Fox News).

3. Google is moving Pixel phone production to India, with plans to start full commercial production by September. Foxconn will produce the Pro models, while Dixon Technologies will manufacture the standard Pixel models. Although India-made Pixels will initially be destined for the European market, Google plans to expand exports to the USA as well (Android Authority).

4. Google’s switch to TSMC for Tensor G5 might be a reason to skip Pixel 9 and wait for Pixel 10. With a 3-nanometer manufacturing process and Integrated Fan-Out technology, Tensor G5 promises better energy efficiency and performance. For Pixel 6 and newer users, waiting could bring significant improvements (9to5Google).

5. A massive data leak exposed nearly 10 billion stolen passwords online, according to Cybernews research team. The file, named rockyou2024.txt, includes passwords collected between 2021 and 2024 and is a continuation of the RockYou2021 leak. Experts warn these passwords can be used for credential stuffing attacks, increasing the risk of fraud and identity theft (BGR).

6. The functionality of the power button on Android phones is becoming increasingly complicated. Once used solely for powering on/off, it now initiates voice assistants or contactless payments. This change confuses users who want to quickly turn off their phones. Most brands allow customization, but the settings vary and are hard to find (Android Authority).

7. We tested over a dozen laptops to compare Snapdragon with Intel, AMD, and Apple chips. After 12 years, Microsoft has made Windows on Arm viable, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chips providing a competitive platform. In tests, Snapdragon X Elite outperformed Intel and AMD in multicore performance but lags in GPU and gaming. Snapdragon laptops have batteries that last between 14 and 16 hours but do not reach the 18 hours of the MacBook Air (The Verge).

8. Liu Yang, China’s first woman in space, encourages Hong Kong youth to follow their dreams and work hard. In a pre-recorded speech, Liu emphasized the importance of scientific knowledge and the new aerospace education base in Hong Kong aimed at inspiring young people. This center is part of efforts to develop innovation and technology, supported by local authorities (SCMP).

9. A developer managed to boot Arch Linux directly from Google Drive on an old laptop without internal storage, but it’s not recommended. Using the FUSE filesystem to bypass storage requirements, Ersei overcame issues like broken symlinks and poor performance. The project could have applications in creating portable Linux versions and education, but it is more of an interesting experiment than a practical solution (XDA Developers).